An influx of young people account for almost all of D.C.’s population growth in the last decade, according to 2010 census figures. Now, as the Washington Post reports, people in their 20′s and 30′s account for a full third of the district’s population.

According to the Post, “the increase was steepest in the wards that encompass Capitol Hill, the Northeast, downtown, Shaw and Logan Circle.” Although the census figures cannot be broken down by age and race, the urban transplants are likely the primary cause of gentrification in the district, especially in wards 1 and 6.

While the black population in the district fell by 39,000, the white population increased by a whopping 50,000 over the decade, filling the newly constructed high-rise apartment buildings popping up in Columbia Heights and Navy Yard. As of 2010, blacks only retained a bare majority of 50 percent in the district, a figure which reached to 70 percent in the 1970′s.

These urban transplants are highly educated and were attracted to D.C. by the prospect of employment. With this inundation of young people, neighborhoods like Adams Morgan, Penn Quarter, Columbia Heights, and Logan Circle have seen the development of posh bars, chic cafes, and expensive restaurants—all of which cater to young people. D.C. was previously known as very much a working city. Now, it’s known as a modern, fun city.

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