Ward 1 In Profile

A Community That Diversity Calls Home

By Cindy Loose
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 4, 1998; Page J01

This is the fifh in a series of ward profiles.

The apartment buildings in the Kalorama neighborhood have a wonderful sense of space and style, said real estate broker Brooke Myers, and she's particularly fond of their distinctive little touches.

Ward 1: A Statistical Profile Located in the Northwest quadrant, the ward is the city's smallest, with slightly more than 1,200 acres. It is the most densely populated in the city and is predominantly residential, with more than 80 percent of the land devoted to housing units. It is a diverse ward, with no single race holding a majority. It is home to Howard University and one section in particular, Adams-Morgan, has grown into a thriving restaurant district that draws people from across the city and region. Population • Estimated 1997 population: 71,982 • Population lost since 1990: 10% Population breakdown Black:  35,545 (49%) Hispanic:  18,356 (26%) White:  15,363 (21%) Asian:  2,330 (3%) American Indian:  126 Supermarkets: 3 Median household income (1997) Ward 1:  $35,200 Citywide:  $39,792 Age Under 18:  20% 18 to 64:  69% 65 or older:  10% Political affiliation Democrats:  30,903 Independents:  7,160 Republicans:  2,404 Children • In the ward, 49 percent of the households with children in 1990 were married-couple households. • Citywide, 47 percent of the households with children in 1990 were married-couple households. Government employment • In the ward, 23 percent of employed residents in 1990 held government jobs. • Citywide, 32 percent of employed residents held government jobs. Private school attendance • In the ward, 12 percent of children attended private school in 1990. • Citywide, 16 percent of children attended private school in 1990. College attendance • In the ward, 51 percent of the adult residents had attended college. • Citywide, 52 percent of adult residents had attended college. Rental housing • In the ward, 64 percent of the housing units were rental units in 1990. • Citywide, 54 percent of the housing units were rental units in 1990. 1994 Mayoral Election • Primary election voter turnout:  Ward 1: 42%  Citywide: 49% • General election turnout:  Ward 1: 42%  Citywide: 51% Primary vote by candidate, Ward 1: • Marion Barry (D): 5,938 • John Ray (D): 5,691 • Sharon Pratt Kelly (D): 1,973 General election vote by candidate, Ward 1: • Marion Barry (D): 9,410 • Carol Schwartz (R): 9,038 SOURCES: 1990 Census, Claritas, D.C. Office of Planning, D.C. Board of Elections

At the Northumberland, the staff delivers the mail to residents' doors in a wicker basket. At 2101 Connecticut, where a "smallish" apartment is on the market for $1.1 million, distinctive features begin in the grand lobby.

"I always thought that Eloise would be very at home at 2101," said Myers, referring to the storybook character who lived with her nanny in New York's Plaza Hotel.

This neighborhood, with its Georgian mansions, embassy compounds, 20-room town houses and penthouse co-ops with rooftop pools and monthly service fees that run to thousands of dollars, is part of the story of Ward 1. But there are other stories, too.

Like the apartment building about a mile away where immigrants sleep in shifts in hammocks hung in one-bedroom quarters shared by a seven or more single men, or the family that rents out corners of their place.

For a time, 17 Kurdish refugees were sharing a one-bedroom apartment, and grilling over charcoal in the living room. Social workers struggle with families who keep children home from school to care for toddlers and babies.

"We see a lot of 7-year-olds taking care of infants while parents are working," said Maria Gomez, of Mary's Center, a health and social services clinic for the Latino population of Ward 1. Sometimes, the schools don't complain about their absence.

"The system is overwhelmed," Gomez said. "Sometimes the children have problems, and if they don't show up, the school considers it a pleasure."

The problems are formidable. Gomez said, for example, that although the vast majority of babies she sees are born healthy, by their 18-month checkup, 60 percent are developmentally delayed.

Other wards claim to be diverse, but it's hard to imagine a place more diverse than Ward 1. It is the only ward without a racial or ethnic majority.

"We have the highest income tract in the city, and the lowest," said Bonnie Cain, of Mount Pleasant. "We have gender diversity, ethnic diversity, racial diversity. That makes it an exciting place to live, but sometimes the resulting tensions are so great, we're at the point of breaking over diversity."

One measure of the swiftness of change brought by immigration: Within a period of five years, an elementary school that was nearly 100 percent African American became predominantly Hispanic.

The western part of the ward, which includes Kalorama, Sheridan and a piece of Woodley Park, is geographically separate, cut off from the rest of the ward by Rock Creek Park. It is also a separate place of mind. Many residents registering to vote for the first time are shocked to discover they aren't living in Ward 3.

The remainder of the ward has distinct neighborhoods, including historic Mount Pleasant, Columbia Heights, LeDroit Park, a piece of Shaw, Adams-Morgan and the Georgia Avenue corridor. But they tend to be struggling with many of the same issues, as middle-class American families, white and black, share public spaces with immigrants from impoverished nations around the world.

In this election year for the District, however, there are some areas of common agreement throughout the ward. People seem hopeful. As a group, they are largely pleased that the control board has brought order to the city's finances but outraged over their stewardship -- or lack thereof -- of city schools.

The ward is filled with activists, many of them veterans of the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, the fight for gay rights, the Peace Corps. Those activists have created nonprofit agencies that build more housing than private developers or government, that deliver health care, substance abuse treatment and even nitty-gritty services such as recycling and street cleaning. The Whitman-Walker Clinic, which serves a largely gay population, is the ward's largest single employer.

It is in this ward that the American experiment with massive immigration in a highly technical age is being played out every day. The verdict on how it's working is not yet in.

"People here are very liberal, and they actively come to Ward 1 to live with diversity," Cain said. "Their tolerance level has always amazed me, but even that level is being taxed."

The immigrant community is energetic and hardworking, said Cain, but one major question is whether the city is up to the task of educating their children or any children.

"The control board has botched the job with schools incredibly badly," Cain said. "They've worked behind locked doors for 18 months and still don't have a verifiable student count, a personnel system. It's mind-boggling."

Distinct and diverse neighborhoods, including Adams-Morgan, are a hallmark of Ward 1. (Tim Sloan / The Washington Post)

Joan Gordon, of Mount Pleasant, said she came to the ward in 1970, moved to the suburbs for a while, then found herself aching to come back.

As a former Peace Corps worker in Peru, she said, she brings to her neighborhood a tremendous respect and admiration for Latino culture.

But she finds incredible stress as people with incomes "in six digits and three digits" coexist in close quarters.

"In Latin America, you can throw down your blanket and sell your wares anywhere, but here there are rules that are being ignored," she said. "People are selling tamales on the street they cooked in their apartments, in violation of health and sanitation laws. There's an individual selling cut up mangoes, drawing flies like crazy.

"People are driving without licenses, and if you get in a crackup it's your problem," she said, adding that public drinking and public urination are major tension points.

She understands that people are living in crowded apartments and naturally would want to come outside to drink and socialize. She understands the cultural component, too. But that doesn't mean she easily tolerates it.

"I'm not insensitive. I understand the problems. I just don't think I have to make them all mine. And I live here, too. I think our customs deserve respect."