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Hi fellow city data folks! I am doing some research for my wife regarding living in the DC area. she is 30 years old and will be going there for 4 months this summer for an internship. Neither of us have been there before and live pretty far away so we're trying to do as much research as possible on the internet. I was hoping some of you could help point us in the right direction regarding where she might choose to live during that time. Here's some factors:
1. She needs to live somwhere not terribly far from where she will be working which is downtown from what I can gather (an Embassy on Pennsylvania Ave NW).
2. Safety is a big concern as she will be by herself most of the time. I hear there are a few areas of D.C that she would want to stay away from. She will not have a car.
3. As long as it is affordable ($1000 - $1500 a month) she'd like a small 1 BR apartment to herself (not shared) in a nice D.C neighborhood or maybe even right over the border in MD or VA. I hear there are some nice areas there too.
Any insight or assistance would be MOST appreciated! I will share that there are a few options on the table right now that her internship has provided. But she is free to look on her own too (she really wants her own apartment as opposed to sharing). but here's the options so far:
1. An apartment complex on East / West Highway in Silver Spring, MD
2. An international student House located on Sixteenth Street, N.W. walking distance to the Silver Spring Metro (not sure what town this is in, my guess is Silver Spring?)
3. Another student house that I am told is located "downtown on 11th Street, N.W".
Don't live in any of those areas. None of those areas you listed are neccessarily "Safe".
Move her to upper Georgetown. She can walk or take the bus to the Tenley Metro. You can find a one bedroom there for 1000-1500. Call the Calimiris Company. They have plenty of safe buildings to pick from.
I'm a 29-year old female living by myself in DC. I've lived in a few different areas over the last 7 years, but if she wants to live downtown and close to everything, I'd recommend living in NW, close to one of the red-line metro stops (Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Van Ness are all good locations), assuming she'll be taking the metro to work. All of those areas are close to restaurants and shops, and Rock Creek Park (Cleveland Park being my favorite, but probably the more expensive option of those three), and the red line takes you straight to Dupont Circle, Gallery Place/Chinatown, and other prime areas. Check out www.craigslist.org and look for sublets available during the summer. 1000 - 1500 might be a little tight, but possibly manageable in those areas (I pay 1300 for a large studio in Van Ness).
Hi: I don't live in DC but my 28 year old son has lived there for several years. He has never had a problem at any hour in the vicinity of his Cleveland Park(off CT. Ave, backing up to Rock Creek Park) apt. He has been held up in McClean in broad daylight, chased by a gang in Arlington, nearly shot at the Tenleytown subway station on his way to a supermarket. His apt. is a studio and costs him $1080/mo, including unreserved parking. He found his apt. thanks to some knowledgeable DC native on a board like this. Good luck.
I'm a 29-year old female living by myself in DC. I've lived in a few different areas over the last 7 years, but if she wants to live downtown and close to everything, I'd recommend living in NW, close to one of the red-line metro stops (\(I pay 1300 for a large studio in Van Ness).
Good luck!
I pay 1350 for a large one bedroom with parking. I have a doorman and valet services. I think you are getting ripped!
Hi: I don't live in DC but my 28 year old son has lived there for several years. He has never had a problem at any hour in the vicinity of his Cleveland Park(off CT. Ave, backing up to Rock Creek Park) apt. He has been held up in McClean in broad daylight, chased by a gang in Arlington, nearly shot at the Tenleytown subway station on his way to a supermarket. His apt. is a studio and costs him $1080/mo, including unreserved parking. He found his apt. thanks to some knowledgeable DC native on a board like this. Good luck.
I've lived in D.C. all my life and I've never been held up, chased or shot at. I think your son is into something deep!
Of the options you list, I dislike #2. It's a heck of a long walk to the SS metro from upper 16th St. NW, and it's not a walk I'd feel safe doing at night. (There are buses, but I still would knock it off your list).
Agree with the suggestions offered for Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Van Ness -- anywhere in that stretch of metro red line. Similar, but without metro access: Glover Park, upper Georgetown (Burleith), Foxhall, the Palisades. She'll have to use buses, but it is do-able. There are lots of young single women in these neighborhoods and are quite safe.
[mikieguns] 1. She needs to live somwhere not terribly far from where she will be working which is downtown from what I can gather (an Embassy on Pennsylvania Ave NW).
Canadian Embassy? Actually, having at least a nearby intersection to work with would be very helpful. You'll want to balance cost versus commuting woes, so being able to be precise would make a big difference in being able to provide advice.
2. Safety is a big concern as she will be by herself most of the time. I hear there are a few areas of D.C that she would want to stay away from. She will not have a car.
There are plenty of DC areas she would want to stay away from. None of them is in Northwest. NW does have better areas and worse ones, but few if any that qualify as bad. Lots of downtown DC residents either don't have a car or don't use it regularly. With some planning, you can get by without one.
3. As long as it is affordable ($1000 - $1500 a month) she'd like a small 1 BR apartment to herself (not shared) in a nice D.C neighborhood or maybe even right over the border in MD or VA. I hear there are some nice areas there too.
Probably doable in that price range, but be careful on the MD side. North is generally at least okay, east is not. VA is almost entirely nice enough, but it's also typically expensive.
I will share that there are a few options on the table right now that her internship has provided. But she is free to look on her own too (she really wants her own apartment as opposed to sharing). but here's the options so far:
1. An apartment complex on East / West Highway in Silver Spring, MD
2. An international student House located on Sixteenth Street, N.W. walking distance to the Silver Spring Metro (not sure what town this is in, my guess is Silver Spring?)
3. Another student house that I am told is located "downtown on 11th Street, N.W".
1. East-West Highway is a long road and what people call Silver Spring is a big area. With no car, she'll need a good access to public transportation. Would need an address. Could be workable, could also be a complete disaster.
2. If it's on 16th Street, NW, it's in the District, and per the earlier post, a substantial and not particularly human-friendly walk away from any Metro stop. I wouldn't want to do it. Not even once.
3. This sounds like the International Hostel at 11th and K. That's an acceptable enough area, but this would be down-scale college dorm type living. Bunk beds, common kitchen and TV area. Great if you were a 23-year old Swede spending four or five days in town seeing the sights and needing a cheap place to crash, but I couldn't recommend it at all for a 30-year old woman who was here for four months.
4. This is where the other options go. The ones that weren't on your original list. There are no doubt some very workable ones, but you'd need to be more specific about where she will be trying to get to and from each day. If it IS the Canadian Embassy, she's two blocks from the Archives Metro stop, which becomes the key in tracking down affordable yet safe and comfortable living arrangements. If it's not, then there's no way to know which keys to try in the lock...
My wife and I are here on very similar circumstances, but here for a full year. We researched the area before arriving much as you have. Take a good look at the Metro map online. www.wmata.com If she can find a place in Friendship Heights or Bethesda she'll be laughing Both extremly safe neighbourhoods, but admittingly not cheap. We pay $1430 a month for a one bedroom that is pest free, but old and could be in better shape. Having a rough idea where you're coming from might help provide suggestions. For example, if you're coming from Vancouver, you'll find DC a cakewalk. The people here are friendlier, and it's easier to stay out of dangerous spots. The Embassy isn't far from a couple metro stops. I would generally get off on the Smithsonian stop of the Blue Line and walk across to the Canadian embassy. It takes about 10 minutes, but you're walking across the mall and Smithsonian's Buildings and to the side of the National Gallery of Art. Hardly a rough walk there. Not to mention probably the safest most heavilly policed/monitored walk in North America.
We found our apartment by going through the county websites as they almost all post registered apartment buildings and rentals because they require a permit issued by the county to operate. Also, crime statistics are generally readilly available. Try contacting the police departments of the areas you are interested in (i used google to find ours). They emailed me the crime statistics for the apartment we were considering while we were in Canada and it helped us make the decision.
A friend recently visited us for a week and stayed at the hostel (there's only one in DC). He said it was fine but extremly loud. One more thing to consider is that this place hit 50 degrees celsius and 100% humidity for a couple weeks last summer, so wherever she's looking, Air Conditioning should be a top priority.
Given how you spelled neighborhood, i'll assume you're American or from Toronto though, so I'll spare you the "if you're coming from Canada" advice =)
If she can, have her fly into Ronald Reagen Airport. Its conveniently located on the Metro line and we've found makes things a bit easier. Dulles is further out of the way and a pain to get to/from and more $$$ as well. It costs us $3 to get from the Airport to home as opposed to $26 if we came from Dulles.
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/4051/embassywalkqw2.png (broken link)
Last edited by Moose Jockey USA; 03-07-2007 at 03:03 AM..
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