United States · District of Columbia · Washington
NoMa, Washington — Area Guide & Where to Stay
NoMa is a northeast Washington neighborhood north of Massachusetts Avenue, Ward 6 above Union Station: Swampoodle, Eckington, Near Northeast, Sursum Corda.
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Where to stay in NoMa
How the choice of base plays out on the ground.
Staying in NoMa puts you beside Union Station, the rail hub for Amtrak and Metro. Its hotels are newer and business-leaning. Evenings here run quieter than the Mall or downtown.
The National Postal Museum stands at the station on the southern edge, while the Smithsonian museums of the National Mall are a short Metro ride south. Pick NoMa for transit and easy reach across Washington rather than a dense street scene.
Things to do in and around Washington
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
4- House of the Temple Heritage
- Freer Gallery of Art Heritage
- National Building Museum Heritage
- Arts and Industries Building Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
2- Peace Monument Heritage
- James A. Garfield Monument
worth knowingacross 2 categories in and around Washington
About NoMa
What are the main landmarks in NoMa?
NoMa's own landmark is the National Postal Museum, housed in the old City Post Office beside Union Station at the southern edge. Most of Washington's best-known collections lie elsewhere. They sit south of the district, along the National Mall rather than within NoMa.
A short ride from Union Station reaches the Smithsonian institutions, among them the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History. The National Museum of African American History and Culture anchors the Mall's western end.
What is the history of NoMa?
The name NoMa is a modern coinage. It compresses "North of Massachusetts Avenue" and gathers several older sections under one label. Swampoodle, the rail-side pocket nearest Union Station, long predated the branding, as did Eckington, Near Northeast, and Sursum Corda.
Union Station and its rail yards shaped the ground here. The redevelopment of that railside land eventually turned a working rail district into a mixed quarter of residences and offices.
Where is NoMa?
Massachusetts Avenue draws the southern edge, with Union Station and its rail approaches at the southwest corner. From there the district runs north and east through Ward 6. The rail line walls it off from downtown to the west. Near Northeast lies to the east, Eckington climbs the northern side, and the ground closest to the station carries the older names Swampoodle and Sursum Corda.
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Updated October 2026