Washington

Neighborhood: Atlas District (H Street)

The neighborhood in Northeast Capitol Hill was hit hard by the 1968 riots and was further damaged by decades of crime and blight. Then a few years ago the old Atlas movie theater was converted into a performing arts center. And hip restaurants and bars began moving in. Artists also came to live and work, and the neighborhood is buzzing with a new energy. Painters, potters, and sculptors are moving outside the city to nearby Mount Rainier, Md., or to Baltimore. But the Atlas District is one of the only communities in D.C. where they can still afford to be.