It includes the Capitol Hill and Anacostia neighborhoods, the Navy Yard, the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB), the U.S. Marine Barracks, the Anacostia River waterfront, Eastern Market, the remains of several Civil War-era forts, historic St. Elizabeths Hospital, RFK Stadium, Nationals Park, and the Congressional Cemetery.

[5] In years past, the quadrant was known by some Washington, D.C. metropolitan area residents as being plagued by a high crime rate, relative to the rest of the city.

However, shopping, dining, entertainment, and cultural options are limited, so some residents travel either downtown or to the suburbs for such services.

The areas northwest of the Anacostia contains some of the wealthiest parts of the city, including the southern half of the famous and politically connected Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Cultural events/activities include the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday parade, the free weekly summer jazz concerts in Fort Dupont Park, the Fort Dupont ice-rink, the Anacostia Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, the Anacostia Arts Center, and THEARC tennis, arts and learning center for youth on Mississippi Avenue.