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I'm a new poster to this forum, but I'm surprised by all the negative threads that I've read about the city.
My husband and I are newcomers to DC--we moved here a year ago from another large city. We love it here, and in fact, DC is my favorite place that I've lived in so far, and I've lived in a bunch of large and interesting cities. There is so much to do here--museums, festivals, exhibits, special events, etc. I will say, though, that it has been difficult to make new friends here. My husband and I didn't know anyone when we moved here and after a year, we've only made an acquaintance or two--but that's the same situation we've been in when we've moved to other cities where we didn't know anyone. I wouldn't necessarily attribute it to people in DC being unfriendly. I haven't encountered much unfriendliness/rudeness--at least not more so than in any big city.
Here are a list of what I love about DC:
1. So much to do! We love the variety of activities to do here, and there are so many wonderful festivals and special events. I don't know how anyone could be bored here.
2. So much to do in the mid-Atlantic area. NYC, Philly, and a bunch of small and interesting towns for a weekend getaway are just a few hours away. You have the Atlantic beaches to go to in the summer, and you have wonderful college towns like Charlottesville and many other great places to go for a weekend getaway. This is unlike, say, the midwest, which doesn't have that much to do for weekend trips, in general.
3. You can find a wide range of housing to meet your needs, and you can choose to live closer-in to your jobs if you make some compromises. You can't have it all anywhere. For instance, we have chosen to rent instead of buy, so we can live closer to our jobs and live in a more happening area.
4. Beautiful and interesting city. I love living in the midst of history and I love living near the beautiful monuments. To live in a such a beautiful city, with wide open green spaces and such nice, lush foliage (I'm thinking of the GW Parkway in particular), is very nice.
The main disadvantages, as I see it, is the expensive housing prices (which will cause my husband and me to move in a few years, as we'd like to buy a place but cannot afford one here, but we're okay renting for now and enjoying all the city has to offer before moving to a less expensive city to settle down in). Another disadvantage is the fact that DC seems to be primarily a city of singles. Being a young married couple, it is difficult to find friends/other couples to socialize with. I have no idea where young married couples hang out or go to meet other married couples, but if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.
I am glad to hear you like it here. My husband and I have been here for a quite a few years and like it as well despite having researched other cheaper cities. We just never like them as much as we like it here and we are willing to live in a smaller place, not have granite counters, etc in order to do it. Where do you live in the city? I have found most young marrieds either move out to the burbs or they tend to live on the Hill, around Dupont or upper NW. Younger singles tend to stick to Gtown, Adams Morgan and U Street. Of course this depends on just how young you are. We are in our early 30's and have lived on the Hill since 2004. We find that its filled with young couples or a couple with a baby type of thing. As you said I think its hard to meet people once you are out of the college mode...and with people living all over here I rarely meet friends via work that live near us etc etc. You might try some of the DC young professional events. I met my husband at one but they aren't all for singles - some are designed for young couples. Also we took a cooking class once that was a lot of fun and met some couples that way. It seems to be easier in college or once you have a kid and can meet the other "moms" from what I can tell.
I've been living here for nearly 8 years, and with all the headaches I still love it, and have been officially a DC resident for about 2 1/2 years.
IMHO the reason it's hard to meet people in DC is cause most people aren't from here and it's very transient. They don't put down roots, the make some money and leave.
I'm loving it, too. It's a great city and I also can't understand how someone could be bored here. We've got kids and we are out and about as much as possible. We actually get overwhelmed with all the things there are to do here. Wish there were more hours in the day. I think the people that complain have rough commutes or not enough money to enjoy going out on the town or are maybe missing their own home towns. I feel for them because I've had my share of towns I couldn't wait to leave. This aint one of them!!
Check out meetup.com and also some of the volunteer networks, like Doing Something. If you volunteer for things, you will meet more people who are not just looking for a date.
Hi Doglover,
I too am finding it difficult to make friends in DC - truth be told i haven't invested much time in making friends. However, based on your experience, I'm rather discouraged. I love the city as well and I'm looking forward to the warmer weather because I anticipate there will be more opportunities to get out and meet people. My husband and I used to live in Hawaii and we played frisbe every weekend at 3 pm, just for fun. What do you do for fun on the weekend?
Hey Doglover, I completely agree with you. I'm a 70 year old retiree and if I didn't have sooooo much stuuuuuuf, I would buy a small condo and move there. I love it for all the reasons that you gave.
My unmarried daughter has a lot of married friends in their early 30's who live in big houses they own in Mount Pleasant or Columbia Heights. It's rather sketchy up there but they are all comfortable. They hang out together up there.
Seems you both have the city by the tail sort to speak. I've been thinking about moving to (Alex/Arling) D.C. to get my foot in the door with gov't. Just not sure how friendly the city is for myself and a teenager, and making new acquaintances. I would suggest that you get involve in association or non-profit organizations with your profession, or activities that you enjoy. For that start up a website so you meet other's thru hobbies or interest group's. Who knows.
glad to see you are having a good time. I moved here just over 8 years ago. I spent 3 1/2 years living in Alexandria VA, the moved briefly to Gaithersburg MD, and then bought a place in DC with my wife. We have been living in the district for nearly 3 years now.
I like to think as myself as true well "rounded" Washingtonian
Yup so much to do, so little time! Heading out for skiing this weekend in West Virginia, be hitting the beach this summer.
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DC for young couples
