The Washington Park area consists of three small-scale residential districts that frame the largest area of green space on Milwaukee's West Side. Those residential pockets--Walnut Hill, Washington Park, and Martin Drive--house no more than 8,000 people among them, but they embody some large-scale contrasts. Their characters, which range from inner-city to almost-suburban, clearly reflect the neighborhood's transitional place near the center of town. The park itself is an urban oasis that began as a showpiece, weathered a lengthy period of decline, and, like the residential areas around it, shows encouraging signs of new life.