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Living in Congress Heights

A hilltop neighborhood in Southeast Washington DC, south of the St. Elizabeths campus, where mid-century semi-detached and detached houses line Alabama and Martin Luther King Jr. avenues near a Green Line station and Oxon Run Park.
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Living in Congress Heights

Congress Heights offers mid-century houses on hilly streets beside a Green Line station and a major redevelopment.
Congress Heights sits on high ground in Southeast Washington DC, east of the Anacostia River and I-295. On this page it runs from the St. Elizabeths campus south to Southern Avenue and the Maryland line, and from I-295 east to about 13th Street SE. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Alabama Avenue meet in the northern part of the area, and the blocks around that intersection are the neighborhood’s traditional main street. Most homes here are houses, not apartments for sale. Semi-detached houses were the largest group of sales in the past year, followed by detached houses and rowhouses, with only a handful of condominiums. The 1940s is the most common decade of construction, and brick duplexes and small colonials from that period define many blocks. Earlier frame houses from the 1900s through 1930s stand near Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, and townhouse communities from the 2000s and later fill in several sites, including new townhouses at St. Elizabeths East. St. Elizabeths East is the largest source of new activity. The former hospital campus now holds CareFirst Arena, which opened in 2018, the Sycamore and Oak retail village, and Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, which opened in 2025. A Giant supermarket on Alabama Avenue just east of the Metro station handles most grocery trips. Oxon Run Park stretches along the southern side of the neighborhood with trails, fields and playgrounds. The Congress Heights station on the Green Line is at Alabama Avenue and 13th Street, at the eastern edge of the area covered here, and Southern Avenue station is one stop farther. Metrobus routes run along Alabama Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue to Anacostia and downtown. Drivers use I-295 and Suitland Parkway to reach Capitol Hill, Navy Yard and the Beltway. I’m glad to help you weigh house type, condition and distance to the Metro station across the different parts of Congress Heights.

Key Highlights:

  • Housing character — Semi-detached and detached houses, mostly from the 1940s, with rowhouses and newer townhouse communities
  • Green space — Oxon Run Park along the southern side, with trails, fields and playgrounds
  • Daily essentials — Giant on Alabama Avenue, storefronts at Martin Luther King Jr. and Alabama avenues, Sycamore and Oak at St. Elizabeths East
  • Transit — Congress Heights station on the Green Line, with Metrobus on Alabama Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue
  • Schools — DC Public Schools, including Ballou High School; confirm any address with the DC Public Schools boundary locator
  • Market character — A house market with a median near $385,000 and a median of 38 days to contract
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Congress Heights Real Estate FAQs

Insight into the nuances of buying and selling in one of the country’s most complex urban markets.

Congress Heights is known for the historic St. Elizabeths campus and its redevelopment, including CareFirst Arena, and for hilly streets of mid-century semi-detached and detached houses.
Congress Heights is in Southeast DC, east of I-295. This page covers the area from the St. Elizabeths campus south to Southern Avenue, between I-295 and about 13th Street SE.
Yes. The Congress Heights station on the Green Line is at Alabama Avenue and 13th Street SE, next to St. Elizabeths East. Metrobus routes also run on Alabama Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
Mostly houses. Semi-detached houses were about 35 percent of the past year’s sales, detached houses about 28 percent and rowhouses about 31 percent, with condominiums making up the small remainder.
The median sale price over the past 12 months was about $385,000 across 95 sales. Detached houses had a median near $469,000 and attached houses about $377,000, with the top sale at $600,000.
The median time to contract was 38 days. Sellers received roughly 93 percent of original list price on average, and about a quarter of sales closed at or above the original list price.
The Giant on Alabama Avenue is the main supermarket. Smaller shops cluster at Martin Luther King Jr. and Alabama avenues, and the Sycamore and Oak retail village at St. Elizabeths East has local food and retail vendors.
Congress Heights is served by DC Public Schools, including Ballou High School and Hart Middle School, with elementary assignments that depend on the address. Confirm with the DC Public Schools boundary locator.

Location & Neighborhood

Southeast DC, south of the St. Elizabeths campus between I-295 and 13th Street SE

For this page Congress Heights runs from the St. Elizabeths campus on the north to Southern Avenue and the Maryland line on the south, and from I-295 on the west to about 13th Street SE and Wheeler Road on the east. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue runs north to south and Alabama Avenue meets it in the northern part of the area, where most of the storefronts are. The Metro station and St. Elizabeths East sit at the northeast corner, and Oxon Run Park follows the stream valley along the southern side.

Getting around from Congress Heights

The Green Line at Congress Heights station reaches Navy Yard, L’Enfant Plaza and Gallery Place without a transfer. Metrobus routes on Alabama Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue connect to Anacostia station and downtown. I-295 has ramps at Malcolm X Avenue and South Capitol Street, and Suitland Parkway links to the Beltway. National Harbor is a short drive south.

The Giant on Alabama Avenue covers groceries and a pharmacy. Storefronts near Martin Luther King Jr. and Alabama avenues provide carryout, banking and services, and Sycamore and Oak adds local vendors at St. Elizabeths East. Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, opened in 2025, brought a full-service hospital to the campus. Larger retail is at Skyland Town Center on Alabama Avenue or across the line in Oxon Hill.

Neighboring Area:

  • Anacostia — north, beyond the St. Elizabeths campus along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue
  • Bellevue — southwest, along South Capitol Street
  • Washington Highlands — southeast, along Wheeler Road toward Southern Avenue
  • Douglass and Shipley Terrace — east, beyond the Metro station along Alabama Avenue
  • Oxon Hill, MD — south, across Southern Avenue

A Day In The Life - Snapshot

The quick details buyers ask about most.

Metro Access
Congress Heights station on the Green Line is at Alabama Avenue and 13th Street SE. Eastern blocks can walk to it; western and southern blocks are a bus ride or a longer, hilly walk.
Walkability
Sidewalks throughout, but the terrain is hilly and retail is concentrated near two intersections. Errands on foot work from blocks near Alabama Avenue; elsewhere most trips use a bus or car.
Typical Home Types
Brick semi-detached duplexes and small detached houses from the 1940s, earlier frame houses, mid-century rowhouses, and townhouse communities built from the 2000s onward.
Parking
Generally easy. Many houses have a driveway or rear parking pad, newer townhouses include garages, and street parking is available on most residential blocks.
Vibe
Hilltop streets with long views in places, modest brick houses behind small front yards, and new construction rising on the St. Elizabeths campus. Traffic concentrates on the two main avenues.
Best For
Buyers who want a house with a yard and parking near a Green Line station at a median price under $400,000, and who accept hilly streets and limited nearby retail.

Congress Heights Market Snapshot

A high-level look at current pricing, demand, and sales activity in the Congress Heights real estate market.
$385,000

Median Sales Price

$218

Median Price Per Sq Ft

38

Median Days On Market

95

Annual Closed Sales

+1.3%

YoY Median Price Change

Congress Heights is primarily a market of semi-detached, detached and row houses, with only a very small condominium segment. The snapshot covers every closed sale inside the neighborhood boundary over the trailing twelve months through September 2026 — 62 rowhouses and semi-detached homes, 27 detached houses, and 6 condominiums. Price per square foot uses interior living area.

Across all home types the median sale was $385,000 at about $218 per square foot, with a median of 38 days on market and sales averaging 93% of original list price. The median was essentially flat compared with the prior twelve months. Within segments, the rowhouse median fell about 6% to $377,000 and the detached median rose about 7% to $469,000.

Market data reflects recent 12-month activity. Individual buildings may vary.

For Sale

Homes for Sale in Congress Heights

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Recently Sold

Recently Sold in Congress Heights

Closed sales from the past 12 months — the comps that set today’s pricing.

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In-Depth Market Analysis

Congress Heights Market Insights

How pricing trends, absorption rates, and inventory levels are shaping buying and selling

Inventory & Absorption

There were 95 closed sales in the past 12 months, down from 106 the year before. Semi-detached houses and rowhouses accounted for 62, detached houses for 27 and condominiums for just 6, compared with 23 condominium sales a year earlier. Houses from the 1940s were the largest group at 32 sales, and ten were townhouses or houses built in the 2000s.

Pricing Dynamics

The overall median was about $385,000, roughly 1 percent above the prior year. Detached houses had a median near $469,000, up from about $440,000. Attached houses were about $377,000, down from $400,000. The few condominium sales were far lower, between $56,000 and $125,000. The highest sale of the year was $600,000, and the overall price per square foot was about $218.

Buyer Profile

Demand centers on houses: attached houses had a median near $377,000 and detached houses near $469,000, while condominium sales fell to six. Attached houses went under contract in a median of 37 days and detached houses in 41. About a quarter of sales, 23 of 95, closed at or above the original list price, while the average seller accepted about 93 percent of the original asking price.

Strategic Outlook

The median held steady while volume slipped and detached houses took noticeably longer to sell than the year before. Further phases planned at St. Elizabeths East may add more housing near the Metro station. With sellers averaging about 93 percent of original list, careful initial pricing matters, and buyers have room to negotiate on houses that need work.

Market Position Overview:

Inventory Level: Balanced with selective competition

Negotiation Environment: Moderate flexibility

Typical Days on Market: 25-45 (well-priced units)

Rental Demand: Consistent due to transit proximity

Long- Term Outlook: Stable, walkability-driven value

Congress Heights Housing & Architecture

Congress Heights is a neighborhood of houses, from early frame dwellings near Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue to 1940s brick duplexes and recent townhouse communities.
1940s Semi-Detached Houses
The signature house type. Brick duplexes sharing one wall, usually two or three bedrooms over a basement with front and rear yards. Semi-detached houses were the largest category in the past year with 33 sales.
Detached Houses
Small brick colonials and Cape Cod style houses from the 1940s and 1950s, plus older frame houses on larger lots. Twenty-seven sold in the past year with a median near $469,000, the highest of any house type here.
Early Frame Houses
Houses from the 1900s through the 1930s stand on the streets near Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, often with front porches. Condition varies widely, so buyers should budget for inspections of structure, roof and systems.
Mid-Century Rowhouses
Brick rows from the 1940s through the 1970s, typically two stories with a basement and a rear yard or parking pad. Twenty-nine interior and end units sold in the past year.
Townhouse Communities Since 2000
Planned townhouse groups from the 2000s and 2010s bring newer systems and, in many cases, garages and homeowner associations. Ten of the past year’s sales were built in the 2000s.
St. Elizabeths East Townhouses
The District Towns delivered 88 three-bedroom townhouses on the St. Elizabeths East campus in 2022 and 2023, within a short walk of the Metro station, the arena and the Sycamore and Oak retail village.

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