Foggy Bottom
Neighborhood Guide
Situated between Lafayette Square and Georgetown, and just south of Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom derives its unusual name from its location on what was once marshland along the Potomac River. One of the District’s oldest 19th Century neighborhoods, it was once the site of the city’s light industry, including breweries, gas works, and a glass factory.
Today, the State Department, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Watergate Hotel, and GW are among Foggy Bottom’s many well-known institutions. Diplomats, World Bank employees, longtime residents, and GW students live here in high-rise apartment buildings, rowhouses, and residence halls. The neighborhood’s amenities and amusements reflect its residents’ different needs and tastes, and moderately priced eateries and bars often share the same block with some of the city’s most elegant hotels and restaurants.
Housing in Foggy Bottom is very convenient, but can be quite expensive. The Law School has offered students assistance in securing housing in nearby apartment buildings by reserving units exclusively for GW Law student use and negotiating special lease arrangements and a waiver of the minimum income requirement.