DC Georgetown

Georgetown DC | History & Real Estate Explained What neighborhood started out as the original port of the nation’s capital, became its own municipality, then turned into Ground Zero for the preppy set, hosted a portion of the punk and grunge movements and became one of the most expensive neighborhoods with prestige unmatched by most of the rest of DC? GEORGETOWN! When I first sat down to do the notes for this Georgetown video, I found myself thinking it was going to be boring. Then as I listed everything that’s in Georgetown, I sort of wanted to slap myself for not acknowledging how much awesome stuff there is here. Location Georgetown is in the Northwest Quadrant of DC, about as far south as you can go without falling into the Potomac River. Roughly bordered by Rock Creek on the east, Glover Archibold Park on the west, Reservoir Road on the north and the Potomac on the south. The Key Bridge takes you across the Potomac into Rosslyn which is in the Commonwealth of Virginia. History The history of Georgetown is absolutely fascinating. The founding of Georgetown pre-dates the founding of DC as our capital city. Because this was one of the only areas of DC where people were settled, if you expected that there would also be slaves living in Georgetown, you are correct. More on this in a bit. Georgetown was a separate municipality until 1871 at which time Congress deemed it part of the whole city. Within the next couple decades, Georgetown’s local ordinances were repealed and their streets renamed to fit in with the rest of the city. Some may say that this whole “we’re not part of you” attitude still persists today. Did You Know: There’s a long standing myth in DC that Georgetown residents fought the metro coming to the neighborhood for fear of crime. The real reason there isn’t a metro is that the infrastructure changes to bring the train safely underground was a non-starter. This would have required underpinning many homes, compromising their structural integrity. In the 1970’s, Georgetown was the OG of hipster land, known for its thrift stores and record shops. The Exorcist was partially filmed here, with the steps being the obvious scene you will remember. In the 1980’s, Georgetown became the place to see and be seen. In Maryland, the drinking age changed from 18 to 21 in 1982. But you could still drink in DC at 18 until 1986. Guess which Mayor supported raising the drinking age? Marion Barry. For most of the 80’s, the city would be flooded on weekends with kids looking for a good time. Georgetown streets were straight up gridlock. If you want to know what Georgetown was like in the 80’s, watch St Elmo’s Fire. It was filmed here, and it captures this time perfectly. Did You Know: The Preppy Handbook named Clyde’s in Georgetown as THE Definitive Preppy Bar for DC. Clyde’s opened in 1963 in what used to be a motorcycle hangout. Clyde’s had the first full size bar since Prohibition. In the mid 1980’s there was also a growing punk movement and some of the major players lived or worked in Georgetown, Glover Park and other parts of Northwest. I did a punk video with the girls too, definitely check that out! In the 80’s, the city was experiencing a high crime wave and Georgetown was somewhat of a respite from the rest of the city. In the 1990’s when the grunge era hit, the preppies were gone. Alternative music was everywhere. As the 1990’s wore on, people started going to other places like Adam’s Morgan and the nightlife started to shift. In came the national chain stores and high-end hotels that began a new definition of Georgetown into the turn of the 21st century. In the past five to seven years, lots of stores have closed or relocated to other parts of the city. The rents here are just too high for many retailers and the customer base is likely as much tourist as local. In 2021, archeologists discovered the remains of 28 African Americans, believed to be slaves, from the early 1800’s. One of the biggest residents of Georgetown is Georgetown University. ===== I have so many people contacting me who are moving here to Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia, also known as the DMV, and I love it! If you are relocating to DC, MD or VA, I can make that much easier for you! Reach out days/nights/weekends and I'll get right back with you! Subscribe to my channel here: ✅ https://bit.ly/3oruO1o If you have any questions about this video, leave a comment! If you have questions about real estate in DC, Maryland or Virginia, my contact info is below. ===== Melissa Terzis 📲 (202) 253-9105 📩 Melissa@MelissaTerzis.com 🌐 https://www.dcrealestatemama.com/ TTR | Sotheby's International Realty 1515 14th St NW Washington, DC 20005 Office: (202) 234.3344 - Melissa Terzis | DC Real Estate Mama

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