Book excerpt: The Palisades neighborhood, in the extreme western corner of Washington, D.C., lies on the Maryland side of the Potomac River at Little Falls. Its history and landscape are inextricably linked to the river. George Washington, as president of the Patowmack Company, determined that a skirting canal was necessary to navigate around the rapids at Little Falls. Later, the skirting canal was replaced by the C&O Canal. Nowadays the river and the canal are used for
recreational sports, and the Capital Crescent Trail, formerly a railroad bed used to bring coal in from West Virginia, is a haven for dog-walkers, bike-riders, and joggers. But despite this constant flow of people and the current pressure for development, the Palisades maintains a stable residential population and enjoys a friendly, small-town atmosphere.