Riggs Park (Lamond Riggs) | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 38°57′14″N76°59′39″W / 38.9539°N 76.9942°W | |
Country | United States |
District | Washington, D.C. |
Ward | 4 |
Government | |
• Councilmember | Janeese Lewis George |
ZIP code | 20011 |
Area code | 202 |
Riggs Park, is a residential neighborhood in Ward 4 of Northeast Washington, D.C. [1] It's part of the greater Lamond-Riggs community (comprising the Lamond neighborood to the north, and Riggs Park to the south). Riggs Park is contained between South Dakota Ave NE to the west, Eastern Ave NE to the east, Galloway St NE to the south, and New Hampshire Ave NE to the north. Riggs Park is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Michigan Park, and Fort Totten, located in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington D.C. In addition to these neighborhoods, Riggs Park also borders the city/neighborhood Chillum, which is located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The WMATA Red Line train tracks pass through the Riggs Park neighborhood when traveling between the Takoma and Fort Totten Metro Stations. In addition to the WMATA Red Line, the CSX, MARC, and Amtrak train tracks, pass through the Riggs Park neighborhood as well.
Most of Riggs Park's residents were white and Jewish until the 1960s when most of them began leaving the city to settle in the suburbs. Riggs Park's combination of affordable housing and convenience/proximity to Downtown Washington D.C., attracted many African-American residents to move in. [2] Riggs Park was home to two synagogues in the 1950s, including a Conservative synagogue named Shaare Tefila Congregation. Shaare Tefila was relocated to White Oak in 1965. In 2011, Shaare Tefila was relocated again to Olney, where many young members now live. [3] During the height of the Jewish community, Riggs Park was known as the "Little Tel Aviv" of Washington, D.C., and was home to a large population of young Jewish couples and their families. The Jewish community grew quickly in the 1950s because many Jews who had served in the military were eligible to purchase a home under the G.I. Bill. As African-Americans began to move to Riggs Park in the 1960s, the majority of Jews in the neighborhood sold their homes and moved to suburban Maryland. [4] By the early 1980s, Riggs Park was home to a large middle-class black population. [5]
In 2001, Chevron told residents of Riggs Park that gasoline had spilled just across the Maryland state line 12 years prior and that the fuel had seeped under 169 residents' houses, an elementary school, and a church. Residents filed a lawsuit in United States District Court. Chevron said it had complied with laws by informing the state of Maryland about the leak after its discovery and that it was pumping the gas out of the ground and removing the contaminated dirt. In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to clean up leaked gasoline, to be paid for by Chevron. In 2009, the District of Columbia released environmental test results, and perchloroethylene and methyl tert-butyl ether were detected in shallow groundwater samples. Gasoline was detected in soil samples. Chevron settled a lawsuit with the District of Columbia Department of the Environment in 2011. Chevron agreed to pay for the installation of Vapor Mitigation Systems into 43 homes in Riggs Park. [6]
White Oak is a census-designated place and unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 16,347 in 2020.
Fort Totten station is a Washington Metro station in northeastern Washington, D.C. It is one of the four major transfer points on the Metrorail system. It acts as a transfer point between the Green and Red Lines. It is the last station on the Green Line in the District of Columbia before heading into Maryland and the second to last for the Red Line. It is one of two stations with three levels, and is doubly unique in being the only multi-level transfer station built above ground and being the only such station to have island platforms on both levels, as opposed to just the lower level. The station's name comes from a Civil War-era fortification which itself was named after General Joseph Gilbert Totten, the Chief Engineer of the antebellum US Army.
Northeast is the northeastern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It encompasses the area located north of East Capitol Street and east of North Capitol Street.
Fort Totten is a neighborhood located in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington, D.C.
Washington Hebrew Congregation, abbreviated as WHC, is a Reform Jewish synagogue location at 3935 Macomb Street NW, in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established as a congregation in 1852, the congregation manages two places of worship, the temple in Washington, D.C., completed in 1955, and the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center, a community center, located at 11810 Falls Road, Potomac, Maryland, completed in 1978.
Queens Chapel is a mostly residential neighborhood with commercial elements located in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington, D.C.
Langdon, is a neighborhood located in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington, D.C. Historical surveys of D.C. recognize Langdon as a neighborhood dating back to at least 1903. Langdon is bounded by Montana Ave. NE to the west/southwest, New York Ave. NE to the south, Bladensburg Rd. NE to the southeast, South Dakota Ave. NE to the northeast, and Rhode Island Ave. NE to the north/northwest. Langdon is adjacent to the Northeast D.C. neighborhoods of Brentwood (west), Woodridge (east), Fort Lincoln (southeast), Gateway (south), and Brookland (north).
New Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal avenue in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles (8 km) and then continuing into Maryland, where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenue is not contiguous. It stops at 15th and W Streets NW, and resumes again on the other side of Columbia Heights at Park Road NW, a few blocks from Georgia Avenue.
The Metropolitan Branch Trail is a partially-built American rail trail between the transit center in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Union Station in the District of Columbia. When it is completed it will run for 8 miles (13 km): one in Maryland and seven within Washington, D.C. The trail parallels Metrorail and CSX tracks along a right-of-way opened in 1873 as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O)'s Metropolitan Branch.
Avondale is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County Maryland, United States. It is contained between Eastern Avenue NE to the south, Queens Chapel Road (MD-500) to the east, and the Northwest Branch Anacostia River to the north and west.
The MTBE controversy concerns methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline additive that replaced tetraethyllead. MTBE is an oxygenate and raises gasoline's octane number. Its use declined in the United States in response to environmental and health concerns. It has polluted groundwater due to MTBE-containing gasoline being spilled or leaked at gas stations. MTBE spreads more easily underground than other gasoline components due to its higher solubility in water. Cost estimates for removing MTBE from groundwater and contaminated soil range from $1 billion to $30 billion, including removing the compound from aquifers and municipal water supplies, and replacing leaky underground oil tanks. Who will pay for remediation is controversial. In one case, the cost to oil companies to clean up the MTBE in wells belonging to the city of Santa Monica, California is estimated to exceed $200 million.
Young Israel Shomrai Emunah is an Orthodox synagogue located at 1132 Arcola Avenue, in Kemp Mill, Montgomery County, Maryland, in the United States. Established as a congregation in 1951, it was the first Orthodox synagogue established in Montgomery County. It is one of the largest Orthodox synagogues in Maryland and is recognized as a key synagogue in the Silver Spring, Maryland area.
The New Carrollton–Fort Totten Line, designated Route F6, is a weekday-only bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between the New Carrollton station of the Orange Line station of the Washington Metro and the Fort Totten station of the Red and Green Lines of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 30 minutes during peak hours and 60 minutes all other times, weekdays only. F6 trips are roughly 60 minutes. This route provides weekday service between Fort Totten and New Carrollton stations without having to take the train into Downtown DC.
The New Carrollton–Silver Spring Line, designated as Route F4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between New Carrollton station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Silver Spring station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 12 minutes between 7AM and 9PM, and 30-60 minutes after 9PM. F4 trips are roughly 62 minutes. The line mainly provides service on the East-West Highway corridor from the eastern portion of Prince George's County to Montgomery County.
The Riggs Road Line, designated as Routes R1 & R2, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Fort Totten station of the Red and Green Lines of the Washington Metro & Adelphi (R1) or Calverton (R2). Routes R1 & R2 operate every 20 minutes during peak hours and route R2 operates every 35-60 minutes at other times on weekdays, and 60 minutes on the weekends. R1 trips are roughly 32 minutes and R2 trips are roughly 55 minutes.
The Greenbelt–Prince George's Plaza Line, designated Route R3, was a bus route that was operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Greenbelt station and Hyattsville Crossing station of the Green Line of the Washington Metro. The route provided service between the Greenbelt and Hyattsville during the weekday peak-hours. However the route was discontinued due to low ridership on March 27, 2016.
The Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library is a branch of the District of Columbia Public Library in the Queens Chapel neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is located at 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE. Residents had requested a library for the area as early as 1957; the current building opened in 1983 at a cost of $2 million.
The Ivy City-Fort Totten Line, designated Route E2, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Fort Totten station of the Red and Green Lines of the Washington Metro and Ivy City. The line runs every 20-30 minutes during weekdays, 30 minutes on Saturdays, and 60 minutes on Sundays. Trips take roughly 20 minutes to complete.
The Military Road–Crosstown Line, designated Route E4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between the Friendship Heights station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro and Fort Totten station of the Red and Green Lines of the Washington Metro or Riggs Park. The line runs every 20 minutes between 7AM and 9PM and 30 minutes after 9PM with every other trip alternating between Friendship Heights and Fort Totten/Riggs Park. Trips take roughly 40 minutes. Additional daily trips are shortened to Fort Totten station which takes roughly 30 minutes.