The Georgetown Metropolitan

GM is continuing to re-run his Seven Georgetowns series. Today, it’s lower Georgetown:

This week for GM’s series “Seven Georgetowns” GM is exploring the most overlooked corner of Georgetown: lower Georgetown.

As a quick reminder, this series is about demonstrating how Georgetown is really made up of seven distinct sub-neighborhoods that each could stand on their own as a neighborhood even if they weren’t surrounded by the other six sevenths of Georgetown.

When GM says that lower Georgetown is overlooked, what he means is that to people who live north of M St., it is a bit of a mystery. We know people live there, but they seem separate and apart from the rest of Georgetown. This, in fact, is a complaint GM has heard multiple times from residents of lower Georgetown.

And to be fair, it really is quite different from the rest of Georgetown. While there are a small handful of small rowhouses–which look much like small rowhouses north of M St.–the vast majority of households south of M St. are in apartment buildings. These range from modestly priced to some of the most expensive properties in DC.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The seemingly endless construction at K and Wisconsin is about keeping our rivers clean.
• Programming note: After today, GM is going to sign off for an August break. See you in September!

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, GM is visiting a young Georgetown woman who was world famous in her youth, yet has largely fallen from common knowledge. She’s Margaret Gorman, and she was the first Miss America.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• This isn’t new, but GM just learned about it: a delectable sushi pop-up is located at Grace Street Coffee.
• Some study abroad programs are moving forward at GU this fall.

In Georgetown, the major recipients of the federal government’s paycheck protection program were restaurants and hotels. This program, enacted in response to Covid, provided employers with low interest forgivable loans in return for them keeping employees on the payroll.

The recipients of the program were made public and there were fifty companies based in the 20007 zip code that participated. The break down by type of employers is as follows:

Restaurants and hotels were among the businesses most directly impacted by the pandemic. So it should come as no surprise that they are at the top. In fact, it’s a little surprising that more restaurants aren’t listed. (Possibly there were more, but the legal entity was outside the zip code.)

Not all the businesses reflected on this list are based in Georgetown, since the 20007 zip code covers a larger area. But eyeballing the list, it appears that most are. Among the more recognizable recipients were:

• Van Ness Feldman – This law firm took the largest amount at $3.4 million in order to keep 168 employees.
• Georgetown Visitation – This school took $2 million to keep 120 people employed.
• Holy Trinity Church – The church received $1 million to keep 101 people employed (although it was listed under religious organizations, this presumably was more for Holy Trinity School than the church itself.)
• Cafe Milano – This in/famous restaurant received $921k to keep 65 employed.

The overall average grant was $1.4 million in order to keep 92 people employed. This works out to about $15,000 per employee. Across DC the average loan was only $109k, with the average number of employees at 10. That works out to $10k per employee.

GM is continuing with reprinting his series Seven Georgetowns. Today we visit the great north.

This week on Seven Georgetowns, GM is going to discuss the northern tip of Georgetown, which he uncreatively has dubbed: Upper Georgetown.

It probably makes sense to first describe the official northern boundaries of Georgetown itself, to help explain Upper Georgetown’s boundary. Georgetown is the only neighborhood in DC that is actually defined by federal law. (The definition is necessary to describe where exactly the Old Georgetown Act applies). The northern boundary of Georgetown, according to that definition, runs east along Reservoir Rd. from just west of the hospital. Then it heads north down the center of 35th St. to Whitehaven Parkway. From there it runs east of Wisconsin and meanders through the woods until it hits Rock Creek.

Upper Georgetown’s southern border is Book Hill, which comes to a natural northern end at the library. The eastern border is a bit fuzzier. GM figures that at some point between 32nd and Wisconsin, R St. and S St. stop being Georgetown Heights and start being Upper Georgetown, but it’s not a bright line.