Color-enhanced USGS satellite image of Washington, D.C., taken April 26, 2002. The "crosshairs" in the image mark the quadrant divisions of Washington, with the U.S. Capitol at the center of the dividing lines. To the west of the Capitol extends the National Mall, visible as a thin green band in the image. The Northwest quadrant is the largest, located north of the Mall and west of North Capitol Street.
Politically, Southeast includes most of Ward 8, as well as much of Ward 6 and Ward 7. Marion Barry, the former mayor of Washington, D.C., served as D.C. Council Member for Ward 8 until his death on November 23, 2014.[2][3]
In years past, the quadrant was known by some Washington, D.C. metropolitan area residents as being plagued by a high crime rate, relative to the rest of the city.[6]
Demographics
The population of Southeast is predominantly black. However, the African American population is concentrated southeast of the Anacostia River; the areas northwest of the Anacostia River are majority White. The portions of the quadrant southeast of the Anacostia are tree-lined and neighborly. However, shopping, dining, entertainment, and cultural options are limited, so some residents travel either downtown or to the suburbs for such services. There are several black middle class neighborhoods in Southeast, such as Hillcrest, Penn Branch, and Fort Dupont. The areas northwest of the Anacostia contain some of the wealthiest parts of the city, including the southern half of the famous and politically connected Capitol Hill neighborhood. Cultural events/activities include the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday parade, the free weekly summer jazz concerts in Fort Dupont Park, the Fort Dupont ice-rink, the Anacostia Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, the Anacostia Arts Center, and THEARC tennis, arts and learning center for youth on Mississippi Avenue. The population of the southeast quadrant is roughly 226,084.[7]