Shared byNancy Herrington
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Foggy Bottom is bounded roughly by 17th Street NW to the east, the Potomac River and Rock Creek Parkway to the west, Constitution Avenue and the National Mall to the south and Pennsylvania Avenue NW to the north. It is thought to have received its name due to an atmospheric quirk of its low lying, marshy riverside location, which made it susceptible to concentrations of fog, and later, industrial smoke. The United States Department of State gained the metonym "Foggy Bottom" when it moved its headquarters to the Harry S. Truman Building in 1947. Various factors forced out the black population in the late 20th century; not it is predominately white and has a large number of off-campus university student residences for George Washington University.

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  1. I’m just starting The Briar Club and I was struck by how odd a place name Foggy Bottom is. Thanks for the background, Nancy! I think it could be used to describe another particular neighborhood in DC right now.

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