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I am looking into moving to DC. I am single and young; I am looking for something safe, but not in the burbs! I would like to be relatively near the action of the city. I haven't been to DC since I was 18..I don't know a thing about the neighborhoods. Advice would be awesome! my budget is 700$ to 1400$ also i have cats..if that changes things Thanks so much!
You have two fairly different choices given your budget, Northern Virginia or NW DC. Both are fairly safe, and both have plenty to do. There are more bars, clubs, and activities in DC so NW would be closer to the action but it is pricier and has a bit more crime. I would check out Dupont (expensive but gentrified), Adams Morgan, or Cleveland park. You should be able to find singles for around 1200 or if you have a roommate, get a double for less.
NOVA would be cheaper but not much and with more of a commute. Places to check out are Ballston, Alexandria, and Virginia Square. All are fairly short metro rides into the city but arent up to DC's standards activity wise. They are more reasonably priced though.
Other than that, I wouldn't venture too far east as it gets less safe, but that is changing with development. Bethesda, MD is also an option, but it is a 20 min train ride from downtown and just as pricey if not more. Good luck.
At that budget, if you're willing to live in a basement apartment or studio, Capitol Hill might be a good option.
It's tough to decide which hood to live in if you don't know where you'll be working.
If you work downtown, you'd like to live in the city near a metro or at least a bus line that goes where you need to be.
If you'll be working somewhere away from a metro and you have to drive, make sure to live in a place where parking won't be an issue. If you live in Adams-Morgan, Dupont and a few other places you may have to spend $200+ per month for a spot.
I really loved Adams Morgan at 23, and was recently apartment hunting and found plenty in the neighborhood in that range.
On the weekends it is packed with a very vibrant and eclectic "come as you are" crowd - the college frat boys, North and South African immigrants, African Americans, yuppies, hippies... they all come together in the Morg.
That said - I always avoided it on the weekends and found the weeknight crowd to be far more interesting - mostly the city crowd rather than the college / suburban crowd. But, to each their own.
It's very urban. On a Saturday afternoon you'll feel like you're in South America on Columbia.
Capitol Hill East is your best bet. There's nothing urban in VA. Washingtonians don't respect people who live in the plastic wasteland of the former Capitol of the Confederacy. Adams Morgan used to be cool, but now Eastern Market is better. H Street NE is happening. East of Adams Morgan is Columbia Hts. It is O.K. but a little forced, a little plastic and the HQs for MS13. It is way over rated. Just east of Columbia Hts is Shaw. It is for the dolts who were told NW was the only sector in which to live and pushed prices way beyond what is reasonable and needlessly expose themselves to blight and crime. Their houses are worth less than half of what they were at the peak of the bubble. Shaw is bad news. Affordable, urban/ cool and safe is anything West of the Anacostia River and East of Eastern Market on the blue or orange lines. Otherwise, Georgetown might be the trick if you can get lucky getting a $1500 closet. There's no subway in G'town and it can be a drag gettin' around.
I wouldn't take his opinion too seriously. It's a bit radical and dismisses very good neighborhoods simply because they aren't the flavor of the month for cool. Kind of silly.
Wowza...capital of the confederacy? I thought that was Richmond.
In any case, the above posters are correct. There are a lot of neighborhoods in Arlington and Alexandria that are more dense, have a greater variety of restaurants, and have a more urbanized vibe than many hoods in DC.
U -Street Corridor is very up and coming and so is Logan Circle...both near Dupont and Adams Morgan. I love it and just moved there from Miami...
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Thanks so much!
