American University Park

The center of AU Park is completely free of commerce. It consists simply of street after street of well-manicured lawns and cute homes that are linked by back alleys. One thing that distinguishes the neighborhood from nearby areas is the small size of its lots, few of which come with driveways. As a result, the homes are closer to each other, which creates a sense of coziness and safety.

The community vibe is one of youth due to the many young families in the area. Residents love the area’s public schools—Janney Elementary, Deal Middle and Wilson High —as well as large green spaces like Turtle Park. DC’s intelligentsia (lawyers, professors, think tank analysts, World Bank employees, journalists, and federal workers) are well represented in AU Park. The result is a super-educated, super-engaged population that keeps up with local, and even hyper-local, politics.

Tenleytown

Tenleytown is a sweet community with cute detached homes, duplexes, row houses and small-town retail dotting a major avenue. Near the Metro stop are several busy stores, including Whole Foods, Best Buy, Starbucks, and Guapo’s, a Mexican restaurant that has been a mainstay in Tenleytown for over 20 years. There are Japanese, French and Thai restaurants, a cigar shop and several dry cleaners. This is a neighborhood where locals have their favorite go-to spot.