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I was looking at an online DC crime map that was posted in another thread. It sparked my interest so I decided to tour the crime ridden areas on Google Maps. I've been in some rough areas of Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia and it's always very obvious the area is rough just from looking at the condition of the homes and buildings. The areas I saw in DC looked like working class neighborhoods. Nothing fancy but not too shabby either. Hell, I've been to smaller cities like Joliet, Illinois that has crummier looking buildings. A lot of the areas I saw even look better than Scranton, PA (where I currently live near).
Am I looking in the wrong areas or does DC do a good job of keeping things cleaned up as compared to other cities? I was expecting to see crumbling homes, burnt out buildings and debris everywhere like I've seen in other places.
I was expecting to see crumbling homes, burnt out buildings and debris everywhere like I've seen in other places.
DC has areas that can look pretty dumpy (check out Ivy City sometime), but some neighborhoods with higher rates of crime still have nicer housing stock, lending a nicer image of the neighborhood than actually exists.
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Southeast actually has some pretty decent areas and hidden gems. I worked in Southeast doing community relations for about a year. The problem is that ignorance many times is right around the corner.
I think that fundamentally the durable housing stock of DC is due to the building regulations that have evolved with the city. When you have an architectural maven like George Washington setting down the first regulations, you know you've got a pretty solid regulatory foundation
What specific neighborhoods in DC are you thinking of? And what neighborhoods are you thinking of in Chicago and the other cities?
I was looking at Anacostia and randon NE neighborhoods. Anacostia was brought up on a Yelp thread and everyone acted like it was hell on earth. Searching random locations on GoogleMaps I did not see one area of DC that looked like a stereotypical ghetto.
I lived in the Chicago burbs for 10 years but I don't know most of the city and it's neighborhoods very well. Twice I rode Amtrack from Chicago to Ann Arbor, MI and went into seedy southside neighborhoods. Detroit is a city I've been to many times. I actually like the city but it does have many areas that are extreme on the ghetto scale.
Based on the reputation DC has and from what I've heard from a co-worker that used to work down there I guess I was just expecting the absolute worst. If I had no knowledge of DC and was just driving around I wouldn't have thought I was "in the ghetto" based on the home conditions. I can't say the same for the other cities I mentioned.
I did not see one area of DC that looked like a stereotypical ghetto..
lol.
You should go to those places at night or when theres people hanging on the corners and alleys, but I disagree with your comments, I don't know what you'd call them, but these are projects, and they look ghetto to me:
I couldn't find any photos on google that made any hood in DC look hard, but yeah I found two places that look ghetto no matter what time or day you look at it.
Langston Terrace on 21st St NE:
Woodland Terrace on Ainger Pl SE:
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