What's Hot: Douglas Development Files PUD For Large Warehouse At New City Site Along New York Avenue
Did Google Maps Rename Your Neighborhood?
✉️ Want to forward this article? Click here.
Just as the demographics of many neighborhoods can drastically change over time, so too can their names. For example, DC residents no longer claim to live in "Swampoodle" or "Pipetown". Other neighborhoods are created as real estate marketing exercises, such as North End Shaw.
The New York Times recently reported on residents of various cities finding their neighborhoods misidentified by Google Maps. UrbanTurf decided to see whether the same is happening in DC.
story continues below
loading...story continues above
![Did Google Maps Rename Your Neighborhood?: Figure 1](https://assets.urbanturf.com/dc/images/blog/2018/08/google-map.jpg)
While Google isn't taking much creative license when it comes to DC neighborhoods, some unfamiliar names that stood out to us were Westover Place and Westchester, which are the respective names of a condo townhouse community in Wesley Heights and a historic co-op building in Cathedral Heights, apparently extrapolated to newly identify the surrounding streets. Another that rang false is "West Over View" in Southeast, just off the intersection of Pennsylvania and Branch Avenues.
![Did Google Maps Rename Your Neighborhood?: Figure 2](https://assets.urbanturf.com/dc/images/blog/2018/08/google-map2.jpg)
One neighborhood identity that is more debatable is "East End", labelled as the area to the southeast of Union Station. According to Wikitravel, this is the correct name used for the downtown area prior to the upheaval following Martin Luther King's 1968 assassination; it is still used formally, although it has fallen out of favor informally. Ward 7 Councilmember (and former mayor) Vincent Gray has more recently attempted to co-opt the moniker as an alternative to "East of the River".
A more glaring feature of Google Maps's rendition of the District is the omission of a number of neighborhoods, including Riggs Park, Fairfax Village, Kalorama and Civic Betterment; others, like Penn Quarter and Mount Vernon Triangle, may not show up when browsing the map but do in a Google Search. Readers, does Google Maps have your neighborhood correctly identified?
Thumbnail photo of Logan Circle courtesy of Ted Eytan.
See other articles related to: google maps, maps, neighborhoods
This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/did-google-maps-rename-your-neighborhood/14282.
Most Popular... This Week • Last 30 Days • Ever
![First-Timer Primer: Tax Relief for DC Homeowners](https://assets.urbanturf.com/dc/images/blog/2013/02/Homestead_Exemption_280.jpg)
When you buy a home in the District, you will have to pay property taxes along with y... read »
![A 127-Unit Luxury Condo Building In The Works For Downtown DC](https://assets.urbanturf.com/dc/images/blog/2024/07/resized/950%203rd%20Street%20Dusk%20EXT_image_560x420.jpg)
The largest condominium building in downtown DC in recent memory is currently under c... read »
![HPO Recommends Approval For 160-Unit Office-To-Residential Conversion in Dupont Circle](https://assets.urbanturf.com/dc/images/blog/2024/06/resized/1201-Conn_image_560x420.jpg)
The plan to convert a Dupont Circle office building into a residential development ap... read »
![Beautifully Constructed Condominium in The Bridge District is Now 50% Sold](https://assets.urbanturf.com/dc/images/blog/2024/07/Riviere%20article/resized/2305%20Nicholson%20St%20SE%20405-0003_image_560x420.jpg)
The Rivière includes just 20 homes located on the eastern banks of the Anacostia Riv... read »
![Monday's Must Reads](https://assets.urbanturf.com/dc/images/blog/2024/07/resized/bubble_image_560x420.jpg)
Why Tyra Banks is serving ice cream in DC; a bike shop/record store opens in Adams Mo... read »
DC Real Estate Guides
Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market
We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Start browsing below!
First-Timer Primers
Intro guides for first-time home buyers
Unique Spaces
Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro