Tenleytown

Tenleytown is the historic name for a neighborhood in northwest Washington, DC. It is the second oldest neighborhood in Washington, being surpassed in age only by Georgetown.

In 1790, the area was called Tennally's Town, named after resident John Tennally and his tavern. The area became known as Tenleytown in the 19th century, although the spelling Tennallytown was also in use for some time, as photographs of streetcars will attest.

Tenleytown is serviced by the Tenleytown-AU stop on the Washington Metro Red Line. The mostly residential area acts as the "town" for American University, and a shuttle runs from the Metro stop to the main campus. The neighborhood is centered around Tenley Circle, which, unlike nearby Ward Circle, has no statue or other structure in its center.

Tenleytown was a historically black neighborhood until the mid-20th century, when the blacks and the whites pretty much switched sides of the city, with the previously white Anacostia becoming almost completely black, and Tenleytown becoming white. Tenleytown is home to one of the largest public high schools in the District: Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. It is the location of some major independent schools, like Sidwell Friends School and Georgetown Day School. Tenleytown is also the last neighborhood heading north on Wisconsin Avenue, right before Friendship Heights, which is mostly in Maryland.