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I've been reading a couple of post on here related to the topic "where to live" and wanted to get some recommendations from locals on areas to look at/stay away from. I'll be moving to the area in May and will be working at the Pentagon. I currently reside in Austin, Texas and love it here. One of my coworkers told me that area is like Austin but 10 times better just wanted to see what other people thoguht.
A little background info: I'm 30 yrs old and looking for an active/fit area. I like to run/cycle and do alot of outdoor things. Here in Austin, I live downtown and where I live is a block away from town lake where i can kayak, run the trails, mountain bike, etc. The area also has a lot of parks where you can just sit out and relax on a nice day. It also has a lot of people traffic (ie. tons of people running around, walking around, working out, etc) its an healthy/fit area. At the same time, Im looking for an area with decent nightlife. 6th street in Austin is right there and I can just walk to the bars/restaurants/food, very accessable to everything. Finally looking for an area that is walkable to the metro (since I heard traffic is crazy up there). So if a area had all those, I would be sold.
My price range max is around $2500 but not sure if thats anything since i've heard the area is also pretty expensive. Again, thanks in advance for all your recommendations. Looking forward to experiencing what DC has to offer.
Yes this area is very expensive but it's not as expensive as Manhattan. So your very high budget will allow you to live literally anywhere. You can find a 1 bedroom apartment for about $2000 give or take in any neighborhood in the city.
I think Dupont Circle or Adams Morgan (which are adjacent to each other) would be the best fit for you. You'd be right in the absolute liveliest part of the city for bars and restaurants. You'd be close to Rock Creek Park for outdoors activity. And then you have the metro. It seems to hit every box for you.
I've been reading a couple of post on here related to the topic "where to live" and wanted to get some recommendations from locals on areas to look at/stay away from. I'll be moving to the area in May and will be working at the Pentagon. I currently reside in Austin, Texas and love it here. One of my coworkers told me that area is like Austin but 10 times better just wanted to see what other people thoguht.
A little background info: I'm 30 yrs old and looking for an active/fit area. I like to run/cycle and do alot of outdoor things. Here in Austin, I live downtown and where I live is a block away from town lake where i can kayak, run the trails, mountain bike, etc. The area also has a lot of parks where you can just sit out and relax on a nice day. It also has a lot of people traffic (ie. tons of people running around, walking around, working out, etc) its an healthy/fit area. At the same time, Im looking for an area with decent nightlife. 6th street in Austin is right there and I can just walk to the bars/restaurants/food, very accessable to everything. Finally looking for an area that is walkable to the metro (since I heard traffic is crazy up there). So if a area had all those, I would be sold.
My price range max is around $2500 but not sure if thats anything since i've heard the area is also pretty expensive. Again, thanks in advance for all your recommendations. Looking forward to experiencing what DC has to offer.
From your description of the things you like in Austin, you should have no trouble in DC. DC is a very fit and active city. Running/cycling/triathlons are all very popular here. It sounds like you want to be close to lots of stuff and near a metro which is easy to find here.
Will you be metroing to work at the Pentagon? If so, your options are pretty much unlimited. You could move to downtown Arlington or Old Town Alexandria, both of which foster lots of active lifestyles and some pretty good nightlife. Or you could even do NW DC, which is where I would recommend.
I'm 31 and my wife and I live in Cleveland Park and have a one bedroom/one bath just a block and a half from the metro and it costs us $2k/month. We live right by Rock Creek Park where we can run/workout/cycle and we can walk to a ton of restaurants/bars/shops within minutes. Our building is newer though and our unit faces Rock Creek Park both of which make it a little more expensive. You could definitely find something in NW DC in your price range. Check out Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, Adams Morgan, or Cleveland Park. All great neighborhoods with tons of stuff to do and places where you can jump on the metro and go to work or wherever you need to go.
I agree with wtfrainbow -- Cleveland/Woodley Park sound ideal for you. I live in Woodley and love the quick access to Rock Creek Park and the trail that takes you down to the Lincoln Memorial. Nightlife and restaurants in Adams Morgan and Cleveland Park are a quick walk away, and everything's bus/metro accessible. It's also just a very pretty area -- green and leafy. You don't really feel like you're living in a city even though everything's so close by.
do you want to bike commute? If so, living in some parts of close in Arlington or even Alexandria, could work (avoid any more distant and suburban parts of northern virginia though).
None of those places will be quite as lively as the places in DC that folks have mentioned.
"Or you could even do NW DC, which is where I would recommend"
I can't stand to hear people say just look in NW DC. NEWSFLASH: There are parts of NW DC that are scary and quite dangerous (ie stroll around Georgia Ave & Kennedy Streets one night and you'll see). It's not all lala land. Atleast you specified a few neighborhoods for OP to research. Nevertheless there are other quadrants in the city that are just as nice: SW Waterfront for example has more parks than any other quadrant, and ofcourse lots of jogging and cycling space near the water. The streets from 3rd to 7th Street SW offer really nice homes, condos and rentals. There's also the neighborhoods around Capitol Hill, especially near Barracks Row on 8th Street SE. However, if OP wants to be near the Pentagon and still have a great neighborhood, I would choose Old Town, Alexandria.
Thank you everyone for your inputs. it gives me a good idea where to start my research. by any chance, does anyone have any recommendations on apartments in the area?
At 30+ and working at the Pentagon, I'd look into VA, like Old Town. If you're more into bars/clubs/lounge, stay in DC, like Dupont/Logan/U street, perhaps closer to the yellow line so you have an easy ride to the Pentagon. The Mt Vernon Trails runs up from Old Town to Crystal City (and to DC, Rosslyn, etc) and is a bike highway in the morning- great for commuting.
Archstone apartments seem to be everywhere in this area (and are nation wide). I lived in one for a few years. Like all apartment complexes, you don't get as much for your money as you do with a private landlord, but Archstone was OK in terms of quality, maintenance, etc.
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