Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am unfamiliar with DC, have only been once for my job interview. Not trying to recreate NYC or Chicago in DC, but I am just looking for a busy urban neighborhood where I can get by without a car. I am looking for an area where you can walk out your door and be close to shops, restaurants, bars. I would also like to be reasonably safe. I stayed with a friend on Capitol Hill a few weeks ago, it was a beautiful neighborhood, but it was too residential for my tastes. I would like more street life and a little more built up.
Any suggestions, I am thinking maybe Logan or DuPont Circle might be more what I am looking for?
Dupont, Logan Circle, and, especially Columbia Heights comes to mind. The feeling is present in Chinatown/Penn Quarter (though it is more of a corporate/manufactured, owing to the proliferation of chains, jobs, and new construction) feeling as well, but there is something about the level of socioeconomic and racial integration in Columbia Heights that really gives me a true "big city" vibe.
Last edited by King0fthehill; 01-02-2012 at 05:54 PM..
Also Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant. Those and the hoods mentioned by Kingofthehill are the most urban DC gets. All of these neighborhoods border each other so you are looking at one relatively small area just north of downtown.
Thanks for the suggestions! I am looking into those areas as well. How is the crime in Columbia Heights and Adams-Morgan? I was recently robbed a gun point so I am a little paranoid right now. I know the safety of a neighborhood is relative everybody has there own comfort zone. Don't mean to offend anyone, just making sure I do my all hwk on the move.
Sorry, I am more familiar with Boston or NY, but I would like a neighborhood like Manhattan below 96th, central Boston or the North Side of Chicago. Basically, an urban area where crime can happen, but its generally OK to walk around alone at night and people aren't getting shot on a regular basis.
I would rather air on the side of caution until I get a better sense of the city.
Columbia Heights is currently undergoing transition. As a result, you have a very mixed crowd, in terms of racial and age designation. It's truly unique out of any D.C. neighborhood, at least in the NW, since you have town-homes and high-priced condos on one end, then you have mixed/low-income apartments on the other, all of which helps to promote economic and even ethnic diversity.
Me, personally, I love Columbia Heights. I live in Columbia Heights. I feel I've caught it at the right time, since it's currently in the middle of its imminent shift towards a full-blown yuppy town. There are still remnants of the old Columbia Heights present but there's also its observable transformation to a more economically dynamic neighborhood.
Thanks for the suggestions! I am looking into those areas as well. How is the crime in Columbia Heights and Adams-Morgan? I was recently robbed a gun point so I am a little paranoid right now. I know the safety of a neighborhood is relative everybody has there own comfort zone. Don't mean to offend anyone, just making sure I do my all hwk on the move.
Sorry, I am more familiar with Boston or NY, but I would like a neighborhood like Manhattan below 96th, central Boston or the North Side of Chicago. Basically, an urban area where crime can happen, but its generally OK to walk around alone at night and people aren't getting shot on a regular basis.
I would rather air on the side of caution until I get a better sense of the city.
If you want something similar to Manhattan below 96th, you probably don't want Columbia Heights. Columbia Heights in DC right now is like the UWS between 96th and 110th in the 80s or early 90s.
Logan, Dupont, Adams Morgan would all fit your bill, though there's more diverse retail in Logan and Dupont than in Adams Morgan. If safety is high on your list of priorities, you might also want to consider the stretch of Connecticut Avenue between Woodley Park and Van Ness. Not exciting, but safe. There's no great analogy for that area to Manhattan, but the Murray Hill area in the East 30s comes to mind.
The Orange Line corredor in Arlington also attracts many young professionals and has a lot of restaurants/retail. It's also very safe (Arlington County was the only major jurisdiction in the DC area that did not have a single homicide in 2011).
Yeah I like Columbia Heights but outside the shops and such on 14th street don't always feel very safe thanks to so many reports of folks getting shot at the columbia heights metro station. Personally never had a problem in Columbia Heights. I'd recommend Dupont or Logan Circle as far as safety is concerned. Those areas have the least problems but also the highest prices. I've always liked Mt. Plesant. The shopping of Columbia Heights is within walking distance but Mt. Plesant itself is very quiet.
Adams Morgan IMO is not the best place to live. Too much transient nightlife. Mount Pleasant or Kalorama Triangle will give you access without the drunks throwing up on your front stoop. Capitol Hill is also quite nice, especially near Eastern Market.
Adams Morgan IMO is not the best place to live. Too much transient nightlife. Mount Pleasant or Kalorama Triangle will give you access without the drunks throwing up on your front stoop. Capitol Hill is also quite nice, especially near Eastern Market.
If the OP thought Capitol Hill was too residential, she'd almost surely have the same reaction to Mount Pleasant. Kalorama Triange (assuming the OP can find it on a map) at least has the benefit of being close to both Dupont and Adams-Morgan.
It's interesting to me that, with all the talk about DC getting better and better, the reputation of Adams-Morgan appears to have declined. Blame it on the weekend traffic from the suburbs, but it seems to get a lot of bad press these days. I still think it's a very nice area, but then I don't go there on Saturday nights.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
