Family friendly area close to DC

[HomesForAllVA]

People who want to avoid rush hour leave no later than 6:00 am. EARLY!

[ersatz]

MrsStorr

I originally signed on to City-Data when I lived in London and planned a move to the Washington DC metro area. Online tools were very helpful in the planning stages but I had to modify my choices considerably once I checked out the results in person. I created a spreadsheet for my top priorities when I was in London. Once I visited my candidates in person, I finally chose #9 out of 10 on my original list. I immediately eliminated #1 on my online candidate list once I inspected the site and talked with local renters.

Of all the online tools, I found www.walkscore.com the most helpful when checking a potential address. It will give you the best idea of a potential neighborhood. Interpret the walk score with skepticism. My present neighborhood scores 20 out of 100. According to them, running errands from my home is impossible without a car. I don't have a car. I can reach restaurants, shopping, schools, banks, grocers, library, chemists, churches, post, doctors, and public transit all within a ten minute walk or less. Walkscore also has a commute time calculator. It is a very rough estimator but will let you compare different neighborhoods for a potential commute. Don't use the app, it doesn't seem to work. Walkscore Commute will only give you a generic estimate of 30 minutes for the entire region unless you feed specific origin and destination addresses into the calculator.

You are worried about safety. www.spotcrime.com is a useful screening tool. Again, a large degree of skepticism is required. My neighborhood shows a large number of larcenies and assaults. Yet, I walked alone at all times of day and night for years and have never encountered a harsh word, let alone an assault. Most of my neighbors leave their homes unlocked. Delivery packages are never stolen. If I believed the online results, I would hide under my bed and not come out. Spotcrime is still a useful tool. If it shows a large number of daily homicides in your target neighborhood, best look elsewhere.

I have lived in multiple neighborhoods in the greater Washington area. I explore a lot of them on foot for fun. PM me if you want individual advice, I am happy to help.

Regards
ersatz