NoMa, Washington, D C
Definition
NoMa includes:
- A core area consisting of all the blocks bounded by North Capitol Street on the west, Q Street NE on the north, the Amtrak/MARC railroad on the east and K Street NE on the south,
- To the south of the core area, one to two blocks west of the railroad tracks/Union Station from K Street south to Massachusetts Avenue,
- To the northeast of the core area, one to two blocks east of the railroad tracks from K Street north to Florida Avenue, and
- To the north of the core area, the blocks between First Street NE and the railroad tracks from Q to R streets
NoMa's southern tip at Union Station/Columbus Circle is a half-mile north of the U.S. Capitol.
Demographics
According to the NoMa Business Improvement District, the neighborhood was home to 13,000 residents as of January 2023, with a total of 50,000 employees working in the area. 2020 Census data showed that Ward 6 which includes parts of NoMa, Navy Yard and Southwest, was responsible for a third of D.C.'s 15% population growth over the previous decade.
History
After much planning for the area in the late 1990s, the 2004 opening of the New York Ave–Florida Ave Metro, now NoMa-Gallaudet U station, sparked development in the neighborhood. Its name was reportedly chosen to nickname the nomenclature of New York City neighborhoods such as SoHo and TriBeCa.
By 2016, NoMa had emerged as a rapidly-growing neighborhood in D.C. The New York Times summarized the shift, stating "NoMa now has about 6,400 people living in about 3,800 apartments; there were none in 2010". REI opened one of its outdoor supply big box stores in the renovated Washington Coliseum, where the N.B.A.’s Capitols had played in the 1940s.
A longstanding homeless encampment under the K Street underpass was cleared in 2020, with similar encampments under the L Street and M Street underpasses cleared in 2021. Most of the unhoused people agreed to move into apartments as part of a city program. The underpasses had previously been cleared around 100 times, but people returned soon thereafter. The city's removal of the encampments drew criticism after a bulldozer operator accidentally began to clear a tent with a man inside, and who was hospitalized as a result.
Landmarks
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Uline_Arena_%2834359351860%29.jpg/220px-Uline_Arena_%2834359351860%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/NoMa_from_Washington_Gateway_%2834359351860%29.jpg/220px-NoMa_from_Washington_Gateway_%2834359351860%29.jpg)
NoMa includes several historic structures:
- the Woodward & Lothrop Service Warehouse (on the National Register of Historic Places)
- the Uline Arena
- St. Aloysius Church
- Gonzaga College High School
- the Government Printing Office building
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Union Market borders NoMa on the east and has a gourmet food hall, retail non-food stalls and a rooftop with bar, picnic tables and event stage.
Transportation
The area is served by many modes of transportation, including:
- Washington Metro Rail, with stations at NoMa-Gallaudet U station and Union Station both on the Red Line
- MARC commuter trains to Maryland and West Virginia at Union Station
- VRE commuter trains to Virginia at Union Station
- Amtrak long-distance trains, and Northeast Corridor trains including Acela, at Union Station
- bus, including local (WMATA), suburban, and intercity services
- bicycle, including the Metropolitan Branch Trail, bicycle lanes and Capital Bikeshare stations
- on foot: according to WalkScore, NoMa received a score of 93, indicating good walkability
Education
Eighteen schools serve the NoMa neighborhood, from pre-K to university.
References
- ^ "NoMa Today, February 2020", NoMa Business Improvement District
- ^ "Get to Know NoMa". NoMa BID. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "Census shows DC's fastest growth in NoMa, Navy Yard and Southwest", DCist, August 12, 2021
- ^ Meyer, Eugene L. Meyer (2016-11-22). "Having Turned a Corner, Washington's NoMa Is Coming Alive". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ Moyer, Justin Wm. (January 16, 2020). "D.C. clears longtime homeless encampment near Union Station". Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ Lang, Marissa J. (October 4, 2021). "D.C. clears longtime encampment in NoMa in kickoff to new program to house the homeless". Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "District of Columbia Field Offices | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives". www.atf.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ "H Street-NoMa neighborhood in Washington D.C."
External links
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