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DC is a big project-many areas are bad and there are no "perfect" areas in DC. You can get robbed and hurt in any section of DC. Walk in well lit areas with friends or family if possible or buy some spray to protect you a little bit. Remeber your keys are weapons!
DC is a big CITY. It's like any other city, except that in comparison to other cities with over 200K in population, it's relatively safe. Like many cities, we do have a bunch of drug lords and they do some violent things to each other and sometimes to innocent passersby and others in the wrong place at the wrong time. Otherwise, the reputation that DC had and deserved 15-20 years ago as a Crime Capital is a thing of the past.
As for Columbia Heights, it's an area that has been through and may be about ready to come out of transition. It's not Mayberry, it does have an edge, and you'll need to use common urban street sense in moving around. But otherwise, crime should not be a signifcant issue...
It is an important point that what you get here is individual viewpoints based on individual perspectives and experiences. That's both a weakness and a strength. No one can know everything about any area. I'm sure there are things I don't know about my own kitchen. But having lots of viewpoints, even though none of them is complete, can help a reader fill in the gaps about what it might be like if he or she were here. At worst, it helps define specific questions that a person would want to see answered once he or she actually was here. I think all the comments that are seriously posted are worthwhile.
But I have also to put in a good word for Petworth, which is the neighborhood east of Columbia Heights along and east of Georgia Avenue and north of Rock Creek Church Road. This is an area that is still in transition, and not for those who are likely to be upset by the occasional sound of gunfire in the distance. It also doesn't yet have all the local amenities in place that it might. But it has tons of green space to the east and all the elements needed to become in the not too distant future an altogether sterling neighborhood. As is, it's an eclectic mix of many ages, cultures, and income levels that has somehow still evolved a strong and positive sense of itself. This is one DC neighborhood where you DO smile and say hello to a stranger on the street. It also has some superb stands of 1920's architecture, it's as safe as any neighborhood in its class, and it offers more for the money than pretty much any of them. Not for the squeamish just yet, but for those with an eye for urban living and a desire to go along for what could be a very nice ride, it's a fine area to take a look at...
It all depends on what you are used to and what you expect. I lived on the border of Mt. Pleasant and Adams Morgan for about two years, and about 5 years in AM itself. I would walk from my apartment on Harvard Street down Mt. Pleasant Avenue late at night and never felt unsafe. I also would walk to the columbia heights metro station at night. You do have to walk past a homeless shelter, but most people are harmless.
If you want a safe suburban experience with no diversity (race, income level, etc) than Columbia Heights is probably not for you. Its a city neighborhood so there will be crime. When I look at the crime reports, most of the muggings etc happen late at night (1-3 am) I assume the are targeting the drunk people walking home from bars. Granted there are some muggings that happen during the day or evening hours, but its not like its rampant and you need to barricade yourself into your apartment.
I've been looking to move to the city (I live in Ballston), and looked at a place in Columbia Heights yesterday, Harvard at Georgia Ave, and I definitely did not feel comfortable walking down Harvard. It's all relative, I suppose, especially coming from uber-safe Arlington, but while I want the city-experience, I don't want the fact that I get home safely each night to feel like an accomplishment. Upside? $720 for the master with bath. Downside? The fact that the roommates paused, and answered "it's a big city" when I asked if it was safe. They admitted that it was more door-to-door than block-to-block in that neighborhood. I would walk around in the day, and come back at night to see your comfort level and whether or not you can handle living there. I'm going to hold out for Mt. Pleasant/Dupont/Woodley Park. Good luck!
Hey! I just found out that I will be visiting old friends in Columbia Heights next month. I'll try to report back with impressions of the neighborhood, now that I've been away from it for a full year. When I left in July 2007, FedEx/Kinko's, UPS, Starbucks and a nice restaurant with outdoor patio seating had just opened around the corner from where I lived. I anticipate a busier and more desirable area in general. We'll see! (:
DC is a big CITY. It's like any other city, except that in comparison to other cities with over 200K in population, it's relatively safe.
Oh really? Source? I was under the impression that DC is still in the top 20 for crime, which is high for its size (only 600,000). DC is dangerous and people need to quit with the "city" excuse. I think people feel like it's safe just because it's clean, pretty and sleepy, but the numbers tell a different story.
I was under the impression that DC is still in the top 20 for crime, which is high for its size (only 600,000). DC is dangerous and people need to quit with the "city" excuse.
It doesn't really make sense to speak of "cities" as safe or dangerous, because crime for the most part is localized.
There are certainly parts of DC that are dangerous, and proportionately it's got a higher amount of crime than comparably sized cities. But--this isn't an excuse, it's a fact of the city--much of the violent crime is very much concentrated into particular areas. There are sizeable portions of the city--a majority, I'd argue--that are as safe as any city in the U.S.
So, is DC dangerous? Certainly parts of it are. And parts of it are not. There isn't a city in this country that couldn't be said about.
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