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Hi, I'm moving from a Buffalo suburb to D.C. this fall. For a 25 yr. old who wants to be immersed in a metropolitan/dynamic area (no suburbs) in D.C. what areas would you recommend? I definitely want to be close to the metro.
From some previous posts it seems like Arlington Va is pretty exciting, but would living in the immediate D.C. area like Adams Morgan or the Palisades be more exciting?
I guess what I'm really asking is what are the main differences between Arlington VA, and the immediate D.C. area?
Arlington is more santized, cheaper, and safer. DC is more of a real city while Arlington is city-lite. You can still have a car pretty much anywhere in Arlington, but if you were living in DC, it would be a good idea to get rid of it.
Adams Morgan might be a good spot to start looking. The Palisades are not exciting in the least and not Metro-accessible. They're much more suburban than Arlington.
Live in South Arlington which is a little different from the more exciting and more expensive North Arlington. If you want the city life then you want to be right in DC. Some have argued on this forum that Arlington is straight up suburbia. I happen to disagree.
Arlington is a city in its own right that just happens to be next to DC. It has 2 major employment centers lots of mid-rise buildings the metro. For folks in their 20s the place to be is Clarendon which is really expensive, very yuppy with the pop the polo shirt collar crowd, and some might say a little snobby. But its fun and super safe. There's shopping a Whole Foods, Cheesecake Factory. There's lots of bars and restaurants so it is exciting and fun. But DC is more exciting.
Are you going to be driving? I assume you are being from suburban Buffalo. You still will want your car in Arlington whereas it could be a liability in certain DC neighborhoods. Can you live without a car in Arlington? Yes but in my opinion you pay so much extra in rent to live near a subway line it just isn't worth it might as well live in the city in a neighborhood designed for walking like Dupont, Logan Circle, Shaw, U Street, or Adams Morgan.
So I say Arlington is kinda DC lite. You get some city living but the real deal is in the city itself. But I will say that I love Arlington because I feel I have the best of both worlds. I can get in my big SUV and zip into the city whenever I want (sans rush hour of course) and be downtown in 10 minutes. But I don't have the headaches of owning a car in DC. Insurance is really high. Someone else on here argued that their insurance wasn't that bad so it is different for everyone.
Example: My insurance which is kinda high but I think is like $565 for 6 months (I've had high insurance since I turned 18 what can I say?) in Arlington well if I moved just 4 miles away to DC it'd be $1100 for 6 months.
So conclusion: first figure out if you want to keep your car or not. If you do live in Arlington you can be in the excitement of the city on a Friday night in 10-15 minutes or in less than 10 minutes if you just wanna hang out in Clarendon. If you want to be car-free move to DC.
Also the exciting parts of DC are really expensive. Nice if you afford it but most of us can not.
Arlington is more santized, cheaper, and safer. DC is more of a real city while Arlington is city-lite. You can still have a car pretty much anywhere in Arlington, but if you were living in DC, it would be a good idea to get rid of it.
Adams Morgan might be a good spot to start looking. The Palisades are not exciting in the least and not Metro-accessible. They're much more suburban than Arlington.
Yeah def recommend Adams Morgan. But I will say this...about the car situation. I know several people that live in the city that have cars but they dont' live in Dupont though, Columbia Heights, Capitol Hill, Brightwood, Mt. Pleasant. So it is possible but expect to pay extra for the privellage. Honestly I've gotten used to city driving that when or if I move to the city (Capitol Hill) I'd still grin and bear it with my car. So look at the costs for sure.
Adams Morgan might be a good spot to start looking. The Palisades are not exciting in the least and not Metro-accessible. They're much more suburban than Arlington.
So conclusion: first figure out if you want to keep your car or not. If you do live in Arlington you can be in the excitement of the city on a Friday night in 10-15 minutes or in less than 10 minutes if you just wanna hang out in Clarendon. If you want to be car-free move to DC.
Also the exciting parts of DC are really expensive. Nice if you afford it but most of us can not.
WIll you be working in the District or VA?
Ah being from suburbs of Western New York I've had about enough of driving--sprawl...yuck--so I would prefer not to have a car.
I'll be working in the District NW region...i think.
Hi, I'm moving from a Buffalo suburb to D.C. this fall. For a 25 yr. old who wants to be immersed in a metropolitan/dynamic area (no suburbs) in D.C. what areas would you recommend? I definitely want to be close to the metro.
From some previous posts it seems like Arlington Va is pretty exciting, but would living in the immediate D.C. area like Adams Morgan or the Palisades be more exciting?
I guess what I'm really asking is what are the main differences between Arlington VA, and the immediate D.C. area?
Thanks!
Honestly Arlington is more urban than lots of DC. How much rent can you afford? It depends where you live too. The walk from Adams Morgan to the metro is long. I live in arlington and have a 7 minute walk to 2 stations.
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