Advice on where to live outside D.C??? (Washington: apartments, to rent)

[eli0808]

Hi guys! :-)

My husband and I are moving with our baby to the D.C area this year. We are open to living in D.C or just outside.

We like museums, art, going out to eat and to cafes. We are in our late 20s.

We want a neighborhood that's hip (for lack of a better word) but one that is also REALLY safe and child friendly.
Our budget is around $1,200-$1,450-ish.

Any recommendations??

Thank you sooo much!! Any help would be really appreciated.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Depends on what you are looking for and where your job(s) will be located. Unfortunately your price range pretty much limits you to a studio or 1 bedroom apartment in any hip, safe and child friendly neighborhood inside the beltway...

[eli0808]

that's ok! I forgot to say, we only need a 1 bedroom. we are willing to all cram in one room :-)

[saganista]

As far as downtown goes, the area you're most closely describing might be Penn Quarter. But child-friendly and the price range could be issues. In any case, as indicated above, where in the DC area the jobs will be will be an important consideration. You have to be careful about the commute in DC...

[claremarie]

What do you mean by "child-friendly"? If you want neighborhood playgrounds, and a good public elementary school, you're not likely to find them in neighborhoods with hip, cafe-going, museum-hopping twentysomethings -- at least, not in your price range.

I think that your best bet is probably the Ballston corridor in north Arlington, or perhaps parts of Alexandria. Another possibility is Takoma Park, on the DC/Maryland border. As others have mentioned, your workplace location(s) will be important factors.

[vanyali]

Do you want a neighborhood that's fun for now, but that you'll move out of when your kid is school-aged? Do you want bohemian hip or yuppie hip?

The neighborhoods in DC right around the zoo are full of hip shops and bustling with activity (more yuppie-hip, especially on the West side of the zoo). Arlington is pretty young-family yuppie-hip, and chock full of apartments and condos and townhouses right next to all the shopping, and if you decide you like the neighborhood, it even has good schools.

[TheseGoTo11]

you'll save money by going to a safe, but older and less metro-accessible building in a neighborhood like Glover Park

lots of young couples there too

[lscalder]

All of these areas people are mentioning are out of her price range.
Why not try DownTown Silver Spring or Takoma Park MD/DC side.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by eli0808

that's ok! I forgot to say, we only need a 1 bedroom. we are willing to all cram in one room :-)

I don't think it would be legal anywhere in the DC area to rent a 1 bedroom apartment to a family of 3. If I'm wrong someone will point that out, but my experience is that most apartments won't do it.

[vanyali]

Originally Posted by lscalder

All of these areas people are mentioning are out of her price range.
Why not try DownTown Silver Spring or Takoma Park MD/DC side.

I think those are good suggestions.