Safety (crime, safe area, university)

[redhd]

I'm moving to DC from SC and wondered about the safety of some specific neighborhoods- mainly Columbia Heights, Howard U, Catholic U and RFK Stadium area. These all seem to fit my budget of $1,200. I'm a single female, 34 who has a dog I'll be walking at night! (and he's not big enough to be considered a body guard.)

Any advice would be appreciated!

[dullnboring]

Definitely steer clear of the RFK Stadium area. It's not a safe area.

As for the other areas, I would say they'd all be classified as a bit rough around the edges. All of those communities are in various stages of the regentrification process sweeping much of DC. They're not quite as squeaky clean and yuppie sanitized as other parts of Northwest DC (Georgetown, Foggy Bottom and most of Dupont Circle). They're more gritty, high-density, urban and working class. There has been a massive jump in street crime recently in these sorts of areas, from Adams Morgan to Dupont Circle, Columbia Heights and Shaw, all areas where there's been a bit of a "class collision". The areas wouldn't be classified as the ghetto by any means, but you definitely have to be careful, especially as a young woman walking around at night. I would say the area around Catholic University would be your best choice of those presented. The reasons being that Columbia Heights and Shaw (the Howard area) have a bit of nightlife which attracts criminals who prey on suburbanites with money coming into the city, whereas the area around Catholic U is more residential. I'm not sure if statistics back this up but it's just based on my own perception. I would also recommend living as close to a Metro station as possible not just for safety reasons (minimize amount of walking, especially at night) but also for convenience's sake, which I'd recommend in any community in the DC area.

[redhd]

Thanks! I'm trying to concentrate on the NW area, but I was curious about that side of the city.