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Hi, my boyfriend and I will be moving to DC very soon and we want to start looking into our apartment options. We will be staying with his family first but we do want to move out ASAP lol
My boyfriend will be working near the Dupont Circle area so we want to find a place close by or near enough to commute (probably up to 30 minutes). He has mentioned Northern Virginia as an option but I have no idea if that's good or bad. We are in our 20s and our budget is $1400-1500. No pets. We do want to live in a "safe" area (seems controversial?), if at all possible with the commute and budget.
For what it's worth, I'm still doing research, reading as much as I can. In addition, I'm moving from the west coast so I'm really unfamiliar with DC -- not to mention the east coast in general -- so please excuse my ignorance! I just wanted to get this post up in the mean time so I could narrow my search a bit if possible.
Hi, my boyfriend and I will be moving to DC very soon and we want to start looking into our apartment options. We will be staying with his family first but we do want to move out ASAP lol
My boyfriend will be working near the Dupont Circle area so we want to find a place close by or near enough to commute (probably up to 30 minutes). He has mentioned Northern Virginia as an option but I have no idea if that's good or bad. We are in our 20s and our budget is $1400-1500. No pets. We do want to live in a "safe" area (seems controversial?), if at all possible with the commute and budget.
For what it's worth, I'm still doing research, reading as much as I can. In addition, I'm moving from the west coast so I'm really unfamiliar with DC -- not to mention the east coast in general -- so please excuse my ignorance! I just wanted to get this post up in the mean time so I could narrow my search a bit if possible.
Thank you!
Northern Virginia within reasonable commuting distance will be out of your budget. Remember, there is driving commute, and metro commute. Driving commute in the DMV area is best to be avoided into DuPont circle, so metro is your best bet.
If you extend the time to 35-45 minutes, you are opening up a great deal more options, as in Downtown Silver Spring and Takoma Park, MD, Also Takoma, DC, all of which are safe and within your budget. You may also be able to find something in Bethesda or Rockville, but they are typically more expensive near transit stops. Remember, you will want to avoid automobiles (this is an east coast city, and parking in DuPont will be a challenge), and 35-40 minutes between metro and walking is far more ideal, less stressful, and less expensive then 30 minutes drive, then high parking costs. They are on the red line, so you are reducing transfers, which is where you can run into problems on the metro. NoVA is actually MORE expensive then DC close to metro stops, I would even say it is likely completely out of your budget considering a decent commute time.
You may be able to find something in columbia heights (very quick bus ride into Dupont), but the places in your budget in Columbia Heights are dwindling. Brookland near the metro might be another option for you, and you will even be in the 30 minutes timeline, but it is a little more dangerous, but I still think acceptable at this point.
Again, this is the best option in your budget, you will have to go up otherwise to be within a closer distance considering you are a couple and your budget. The DC area is getting more expensive, not less, and many of those areas which are safe, within half an hour of DuPont, already command a hefty price premium.
Look at the neighborhoods north of Georgetown like Glover Park and Cathedral Heights. People forget about these neighborhoods because they aren't near Metro stops, but they are very nice and affluent, only about a 10 to 15 minute bus ride from Dupont, crime rates as low or lower than a suburb but still in the city and finally, they are cheaper than similarly nice neighborhoods because you don't pay the premium for being close to the Metro. I think you can find a decent 1 bedroom in the city within 15 to 20 minutes of Dupont.
Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, U Street, Woodley Park, and Adams Morgan would be the best areas to look for your budget.
There's also a super cheap apartment complex in Rosslyn which is right across the river in VA called riverplace which would be a very short commute to dupont.
it depends on what you want. if you don't want to live in too old of a building, then you'll want to move outside of the beltway and probably beyond bethesda and arlington. i can only speak on the maryland side, but you might like the location of north bethesda. it's pretty convenient, car-friendly, a little bit away from the action, but you might stretch your money more and depending on what area you choose you might be able to walk to the red line. there's several apartments/condos around the tuckerman lane/democracy blvd area that are fairly affordable (in some cases) so you might find a decent spot for 1500/mo.
Look at the neighborhoods north of Georgetown like Glover Park and Cathedral Heights. People forget about these neighborhoods because they aren't near Metro stops, but they are very nice and affluent, only about a 10 to 15 minute bus ride from Dupont, crime rates as low or lower than a suburb but still in the city and finally, they are cheaper than similarly nice neighborhoods because you don't pay the premium for being close to the Metro. I think you can find a decent 1 bedroom in the city within 15 to 20 minutes of Dupont.
i thought about moving to glover park...quirky little area right near the park and car-friendly (though tight on parking availability it looked like). my reasoning for not moving there was that the buildings just seemed too old for the price. it would be exciting for someone in their mid-20s but the older i get the more i don't want to pay premium to live in a 50 year old building.
Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, U Street, Woodley Park, and Adams Morgan would be the best areas to look for your budget.
There's also a super cheap apartment complex in Rosslyn which is right across the river in VA called riverplace which would be a very short commute to dupont.
u street seemed pretty expensive from the research i've done. the others mentioned i think you'd need to get a studio in most of the locations aside from columbia heights. i saw some literal cubby holes online going for 1400+. i'm talking like 350 square feet in some cases. meh, i'll pass.
u street seemed pretty expensive from the research i've done. the others mentioned i think you'd need to get a studio in most of the locations aside from columbia heights. i saw some literal cubby holes online going for 1400+. i'm talking like 350 square feet in some cases. meh, i'll pass.
Either you're going to have to deal with that 1400 cubbyhole or you will be commuting more than 30 minutes.
Either you're going to have to deal with that 1400 cubbyhole or you will be commuting more than 30 minutes.
i'd honestly go the commute route. then again, i'm not a big fan of having people come over and use my bed as a sofa.
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