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The Anacostia CommunityAn examination of Anacostia's history paints a different picture of the community we know today, one in which its location was considered valuable and its black population was beneficially situated. In the 1800's city planners believed that from the Mall, the city would expand in the direction of Anacostia. They envisioned lively commercial, manufacturing, and neighborhood enterprises all along the Anacostia River. In 1890, Anacostia celebrated the opening of the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge, which spanned the Anacostia River to connect the community with the rest of Washington, D.C.Since that time things have changed. Anacostia, then a working, middle-class area for whites and blacks, is today an almost entirely black community whose struggles with unemployment, welfare, and crime are well-documented in the local press. Today, the community is host to most of the city's public housing. And while the federal government is the city's main business, Anacostia struggles to attract investors and businesses "across the river." "The community is trying to rebuild and revitalize."Despite its environmental troubles, the Anacostia River was nominated as an American Heritage River and there is strong interest in reversing its decline. The Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Anacostia Museum, and the historic Frederick Douglass House still exist as worthwhile attractions. |
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The House DC, Inc. P.O. Box 30958 Washington, D.C. 20030 |
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