Logan Circle is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., due east of Dupont Circle. The actual traffic circle is the intersection of 13th Street, P Street, Rhode Island Avenue and Vermont Avenue, with a federal park in the middle.

Originially called "Iowa Circle," Congress renamed it in 1930 in honor of John Logan, a Civil War general and U.S. senator. At the center of the circle is a monument to Major General Logan. The circle is surrounded by many old homes, one of which belonged to American Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant.

In the past decade, the area has become gentrified, and housing costs have soared. The commercial corridor along 14th Street NW is undergoing significant revitalization; as of 2005, it is known for both art galleries and live theater. A watershed event in the development of the neighborhood was the opening of a new, busy Whole Foods Market two blocks from Logan Circle in 1999.

The recent gentrification is reflected in the apparently vague boundries of the Logan Circle neighborhood. Until approximately the year 2000, many of the residents of the blocks east of 16th Street, which nominally divides the Dupont Circle and Logan Circle neighborhoods, identified themselves as living in "Dupont East." Now Logan Circle has transformed into one of the city's most sought-after addresses.


SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA.ORG (April 2006)