Wakefield is a neighborhood in the Upper

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

quadrant of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, bounded by Albemarle Street NW to the south, Nebraska Avenue NW to the west, and Connecticut Avenue to the east. It is served by the Van Ness-UDC and Tenleytown-AU station on the

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

's Red Line. The area was first developed in the 1930s by R.B. Warren, who built 100 brick homes between Nebraska and Connecticut north of Albemarle and named the new neighborhood "Wakefield", after the plantation where George Washington was born. This new residential development was part of, and contributed to, the burgeoning growth along Connecticut Avenue. To support the growing population in Wakefield and surrounding neighborhoods, a Piggly Wiggly grocery store was built in 1928 on the west side of Connecticut just south of Albemarle, and the Chevy Chase Park N' Shop - the first modern shopping center and sports complex in the area, with an A&P, Peoples, Woolworth's, Best's, an ice skating rink, and a bowling alley - was built in 1938 on the east side of the same block. Wakefield remains a residential enclave today, in close proximity to the commercial centers at Van Ness,

Tenleytown Tenleytown is a historic neighborhood in Northwest, Washington, D.C., Northwest, Washington, D.C. History In 1790, locals began calling the neighborhood "Tennally's Town" after area tavern owner John Tennally. Over time, the spelling has evolve ...

, and

Chevy Chase DC Chevy Chase () is a neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. It borders Chevy Chase, Maryland. Geography The neighborhood is generally agreed to be bounded by Rock Creek Park on the east, Western Avenue (which divides D.C. and Maryland) and Ten ...

. The neighborhood also includes a public school, Ben W. Murch Elementary School, and a fire house, DC Engine Company 31, both built and placed into service in 1930. In May, 2014, the Washington Post reported that Wakefield had become one of the most popular neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. according to the real-estate listing service MRIS. Homes in Wakefield appreciated more than any other neighborhood in the District in the 12 months to July 2015, up 42 percent from $573,433 to $814,045.

References

{{Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. 1930s establishments in Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.)