Old Town or Capitol Hill? (Alexandria, Front Royal: to rent, crime, homes)

[seiketsu]

I've been in Shirlington for a few years now and am getting restless. I like the neighborhood because it's peaceful, age-diverse, and dog-friendly (I go on a lot of midnight walks), but I'm kind of over the commute and the massive amount of planning it takes to do anything with friends who are Metro-or-Nothing people.

I've been debating whether I should move closer to the Metro in Old Town (King St or Braddock Road), Capitol Hill around Eastern Market, or stay put. I'd prefer to rent (~$2k) but could afford to pay up to $400k for the perfect place. I keep holding out hope that I'll soon make a major life change -- find a new job, go back to school, meet the man of my dreams -- but am old enough to realize that it'll probably just be me and my dog and yoga several times a week for the foreseeable future, and that's not such a bad thing.

Any thoughts?

[stpickrell]

No kids? Capitol Hill is closer to Metro but has (I'm guessing) more petty crime.

OTOH, Old Town Alexandria is better if you do meet the man of your dreams and have a child or two. Plus you don't have the hassle of changing states (drivers' license, license plates, re-registering to vote, etc.)

[Carlingtonian]

I think Old Town. I briefly lived in Capitol Hill. Not much to do there at night, in part because of the crime. Union Station has shops and a couple of blah restaurants, and there are a few as well on Pennsylvania, but it's not like you can walk out your door most places and window shop or go to a restaurant. Despite gentrification, safety is still a serious issue there, because of adjacency to areas where criminals still live. You would be close to U Street, but you'd still need to drive there or take a cab. Also, the parks around Capitol Hill are crawling with families with kids, so you might feel like an outsider there.

And Pickrell makes a good point about the hassle.

Good luck!

[stateofnature]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I think Old Town. I briefly lived in Capitol Hill. Not much to do there at night, in part because of the crime. Union Station has shops and a couple of blah restaurants, and there are a few as well on Pennsylvania, but it's not like you can walk out your door most places and window shop or go to a restaurant. Despite gentrification, safety is still a serious issue there, because of adjacency to areas where criminals still live. You would be close to U Street, but you'd still need to drive there or take a cab. Also, the parks around Capitol Hill are crawling with families with kids, so you might feel like an outsider there.

And Pickrell makes a good point about the hassle.

Good luck!

Completely out-of-date information. Ever heard of Barracks Row, which is neither on Pennsylvania or near Union Station? It's really boomed in the past five or so years. Tons of stuff to do on the Hill at night.

[South Jersey Styx]

I like both places but prefer the Eastern Market area. Seems like it's a close call?

Of course, much of this depends on what you find and availability. For example, if there isn't much in DC to choose from or only noisy areas near 395 and housing in Old Town is more affordable has more amenities, then you're choosing the best bang for your buck.

Also depends of where you work and how you spend your free time. Are most friends in NoVA or DC? Do you prefer lounges, restaurants, and museums? Or boating, hiking, and visiting wineries? Do you travel out of town alot and which direction do you go?

[Deeman804]

I was in a similar situation (carless friends will make 3 miles sound like you live in Front Royal until you get to Chinatown faster than them) but then decided to move to Crystal City. In my opinion, I would say to go to Old Town. Capitol Hill is definitely safe and fun but Old Town is significantly better though. Ultimately, you should do what is an easier commute and makes you happy.

[JD984]

I'd go with Old Town, primarily because of the proximity to the waterfront and the fact that it feels less transient (Capitol Hill, because it is so close to Congress, always will have a comparatively high churn of residents). Of course, either would offer a change in scenery from Shirlington.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by stateofnature

Completely out-of-date information. Ever heard of Barracks Row, which is neither on Pennsylvania or near Union Station? It's really boomed in the past five or so years. Tons of stuff to do on the Hill at night.

Did you read my entire post? In most of Capitol Hill, you cannot walk to shops/restaurants. I noted that Penn Ave is an exception, and certainly Barracks Row would be.

But even where you can walk to shops/restaurants, crime is still a worry. A young dad got beaten into a coma less than a year ago near Eastern Market in what I think was a robbery. OT has one section of low-income projects, but it's fairly small. Capitol Hill is bordered on three sides by areas of decreasing safety. In fact, I stayed there (between homes) with a friend in 2008, and it was still very iffy north of H Street at night.

[stateofnature]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Did you read my entire post? In most of Capitol Hill, you cannot walk to shops/restaurants. I noted that Penn Ave is an exception, and certainly Barracks Row would be.

But even where you can walk to shops/restaurants, crime is still a worry. A young dad got beaten into a coma less than a year ago near Eastern Market in what I think was a robbery. OT has one section of low-income projects, but it's fairly small. Capitol Hill is bordered on three sides by areas of decreasing safety. In fact, I stayed there (between homes) with a friend in 2008, and it was still very iffy north of H Street at night.

The point is you mentioned Union Station and Pennsylvania Ave but then didn't even mention the biggest commercial corridor in the neighborhood, Barracks Row. That's misleading to the OP because you make it sound like there are only a few "blah" restaurants in one place, and then a few more on Penn, and that's it. False. There is much more than that.

There have been robberies in every neighborhood in DC. The Hill is not particularly unsafe relative to the city as a whole. You are just mentioning that one case because it got a lot of media attention.

Crime can be a problem on the Hill but but the rates are still low enough that the odds of anything happening on an individual basis are extremely low. Statistically speaking you are more likely to get in a car accident living in a suburban area than you are to get mugged on Capitol Hill. So according to your paranoid logic, if the Hill is too unsafe to live in, then you should never drive in a car again.

[Carlingtonian]

Look at the Spot Crime map for Capitol Hill: SpotCrime Crime Map

And then look at the one for Old Town: SpotCrime Crime Map

In the last 6 months, 37 robberies in CH (if I counted correctly) versus none in OT (though plenty of thefts in both).

For those who might have forgotten, robbery means you took something forcibly off a person; theft means you stole something when they weren't around (or had their back turned).