Congress Heights

Congress Heights is a residential district in Southeast Washington located on elevated terrain east of the Anacostia River. The area mixes homes with commercial spaces along Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, with the Entertainment and Sports Arena serving as a major landmark.

Colonel Arthur E. Randle founded the district in 1890, converting forest and farmland into housing after the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge was completed. This development marked the start of settlement on the elevated terrain east of the river.

The Entertainment and Sports Arena serves as a gathering place where basketball fans watch home games of the Washington Mystics WNBA team and practice sessions of the Washington Wizards. This venue has become central to how locals connect and spend their time together.

The Congress Heights Metro station on the Green Line offers direct access to downtown Washington, while multiple bus routes serve the neighborhood. Getting around on foot or by public transit is straightforward for visitors.

The neighborhood was home to Washington DC's last operating farm, which the Lindner family ran until 1939 before it closed. This agricultural past is largely invisible today, yet it shaped the area's evolution for generations.