Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood is one of the city's most historic and sought-after districts. Georgian row houses sit on quiet side streets, and Georgetown's main drags -- M Street the noisiest among them -- provide a marked contrast just around the corner. The always-pulsating M Street never sleeps; at 2 or 3 a.m., you'll still find cars sitting bumper to bumper, and tourists, residents, and D.C. college students piling into neighborhood pubs.

Yet, wander just a few streets away, and you'll find serene spots like Dumbarton Oaks, a stunning Tudor mansion and museum with adjacent Victorian gardens; or the C&O (Chesapeake & Ohio) Canal, where overhanging trees provide plenty of shade -- as well as a noise buffer -- for walkers, joggers, and bicyclists. Georgetown is also a shoppers' paradise, packed with plenty of offbeat shops, as well as Georgetown Park, a multilevel mall.

History buffs hit the jackpot in Georgetown. Visitors may take walking tours that highlight the neighborhood's Civil War history, and movie fanatics frequently make a stop at Georgetown's infamous "Exorcist stairs" (where the Linda Blair horror flick was filmed, in part), located near one of Georgetown University's most-loved pubs, The Tombs. "Georgetown is a hot area. It survives most of the economic cycles we go through," says Jim Keane, manager of Century 21 Stevens in Washington, D.C. Most of the properties in the neighborhood are of the "Georgian" variety, with sidewalk-level entrances, as opposed to Victorian-style brownstones (such as those popular in New York and Boston), with walk-ups and basements. "Our inventory is low," Keane says. "There's probably less on the market now than there was one year ago."

Although Georgetown does offer condominiums -- some new condo projects are in the works now, including Georgetown Park and St. James Place -- "the area is known for its older homes. It's very colonial," Keane says. History has a price, however; the average single-family home in Georgetown runs anywhere from $275,000 to $675,000 -- that's with two bedrooms, dining and living areas, and no basement.

Keane says the "kiddie condo" phenomenon -- the practice of parents buying expensive condos for their college-student children -- hasn't taken off in Georgetown the way it has in Boston. Instead, many D.C. students who leave their campuses head to Capitol Hill (particularly Georgetown law students) and the artsy neighborhoods of Dupont Circle and Adams-Morgan, all of which have plenty of nightlife to keep them satisfied.

Georgetown is the only major neighborhood without connection to the Metro, Washington's extremely efficient and remarkably safe underground transportation system. The neighborhood's residents voted against Metro access because they feared a subway station would bring even more crowds to an already crowded neighborhood. Although buses do run to Georgetown, streets and sidewalks are jammed. Keane says he can't help wondering if Georgetown's longtime residents regret their decision.

"Everybody drives, and it's become a real nightmare. That's the primary reason I don't go to Georgetown often," he says. "It's especially bad on Friday and Saturday nights when all of the students are out, and during the annual Halloween festivities Georgetown holds." M Street is the center of Georgetown's nightlife, and the street's intersection with Wisconsin Avenue is the hub. The recent shooting deaths of three employees at a Georgetown Starbuck's has made residents a little skittish -- the killer has not yet been identified -- but in general, "the area's pretty safe," Keane says. "It's very well patrolled because it has lots of visitors. It has crime like anywhere else in Washington, but we get an added emphasis on patrolling here."

Transportation hassles aside, the neighborhood's charm convinces residents to stick around. Georgetown was Washington, D.C.'s first settled area because of its proximity to the water. Tobacco warehouses were once common here, and tobacco shipments and other commodities arrived via the C&O Canal. Horses tied to the boats walked alongside the canal, and today, visitors may take barge rides along the canal in the same manner, with horses on either side. At the end of M Street, around Georgetown's Key Bridge, sits the "Exorcist stairs," a flight of steep and torturous steps. If you want to test your physical fitness, this is the place to do it.

The areas on either side of M Street leading up to the water are probably the most sought-after for prospective residents. The neighborhood's population is, to a certain extent, transient due to its congressional contingent. "Members of Congress come to Georgetown, and they bring their aides with them," Keane says. "Whether they buy or rent depends on their level within Congress. There's a saying in real estate here -- we hope the Republicans win because they buy, and Democrats rent," he adds.

Published: December 31, 1997

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