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Old 11-09-2008, 08:51 PM
 
4 posts, read 16,067 times
Reputation: 11

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Looking for advice on where to live in the DC Metro area please. I'm a single/35/white male and will be working downtown DC (would like to live near Metrorail as well). Loathe the club/loud bar scene but interested in meeting people. I've heard Old Town is not as exciting as it used to be and was steered towards the Clarendon/Ballston areas of Arlington and Penn Qtr. Your thoughts please and thank you.
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Old 11-10-2008, 01:59 PM
 
19,198 posts, read 31,399,977 times
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Clarendon and the rest of the Ballston Corridor are noted as a 20-something yuppie haven, but while they dominate the demographic, it's still a nice area. Lots of smart-growth high-rise with everything you need within walking distance. It's all Metro-convenient. Penn Quarter is old school urban downtown living, though many of the buildings are either new or have been very nicely redone. What's left of Chinatown and the Verizon Center are there. Also some terrific restaurants, and more theaters, galleries, museums, and so forth than any other neighborhood in town. A little older crowd than out in Ballston, but also mostly Metro-convenient. Both areas can be a bit pricey as they are widely considered to be A-List areas...
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Old 11-10-2008, 10:43 PM
 
4 posts, read 16,067 times
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Thank you for your reply. What is your opinion of renting ($2000-2500) v. owning ($500k estimate)?
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Old 11-11-2008, 12:08 PM
 
19,198 posts, read 31,399,977 times
Reputation: 4013
Ack! I couldn't evaluate without specifics. In general, renting is fine when your horizons are short- to medium-term. Rents have remained relatively high across most of the DC area, but those often come with some very nice, comfortable, convenient amenities attached to them. Hardly such a bad deal if you can handle the tab for a while. There are meanwhile a lot of bargains sitting out there as options to buy. Buying basically locks in your costs for shelter, hands you some nice tax breaks, and offers prospects for signficant capital gains so long as you can afford to sit around long enough for those to materialize. Basically a long-term investment, therefore perhaps unwise unless you also have the long-term commitment.
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Old 11-17-2008, 07:40 PM
 
Location: Arlington
12 posts, read 45,171 times
Reputation: 13
Hey Ryan,
I moved to the DC-area last July and have a temp. rental in Ballston now. Like you, I wanted to be in a walkable, urban area, metro accessible, etc. The area definitely delivers on those fronts, but I find that it's a bit lacking in... soul/spice/flavor. Not that much shopping and restaurants without that much history. It's also just as expensive as NW DC. If you are working in DC, why not take advantage and live there, too? Penn Quarter isn't the only area that's metro-accessible - try Adams Morgan or Dupont or the West End, to name just a few places. Perhaps the DC board can give you some more specific advice. Good luck!
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Old 11-17-2008, 08:48 PM
 
Location: Vienna
264 posts, read 852,526 times
Reputation: 107
I agree with the PP- DC can be really fun- I lived in Clarendon when I was single years ago and I love the area- it's grown so much since I was there.. but I also lived in DC during that stage of my life/work and DC is great- lots to do- metro is clean, easy.. cut your commute, DC has tons to offer.. I'd ask in the DC forum as well.. good luck and welcome!
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