User talk:IMGoph
DC Neighborhoods discussion
[edit]IMGoph - This is s2000chops. Can we talk here?
Sure - I'm very unfamiliar with how wikipedia's back-end works, so this is all new to me. I'm curious, what's the reason you're changing these pages?
s2000chops, Oct 4: I'm new-ish to this stuff too. Most changes I've made have been grammar & spelling fixes as I use the site. I do more editing on Google Maps, where I'm a "Regional Expert Reviewer" (whatever that means - I'm basically a volunteer). On Google Maps, there's been a back-and-forth over the boundaries of DC neighborhoods, including my own neighborhood - Petworth. Recently, someone changed Petworth on the Google Map in order to make it coincide with the Wikipedia Map, as well as some undocumented historical evidence about the 1910's origin of the tract. I did some research to back up my own local knowledge and found that, indeed, the city considers the area east of Arkansas Ave and between Rock Creek Church Road and Emerson to be the "city neighborhood" of Petworth. A smaller area (east of Georgia) is the "tax assessment neighborhood" of Petworth. Importantly, DC doesn't do any administration at the neighborhood level. The closest administrative unit to Petworth is ANC 4C, whose population numbers were reflected in the Wikipedia page long before I came along. ANC 4C includes most of Petworth and 16th St Heights and part of Crestwood. Some in ANC 4C would identify more with Columbia Heights, Brightwood Park or Park View.
But people who live within several blocks of Georgia Ave & Upshur all use the term Petworth. The Petworth Library, Petworth Animal Hospital, and Park Place Petworth apartments are all along the west side of Georgia. In addition, there are no other neighborhood names used on businesses in that area. (Whereas, "Petworth Liquor" is south of "CVS Park View" on Georgia, reflecting a fuzzy border. Don't go to Petworth Liquor - it's rather dodgy, and Lion Liquor is much nicer.)
As far as I can tell, the only evidence in favor of an east-of-Georgia-only Petworth is the map made by Peterfitzgerald and the "tax assessment neighborhood". Wikipedia has some vague info on the original estates that were developed, but that seems to me to have little bearing on the shape of the modern neighborhood. I'm happy to consider evidence to the contrary, although I probably won't start calling my neighborhood by a different name.
- — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.196.98.12 (talk) 23:06, 4 October 2012 (UTC)
Do you have an email address we can talk at? Even editing this page is frustrating. My email is hatchard at gmail.