Truxton Circle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Truxton Circle
Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Winter street scene in Truxton Circle
Truxton Circle within the District of Columbia
Country	United States
District	Washington, D.C.
Ward	Ward 5

Truxton Circle is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C.. It is bordered by New Jersey Avenue to the west and Florida Avenue to the north. To the east is North Capitol Street, and to the south is New York Avenue. This area is part of Ward 5 in the city's political map.

Truxton Circle is surrounded by other neighborhoods. To the north are Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park. To the east is Eckington. To the west, you'll find Shaw and the Mt. Vernon Square Historic District. Finally, NoMa is located to the south. The neighborhood gets its name from a traffic circle that used to be at the intersection of North Capitol Street and Florida Avenue. This circle was removed in 1947.

History of Truxton Circle

A traffic circle was built around 1900 where Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street meet. This circle was named Truxton Circle, honoring Thomas Truxtun. He was a Commodore in the U.S. Navy. In 1901, a fountain was moved to Truxton Circle from another part of the city.

At first, a police officer directed traffic at the circle. Later, in 1925, a traffic light was put in place to help manage the cars. However, the traffic circle often caused traffic jams and accidents. Because of these problems, it was taken down in 1947. The nearby fountain was also removed at the same time.

Historic Schools and Parks

The Truxton Circle neighborhood has many old houses from the late 1800s. It is also home to important historical schools. One of these is Armstrong Manual Training School. Famous musician Duke Ellington graduated from this school. Another significant school is the original Dunbar High School. This was the first public high school in the United States for black students.

Several other school buildings in the neighborhood are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the former John Mercer Langston School, John Fox Slater Elementary School, and the Margaret Murray Washington School. The area also has several parks and playgrounds for everyone to enjoy. These include Truxton Park, New York Avenue Playground, and Bundy Playground.

Understanding Political Boundaries

Most of Truxton Circle is located within Ward 5 of Washington, D.C. A small part, the southeast corner, is in Ward 6. After changes made in 2012, the parts of Truxton Circle in Ward 5 moved to a new area called ANC-5E. ANC stands for "Advisory Neighborhood Commission." These commissions help local residents have a say in city decisions.

The neighborhood is now served by two smaller areas called Single-Member Districts. These are 5E05, which covers the area south of Q Street, and 5E06, which is north of Q Street and also includes parts of Bloomingdale.

Community Groups

Truxton Circle has two main community groups, also known as civic associations. These groups help neighbors work together on local issues. They are the Bates Area Civic Association and the Hanover Civic Association.