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Brookland's a decent neighborhood. It's not great, but it's not bad either. It's mostly residential, quiet, working class and middle class. It's not thought of as a "cool" neighborhood but more and more people are moving there for the cheaper rents and I'd say in five years time, regentrification will move in at full force. The area is rough around the edges in quite a few parts and you always have to be mindful of your surroundings, especially at night, but it's not a crime-plagued neighborhood; just your standard urban neighborhood.
I live on the outskirts of Brookland (about a mile from the Ft. Totten Metro Station towards N. Capitol St.) and I agree with dullnboring...its not too bad, but you have to be smart. In the past year that I've called the area home, I've seen some encouraging signs. We've had a few new neighborhood restaurants and bars open up and my husband and I walk to them in the evenings with no problems. I will warn you...if you're a female and like to jog outside...expect some hooting and hollering.
It's okay, but you'll need a car up there, unless you don't mind taking long, roundabout metro trips to do anything, paying extra to have furniture, etc delivered to your house, etc., and having trouble bringing groceries home. Unless I was absolutely desperate the only places I would live in DC without a car are Dupont, Foggy, U Street, Capitol Hill or Woodley.
Having gone to CUA for college, it's definitely one of those areas where you have to be smart, i.e. if you're walking around in the area by yourself at 2 AM, you're just expecting something to happen. CUA is more of a commuter school so the student presence isn't big. The university isn't that big to begin with.
Having witnessed Brookland over the past couple decades, I agree with most of the postings, just a few additional thoughts:
Brookland is essentially as described, however Catholic University is not the only institution in Brookland, which has been a long-standing cluster of Religious institutions including: CUA, Trinity College, The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception www.nationalshrine.com, The Franciscan Monastery http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguid..._of_columbia-i, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, and more.
The residents: A collection of Long Term Residents, Students, and Families who have discovered the Charm, Quiet Residential streets with a mix of urban crime, and small businesses along the 12th Street corridor including YES Natural Market, and an outdoor Farmer's Market. Brookland is centered between shopping centers at Rhode Island Station and Columbia Heights.
A unique characteristic, very rare in DC (and all other big cities), are neighbors who are so friendly, nice, caring, compassionate and supportive.
Last edited by AustinNCR; 02-17-2012 at 10:51 PM..
Reason: Had problems the 1st time I attempted to post this.
CUA is a commuter school? Okay, I am not a graduate but that seems hard to believe. Mostly it has locals attending? According to their "Living at CUA" web page, 65% of students live on-campus. A few years back a number of those 35% who didn't live on campus lived in party houses near campus. Lots of "town-gown" issues, at least near campus. Catholic doesn't have enough dorms for all it's students, so many end up living in the neighborhood.
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