The intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Road, NW is the center of Washington's liveliest
nightlife. Adams Morgan's restaurants feature cuisine from around the world: just about
everything from Ethiopia and Vietnam to Latin America and the Caribbean, not to mention
Europe, can be found within a few bustling blocks. The scene, with its array of food,
clubs, coffee houses, bars, funky shops and live music has an international flavor that
attracts people from the city and the Washington metropolitan region, as well as tourists and overseas visitors.
In the late 19th and early 20th century the neighborhood now known as Adams Morgan was a
fashionable suburb of row houses and elegant apartment buildings that attracted upper-middle
class Washingtonians because of its convenient location on the heights above Dupont Circle.
During World War II the neighborhood declined as many of the houses were turned into boarding
houses, and its fortunes sank further in the 1950s with the advent of white flight in
response to the end of segregation. Young people and immigrants moved in, beginning the
transformation of the area to what it is today.
A new name was chosen by community
activists who combined the names of two neighborhood schools-predominantly white Adams
and predominantly black Morgan.
While the neighborhood had long had a small concentration of Spanish-speaking residents,
most of whom worked at nearby embassies, the 1950s and early 1960s saw an influx of Cubans.
It was in the 1980s, however, that waves of immigrants from Central America arrived,
mainly people seeking a haven from the political and economic turmoil in their countries.
Adams Morgan now has the second largest Salvadoran population in the United States,
and the area is the center of the city's Latino population. The colorful street murals
of Adams Morgan, first painted by Latinos in the 1970s, are now a Washington
tradition and emulated throughout the city. Today, the once-suburban neighborhood
exemplifies urban life at its most vibrant. The special ambience of Adams Morgan is
due in large part to the diverse mix of its residents, and it is now a highly desirable
place to live and play.
To learn more about Adams Morgan Properties
contact Tauber-Souza Group at 301 493-9878
or
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