Working in Anacostia, where to live that makes for easy reasonable bike commute?

[Certifried]

So, I used to work at the Suitland Federal Center in Suitland. I live in Bethesda, MD. My ride took me down the Capital Crescent Trail, through DC, across the Frederick Douglass Bridge, up Good Hope road right through Anacostia, ~20 miles. While I wouldn’t feel safe maybe at 2am, I never had any issues during my commutes. I found the people in Anacostia were far more pleasant and patient with me on my bicycle than anywhere else in this area. That ride is SO flat, until you hit Good Hope at least, but you’d be turning before that.

Bethesda is an amazing place to live, though somewhat more expensive. The CCT is a spectacular trail, but can get a bit crowded. The schools in Montgomery County are some of the absolute best in the area.

The Red Line metro comes out of MoCo, then you switch to the Green at Gallery Place/Chinatown and can take that down to the Anacostia station, which is close to St. E’s. So there’s that option if you can’t ride for some reason. It would take about 1h:15m or so from NIH to Anacostia, and you could ride that trip in that time. Driving up around the top of the Beltway from Bethesda (or most any other MoCo location) is “against” the flow of traffic. I get from Bethesda to Bowie in about 25-30 minutes. The times I drove when I worked in Suitland weren’t too much more than that, though coming down Penn Ave from the Beltway had a lot of lights. Your drive would be different, but again, it’s all against the rush flow, so it is SO much better than most beltway trips in this area.

So, speaking from experience living in Bethesda and commuting to Suitland, I can say it’s a pretty damn good option.

here’s one of my strava rides from when I worked in suitland
http://app.strava.com/activities/11774446

[ShawnoftheDread]

@Terpfan 38531 wrote:

For what it’s worth, here’s what google said to do:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Dyke+Marsh+Wildlife+Preserve,+Fort+Hunt,+VA&daddr=st.+elizabeth’s+hospital+dc&hl=en&ll=38.833273,-76.994162&spn=0.010764,0.024419&sll=38.786472,-76.996651&sspn=0.086172,0.195351&geocode=FTuGTwIdYlJo-yFfwQLFrYeNAympyQKUKbC3iTFfwQLFrYeNAw%3BFa3DUAId3iJp-yEWMaI_Sk8CqynhqLRk8rm3iTEWMaI_Sk8Cqw&oq=dyke+marsh+wildlife+pre&gl=us&dirflg=b&mra=ls&t=m&z=16&lci=bike

That looks bad. How about this, a modified version of Dirt’s, making a right at the beginning of Oxon Hill Farm and using the sidewalk to go into the next neighborhood. It’s eight miles from Washington St. and the Wilson Bridge to DHS at MLK.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1999262

As to trail conditions, the OP seems prepared with a CX and variety of tires.

[DaveK]

@ShawnoftheDread 38534 wrote:

That looks bad. How about this, a modified version of Dirt’s, making a right at the beginning of Oxon Hill Farm and using the sidewalk to go into the next neighborhood. It’s eight miles from Washington St. and the Wilson Bridge to DHS at MLK.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1999262

As to trail conditions, the OP seems prepared with a CX and variety of tires.

I haven’t been through in a few weeks but I don’t think Oxon Hill Farm Road is open in the section you’re routing. Could be wrong, like I said, it’s been a few weeks. Either way you can go through the Oxon Hill Farm trail to get to the same place.

[SilverSpring]

@jrenaut 38443 wrote:

I can’t speak for biking in Anacostia, as I’ve never done it, but bear in mind that many people think nothing in Anacostia is safe, so take those warnings with a grain of salt.

Also, curious about what part of Michigan – my wife is from Kalamazoo, and I seem to meet a disproportionate number of people from Michigan.

JRenaut,

Of course your wife is from Kalamazoo…K’zoo is the center of the Universe–although my Bride, from New Jersey, disagrees…and finds it particularly annoying when I use my handy (ha!) right hand to show all of Michigan’s key sites (K’zoo, Kellogg Corporate Headquarters, Bell’s, State, etc.).

[brownnugen]

Quick update; I think we found a nice place near Rose Hill Elementary School (nearest main cross streets are Rose Hill Drive and Franconia Road). Does anyone have any input/feedback on that area? If I lived out there, what is the best way/s to get to the Woodrow Wilson bridge or Mt Vernon Trail?
-Nick

[ShawnoftheDread]

@brownnugen 39031 wrote:

Quick update; I think we found a nice place near Rose Hill Elementary School (nearest main cross streets are Rose Hill Drive and Franconia Road). Does anyone have any input/feedback on that area? If I lived out there, what is the best way/s to get to the Woodrow Wilson bridge or Mt Vernon Trail?
-Nick

I used to live a mile or two from there. Nice area. Not the county’s best schools, but still good.

You can either head north on Telegraph, right on Huntington, and left on Rt 1 to the new bike path to the Wilson Bridge. Or you can go up Franconia to Clermont and over to the Eisenhower Ave path to Old Town. Or South Kings Hwy to Memorial to Beacon Hill Rd and down to the Mt Vernon Trail. Just depends on where exactly your house is and your preference.

[DaveK]

No answer to your specific question, that’s a pretty bad area to be on a bike, but Oxon Hill Farm Road is open as the posted route shows.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@DaveK 39034 wrote:

No answer to your specific question, that’s a pretty bad area to be on a bike…

I disagree. He’s just a few neighborhood streets away from the Eisenhower Ave connector at Clermont, which can connect him to both Holmes Run and MVT. And both Telegraph and Franconia are bike-able. There are also new paths over the Beltway at Telegraph and connecting Rt 1 to the Wilson Bridge.

[jwfisher3]

@brownnugen 38442 wrote:

Some of the advice from other (non biking) forums are strongly urging me to not attempt to bike in Anacostia because it is just not safe. Does anyone here have any experience biking around Anacostia?

Thanks,
-Nick

Nick – I’ve been working in SE DC (JBAB) probably before you were out of short pants (yeah, I’m that old) and been bike commuting on an irregular basis for years and years. Biking through SE is fine. NO PROBLEMS. I’ve had worse experiences with pedestrians and neighborhood denizens in Georgetown, Somerset, Kenwood, Bethesda, and Chevy Chase (where I start my commute) than I do coming in along the SW waterfront, down P street (and past Buzzards Point.) REALLY. Yup, every once in a great while, I’ll hear something from somebody out early who’s been hitting the Mad Dog Twenty-Twenty too hard, but I wave as I ride by, and it’s FINE. A couple of dynamics are operative – you are moving, moving, moving, and are past most people before they even realize you’re there. You’re also (pretty obviously) a military-government type clad in screaming yellow clothing and other technical gear, so it’s known if you’re hassled, the MPD is going to make everyone’s life uncomfortable. I agree, too, with the forum members who point out that crossing in to SE DC from DC rather than Virginia is easier. Coming over the Wilson Bridge and proceeding up to JBAB takes you through some residential areas that aren’t used to seeing people on bikes – it’s a car safety issue more than a crime issue. The only hassle you encounter coming over the South Capitol Street (aka Frederick Douglass) bridge is lots of glass from the foot traffic (see MD 20-20 or Heineken from the Nationals Ballpark?) Those of us who ride the Bridge sweep it periodically, but be sure to get flat-resistant tires (not a bad idea anyway). Good luck with your search, and welcome to MDW.

[Amalitza]

I used to live in the Jefferson Manor neighborhood, and I would take Fort Dr which crosses Rt 1 and becomes Quander and cut through some residential neighborhoods. I don’t think it’s necessarily better or worse than Shawn’s suggestions, just one more you can try out. I’m traveling right now, but I’ll be home and on my own computer next week, I’ll upload the route to strava or ridewithgps and post it. Feel free to remind me if I forget. You would just need to take Franconia to Telegraph and turn on Farmington to get into Jefferson Manor and pick up my route.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@acl 39056 wrote:

I used to live in the Jefferson Manor neighborhood…

Me too!

[Amalitza]

@ShawnoftheDread 39060 wrote:

Me too!

**waves**

Hi, neighbor!

[brownnugen]

@ShawnoftheDread 39033 wrote:

I used to live a mile or two from there. Nice area. Not the county’s best schools, but still good.

You can either head north on Telegraph, right on Huntington, and left on Rt 1 to the new bike path to the Wilson Bridge. Or you can go up Franconia to Clermont and over to the Eisenhower Ave path to Old Town. Or South Kings Hwy to Memorial to Beacon Hill Rd and down to the Mt Vernon Trail. Just depends on where exactly your house is and your preference.

Right now, the only thing I am hesitant on are the schools. When I checked out Rose Hill Elementary on the Greatschools website, I saw it was only rated 4 out of 10. I have school age kids and anticipate anyone that would want to rent or buy this house when I get transferred out of the area will also likely take into consideration the schools. There is also Clermont Elementary school very close by that gets a 9 out of 10, but the houses in that area are significantly more expensive. I am not sure how much of a premium it is worth paying to be in the Clermont versus Rose Hill school zone. I also noticed that once out of elementary school, all of those Clermont kids will go to the same middle and high school (Twain and Edison).

I would appreciate your thoughts on the schooling issue. This is an expensive investment and I just need to make the best educated decision. .
-Nick

[thucydides]

@brownnugen 40035 wrote:

Right now, the only thing I am hesitant on are the schools. When I checked out Rose Hill Elementary on the Greatschools website, I saw it was only rated 4 out of 10. I have school age kids and anticipate anyone that would want to rent or buy this house when I get transferred out of the area will also likely take into consideration the schools. There is also Clermont Elementary school very close by that gets a 9 out of 10, but the houses in that area are significantly more expensive. I am not sure how much of a premium it is worth paying to be in the Clermont versus Rose Hill school zone. I also noticed that once out of elementary school, all of those Clermont kids will go to the same middle and high school (Twain and Edison).

I would appreciate your thoughts on the schooling issue. This is an expensive investment and I just need to make the best educated decision. .
-Nick

I used to live in exactly this neighborhood (on La Vista, a bit north of Franconia). Had we not moved to Arlington my kids would have gone to Clermont (and then Twain & Edison). All three have good reputations and Edison just upgraded its facilities. It is true that Rose Hill (and Bush Hill, which is also in that neighborhood) suffer from lesser reputations than Clermont, but not dramatically so. I don’t know what criteria the goodschools website uses. Overall I think there are more kids at Rose Hill that have English as their second language so it’s distinctly possible that that that school fares worse on the SOLs (standardized tests) than Clermont, merely because of that (and not so much because of the relative qualities of the schools themselves). That said, the Clermont attendance zone does include much more in the way of what we call McMansions than Rose Hill. But the Clermont area actually does feature fairly diverse housing stock. There are still plenty of solid 1950s era houses in there that are relatively affordable, such as the one we lived in. (Of course, they are all ridiculously expensive compared to most other places; in this area you lot is typically assessed at a much higher amount than your actual house.)

Lots of current and retired military live down there. (Belvoir is fairly close.) I found bike commuting from there a challenge because I had to go down to the Eisenhower connector, wind through Alexandria, and then catch the MVT. But driving, especially home in the afternoon, was far far worse (I work in Foggy Bottom).

Some of the work I do involves studying what goes into housing prices. In this area, proximity to the District and quality of schools have dramatic effects, but there’s not a lot of evidence that elementary schools by themselves make a big difference (relative to the middle and high schools). In other words, if you have two exact houses across the street from each other, but they are assigned to different elementary schools (but the same middle & high schools) you shouldn’t see a dramatic difference.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@brownnugen 40035 wrote:

Right now, the only thing I am hesitant on are the schools. When I checked out Rose Hill Elementary on the Greatschools website, I saw it was only rated 4 out of 10. I have school age kids and anticipate anyone that would want to rent or buy this house when I get transferred out of the area will also likely take into consideration the schools. There is also Clermont Elementary school very close by that gets a 9 out of 10, but the houses in that area are significantly more expensive. I am not sure how much of a premium it is worth paying to be in the Clermont versus Rose Hill school zone. I also noticed that once out of elementary school, all of those Clermont kids will go to the same middle and high school (Twain and Edison).

I would appreciate your thoughts on the schooling issue. This is an expensive investment and I just need to make the best educated decision. .
-Nick

We had the same issue, and in the end chose to deal with it by moving to a different school cluster (for reasons of both the schools and unrelated issues). I never resolved my feelings on the school ratings. It seems like a lot of the differences can be accounted for demographically, but perhaps not. I do know some people who stayed in the neighborhood and send kids to Mt. Eagle Elementary, which has received a big boost in its ranking in the past three years. They seem pleased with it.

On the housing issue, Thucydides is right that there’s quite a diverse range of houses in the Clermont neighborhood. Same goes for Rose Hill and Bush Hill (which has a decently rated elementary).

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