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WHAT IS BURLEITH?
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Many people outside the neighborhood, even many
long-time Washington residents, are unfamiliar with Burleith. One explanation
for this is that, unlike its neighbors, Georgetown and Glover Park, Burleith has
no business district of its own. The neighborhood is wholly residential, forming
a small oasis of peaceful greenery nestled alongside Glover-Archibald Park.
Despite this feeling of seclusion, however, Burleith is certainly centrally
located, within easy walking distance of Wisconsin Avenue shops, served by
frequent buses to downtown, and with quick access to the major local highways.
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click to enlarge map
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Because of Burleith's low name recognition, some Burleithians might tell
outsiders that they live in “North Georgetown”, a practice which would surely
have appalled Burleith's first settlers. In Burleith's early days, Georgetown
was regarded as run-down and lower-class, and Burleith was the glamorous suburb
(an early advertisement for Burleith homes omits Georgetown from its map
altogether). Today, of course, Georgetown has recovered splendidly, and it is
Burleith homes, comparatively modern and well-made, that sell at a relative
bargain price.
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Burleith is a quiet, almost purely residential, community of about 540
households. Though adjacent to Georgetown, the hustle and bustle of the city
fades beyond Reservoir Road and 35th Street. Burleith is also distinct from its
larger neighbor to the north, Glover Park, and from the gated community to the
west, Hillandale, both of which are much younger. (Burleith and Hillandale are
both in the same census tract and so real estate information for the two
communities is often lumped together, making Burleith seem pricier than it
actually is.)
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The name Burleith was taken from an estate built on the site of the
Visitation Convent about 1716 by Henry Threkeld (this estate included most of
the present Georgetown Visitation School and the present campus of the Duke
Ellington School of the Arts, and was home to John Cox, Mayor of Georgetown from
1823–1845). Most of the houses in Burleith were built in the Roaring Twenties by
Shannon and Luchs, although building continued over several years.
Learn more about Burleith history.
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