Look here first if you are looking to move to DC (house, safe neighborhoods)

[Alegria2]

I'm not sure why two cities are incomparable because they're different, especially given you've done just that?

Perhaps my question was misleading -- I'm not really interested in 1:1 comparisons. I'm generally interested in comments from people who've lived in both cities and how they find everyday life in one versus the other or in other words their livability.

To an extent this would obviously depend on what someone finds personally appealing or not. For example, I've read a lot of comments about public transport that as a former Londoner are insignificant i.e. late running trains, cancellations, etc. I just returned from a second trip to D.C. and found the public transport was excellent -- quick, efficient and affordable -- my only complaint is that stations are very dimly lit. While there I also heard a lot of complaints about how expensive taxis are, yet I found them extremely affordable as was D.C. as a whole.

Given opinions are highly subjective I guess I was hoping for comments on D.C. from the perspective (or bias!) of someone whose lived in London, but you've given me some valuable comments either way! Many thanks!

Originally Posted by 14thandYou

Considering that they are two vastly different cities, they're not really comparable. London is gigantic, incredibly dense, and an international hub for finance, business and culture. DC is considerably smaller, less dense, and has a much less diversified economy. You're not really going to be able to make any 1:1 comparisons--i.e. "Dupont Circle is DC's Piccadilly Circus". London just exists on a different plane--its peers are New York, Paris and similar cities.

All that said, there are some traits that they have in common: both have dense, walkable cores, both have expansive public transit systems, both are excellent cities for people who enjoy museums, galleries and cultural diversions, and both have considerable amounts of parkland.

[anardana]

Any inputs regarding safety and neighborhood near Mt. Vernon/7th st Convention Center? Found cheap rent at washapatments complex.

[DTL3000]

Any experts on the Virginia side of things? Things are still a bit vague but hopefully I will be moving up to the DC area from Atlanta in a few months and I'll probably be starting work somewhere around Arlington/Rosslyn or a little further west. I'm a 32 y/o single male.

I'll take a shot at those questions:
1. Do I need to be by a metro rail? Would I be okay if I were on a bus line? It would be nice but it's not mandatory since I do own a car. A reasonable drive(within 10 mins) to a park and ride would be great if that's possible. My biggest worry is driving when it snows. I have no experience at all.
2. How long of a commute to work am I willing to have? Would I be okay driving? Taking the commuter rail? (where will I be working?) I'm ok with driving but having the Metro to fall back on would be nice. Like I said, my work location is undetermined at this point but I have a good idea it will mainly be on the NoVa area. Living in Atlanta, I have grown to hate traffic but I suppose I can deal.
3. Would I be willing to live with a roommate or multiple roommates? I'm open to roommates and I may actually prefer it if that means living in a house as opposed to an apartment.
4. What amenities do I absolutely need in an apartment -- pets? gym? a/c? washer/dryer? Washer/dryer and a/c would be nice but I can manage without.
5. What is the absolute maximum, with utilities and any fees, I can afford? Unsure yet but I can probably handle up to $1400 with no big problem although I'd prefer to stay below that.
6. What is my definition of safe? I'm ok with not living in the nicest area but I'd like to be able to take a stroll without being mugged or anything. I live in intown Atlanta so it's obvious I can tolerate a certain amount of shabiness.
7. How important is nightlife? family community? schools? None of those are really all that important to me, although It'd be nice to have a neighborhood pub to stumble home from occasionally. A decent bookstore or coffee shop and a park within reasonable driving distance would be nice(within walking distance would be excellent). I see myself taking advantage of the museums and similar things in DC often. I'd also like to be able to escape to the Virginia mountains every now and then without pulling my hair out in traffic.

Thanks for any help.

[terranovaimaging]

I am moving to the DC Metro area/ NOVA in January of 2012 to attend graduate school in DC. I am interested in a studio or ideally a 1 bedroom. I have been told to avoid the SE NE area so I am looking into NW or SW. I would ideally like within distance to metrorail but a bus line to a metro station is acceptable. Traffic is no problem as I am not bringing a car.

For budget I am looking at $1500 a month. 600 sq/ft and up would be ideal, but I am probably being to ambitious. Near green space or water would be great as I am moving from Western Michigan and would like something that has a somewhat familiar feel. Rock Creek Park area would be amazing.

Any help anyone is willing to offer would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[stateofnature]

There's no need to blanket rule out SE or NE. There are parts of SE and NE that are safer than many parts of NW. It's really the eastern side of the Anacostia river that is a no-go (even that is a blanket statement, I know).
Which school are you going to? It seems like you'd want to be as close to there as possible, so if you tell us the school people can recommend nearby neighborhoods.
Also FYI: Rock Creek Park is, as it sounds, a park in the middle of the city like Central Park. There aren't any places to live there. The neighborhoods from which you could most quickly walk to the biking and running/walking paths in the park are Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, Woodley Park and Cleveland Park. $1500 is pretty close to the minimum of a 1BR in those areas, with Dupont being the most expensive. You could go under $1500 for a studio.
But really, almost anywhere you are in the city there is green space nearby. This isn't Manhattan.

[terranovaimaging]

I am attending to the Institute of World Politics on 16th Street NW.

[stateofnature]

OK, so you'll be going to school in Logan Circle. There are tons of apartment buildings in that area, as well as lots of restaurants and a Whole Foods. Close to a lot of the city's nightlife.
It's an expensive area but you'll be able to find a studio for under $1500

[DomRep]

I was having a convo with a friend of mine today both wishing we were like 10 years older. The joke is that if we had known Columbia Heights was going to blow up, we would have bought a property somewhere, sat on it, and then sell it and make a killing.

I think if you're wanting to move to DC, I'd take a strong look at buying vs. renting. 10 years from now, those $200K houses/townhomes on the H Street Corridor will be worth 3 times that in a few years. I dunno, like I'm looking into buying some property within the next 6 months...it just seems like I'd get more bang out of my buck if I bought something rather than paying $1500 per month for a 475 square foot studio.

Just something to consider I guess.

[amiga74]

Hi everyone,

I'm relocating to the DC area for a job around Tenleytown. I'm quite familiar with the city having lived there for several years in the late 90s (U St, Dupont, Mt. Pleasant) and then for a year on H Street (07-08).
However, I now have a 1 year old and my husband doesn't yet have a job. We therefore have a limited budget and need to find an area in proximity to parks and libraries, ie one that is family friendly. Oh yeah, and close to good public transport/metro. This means that we will most likely be in the burbs, as the rent in the District, from what i've seen is pretty high for 2 bedrooms.

A number of people have recommended Takoma Park and i do know families living there but have been warned (by my new boss) about the commute. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice? I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

Any experts on the Virginia side of things? Things are still a bit vague but hopefully I will be moving up to the DC area from Atlanta in a few months and I'll probably be starting work somewhere around Arlington/Rosslyn or a little further west. I'm a 32 y/o single male.

I'll take a shot at those questions:
1. Do I need to be by a metro rail? Would I be okay if I were on a bus line? It would be nice but it's not mandatory since I do own a car. A reasonable drive(within 10 mins) to a park and ride would be great if that's possible. My biggest worry is driving when it snows. I have no experience at all.
2. How long of a commute to work am I willing to have? Would I be okay driving? Taking the commuter rail? (where will I be working?) I'm ok with driving but having the Metro to fall back on would be nice. Like I said, my work location is undetermined at this point but I have a good idea it will mainly be on the NoVa area. Living in Atlanta, I have grown to hate traffic but I suppose I can deal.
3. Would I be willing to live with a roommate or multiple roommates? I'm open to roommates and I may actually prefer it if that means living in a house as opposed to an apartment.
4. What amenities do I absolutely need in an apartment -- pets? gym? a/c? washer/dryer? Washer/dryer and a/c would be nice but I can manage without.
5. What is the absolute maximum, with utilities and any fees, I can afford? Unsure yet but I can probably handle up to $1400 with no big problem although I'd prefer to stay below that.
6. What is my definition of safe? I'm ok with not living in the nicest area but I'd like to be able to take a stroll without being mugged or anything. I live in intown Atlanta so it's obvious I can tolerate a certain amount of shabiness.
7. How important is nightlife? family community? schools? None of those are really all that important to me, although It'd be nice to have a neighborhood pub to stumble home from occasionally. A decent bookstore or coffee shop and a park within reasonable driving distance would be nice(within walking distance would be excellent). I see myself taking advantage of the museums and similar things in DC often. I'd also like to be able to escape to the Virginia mountains every now and then without pulling my hair out in traffic.

Thanks for any help.

I'd say Arlington would be the ticket. There no truly "bad" parts of Arlington but the northside is considered nicer than the south (I live in south Arlington and haven't had any real problems).

You're at the cusp of being able to afford your own place as long as its not near a metro. The premier spot would be Clarendon. However you're not going to find much in the $1400 range you'd need to consider $1800 or even $2K. However places like the Columbia Pike cooridor, Shirlington (but even there newer apartments can start at $1800), or Westover might be places to consider.

If you really want to be in the heart of it all then you could go for Courthouse or Clarendon but you'd probably need roommates.

Alexandria is another option. There's Del Ray and Old Town but that's a little further from your work in Rosslyn.

I'd say that 90% of VA is suburban no different than Lawrenceville or Kennesaw. If you want to stay intown then you wanna be "inside the beltway" just you'd want to be "inside the perimeter" in ATL.

Oh as far as snow is concerned. Well this isn't Chicago or New York if we get a bad snow storm (which we don't get a lot of) then most employers won't expect you to slip and slide to work. I'm a Georgia boy as well and I simply don't do driving in a lot of snow. In this part of the country one has to worry about ice storms more than snow. Those are the real killers. No one expects you to drive in an ice storm.