Better known to locals as "The Hill," Capitol Hill is the largest residential historic district in all of the nation's capitol.
      Capitol Hill straddles both SE and NE DC. The neighborhood is divided into two areas: the House side (southeast) and the Senate side (northeast). As such, residents can take advantage of two Metro stations: Union Station (on the Senate side) and Capitol South (on the House side).
     The area was once a 500 acre estate known simply as Jenkins Hill. It was only in 1791, that the neighborhood was dubbed "Federal Hill" by French architect Pierre L'Enfant, who  described the area in a letter to President George Washington as "a pedestal waiting for a superstructure."
    The reference to "a hill" is obvious. The area rises 88 feet above the nearby Potomac River. The U.S. Capitol building is perched upon its highest point.
     In the eastern shadow of the Capitol building lies the residential neighborhood. More akin to a small town than a big city, many of its 19th Century row houses lay claim to some of the most delightful compact front yard gardens boasting wrought iron fences from a bygone era.

The neighborhood also includes many condominiums; cooperatives are less common here.

One of the features that makes Capitol Hill unique is its many splendid parks sprinkled throughout the neighborhood. Two of its larger parks are Lincoln Park (located where Massachusetts and North Carolina Avenues intersect) and Stanton Square (found at the intersection of Maryland and Massachusetts Avenues).

Another of Capitol Hill's many treasures is Eastern Market, the last of Washington's 19th century markets to remain in continuous operation. Every day except Monday, Eastern Market offers Capitol Hill residents fresh produce, baked goods, flowers,  delicatessen fare, meats from a butcher, a selection of cheeses, nuts, and dried fruits.  On weekends, Eastern Market showcases an open air farmers' market, selling among other items antiques and local artisans' one-of-a-kind creations. (Eastern Market is easily accessible by Metro. A station bearing the same name is located just a few blocks away.)

Purists claim the neighborhood's boundaries extend no more than four blocks from the Capitol building itself. But many contend Capitol Hill is considered  to be the area running from the Capitol grounds east to 14th Street (just beyond Lincoln Park) and from F Street, NE to the Southeast Freeway.