Georgetown street renaming facts for kids
Have you ever wondered why some streets have numbers and others have names? In Georgetown, a historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C., a big change happened over a hundred years ago. In 1895, the United States Congress passed a law that officially made Georgetown part of Washington, D.C. Before this, Georgetown had its own separate government, even if it was a small one.
This new law meant that Georgetown's street names had to change. They needed to match the way streets were named in the rest of Washington, D.C. This system uses numbers for north-south streets and letters for east-west streets. Even though the law passed in 1895, some maps from as late as 1899 still showed the old street names!
This article will show you the old and new names of Georgetown's streets. Many east-west streets are not continuous across Wisconsin Avenue. Because of this, we'll look at them separately.
Contents
North-South Streets: Old vs. New Names
These streets run from north to south. They were renamed to fit the numbered street system of Washington, D.C.
| Old Name | New Name |
|---|---|
| North Street | 26th Street |
| Monroe Street | 27th Street |
| Montgomery Street | 28th Street |
| Greene Street | 29th Street |
| Washington Street | 30th Street |
| Jefferson Street | Thomas Jefferson Street |
| Congress Street | 31st Street |
| Valley Street | 32nd Street |
| High Street | Wisconsin Avenue |
| Potomac Street | not renamed |
| Market Street | 33rd Street |
| Frederick Street | 34th Street |
| Fayette Street | 35th Street |
| Lingan Street | 36th Street |
| Warren Street | 37th Street |
East-West Streets: Old vs. New Names
These streets run from east to west. Their names were changed to fit the lettered street system.
Streets South of M Street
These streets are closer to the Potomac River.
| Old Name | New Name |
|---|---|
| Water Street | K Street (east of 33rd Street). West of 33rd Street, both "Water Street" and "K Street" are sometimes used for addresses. |
| Grace Street | not renamed |
| Bridge Street | M Street |
| Falls Street | M Street |
Streets North of M Street
These streets are further north from the river. Some had different names on the east and west sides of Wisconsin Avenue.
| Old Name (East of Wisconsin Avenue) | Old Name (West of Wisconsin Avenue) | New Name |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Street | Prospect Street | not renamed |
| Gay Street | First Street | N Street |
| Dunbarton Street | — | spelling changed slightly to Dumbarton Street |
| Beall Street | Second Street | O Street |
| West Street | Third Street | P Street |
| — | Fourth Street | Volta Place |
| Stoddert (or Stoddard) Street | Fifth Street | Q Street |
| — | Sixth Street | Dent Place |
| — | Seventh Street | Reservoir Road |
| Road Street | Eighth Street | R Street |
