The surface road layout in Washington, D.C., consists primarily of numbered streets along the north–south axis and lettered streets (followed by streets named in alphabetical order) along the east–west axis. Avenues named for each of the 50 U.S. states crisscross this grid diagonally, and where the avenues intersect, traffic circles often occur. Many circles are named for American Civil War generals and admirals, while several neighborhoods take their names from nearby circles. There are approximately 36 roundabouts currently in the District.

Northwest

* Anna J. Cooper Circle – intersection of 3rd and T Streets in

LeDroit Park LeDroit Park ( or ) is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. located immediately southeast of Howard University. Its borders include W Street to the north, Rhode Island Avenue and Florida Avenue to the south, Second Street NW to the east, and Howar ...

* Blair Circle – intersection of 16th Street, Eastern Avenue, Colesville Road, and North Portal Drive; circle is split between

North Portal Estates North Portal Estates is an affluent residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C. that forms the northernmost corner of the District of Columbia. North Portal Estates is bounded by North Portal Drive to the south, East Beach Drive to the west and ...

and Silver Spring, Maryland * Chevy Chase Circle – intersection of Western and Connecticut Avenues, Chevy Chase and Magnolia Parkways, and Grafton Street; circle is only half within the District; the other half is in Chevy Chase, Maryland * Dupont Circle – intersection of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire Avenues and 19th and P Streets, with an underpass for Connecticut Avenue and an express lane for Massachusetts Avenue * Grant Circle – intersection of New Hampshire and Illinois Avenues and Varnum and 5th Streets * Juárez Circle – intersection of New Hampshire and Virginia Avenues, 25th St, and Interstate 66, with an underpass for Interstate 66; Virginia Avenue cuts through the center of the circle * Kalorama Circle – intersection of 24th Street, Belmont, and Kalorama Roads * Logan Circle – intersection of Rhode Island and Vermont Avenues and 13th and P Streets * Observatory Circle – intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and 34th Street; the roadway does not form a complete circle (''see United States Naval Observatory and

Number One Observatory Circle Number One Observatory Circle is the official residence of the vice president of the United States. Located on the northeast grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., the house was built in 1893 for the observatory superintenden ...

'') *

Peace Circle Peace Circle is a traffic circle in Washington, D.C., located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and First Street NW. At its center is the Peace Monument, also known as the Naval Memorial. It is a monument to the naval deaths during the Am ...

– intersection of First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue * Pinehurst Circle – intersection of Western and Utah Avenues and 33rd and Worthington Streets; this forms a semicircle along the border with Maryland * Plymouth Circle – intersection of Plymouth Street and Parkside Lane *

Scott Circle Scott Circle is an area in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. that is centred on the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, and 16th Street, N.W. Originally a neighborhood recreational area, unlike Dupont Circle where poli ...

– intersection of Rhode Island and Massachusetts Avenues and 16th Street, with an underpass for 16th Street *

Sheridan Circle Sheridan Circle is a traffic circle in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Embassy Row. A number of embassies ring Sheridan Circle, including the former Turkish chancery, and the Romanian embassy on the southern side, and the Embassy of Pakist ...

– intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and R and 23rd Streets *

Sherman Circle Sherman Circle is an urban park and traffic circle in the Northwest Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Petworth at the intersection of Illinois Avenue, Kansas Avenue, 7th Street, and Crittenden Street NW. The circle is named in honor of Civil War gen ...

– intersection of Kansas and Illinois avenues and Crittenden and 7th Streets *

Tenley Circle Tenley Circle is a traffic circle in the Northwest Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Tenleytown. Tenley Circle lies at the intersection of Nebraska Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue, and Yuma Street. Unlike many of the circles in Washington, Tenley's traf ...

– intersection of Wisconsin and Nebraska Avenues, Fort Drive, and Yuma Street * Thomas Circle – intersection of Massachusetts and Vermont Avenues and

14th 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 (number), 13 and preceding 15 (number), 15. In relation to the word "four" (4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a s ...

and

M Streets Greenland Hills is a neighborhood in east Dallas, east Dallas, Texas, Dallas, Texas (United States, USA). It is bounded on the west by Central Expressway (Dallas), North Central Expressway (U.S. Route 75, US 75), on the south by Vanderbilt Avenue, ...

, with an underpass for Massachusetts Avenue * Thompson Circle – near the intersection of 31st Street and Woodland Drive * Ward Circle – intersection of Massachusetts and Nebraska Avenues *

Washington Circle Washington Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on the border of the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods, which is a part of the Ward 2 section in Washington. It is the inters ...

– intersection of New Hampshire and Pennsylvania Avenues and K and 23rd Streets, with a K Street underpass * Wesley Circle – intersection of Massachusetts and University Avenues and 46th and Tilden Streets * Westmoreland Circle – intersection of Western and Massachusetts Avenues, Butterworth Place, and Wetherill Road; this circle is only half within the District; the other half is in Maryland

Northeast

Columbus Circle Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South ( West 59th Street), and Central Park West, at the so ...

– intersection of Delaware, Louisiana, and Massachusetts Avenues and E and First Streets; Union Station and its access roads interrupt this circle on one side, making it more of a semicircle. It is also known as ''Columbus Plaza''. Prior to the construction of the Columbus Memorial at its center in 1912, it was called ''Union Station Plaza''. *

Dave Thomas Circle Dave Thomas Circle is the unofficial nickname for a small triangular block in Northeast Washington, D.C., and the surrounding streets and traffic pattern. It is bounded by Florida Avenue, New York Avenue and First Street Northeast, with O Stre ...

- triangular area bounded by Florida Avenue, New York Avenue and First Street Northeast. Though not part of the original city design, traffic patterns mimic other circles. *

Truxton Circle Truxton Circle is a neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. Politically, it is located in Ward 5. Truxton Circle is bordered by New Jersey Avenue to the west; Florida Avenue to the north; New York Avenue to the south; and North Capitol Str ...

– now defunct, existing only as the name of a neighborhood; formerly the intersection of Florida Avenue, North Capitol Street, Q Street NW, and Q Street NE; this circle lay on the border of Northwest and Northeast Washington. There are possible plans to rebuild the circle. * Unnamed circle at the intersection of New York Avenue, West Virginia Avenue, and Montana Avenue * Unnamed circle at the intersection of Brentwood Road, Bryant Street, and 13th Street

Southeast

Barney Circle Barney Circle is a small residential neighborhood located between the west bank of the Anacostia River and the eastern edge of Capitol Hill in southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States. The neighborhood is characterized by its sense of comm ...

– intersection of Pennsylvania and Kentucky Avenues 17th Street, and Southeast Boulevard, with an underpass for

RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...

parking * Bass Circle –

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

northwest of the intersection of 49th St SE and Bass Place. * Ellipse Circle - intersection of 14th St SE and Pennsylvania and Potomac Avenues. * Maritime Circle – intersection of M St SE and 13th Street SE. *

Randle Circle Randle, as a surname or a given name, may refer to: Surname: * Betsy Randle (born 1955), American actress * Bill Randle (1923–2004), American disc jockey, lawyer and university professor * Brian Randle (born 1985), American NBA coach and basketba ...

– intersection of Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Branch Avenues; K and 32nd Streets; and Fort DuPont Drive. * Stadium Circle - intersection of East Capitol St, 22nd St NE & SE, C St NE, Independence Ave around

and is divided between the Northeast and Southeast quadrants of the city.

Southwest

Benjamin Banneker Circle Banneker Circle is a partial traffic circle in Southwest Washington, D.C. The name of the circle commemorates Benjamin Banneker, an African American astronomer and almanac author. In 1791, Banneker assisted in the initial survey of the boundarie ...

– Off L'Enfant Promenade, south of Interstate 395 *

Garfield Circle ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his human ...

– intersection of First Street and Maryland Avenue * Lincoln Memorial Circle – intersection of 23rd Street, Henry Bacon and Daniel French Drives, and the Arlington Memorial Bridge; surrounds the

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in the ...

and is divided between the Southwest and Northwest quadrants of the city * Unnamed circle at the western end of Arlington Memorial Bridge connecting the bridge to the George Washington Memorial Parkway, Memorial Drive (which leads to Arlington National Cemetery), and Washington Boulevard ( Virginia State Route 27); this circle is located on Columbia Island in the Potomac River, and thus falls within the District of Columbia * Unnamed circle at the intersection of Third and G Streets

Squares

Washington, D.C. also has a number of squares that serve the same purpose as a traffic circle, but are not true roundabouts. * Lincoln Square - intersection of 11th Street NE and SE on the west, 12th Street NE and SE on the west, 13th Street NE and SE on the east, East Capitol Street, Massachusetts Avenue, North Carolina Avenue, and is divided between the Northeast and Southeast quadrants of the city. *

Stanton Square Stanton Park, previously known as Stanton Square, is a national park in Washington D.C.Stanton Park
...

- intersection of Maryland Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Northeast, Washington, D.C. It is bounded by 4th Street to the west and 6th Street to the east. North and south of the park are the respective westbound and eastbound lanes of C Street, NE.

Photos

Image:Dupont Circle in Washington DC aerial photo.jpg, Aerial photograph of Dupont Circle File:Statue of General George Henry Thomas.jpg, Thomas Circle Image:Sheridan Circle.JPG, Sheridan Circle Image:Washington Circle - statue and hotel.JPG, Washington Circle

References

{{Streets in Washington, DC Circles Circles in Washington D.C. Circles