Yesterday CNN posted an article about streets named for the civil rights leader, saying there are at least 777 in the country. The article says that Rock’s joke and the stereotype about King streets, that they’re poor and dangerous, may not be true. It quotes Matthew Mitchelson, a University of Georgia geographer, who says that the streets frequently are the main streets in black communities, have more jobs than other streets, even Main streets, and that they also have many schools and government buildings.

D.C.’s MLK isn’t as well known as the state avenues, but does serve as a major thoroughfare south of the Anacostia. The Avenue starts just south of the river in Anacostia, a few blocks from the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, then winds its way south, past the big chair, Barry Farms, an old freedmen’s community that is now a housing project and the decrepit but interesting St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, a mental institution. It comes to a sleepy end in some trees near the southern tip of the District, steps away from DC Village, an area with government facilities, shelters and the police academy.

Parts of the street have had a number of names in the past, including Giesboro Road, named for an old community, and Asylum Road, named for St. Elizabeth’s. Asylum was renamed Nichols in 1872 after a St. Elizabeth’s superintendent, and the entire street was renamed for King in 1971. The street also crosses Malcolm X Avenue, which was renamed from Portland Street in 1982.

While the street does serve as a business area, especially in Anacostia, it’s a bit run down. Considering the neglect of areas east of the river in the past and other things the street is affiliated with, like housing projects and a mental institution, it may not be the best tribute for King. The St. Petersburg Times makes a similar argument, asking if the streets are “fit for King?” And much like east of the river D.C., they note a lack of sit-down dining on Tampa’s MLK.

However, some development is on the way. The Anacostia Gateway project, the future home of the District Department of Transportation and the National Capital Revitalization Corporation, is underway at the corner of MLK and Good Hope Road SE and the street is part of D.C.’s Great Streets initiative. In addition, the federal government is planning to redevelop the west part of St. Elizabeth’s.

It remains to be see what these projects will do for D.C. east of the river and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, but it’s a start.

Photo of buildings on MLK by PGCist