Nice neighborhood w/ Hispanic character???? (Washington: rent, crime, employment)

[NWDC]

I think that, if I were in your place, I'd try to find a place in Georgetown. It's walkable, comparatively sedate if you stay off the main drags where the shopping and restaurants are (Wisconsin Ave and M Street), and full of charming streets with cobblestones, all reeking of history in a way a European will appreciate -- And it borders the river, which is another attraction. And of course it's the most convenient area for you, assuming you'll be at the main Georgetown campus. I suspect it also will be the part of town your mother-in-law likes best, whether she's in the "ladies who lunch" mold or wants to spend her days busily doing things.
Lots of people from other countries live all over the city, and that definitely includes Georgetown.
¡Buena suerte!

[terrence81]

Well I think it depends on what atmosphere you're looking for. If you want an urban environment where you don't need a car then hands down it's Columbia Heights. Your mother-in-law would be able to walk to all types of Hispanic oriented businesses and you could walk to the metro along with lots of reliable chains like Target, Best Buy either TJ Maxx or Marshalls, and grocery stores.

Georgetown is just as expensive as Dupont so I wouldn't give it a second thought, $1600 isn't much for a studio in those neighborhoods let alone a two bedroom. I also can not concur on recommendations of Ballston. I'm no expert but doesn't seem very heavily Hispanic and while not as expensive as Dupont it's still too expensive.

The suburbs in Virginia are actually way more diverse than DC. So yes I second the recommendation for the Falls Church/Baileys Crossroads/Seven Corners areas. I used to live there and it wasn't too bad, not great but not bad either. It's a funny area with some really run down apartments in the Cullmore area but along with some nice condos and townhouses thrown in the mix. There are a few older high rises too. This is going to the area inside the Beltway in VA with heaviest Latin flavor. Also in Arlington, all along Columbia Pike there are Hispanic businesses and high rises.

Now the problem comes into convenience to Georgetown; in a word, no. Baileys Crossroads is about as far as one can get from a metro station inside the Beltway. It's funny I live outside the Beltway now and I'm actually closer to the metro and the amount of time it takes for me to drive into the city (weekends, weeknights no traffic) is actually the same as when I was technically closer in Falls Church/Baileys Crossroads. Also if your mother-in-law doesn't have a car she will have a hard time getting around the further from shopping centers at Baileys Crossroads one is despite the price coming down and the places being a little newer and nicer.

So you'll need to drive and so will any other adult in the house. There are bus routes but they are really deficient in serving a fairly strong need. Funny Cullmore isn't the nicest neighborhood but has lots of bus routes while my old neighborhood Belvedere only had one bus route to Annandale (another diverse area).

So if metro access and Latin neighbors are top priorities then it's gotta be Columbia Heights. If you're willing to give up easy metro access then I recommend Baileys Crossroads/Seven Corners, which is also way cheaper.

[nomad74]

I would love to live in Georgetown but it's just way too expensive for us right now. I agree that it has a quaint European feel that my wife and mother-in-law would love (so would I). However, my wife will be a grad student and I still need to find employment in the DC area so living in Georgetown is out of the equation for the time being.

[nomad74]

Terrence81, thanks for such a detailed reply. We would prefer to be in a more urban location with easy public transportation. Neither my wife or her mother will have a car and they are used to living right in the middle of a city (Seville, Spain). It sounds like Columbia Heights may be our best bet. Is it a relatively safe area? Some other areas that have been recommended to me, although not necessarily because of their Hispanic character, are Glover Park, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park and Tenleytown. Any insight into there areas will be appreciated? Thanks.

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by nomad74

Terrence81, thanks for such a detailed reply. We would prefer to be in a more urban location with easy public transportation. Neither my wife or her mother will have a car and they are used to living right in the middle of a city (Seville, Spain). It sounds like Columbia Heights may be our best bet. Is it a relatively safe area? Some other areas that have been recommended to me, although not necessarily because of their Hispanic character, are Glover Park, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park and Tenleytown. Any insight into there areas will be appreciated? Thanks.

Woodley Park is the neighborhood around the zoo. If you're close to Connecticutt Avenue then you'll love it. It's nice with lots of trees and metro access. At the same time it will still be kinda expensive. I'm no expert but don't quote me really just go to craigslist apartments and type in Woodley Park or any of those neighborhoods mentioned to get a sample of prices. But yeah Woodley Park is really nice with lots of trees but at the same time very urban. There really isn't much Latin flavor there though at least in my opinion.

So yeah still say Columbia Heights is the best option. Columbia Heights is a funny neighborhood. It's very up and coming but I've heard some who live there that love it and feel safe and some who don't. So it will not be as pretty and nice as Woodley Park or Georgetown but it isn't th hood either. So is it relatively safe? I'd say yeah just not the safest. Still your best bet for everything that you're looking for and it's way cheaper than Gtown. It is a gentrifying neighborhood with new professionals renovating old houses and those with lower incomes that have been in the neighborhood for years, which gives it an interesting character. I've been to some just okay places in Columbia Heights and some really nice places. Being close to the metro seems to be key. The further north especially from the metro the less nice it was but still was alright looking.

Another option is the adjacent neighborhood of Mount Pleasant. It really is pleasant and classic DC. The Hispanic shops that your mother-in-law and your wife will frequent are about a ten minute walk away. The thing about Mt. Pleasant is that it's not trendy. It's almost entirely residential so some will argue that it's boring but if you don't mind that little ten minute walk then it's pretty sweet. You're close to the action but the action is not in your face this leads to less crime since there will be fewer people in the neighborhood that don't belong there. Also if you're driving just hop on Rock Creek Parkway and you're in Georgetown or just walk the 10-15 minutes to the metro (depends on where in the neighborhood you're in).

So yeah to sum up Columbia Heights and Mt. Pleasant would be the places to hit. Columbia Heights has more going on but has more crime. Mt. Pleasant has less crime but has almost nothing going on. Personally I like Mt. Pleasant much more. I say just look at a map and try to get something close to the Columbia Heights metro station.

[nomad74]

Thanks Terrence81. Very helpful information.

[jfields]

If you want proximity to Georgetown, then Columbia Heights is probably your best bet. I like that area and I've been there quite a few times (during day and night) and I've never had any problems but there are pretty many shootings there so if you're looking for safety than you might want to try somewhere else. Generally, most of the hispanic population in the DC area is in Northern Virginia in places like Arlington, Alexandria, Seven Corners, Herndon, Woodbridge and Manassas. Since your mother in law doesn't have a car, you can forget about Herndon, Woodbridge and Manassas. Arlington and Alexandria are probably your best bet; they both have pretty large hispanic populations, are safe and are accesable to metro. There are 2 parts to Alexandria; one is the City of Alexandria and the other one is part of Fairfax County, the dividing line is the beltway. The Fairfax County part isn't as safe and it is farther away from Georgetown. Seven Corners and Bailey's Crossroads would be my second recomendation. I used to spend alot of time in that area. It is probably more hispanic than any area that I mentioned. The main problem is that there isn't a metro station in the area. Also, Arlington and Alexandria are safer. One last thing to keep in mind is that, like the rest of the US, there aren't many Spanish people. In the DC area, the hispanic people are primarily from El Salvador and other countries in Central America. The majority of the rest of the hispanic population is Mexican, Peruvian or Bolivian.

[nomad74]

Thanks jfields. I think that I'll have to visit Columbia Heights to determine if it feels safe enough for us. Arlington seems more convenient to Georgetown than Alexandria.

[NWDC]

Col Hts: Noisy, bustling, inner-city, with a mix of incredibly expensive new high-rises, gentrifying town-houses and old-style tenements, and one of the centers of Central American immigrant life. Great if you're a 20-something or into a super-urban environment.
Glover Park: Just off Wisconsin Ave and just two neighborhoods north of Georgetown so much more convenient to GTU than the other neighborhoods mentioned in this message. Mix of town-houses, low-rise and mid-rise buildings. Basically all the commercial goings-on (shops, restaurants, etc) are on Wisconsin Ave. Lots of parks and friendliness, families and Georgetown U students. Drawback is dependence on bus-service 'cause no subway nearby. Also, although lots of ethnic eateries, not as in-your-face multi-culti as Col Hts except that it's home to the Embassy of El Salvador, so lots of Salvadorans are around at least during the day. In general, fewer economic extremes, more a mix of middle-class, upper-middle-class, plus the long-time residents from stable lower-middle-class, working-class backgrounds.
Woodley Park: A good blend of urban and green, renters and owners, apartments and houses, tourists (two major hotels) and residents. Subway and bus service. Restaurants and stores and the National Zoo, located in adjacent, lovely Rock Creek Park. Not as densely-populated as Col Hts or neighboring Adams Morgan. Just across the small Duke Ellington bridge from Adams Morgan, DC's original Latin American/multiculti neighborhood that now boasts nightclubs and all sorts of eateries. And just across a different small bridge from one of DC's old "blue book" neighborhoods, Kalorama. Walking distance to Dupont Circle but uphill from there so cooler. I'd live here in a heartbeat -- if I could afford it.
Cleveland Park: Mostly condos and houses, mostly white, lots of restaurants and shops, both subway and bus service. The neighborhood stretches from Connecticut Ave over to Wisconsin Ave so encompasses two commercial (shops, restaurants) strips. The area's largest list-serv, on Yahoo, is CP's -- and it sometimes gives voice to anti-renter sentiment but also to many other voices. Also, home to the only remaining big-screen movie theatre in DC.
Tenleytown: Kinda dead at night since the local movie-houses closed for rehabbing into condos or whatever. So did the local library and the local fire-house. Area has bus and subway service. BestBuy, Whole Foods, Container Store, Sears, a couple of restaurants. OK for AU students since there's a satellite campus there and a free shuttle to the main campus. And some day soon it'll be a vibrant neighborhood. But I wouldn't call it one now.

It sounds like Columbia Heights may be our best bet. Is it a relatively safe area? Some other areas that have been recommended to me, although not necessarily because of their Hispanic character, are Glover Park, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park and Tenleytown. Any insight into there areas will be appreciated? Thanks.

[nomad74]

Wow, thanks for such a detailed description of each neighborhood. Very helpful.