The exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, who chose a portion of the states of Maryland and Virginia on January 24, 1791.

[1] Originally, government officials did not foresee that the city of Washington would expand to fill the boundaries of the entire District of Columbia.

The escarpment helps mark the transition between the Appalachian Piedmont region north of the avenue and the flat Atlantic Coastal Plain terrain of the city's downtown area to the south.

The Washington Post reported the next day that the Commissioners had received numerous complaints by property owners that the name of Boundary Street had depressed the value of their land.

From that terminus to 9th Street NW, Florida Avenue follows a winding path due to the city's topography.

It also connects Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle with the Shaw neighborhood and the U Street retail and entertainment corridor.

The campus consists of a unique collection of Victorian and Queen Anne style buildings on grounds with a landscape design by Frederick Law Olmsted.

[19][20] Union Market and the adjacent retail strip anchor several blocks along the north side of northeast Florida Avenue, just west of Gallaudet University.