DC’s “Little Ethiopia” has moved to Silver Spring and Alexandria
Historically, the DC area’s Ethiopian diaspora has centered on Adams Morgan and Shaw. But as the community has grown, it’s mostly moved out of the District. Today, the region actually has two “Little Ethiopias”: one in Silver Spring and one in Alexandria.
Where the region’s Ethiopian population lives. Map by the author.
Ethiopians have a lot of roots in the DC area
Ethiopians first began moving to the United States in the 1970s, fleeing a military dictatorship. The DC area has the nation’s largest Ethiopian community, but just how big it is up for debate.
The 2013 American Community Survey found about 40,000 people of Ethiopian ancestry in the region, while the Arlington-based Ethiopian Community Development Center says there are 100,000 Ethiopians living in the area.
There’s also a large population from Eritrea, which broke off from Ethiopia in 1991. The Census doesn’t break out ancestry data for Eritreans for local areas. But in 2005, but the Population Reference Bureau estimated that about 2% of African-born blacks in the region, or about 2,300 people, came from Eritrea.
Today, Ethiopians are the largest African immigrant group in the region, making up one-fifth of the region’s African diaspora. There are about 1200 Ethiopian-owned businesses in the region, according to the ECDC, as well as the Ethiopian community’s own Yellow Pages. Famous Ethiopian entertainers have settled in the area, and major events serving the diaspora are held here, like this sports and live music festival that was at the University of Maryland this summer.
Two “Little Ethiopias” emerge
When the diaspora began, Ethiopians arriving in DC settled in Adams Morgan, then along 9th Street NW in Shaw, occasionally called “Little Ethiopia.” Since 2000, DC’s Ethiopian population has more than doubled, from 2134 to 4807 in 2013, though it’s shifted north towards Petworth and Brightwood.
But like many immigrants in the region, many Ethiopians moved to Maryland and Virginia, and today most of the community lives outside the District. Montgomery County has the region’s largest cluster of Ethiopians, with nearly 13,000 residents claiming Ethiopian ancestry, three times as many as in 2000. Fairfax County and the city of Alexandria have the region’s second- and third-largest Ethiopian populations.
Ethiopian nightlife in Silver Spring. Photo by Reemberto Rodriguez.
Today, there are two “Little Ethiopias.” One sits in Silver Spring and Takoma Park, and reaches into far northwest DC. Another is in Alexandria and extends west towards the Skyline area of Fairfax County.
Both areas are home to several thousand people of Ethiopian descent. Ethiopians make up 29% of one Census tract next to downtown Silver Spring, while one census tract in Alexandria, consisting of a large apartment complex called Southern Towers, is 40% Ethiopian.
The most Ethiopian places
The most prominent sign of the region’s “Little Ethiopias” is food. Downtown Silver Spring has dozens of Ethiopian eateries, and with those numbers come specialization: there are white-tablecloth places, sports bars, an “Ethiopian Chipotle,” and of course, many different coffee shops. Meanwhile, chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain visited an Ethiopian market in Skyline on the DC episode of his show No Reservations.
Montgomery County’s annual Ethiopian Festival in Silver Spring. Photo by Alan Bowser on Flickr.
These communities are also gathering and economic hubs not only for Ethiopians, but the wider African diaspora living in the DC area. Silver Spring is home to I/O Spaces, a coworking space geared to the African community. Montgomery County, which hosts an annual Ethiopian Festival in Silver Spring, is also the first jurisdiction in the nation to name September African Heritage Month.
Will “Little Ethiopia” continue to move farther out?
Why did Little Ethiopia, like so many other immigrant enclaves in the DC area, leave the District? Gentrification and displacement may be one cause. Though it’s also likely that people moved to Maryland and Virginia for cheaper housing, better schools, or to be close to friends and family.
It’ll be interesting to see if the region’s Ethiopian population continue to move further out. There are already large concentrations of Ethiopians extending far from both Little Ethiopias: the one in Silver Spring stretches north towards Burtonsville, while the one in Alexandria continues south along I-95 towards Lorton.
22 Comments
you should read _Arrival City_. As residents move out of the core, later generation immigrants move directly to the suburbs.
It would have been interesting to mention the “strife” associated with neighborhood change in DC wrt Ethiopians, which wasn't “gentrification-related”.
http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2005/10/one-reason-why-i-think-gentrification.html
In general, because DC's housing prices were still relatively or comparatively high, in the last 30+ years, DC specifically hasn't experienced the same level of immigration associated with ethnic groups in other cities.
Although yes, there has been quite a bit of Hispanic immigration, less so Ethiopian.
cf. Vietnamese to Clarendon, and then movement out to Annandale.
There is also a large Ethiopian population that has moved to the 16th St Heights area, right around the bus barn at 14th and Buchanan. There is an Ethiopian church or community center there and several Ethiopian groceries that have opened.
So where is a great Ethiopian restaurant now?
I live in Silver Spring and I know it's heresy for me to say this, but there is an amazing Ethiopian restaurant near the Landmark Mall called Enat. Many people consider it the best in the region.
Brett: Try Askale Cafe in Brookland.
In Crystal City on 23rd street you can see an Ethiopian restaurant and an Eritrean restaurant across the street from each other.
I have been to tons of Ethiopian restaurants in the area, and my favorites so far (based on my opinion of the vegetarian food) have been:
in DC: Zenebach Injera (Shaw) and Queen of Sheba (between Shaw and the Convention Center). Do not believe the hype around Dukem. Another good option for takeout or eating in a place with no ambiance (like Zenebach Injera) is Fasika in Petworth.
in downtown Silver Spring: Abol and Bete are both excellent and near the metro. On the south side of DTSS, Ethio Express is fantastic for what it is (trying to be the Chipotle of Ethiopian food, as mentioned above), though I always get takeout because they don't serve alcohol. My daughter and I both love the tofu there, which is unique for an Ethiopian place. A bit further from the metro, Omo seems to have been sold and rebranded as Amy, and the food is excellent.
I'm gonna second Gray's recommendation for Bete in Silver Spring. The name means “The House”, as it is in an actual converted house and it shows. I also love Addis Ababa (also in Silver Spring), which must have the nicest, most ornate chairs of any Ethiopian restaurant in the area.
I'm also a big fan of Meaza on Columbia Pike in Skyline/Bailey's Crossroads. It's huge, fancy (relative to more hole-in-the-wall places) and seems like the kind of place where you take a large group for a celebration.
+1 for Meaza, best Ethiopian in VA.
And +1e10 for Bete. Their backyard outdoor seating is delightful, underneath the shade of a Paulowinia (Princess) tree.
It's very unfortunate that Paulowinia tomentosa is an invasive species (if I could replace it with a catalpa, I'd do so in a heartbeat), but is there a better ambiance than eating good Ethiopian food under the shade of that tree? And, you can go next door to get your good booze for cheap at the MoCo liquor store…
A Nation of Nations is a new book about immigrants who moved to Fairfax County. An excellent read.
The change in visa policy in 1965 allowed immigrants to move where they wanted to. Previous law tended to put Chinese-Americans in one place, ie. Chinatown.
NOVA has become enriched with immigrants, transforming it from a white bread suburb place to one more on par with the District and its ethnic diversity.
@Jay: is there actually any place in the District that can compare to the strip malls of NOVA when it comes to sheer diversity and number of affordable ethnic restaurants?
@Hudar:
No, not even close. You make a good point.
What was on my mind is on-going Talk Story events in Chinatown. On the one hand are the few remaining Chinese-Americans who live at the Wah Luck residential building, who have to get on a bus once a month to shop at the grocery store near the Mosaic DIstrict in Merryville. But Chinatown still seems the best place to hold talks on Chinese American heritage and such. You feel the center of gravity, at least in terms of history and built place. And the volleyball tournaments were held on Penn Ave, which seemed like better than the burbs.
But the banquets are in Rockville and such. Glass half full, I'd say..
The burbs are far more ethnically diverse than DC.
My impression was that “Little Ethiopia” was always more of an Ethiopian business hub than a residential hub.
Agree with original alexandrian. The article could have been written 10 years ago, just based on personal observation—perhaps by now the numbers actually corroborate this trend.
Story is pretty similar for pretty much any ethnic group in the region with a mid-20th or later immigration story.
It is ironic that the suburbs so often pilloried for big-box homogeneity have long been centers of immigration and diversity, while DC turns into cookie cutter strips of bars, yoga, and dog day care.
I think the suburbs are more pilloried for awful urban design than big box stores.
Anyway, I'm also a big fan of Ethiopian food.
@ Dan So Ethiopians/Eritreans are the greatest African immigrants in the area?[ I was in SS and they are trying to get Fenton Street changed to Little Ethiopia!] They have surpassed Nigerians? Really? Put up a pic from the August TWO DAY FestAfrica!
another little known place to look for is the Dessie restaurant and mkt in wheaton just north of silver spring - excellent vegie combinations one of the best, and coffee served always Ethiopian style.
ms- I love Dessies!
The BEST Ethiopian/Eritrean food I've had was a real hole in the wall (you literally wouldn't think the place is open), the Eritrean Civic & Cultural Center on 6th and L NW. Food is GREAT (and there's a lot of it) and the price is cheap!