Existing comment:
Continued Growth:
The Civil War forced Washington to grow into its boundaries. Throughout the war, defenses ringed the city with heavy artillery and temporary camps. As these forts transformed into neighborhoods after the war, the edges of Washington County became the boundary of a new modern Washington, DC. In 1871, Washington, Washington County, and Georgetown were consolidated into one entity.
Within the expanded city, neighborhoods grew and changed. Former downtrodden shantytowns evolved into fashionable communities, and some previously thriving areas fell into decline. Places like Swampoodle completely disappeared. Others were renamed. New neighborhoods, such as NoMa (north of Massachusetts Avenue, NW), continued to develop. In time, streetcars gave way to the Metro rail system, which today connects the far flung neighborhoods of Virginia and Maryland to a modern Washington -- mirroring the pattern seen 150 years ago. |