Why Is It Named Centreville?
In 1792, landowners founded Centreville to be the geographic center point between Alexandria, Georgetown, and Leesburg.
Why Is It Named…?
The origin stories behind Washington, DC street names, neighborhood names, and landmark names. Who were these places named for?
Why Is It Named Reston?
Reston takes its name from Robert E. Simon, who sold Carnegie Hall and used the proceeds to buy 6,750 acres in Fairfax in 1961.
Hains Point: How Did It Get Its Name?
Peter Conover Hains was a U.S. Army Major General who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World War I. The point carries his name.
Meridian Hill Park: A Complete History of DC’s Italian Renaissance Park
Meridian Hill Park is DC’s Italian Renaissance secret: Mary Foote Henderson’s vision, the 1922 Joan of Arc statue, and a drum circle going since 1965.
Why Is It Named Adams Morgan?
Adams Morgan is named for two formerly segregated schools that merged in 1955. One was all-Black. One was all-white.
Why Is It Named Trinidad?
Northeast DC has a neighborhood named after a Caribbean island. The connection runs through the early history of George Washington University.
Origin of the Term “Beltway Bandit”
Career criminal Joseph Francis Fearon of Fairfax was the original ring leader of the “Beltway Bandits” of the late 1960s, robbing neighborhood homes neighboring the then-new Capital Beltway.
Exploring the History of D.C. Public Elementary Schools: Janney, Gibbs, Eaton and Watkins
Learn about the history of D.C. public elementary schools Janney, Gibbs, Eaton and Watkins. We explore the background behind their names and the people they were named for.
Washington DC Street Names Unveiled: From States to Letters and Numbers
Pierre L’Enfant’s 1791 plan gave DC one of the most logical street grids in America: numbers running one way, letters the other, and state names on the diagonals.