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I think most people don't see DC as a cosmopolitan city. They see it as the seat of the federal government and its private sector buddies, and some lawyers and doctors for good measure.
To an extent I understand that sentiment. You don't hear of people going to DC for its world-class dining, or world-class shopping, or world-class beauty. One day it could very well be in one or more of those categories, but for now... eh not so much.
And don't get me wrong, I do love DC, and I personally think we have GREAT dining around here. But the rest of the US doesn't seem to think that highly of us yet.
I travel a lot for a living and have lived up and down the eastern seacoast. My neighbors, some of whom are in various nations' foreign service employ, and I all regard Washington as not just cosmopolitan, but international in flavor. I suspect if one hunkers down in a small area of the city, never venturing out for fear of "muggings" one could develop a very myopic view of the city. I actually find that attitude much more common among people who live in the far suburbs than those who actually live in the city.
Why do people expect DC to be different than any other cosmopolitan city? What city could you live in where you don't have to be a doctor, lawyer, etc... to live in the nicest neighborhoods?
Also - to anyone looking to move to DC - be aware that when individuals say Mt. Pleasant is crowded and people want to leave it, they base their assumption on their personal value that the horrific auto-dependent landscapes that have obliterated southern cities are somehow more appealing than the walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods of DC.
They are incorrect. What is "crowded" for one person who desires strip malls is walkable and full of stately townhomes to another. Such individuals have not been back to DC in 15 years and the city is hardly recognizable from that period.
You just need to know this if you are making serious decisions about your life that people who do not live here are frequently posting false information on this forum. We try to address it, but they are persistent in venting their grudges.
My mom lives in a very desirable Philadelphia neighborhood and she's a retired junior high school teacher. An illustration: A couple consisting of a teacher and a city or state employee could afford a modest home in Mount Airy or NW Germantown. A Philadelphia school teacher, is making about $40K. Your typical City Hall employee will probably make around $40K. The median home price in W. Mount Airy is $260K. So if you use the traditional standard (3X income), this couple could probably find something in one of Philadelphia's top neighborhoods.
A DC public school teacher and a lowly federal employee, incomes combined, could never afford to own a home in Shaw, Ledroit Park, Columbia Heights or Capitol Hill. The price of homes in that neighborhood makes it virtually impossible. A GS-7 makes how much? 50K maybe? A young D.C. school teacher makes, what, 55K? What will a $105K combined income get you in Ledroit Park, which is far from the trendiest of Washington, DC neighborhoods? My guess is that they might be able to squeak out the payments in a basement-level one bedroom apartment in the Parker Flats.
This young couple would probably be better off in PG County.
Well then it's sort a chicken-or-the-egg scenario, no? Should housing prices reflect the income levels, or should income levels reflect the housing prices? I know that people in the military who get BAH can rent a decent apartment almost anywhere in the area, because the BAH for the Washington area is adjusted for the cost of living.
My mom lives in a very desirable Philadelphia neighborhood and she's a retired junior high school teacher. An illustration: A couple consisting of a teacher and a city or state employee could afford a modest home in Mount Airy or NW Germantown. A Philadelphia school teacher, is making about $40K. Your typical City Hall employee will probably make around $40K. The median home price in W. Mount Airy is $260K. So if you use the traditional standard (3X income), this couple could probably find something in one of Philadelphia's top neighborhoods.
A DC public school teacher and a lowly federal employee, incomes combined, could never afford to own a home in Shaw, Ledroit Park, Columbia Heights or Capitol Hill. The price of homes in that neighborhood makes it virtually impossible. A GS-7 makes how much? 50K maybe? A young D.C. school teacher makes, what, 55K? What will a $105K combined income get you in Ledroit Park, which is far from the trendiest of Washington, DC neighborhoods? My guess is that they might be able to squeak out the payments in a basement-level one bedroom apartment in the Parker Flats.
This young couple would probably be better off in PG County.
Well, I never said DC isn't expensive - perhaps absurdly so. The average house has almost tripled in value over the past 15 years.
Is that worth it? I guess that depends on the person. Most people consider DC a lot more lively and interesting of a city than Philly, so if one is drawn to that energy then it's probably worth more to them.
If people are drawn to settling in to a comfortable life with the honey, then perhaps DC isn't worth it. But, keep in mind that what draws people to DC and drives prices up is people looking for interesting and unique jobs, not ones you can find anywhere else like a teacher or municipal employee.
Obviously, there are many of those here, but they aren't the ones coming from all over the world driving the prices up. Similar to NY in that sense - a lot of normal working joes born and raised like anywhere else, but it's the industries in Manhattan the drive the prices.
Well, I never said DC isn't expensive - perhaps absurdly so. The average house has almost tripled in value over the past 15 years.
Is that worth it? I guess that depends on the person. Most people consider DC a lot more lively and interesting of a city than Philly, so if one is drawn to that energy then it's probably worth more to them.
If people are drawn to settling in to a comfortable life with the honey, then perhaps DC isn't worth it. But, keep in mind that what draws people to DC and drives prices up is people looking for interesting and unique jobs, not ones you can find anywhere else like a teacher or municipal employee.
Obviously, there are many of those here, but they aren't the ones coming from all over the world driving the prices up. Similar to NY in that sense - a lot of normal working joes born and raised like anywhere else, but it's the industries in Manhattan the drive the prices.
Agreed. I had great difficulty trying to explain to a friend why houses in the city cost so much. His beef was that the median income in the region was $90K, so in his mind, $270K should have been enough to get him a home in most DC neighborhoods. That's a lot like saying the average guy is a 6 on the looks scale, makes $50K, and drives a Civic. Since I have more going on than the average guy, I should be able to score someone as hot as Megan Fox.
When looking to score property in DC, you're not competing against your average joes who may buy in Laurel, Woodbridge or Loudoun County. So the median income figure is not helpful in trying to determine what you can buy in DC. You have a lot of independently wealthy people, too, so that throws a wrench in the equation as well. I was always trying to figure out how my friend could afford her Dupont Circle condo on her non-profit salary...
Agreed. I had great difficulty trying to explain to a friend why houses in the city cost so much. His beef was that the median income in the region was $90K, so in his mind, $270K should have been enough to get him a home in most DC neighborhoods. That's a lot like saying the average guy is a 6 on the looks scale, makes $50K, and drives a Civic. Since I have more going on than the average guy, I should be able to score someone as hot as Megan Fox.
When looking to score property in DC, you're not competing against your average joes who may buy in Laurel, Woodbridge or Loudoun County. So the median income figure is not helpful in trying to determine what you can buy in DC. You have a lot of independently wealthy people, too, so that throws a wrench in the equation as well. I was always trying to figure out how my friend could afford her Dupont Circle condo on her non-profit salary...
The guy with the median income lives at the median distance from town. That's about Germantown.
In DC you have to play the alphabet game, GS-9, GS-11, GS-12, etc...or You have to have a really good security clearance (contractor side) if you want to own a nice home. This isn't a city where a liberal arts major is going to make a lot of money. You need to focus on STEM careers, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. DC used to be about law and legal services but with the glut of young lawyers coming out of law schools, those starting out in area in law are demanding lower starting salaries.
Engineering might be my best choice then... seems like it would give me the broadest options here... defense companies, construction companies, the government. I need a tutor for that god damn math though.
I think another thing that might work for me is getting a position where my dad and stepmom work... however my impression is that while the pay is very good, the work can be tedious, not very rewarding, and you basically become a slave to them thanks to Blackberries. My stepmom's actually debating leaving or not, since her new manager doesn't really value her line of work (marketing). She'd rather make less money doing something she enjoys than make a big big salary doing mindless work 8 hours a day.
I guess my dream is to find a job that I not only love, but that also pays well. After that, I'll take a job that pays pretty well and that I love, and after that I'll take a job I can tolerate (read: won't make me go postal) and pays well.
DC used to be about law and legal services but with the glut of young lawyers coming out of law schools, those starting out in area in law are demanding lower starting salaries.
Au contraire. In the legal field, you either make a lot or you're broke. For those who attend a T-10 school (Yale, Harvard, Stanford, etc), life is good. But if you go to Seton Hall, I hope you got a really good financial aid package.
The guy with the median income lives at the median distance from town. That's about Germantown.
Where is the median distance from town in DC?
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