Advice on moving to DC from Los Angeles? (Washington: fit in, safe area)

[NMSL]

I plan on making this move within the next few months. I just visited for the 3rd or 4th time and I just loved it. I am almost 25 years old. I am a single female. I just felt the vibe was so much better than Los Angeles. I am not really into the whole entertainment industry. It seems like you have to look really hard to find people in LA who take education seriously. I have more friends that live in DC. I have a lot of people from my college who live there as well. The cost of living is cheaper than LA which I like.

Anyways, any advice on finding a place and a job in DC? I have a background in public health research. I just have a BA though. I plan on applying to grad school in a year or 2. I would love to go to school in or near DC. What should I look out for? This is the first time I am paying for all the relocation expenses myself. I want to make this happen as cheaply as possible.

[Bluefly]

National Institute of Health, numerous NGOs and national associations involved in the health industry. Just start looking.

Your read on DC is accurate. It will be bashed to no end on this board by those who are stuck in it and don't fit in, but I've spent time in LA and really grew to appreciate the obsession with intelligence in DC. Not necessarily the politicians, but the vast industries that support or influence politics. Everybody has their bookshelves in their main room showing off their books. Conversations are always about something interesting about the world beyond themselves. It's pretentious if you want to read it that way, or it's just what smart people like to do when they're surrounded by other smart people and don't have to pretend to be interested in the fact that someone didn't get a callback for a Tele Tubbies spinoff.

[dingo050]

I just graduated from UCLA in June and moved out here in July for a job with an association, and I love it. I know exactly what you mean by the difference in culture and vibe (although I do miss wearing flip flops year round!) I find that politics is equivalent to the entertainment industry in LA- it's THE industry that drives the region.

One thing though- cost of living in DC is on par with LA (depending on the area, of course). I found that LA had a more diverse supply of housing available, since everyone has a car and public transportation is not a factor. In DC, Metro is king and I'd have to say accessibility to the Metro (in a safe area) triumphs a lot of things, including cost. Do you know what areas of DC you'd like to live in?

DC is a great place to study Public Health. George Washington University has a great program and hospital that is highly ranked. I'm applying for Public Policy Master's programs, and GWU is one of my top choices.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have about relocating. I'm glad to help a fellow Californian out- we need more of us out here!

[popalnet]

I'm originally from California too, and I also love DC. However, just remember that winters in DC can be frigid. The weather is really the only thing I miss about California. But I only miss the California weather during the winter in DC. The other 9 month of the season in DC I'm fine. I'm even okay with the hot and hazy summers.

[scottfs]

There are also a fair amount of private consulting firms that do public health-related work for US government agencies. I used to work for Booz Allen Hamilton, and they had quite a few contracts working on public health issues for the VA, FDA, HHS, etc. I'd try poking around companies like that.