Congress Heights rests in Southeast D.C., close to the Potomac River and beside the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, a naval base. It's a neighborhood with a stalwart community bond and housing prices lower than the city average. The neighborhood has experienced much of its recent growth from its new housing developments, like the Residences at St. Elizabeth’s East. The neighborhood is ripe with recreational opportunities and new entertainment venues.
Southeast Tennis and Learning Center offers programming for residents of all ages. Designed in part by tennis legend Venus Williams, the space is equipped to cultivate the sport’s next big names. The 48,000-square-foot indoor facility includes six hard courts, a computer room and an engineering room. The nearby Bald Eagle Recreation Center offers sports amenities for all interests. Locals can brush up on their batting practice on the 60-foot softball diamond, practice their jump shot on the basketball court or perfect their jab in the boxing center. Congress Heights Arts and Culture Center is the community’s nexus for creative events and programming. Many events are designed to promote mindfulness and engagement, from wellness retreats to vinyasa yoga sessions. Visitors will find that the center provides several opportunities to engage in crafts and art therapy. The CHACCrafts series invites curious artists to cultivate hands-on skills, including terrarium building and textile upcycling.
This walkable neighborhood contains stores and restaurants like The MLK Deli, part of The Capital City Restaurant Group, known for its spicy wings and D.C.-inspired sandwiches. Residents can fulfill their shopping needs at nearby The Shops at Park Village. National chains include a Chipotle and IHOP. Longtime Congress Heights resident Briana Padgett, says, “The Giant that’s in our neighborhood is closing soon, so I usually get groceries from other neighborhoods.” In the absence of the Giant, there's a Safeway 2 miles north in Anacostia for grocery needs.
The center’s marquee event, Small Business Saturday, brings established artisans together to display their creations. Ward 8’s finest aestheticians, fashion designers, hairstylists and muralists pile into the center to display their elaborate works. Outside of the visual arts, the center also draws in visitors with the occasional community concert or voter registration drive. The newly built Entertainment and Sports Arena is within Congress Heights and brings out crowds for events. The Arena is the home of the Washington Mystics WNBA team and the Capital City Go-Go, DC’s NBA G-League basketball team. Residents can catch the occasional MMA or boxing match here or take in a concert in the same venue that’s hosted acts like Mary J. Blige. Padgett says, “The Arena by the metro brings a ton of people out from different neighborhoods for events, so it can get crowded over there some nights.” The Entertainment and Sports Arena lies beside the Congress Heights metro station for more convenience.
Students enroll in various District of Columbia Public Schools, including three high schools, two middle schools and six elementary schools. Young learners can attend King Elementary School, rated a C-plus on Niche and offering extracurricular activities like science and percussion clubs and a championship cheerleading squad. Students at the C-minus-rated Hart Middle School enjoy enrichment programs in dance, robotics and health education. Finally, Ballou High School, rated a D-plus, is known for its marching band that has appeared in the Tournament of Roses Parade and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Home values in Congress Heights range from $175,000 for a one-bedroom condo or auction opportunities for fixer-uppers to over $700,000 for duplexes or single-family detached homes with around 2,000 square feet. The architecture of Congress Heights is defined by brick duplexes and semi-detached rowhouses, often with metal awnings topping windows or plain but colorful facades and compact front yards. Multifamily buildings range from midcentury, garden-style apartment complexes to condos and townhouses built in the 1970s and later. Single-family houses include bungalows, colonial-style and Victorians -- remnants of the neighborhood’s early days as a streetcar suburb. For newer housing, apartment complexes like the Residences at St. Elizabeth’s East have been developed from older buildings to expand mixed-income rental housing in the area. Potential residents should be advised that this neighborhood holds a 7 out of 10 crime score on the CAP index.
For transportation, residents can walk to the Congress Heights metro station and take Green Line trains through much of DC. Several city buses run along roads like MLK Avenue SE and Alabama Avenue SE. For car travel, I-295 runs adjacent to Congress Heights for greater access to points of interest in Maryland and northern Virginia.
Russ Brown
Realty One Group Performance, LLC
(240) 839-6555
83 Total Sales
2 in Congress Heights
$836K - $865K Price Range
Gary Floyd
Samson Properties
(202) 471-1792
57 Total Sales
1 in Congress Heights
$510,100 Price
Donnell Williams
NextHome Prime Properties
(571) 410-3527
55 Total Sales
1 in Congress Heights
$140,500 Price
Regina Parker
Weichert Realtors - Blue Ribbon
(240) 851-4096
49 Total Sales
1 in Congress Heights
$485,000 Price
Mark Bertini
RLAH @properties
(202) 883-8760
92 Total Sales
1 in Congress Heights
$425,000 Price
Ray Valentine
Keller Williams Capital Properties
(240) 704-8955
24 Total Sales
1 in Congress Heights
$375,000 Price
On average, homes in Congress Heights, Washington sell after 69 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in Congress Heights, Washington over the last 12 months is $410,000, up 11% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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Affordable neighborhood between Oxon Run and Maryland
Historic neighborhood east of the Anacostia River
A conveniently located neighborhood close to downtown D.C. and Maryland
Community at the edge of Washington with park and metro access
Small community feel, only 4 miles from downtown Washington, D.C.
A D.C. suburb undergoing massive development
