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NoMa

NoMa
Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
First Street N.E. in "NoMa" with the Washington Metro's Red Line visible (on the right)
Country	United States
District	Washington, D.C.
Ward	Ward 6
Government
• Councilmember	Charles Allen
Website	https://www.nomabid.org

"NoMa" is a moniker for the area north of Massachusetts Avenue located north and east of Union StationinWashington, D.C. NoMa includes the neighborhoods of Sursum Corda, Eckington, and Near Northeast and includes a section historically known as Swampoodle.

NoMa includes:^[1]

• A core area consisting of all the blocks bounded by North Capitol Street on the west, Q Street NE on the north, the Amtrak/MARC railroad on the east and K Street NE on the south,
• To the south of the core area, one to two blocks west of the railroad tracks/Union Station from K Street south to Massachusetts Avenue,
• To the northeast of the core area, one to two blocks east of the railroad tracks from K Street north to Florida Avenue, and
• To the north of the core area, the blocks between First Street NE and the railroad tracks from Q to R streets

NoMa's southern tip at Union Station/Columbus Circle is a half-mile north of the U.S. Capitol. According to the NoMa Business Improvement District, the neighborhood was home to 13,000 residents as of January 2023, with a total of 50,000 employees working in the area.^[2]

History[edit]

After much planning for the area in the late 1990s, the 2004 opening of the New York Ave–Florida Ave Metro, now NoMa-Gallaudet U station, sparked development in the neighborhood. By 2016, NoMa had turned a corner and become one of the most up-and-coming neighborhoods in D.C., according to a report in The New York Times. REI opened one of its outdoor supply big box stores in the renovated Washington Coliseum, where the N.B.A.’s Capitols had played in the 1940s.^[3] 2020 Census data showed that Ward 6 which includes parts of NoMa, Navy Yard and Southwest, was responsible for a third of D.C.'s 15% population growth over the previous decade.^[4]

A longstanding homeless encampment under the K Street underpass was cleared in 2020, with similar encampments under the L Street and M Street underpasses cleared in 2021. Most of the unhoused people agreed to move into apartments as part of a city program. The underpasses had previously been cleared around 100 times, but people returned soon thereafter. The city's removal of the encampments drew criticism after a bulldozer operator accidentally began to clear a tent with a man inside, and who was hospitalized as a result.^[5][6]

Landmarks[edit]

NoMa includes several historic structures:

• the Woodward & Lothrop Service Warehouse (on the National Register of Historic Places)
• the Uline Arena
• St. Aloysius Church
• Gonzaga College High School
• the Government Printing Office building
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives^[7]

Union Market borders NoMa on the east and has a gourmet food hall, retail non-food stalls and a rooftop with bar, picnic tables and event stage.

Transportation[edit]

The area is served by many modes of transportation, including:

• Washington Metro Rail, with stations at NoMa-Gallaudet U station and Union Station both on the Red Line
• MARC commuter trains to Maryland and West Virginia at Union Station
• VRE commuter trains to Virginia at Union Station
• Amtrak long-distance trains, and Northeast Corridor trains including Acela, at Union Station
• bus, including local (WMATA), suburban, and intercity services
• bicycle, including the Metropolitan Branch Trail, bicycle lanes and Capital Bikeshare stations
• on foot: according to WalkScore, NoMa received a score of 93, indicating good walkability^[8]

Education[edit]

Eighteen schools serve the NoMa neighborhood, from pre-K to university.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NoMa, Washington, D.C..

• NoMa Business Improvement District
• "History of NoMa", NoMa Business Improvement District

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