Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase, known as the suburb in the city, has the prestige of a strong community connection, gorgeous houses and elegant lawns. Its commercial area is large enough to make it feel relatively self-sufficient. The vast majority of residential opportunities are single-family homes that are comparably large, with virtually all of them overlooking impeccable gardens and lawns of varying sizes. Bungalows, four squares, the occasional Victorian, colonials, Tudors and Cape Cods lend to the grand diversity of architecture throughout the neighborhood.

Not to be confused with Chevy Chase, MD with whom it shares a boundary, Chevy Chase D.C. was initiated in the 1880s when Senator Newlands of Nevada and his partners began to vigorously acquire farmland with the ambition of developing a residential streetcar suburb. The neighborhood began to mature in the early 1900s after construction of the Chevy Chase Line, a streetcar line that stretches to and beyond the northwest confines of the District of Columbia. This line connects the neighborhood to downtown D.C. The resultant holdings of the company are now known as this neighborhood as well as Chevy Chase, Maryland.

The once isolated area grew over decades into a neighborhood of middle-class housing, including many Sears Catalog Homes. Unlike many urban neighborhoods, Chevy Chase has kept its small, generally locally owned businesses along Connecticut Avenue and they remain well championed by the locals. These businesses include Magruder’s Supermarket (est. 1875) and the Avalon Theatre, which opened in 1923 and currently runs as a non-profit movie theater. In addition to its historic commercial buildings, the area has several long standing green spaces including Rock Creek Park, Lafayette Park and Livingston Park.

Chevy Chase is a charming, architecturally rich neighborhood where residents find peace and kinship while still remaining acquainted with the rest of the city.