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I am from Ohio and moved to DC about ten years ago (I didn't move directly from Ohio, I was living in another state prior to moving to DC, but I don't think that matters much re: your question). I am tired of living here. Maybe you'll be able to make more money than I make, given that you are a lawyer, but I've worked almost the whole time I've been here in nonprofits, and no matter how good the job market may be here, no place has been insulated from this crap economy (except for maybe the federal government). We had a mass layoff at the last nonprofit I worked at, and the atmosphere just became toxic. I left for another, more stable nonprofit, but believe me, no one takes their job for granted.
If you decide to work at a nonprofit, make SURE to figure out if they had any layoffs in the last couple of years. Like I said, we had one at the last place I worked, and there was a mass exodus of people in the year following the layoff because management handled it so poorly (many people with illnesses and some elderly people [one with cancer!] were let go - ouch!), and the few people who I keep in contact with who still work there hate it.
Also, the cost of living is ridiculously high here. I still haven't figured out why - it's not all that cool of a city IMHO (I mean come on, it's not like we're located right on the coast in a beatiful climate or anything). I will be making a move way out into the suburbs this year because I can't afford living close to the city anymore on a nonprofit salary. I'll be looking at an hour commute if I'm lucky. If you can work in a place that lets you park inexpensively, that's a huge boon (and an extremely rare one), but you're still looking at long commute times if you drive in and you live outside the beltway. Once the silver line metro gets built, it'll make things somewhat better, but for now, that's the long and the short of it.
As far as Ohio vs. DC cultures go: I don't like to reveal a ton about myself on this forum (I'm a prude) so I won't tell you exactly where in OH I'm from, but I'm not from Cleveland. When I was in my twenties I liked it here a lot - with the exception of San Fran and maybe Seattle, it's the most diverse city in the U.S. It's cool to be on the subway and hear people talking in Russian, Swahili, and Spanish all in one car. There's nothing like it. And people are relatively nice here (compared to NYC and LA). They're not aggressively nice like they can be in the South, people just keep to themselves and are, in my experience, very polite, which I found matched how people acted where I'm from. It is a faster pace than Ohio overall, but I don't think you'll encounter too much culture shock if you decide to come.
I'd give it a try if I were you, but I've been here nearly ten years and I've never gotten used to long commutes. As long as you take a practical approach to moving here and keep your expectations reasonable, I think you'll like it overall.
Also, the cost of living is ridiculously high here. I still haven't figured out why.
Well, here are some reasons:
One of the nation's most stable and vibrant economies; educated and well-to-do populace; dense, walkable and amenity-filled central city; one of the country's most extensive transit networks; one of the nation's healthiest job markets; tremendous cultural and recreational opportunities; east coast location with easy access to New York, Boston, Philly and Europe.
Lots of people move here for jobs or to pursue opportunities they can't get elsewhere. Couple that with the facts I listed above and you have a recipe for a city with a high cost-of-living. So-called "coolness" factors have little to do with it.
One of the nation's most stable and vibrant economies; educated and well-to-do populace; dense, walkable and amenity-filled central city; one of the country's most extensive transit networks; one of the nation's healthiest job markets; tremendous cultural and recreational opportunities; east coast location with easy access to New York, Boston, Philly and Europe.
Lots of people move here for jobs or to pursue opportunities they can't get elsewhere. Couple that with the facts I listed above and you have a recipe for a city with a high cost-of-living. So-called "coolness" factors have little to do with it.
It depends what kind of person you are. If you're a very, very practical person, as the OP seems perhaps to be, then you'll love it here for all the reasons 14thandYou cites. He/she isn't sugar-coating anything; they're absolutely telling the truth. But if you're more into the aesthetic look of a place and the warmth of its residents, and if you like beautiful, non-flat landscapes, then DC isn't the best, IMHO. I'm in the latter camp; the monotony of all of the cement-colored buildings and all of the traffic and having to schedule social activities weeks in advance with friends sometimes because they're all just so frigging busy? It just takes the shine off the place. Again, my opinion. To each his/her own.
Most of the complaints about living in DC that I'm hearing are from people who don't really make enough money to enjoy the city. I'm sorry for you but if there is a line of people waiting to buy a turn of the century townhouse and put another $200-300 thousand into renovation, and you don't have the resources to compete, then you're going to have to find someplace else to live. That's not DC's fault and it isn't the fault of the people who can afford to live here.
Guess what? You can't afford Manhattan, San Francisco, or a host of other major cities either.
Most of the complaints about living in DC that I'm hearing are from people who don't really make enough money to enjoy the city. I'm sorry for you but if there is a line of people waiting to buy a turn of the century townhouse and put another $200-300 thousand into renovation, and you don't have the resources to compete, then you're going to have to find someplace else to live. That's not DC's fault and it isn't the fault of the people who can afford to live here.
Guess what? You can't afford Manhattan, San Francisco, or a host of other major cities either.
There it is, OP, better than I could've said it. In this ultra-competitive place, you'll feel inadequate if you can't pour $300,000 into a row house to renovate it. I don't think people would make you feel this way in San Fran, it's just a guess.
I would venture to say that living in the burbs vs. living in the city would somehow offset when we talk about transportation and the like, i.e. metro vs. car. A co-worker of mine lives in Southern Maryland, drives 70 miles every day to get to and from work. She fills her tank every other day. I'd rather live in the city, pay the $1300 a month for a condo or apartment rather than to live 30 minutes outside the city and spend just as much on gas.
There it is, OP, better than I could've said it. In this ultra-competitive place, you'll feel inadequate if you can't pour $300,000 into a row house to renovate it. I don't think people would make you feel this way in San Fran, it's just a guess.
Many good people don't make a lot of money, but neither do they whine about their living conditions. You seem to feel entitled to some particular lifestyle, but don't seem to be able to pay for the lifestyle. You need to adjust either your income, your sense of entitlement, or the place that you live.
Location: Standing outside of heaven, wating for God to come and get me.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DomRep
I would venture to say that living in the burbs vs. living in the city would somehow offset when we talk about transportation and the like, i.e. metro vs. car. A co-worker of mine lives in Southern Maryland, drives 70 miles every day to get to and from work. She fills her tank every other day. I'd rather live in the city, pay the $1300 a month for a condo or apartment rather than to live 30 minutes outside the city and spend just as much on gas.
I don't know. I have a truck and I wouldn't give my vehicle up for anything. It is also one of the reasons why I won't leave SW. Plenty of street parking available in my neighborhood.
I metro to work and for my nightlife options most of the time but I do enjoy having my truck for the ability to come and go as I please to school and shopping on the weekends. Riding to Costco to load up on food saves a lot of money and it would be a pain trying to carry bags of groceries and clothes on the metro. I did the living in the suburbs thing and it isn't for me.
There it is, OP, better than I could've said it. In this ultra-competitive place, you'll feel inadequate if you can't pour $300,000 into a row house to renovate it. I don't think people would make you feel this way in San Fran, it's just a guess.
I'm not sure why you'd think it would be any different in San Fran, New York, Boston or any other city with a very high cost of living. I don't live in Manhattan because I know I couldn't afford it. People with more money than me have chosen to purchase residences there, driving up prices--that's the nature of the real estate market.
Secondly, I don't know anyone who feels inadequate because they couldn't afford to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into rehabilitating a rowhome. None of my friends or colleagues have the financial resources to do that, and neither do I--and I certainly don't feel inadequate about it. If it makes *you* feel inadequate, I'd posit that that is your problem, not someone else's.
I don't know. I have a truck and I wouldn't give my vehicle up for anything. It is also one of the reasons why I won't leave SW. Plenty of street parking available in my neighborhood.
I metro to work and for my nightlife options most of the time but I do enjoy having my truck for the ability to come and go as I please to school and shopping on the weekends. Riding to Costco to load up on food saves a lot of money and it would be a pain trying to carry bags of groceries and clothes on the metro. I did the living in the suburbs thing and it isn't for me.
Zipcar
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