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The "best" I'd say would be Georgetown and the Dupont Circle area of DC proper. Generally the NW quadrant of DC minus the Georgia Avenue stretch. The McArthur Blvd area reminds me somewhat of Virginia Avenue(As in Virginia Highland) in Atlanta. Capitol Hill is fairly nice but borders some sketchier areas.
Arlington is nice and it seems like people here are doing well but it isn't flashy. Old Town Alexandria is nice but I'm not too fond of the rest of it. It is just tangled sprawl. Bethesda sorta reminds me of the Perimeter area but much more walkable. I've yet to find any place in the DC area that is like Buckhead. Some parts near Langley may be the closest.
As far as worst? That would be Baltimore...
Seriously though, SE DC is pretty rough from what little I've seen and how much I've heard. Picture Bankhead Hwy ITP and you get the idea. Eastern DC past RFK stadium isn't that great either.
Seriously though, SE DC is pretty rough from what little I've seen and how much I've heard. Picture Bankhead Hwy ITP and you get the idea. Eastern DC past RFK stadium isn't that great either.
This.
DC has gentrified greatly in the past 10 years. Most of the notoriously bad parts of Southeast and Northeast are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. Baltimore is a different story. The worst hoods in Baltimore you don't even want to drive through, ever. In DC, there are many rough areas I would have no problem driving through, but you couldn't catch me dead walking through those same blocks. Also, there is a difference in the ghetto mentality of Baltimore and DC residents. In my opinion, the wolves in Baltimore hoods are much more likely to victimize a complete stranger for no reason. When you drive through the average Baltimore block, everyone will be staring at you in your car sizing you up. When you drive the average DC block in the hood, most people are minding their own business and could care less about what you are doing. In DC, it seems you have to start sh#t for there to be sh#t. Sure, in DC you have rampant opportunist robberies of personal items like cellphones and expensive exclusive sneakers. But even these crimes in DC are not likely to happen to you if you exercise common sense. The vast majority of Baltimore is extremely unsafe and completely unpredictable, whereas the worst areas of DC are remote in Southeast and Northeast and in immediately bordering inner beltway PG County and are very easily avoidable.
Worst:
-Wards 7 and 8 of D.C. (With the exception of Hillcrest, Penn Branch, Fairfax Village neighborhoods)
-Parts of Ward 5 (Housing projects and low income housing)
-Certain blocks in Wards 1 and 4 (Certain blocks where you'll find street and drug crews hustling)
-Inner beltway Prince George's county (High crime rate especially the areas bordering NE and SE DC)
-Parts of Eastern Montgomery county (High illegal immigrant population and crime higher than other parts of the county)
-Eastern Prince William county (Same as above)
-Culmore in Fairfax county (High illegal immigrant population and MS-13 presence)
Best:
-Ward 3 in D.C.
-Western Montgomery county
-Most of Fairfax county
-Loundon county
This is pretty accurate but I would add that all of the inner beltway in PG isn't bad. It's places like Capitol Heights, Suitland, Fairmount Heights, Bladensburg and parts of Hyattsville that are bad. Places like College Park, Cheverly and even Berwyn Heights aren't anywhere on the same level as bad as those other places.
As far as PWC, I think there are pockets of bad areas there. Going along Route 1 is a hit or miss. Places like Dumfries and Triangle definitely have some horrible parts. But in addition to that there are some places in the city of Manassas (Georgetown South) that are AWFUL! The western parts of Manassas Park deserve honorable mention.
Culmore Apartments, if we are talking about the same place, is actually in Falls Church
I have lived in the area for 60 years and can tell you that the wealthiest areas are
Great Falls VA, Langley VA, Potomac MD (sprawling mansions on large lots)
Bethesda MD, Spring Valley, Foxhall, and Massachusetts Avenue Heights DC, McLean VA, Vienna VA (large to medium homes on smaller lots)
Georgetown DC, and Old Town Alexandria VA (colonial and Federal-era townhouses in chic urban neighborhoods)
Mount Vernon VA, portions bordering the Potomac River, and Fairfax Station VA
for Black people: Woodmore-Mitchellville MD, and Tantallon-Fort Washington MD; also Shepherd Park (very northern tip of) DC
for Single people: the Ballston - Rosslyn corridor of Arlington, mentioned above, which are very train- and bicycle-friendly and convenient to leisure activities
The poorest areas are
the southern tip of DC including Congress Heights, Washington Highlands
central Anacostia
the eastern tip of DC, including Deanwood, Burrville, Benning Road, Kenilworth, and adjoining MD border areas
also Trinidad and Ivy City DC
also Suitland MD, Landover MD, parts of Oxon Hill MD,
and to a lesser extent maybe? Langley Park, West Hyattsville, Bladensburg and Temple Hills MD
Culmore apartments in VA; and parts of the Richmond Highway area in VA
Much of the area just north of downtown DC, and east of Rock Creek Park, (such as Shaw, Bloomingdale, Mount Pleasant, and the once-notorious 14th & U Streets area) used to be bad, a generation ago, but they have become increasingly gentrified
I can't believe you didn't include Capitol Heights. That definitely should be one of the top ones. As far as Temple Hills, we should define it as a separate entity because it covers a broad area and there are actually some nice parts. If we are talking about Marlow Heights and Hillcrest Heights of Temple Hills then yes, but if we're talking about Temple Hills off of Allentown Road or off of Old Branch Avenue/Henderson Road, then I would have to disagree. I think it's two different areas especially once you go outside the beltway.
This is pretty accurate but I would add that all of the inner beltway in PG isn't bad. It's places like Capitol Heights, Suitland, Fairmount Heights, Bladensburg and parts of Hyattsville that are bad. Places like College Park, Cheverly and even Berwyn Heights aren't anywhere on the same level as bad as those other places.
As far as PWC, I think there are pockets of bad areas there. Going along Route 1 is a hit or miss. Places like Dumfries and Triangle definitely have some horrible parts. But in addition to that there are some places in the city of Manassas (Georgetown South) that are AWFUL! The western parts of Manassas Park deserve honorable mention.
Culmore Apartments, if we are talking about the same place, is actually in Falls Church
Yea I've heard about Georgetown South in Manassas.
DC has gentrified greatly in the past 10 years. Most of the notoriously bad parts of Southeast and Northeast are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. Baltimore is a different story. The worst hoods in Baltimore you don't even want to drive through, ever. In DC, there are many rough areas I would have no problem driving through, but you couldn't catch me dead walking through those same blocks. Also, there is a difference in the ghetto mentality of Baltimore and DC residents. In my opinion, the wolves in Baltimore hoods are much more likely to victimize a complete stranger for no reason. When you drive through the average Baltimore block, everyone will be staring at you in your car sizing you up. When you drive the average DC block in the hood, most people are minding their own business and could care less about what you are doing. In DC, it seems you have to start sh#t for there to be sh#t. Sure, in DC you have rampant opportunist robberies of personal items like cellphones and expensive exclusive sneakers. But even these crimes in DC are not likely to happen to you if you exercise common sense. The vast majority of Baltimore is extremely unsafe and completely unpredictable, whereas the worst areas of DC are remote in Southeast and Northeast and in immediately bordering inner beltway PG County and are very easily avoidable.
i agree for the most part. except the driving thru dc hoods and thinking its peachy. most of the worst parts of SE/NE are tucked away on side streets and in less traffic areas. they are hidden to alot of commuters who mite just be driving through to get to to their house in MD or wherever. so yea i agree with your last statement that the worst parts of DC are easily avoidable. The worst parts of baltimore are usually the rowhouses where its IN YOUR FACE when driving by. its typical to see large groups of people posted out front on the corner whereas in DC they hanging out in their courtyard infront of their apts tucked nicely away not to be seen.
People seem to have a very negative view of PG County. It's often people who've never lived a day here.
I lived there for 28 years, and PG county pretty much sucks.
Reasons:
1. Underdeveloped (Just NOW getting a waterfront, with OLDtown across the river....Alexandria has had a waterfront so long they call it OLD TOWN. What should PG call all of the backouts that they have from developers. Where is Disney and MGM?????
2. Jack Johnson - Nuff Said
3. Uppity people (sorry needs to be said) -- Dont show up to the many churches with anything less than a luxory vehicle
4. Education - Speaks for itself - Worst in the nation
5. Cost of Living -- How with all of the above, is Viriginia cheaper than PG? PG spreads MASSIVE propaganda that Virginia somehow costs more than PG/MD, and that is patently false. Anyone that moves to VA will more than likley save hundreds (no county tax, car insurance lower, and only incremental increase in rent)
6. One side of PG county hates the other side -- Why is there a "Welcome to PG County" sign at the 495 loop @ route 202, like Landover and Palmer park arent a part of PG .
South East has it worse than DC, but they are getting more jobs and development. PG county is just sitting in limbo, and its sad.
You need to define worst. I'm from Georgia before the Olympics, and worked with City of Atlanta on a contract with their City Planning department. And I still don't understand what you mean by "Worst".
What is worst? High livability could be high in crime. High unemployment has nothing to do with medium income and "perception" is well, it depends on if you're the person who's committing crime or not. Why do you believe what people write online? I hope you do, because you tend to read between the lines.
I lived there for 28 years, and PG county pretty much sucks.
Reasons:
1. Underdeveloped (Just NOW getting a waterfront, with OLDtown across the river....Alexandria has had a waterfront so long they call it OLD TOWN. What should PG call all of the backouts that they have from developers. Where is Disney and MGM?????
2. Jack Johnson - Nuff Said
3. Uppity people (sorry needs to be said) -- Dont show up to the many churches with anything less than a luxory vehicle
4. Education - Speaks for itself - Worst in the nation
5. Cost of Living -- How with all of the above, is Viriginia cheaper than PG? PG spreads MASSIVE propaganda that Virginia somehow costs more than PG/MD, and that is patently false. Anyone that moves to VA will more than likley save hundreds (no county tax, car insurance lower, and only incremental increase in rent) 6. One side of PG county hates the other side -- Why is there a "Welcome to PG County" sign at the 495 loop @ route 202, like Landover and Palmer park arent a part of PG .
South East has it worse than DC, but they are getting more jobs and development. PG county is just sitting in limbo, and its sad.
I really thought I was the only person that noticed this. It is indeed very strange to have that sign when you are literally in the middle of the county already.
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