Soldiers Home

Washington, DC

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Soldiers Home - Washington, DC Area Guide

A presidential retreat defines this neighborhood

Historic Urban Downtown Metro Mass Transit Walkable Universities

All US Presidents have their go-to summer retreat. For James Buchanan, it was the Old Soldiers' House. As the first official summer house for US Presidents, the Old Soldiers' House as also a go-to place for Abraham Lincoln, Chester A. Arthur, and Rutherford B. Hayes. President Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation at the house in 1862, and the Old Soldiers' House became known as the Lincoln Cottage. The house is part of the Armed Forces Retirement Home-Washington Historic District, which contains 39 historic buildings.

The neighborhood surrounding the Old Soldiers' House is known as Soldiers Home. This neighborhood extends from Fort Trotten south to Michigan Avenue and includes the Old Soldiers' Home Golf Course. Just minutes from Downtown DC, Soldiers Home is on the west side of the Catholic University of America and is north of Howard University. Residents have easy access to the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro Station, located off Georgia Avenue near the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue.

Getting Around

Moderately Walkable

Walkability

70 / 100

Good Public Transit

Transit

60 / 100

Moderately Drivable

Drivability

60 / 100

Moderately Bikeable

Bikeability

60 / 100

Daily Essentials

Supermarket Within a 20 Minute Walk

Groceries

50 / 100

Good Restaurant Variety Nearby

Restaurants

70 / 100

Fair Café Variety Nearby

Cafes

50 / 100

Good Variety of Shops Nearby

Shopping

60 / 100

Recreation

Very Large Amount of Park Space Nearby

Parks

80 / 100

Good Wellness Amenity Variety Nearby

Wellness

70 / 100

Local Vibe

Vibrant Atmosphere at Times

Vibrancy

40 / 100

Fair Nightlife Variety Nearby

Nightlife

50 / 100

Not Noisy

Quiet Score

90 / 100

Points of Interest

Parks and Recreation

  • Meridian Hill Park
  • Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
  • Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS
  • National Zoo
  • Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

Airports

  • Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl
  • Washington Dulles International

Top Apartments in Soldiers Home

Houses for Rent in Soldiers Home

Property Management Companies

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Methodology

† Our analysis of utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, home prices, and other goods and services is sourced from the Cost of Living Index, a respected benchmark published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that provides a thorough overview of living expenses across different regions.

Rent data is provided by CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. As the industry leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, CoStar conducts extensive research to produce and maintain a comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. We combine this data with public record to provide the most up-to-date rental information available.

Consumer goods, services, and home prices are sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data on this page is updated quarterly. It was last published in February 2026.

Demographic information comes from Neustar and combines detailed address data with U.S. Census and American Community Survey statistics to produce reliable local estimates.