moving to the DC area for grad school (best neighborhoods, apartments)
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I am a female in my mid-20s moving to the east coast to attend grad school at the Univ of Maryland. If at all possible, I would like to live in a D.C. neighborhood N/NE of downtown D.C. (for example Mt Pleasant or Columbia Heights). Is that really impractical? My budget would be $650-850 and I would be more than willing to live in a shared TH/apartment.
I need my car with me to commute to classes and an internship, but the locations of said classes and internship are TBD by my program. Apparently everything will be relatively close to the NE section of the Beltway. That said, for my "off" time, I would like to be as close to city amenities as possible (public transportation, walkable grocery stores, nightlife).
Any advice, including alternative towns/neighborhoods to look into, is greatly appreciated!
I am a female in my mid-20s moving to the east coast to attend grad school at the Univ of Maryland. If at all possible, I would like to live in a D.C. neighborhood N/NE of downtown D.C. (for example Mt Pleasant or Columbia Heights). Is that really impractical? My budget would be $650-850 and I would be more than willing to live in a shared TH/apartment.
I need my car with me to commute to classes and an internship, but the locations of said classes and internship are TBD by my program. Apparently everything will be relatively close to the NE section of the Beltway. That said, for my "off" time, I would like to be as close to city amenities as possible (public transportation, walkable grocery stores, nightlife).
Any advice, including alternative towns/neighborhoods to look into, is greatly appreciated!
at that budget sharing is what you will do. I would guess Petworth is cheaper than Col Hghts and Mt P and not really more sketchy, is at least as hip and urban, and is one stop closer on the green line to College Park, if that helps. OTOH even there it may be hard to find a good share, with parking, on a better block, for under 850. You might find yourself needing to live in PG county, but you could still be close to the city (via metro, car, and bike)
Where's your internship? How many days (or nights) a week will you go to UMD?
I went to grad school at the University of Maryland University College, but only at night (I worked full time) and commuted from our homein Silver Spring. Why don't you want to live closer to College Park? What exactly are you looking for? Proximity to DC? I would first go to the university's housing office and see what they have listed in terms of share housing, etc. Your budget is low but maybe not too low. Once you find places within your budget, and actually see some places if posible, then you can narrow down locations. You might also see if you can get access to the housing office at Catholic University, since it's in Northeast and you might see more listings for DC. If you intend to go to DC regularly, you'll want to use Metro even if you have a car. I'd rather stay in downtown Silver Spring, etc., but it's not my choice.
I'd recommend the Maryland suburbs like the aforementioned Silver Spring. Montgomery county is more suburban. Prince George's county has sketchy parts so you have to be careful. Bowie and Upper Marlboro are nice though. If you're going to be driving then you don't need to live near a metro station.
The program is a one-year Masters in Ed. program, and I´ll be placed in a school hopefully in Montgomery County or PGC for the academic year. My grad classes, however, will not be in College Park, but in various satellite sites around the NE part of the Beltway. Unfortunately these locations are TBD by the program and I will not know where my classes are until after I have to sign a lease. Thus, I will have to commute regardless of where I decide to live. Right now I am considering a longer commute in order to be in the D.C. area, but I´ll plan to look in Silver Spring as well. I would like to be close to public transit so I can use my car as infrequently as possible when I´m not in school.
Based on her name and description, I don't think the very suburban communities of Bowie and Upper Marlboro would be to her liking.
As said above, if you want to live in the city you'll definitely be rooming and almost certainly in a group house since you won't find a 2-br to split for $1300-$1700 in those neighborhoods. Start looking on Craigslist.
Note that Silver Spring is a large uncirporated part of Montgomery County. Distance to a Metro rail station can vary widely (make sure "close to Metro" means Metro rail, though you may use a Metro or Ride-on bus to get to a station). I lived in two places in SS: in a small townhouse a 10 minute walk from the Silver Spring station, south of the Beltway, and, later, in a single family home a mile from the Glenmont Metro station, a few miles outside of the Beltway. Bummer you can't even get an idea of where you might have to go for the internship. At least you can enjoy College Park. I'd frankly start there and work my way out. And do check their housing office (for listings of apartments, shared houses, etc.).
What you need to do is visit the DC area a few weeks before you plan to move and have some appointments with people renting out rooms in their group houses pre-arranged. Start scouring Craigslist for ads in the "rooms/shared" section before you go.
If you try hard I think you can find something for $850 or under in a group house in Columbia Heights or Mount Pleasant, which sound like by far the best neighborhoods for you. When you move you will have to get your car registered in DC to get a residential parking permit so you can park on the street. It's a pain to have to go to the DMV but in the long-run a much more affordable option than renting out a private parking spot for upwards of $200 a month. If you're not a parallel parking expert you will quickly become one just by having a car in DC.
Based on her name and description, I don't think the very suburban communities of Bowie and Upper Marlboro would be to her liking.
As said above, if you want to live in the city you'll definitely be rooming and almost certainly in a group house since you won't find a 2-br to split for $1300-$1700 in those neighborhoods. Start looking on Craigslist.
Well I was throwing out ideas. Another idea is upper NW DC like Takoma or Brightwood. Very quiet and in the city limits but convenient to any Maryland suburbs. However, not very convenient to the fun stuff in the city.
I got the impression that being close to work was the priority over living in the cool DC neighborhood. Although one could argue that Mt. Pleasant would also allow one to have one's finger on the pulse of the city but still able to zip to Maryland for work and school. I know several car owners in Mt. Pleasant so not unheard of to have a car in that neighborhood but its one of the worst for parking.
isnt the hyattsville arts district a new urbanist thingie that might work for the OP?
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