Shaw, DC

Shaw, DC

Shaw was mostly developed in the early 1900s with urban residential streets and bustling commercial districts, side by side. It was the home to cultural luminaries before the Harlem Renaissance and has held on to that proud heritage despite economic decline in the 1980s. Today’s Washington residents are experiencing a renaissance of their own here thanks to Shaw’s combination of historic and modern homes alongside revitalized retail, trendy restaurants, and pulsing nightlife.

Shaw has everything you need in close proximity. From shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants to a newly rebuilt Giant inhabiting the shell of a restored 19th-century market. But when you need to leave, it’s just one stop south on the Green Line metro to the Convention Center and downtown– or north to the bustling U Street Corridor and Columbia Heights. And if you prefer walking, you can soak in DC’s residential and urban mix as you stroll downtown or even to the National Mall.

Shaw has families who have spanned generations in the same home, but it’s also attracting younger families and single professionals who appreciate the vitality of an urban lifestyle. Streets like 9th and 7th are rapidly developing into the city’s foodie destination for drinking and dining. Two of Shaw’s alleyways have been transformed into unique urban spaces, and 9th Street has become known as Washington’s “Little Ethiopia.”

If you want to be in the heart of it all, you can live just steps away from some of the city’s best entertainment. Or you can feel quietly tucked away from the buzz on one of Shaw’s numerous row home-lined side streets. Shaw exudes a scrappy place of pride and charm for all those who call it home. Residents affectionately call it, “SHAWSOME!”