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.
You can't go around assuming that just because someone's living in DC, they're into politics especially since you're not even from here. I'm born and raised just outside of DC here in PG County and I would love to move into the City. I'm more interested in the urban aspect and getting out of the suburbs, I couldn't care less about the political industry. There's more to DC than politics.
I agree.
Just like there are many people living in LA that don't care about the entertainment industry, there are many people in DC who don't care about politics.
Every city has its "specialty" but that doesn't mean everyone living there has to be all about it.
- You can see everything there is to see in DC in a single weekend.
I'm sorry, but that's the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard. You can spend months continuously discovering fascinating sights in the city.
D.C. has the World's largest collection of free-admission museums Smithsonian ,
the 2 largest church buildings/ cathedrals in all the western hemisphere (National Cathedral and the National Shrine),
the World's largest Library (the Library of Congress), every inch with elaborate ornate art and decor,
the National Gallery of Art (free, 2 separate buildings)
natural places like Great Falls of the Potomac with its challenging Billy Goat Trail,
the C&O Canal towpath (189 miles long),
the very scenic Mount Vernon Trail (18 miles long),
the longest paved bicycle trail in the U.S. (the W & OD from Rosslyn to Purcellville),
a great Zoo with free admission,
the U.S. Botanical Gardens (free),
the nation's largest Bicycling club,
the nation's largest Skiing club,
even a "Black Ski Club",
charming places like Colonial Alexandria and Colonial Georgetown,
iconic and inspiring world-class monuments and historic sights (Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam Wall, Korean War, W.W. 2, Martin L. King, Roosevelt)
the magnificent U.S. Capital Rotunda, and Statuary Hall
great works of architecture of all styles.
Last edited by slowlane3; 12-22-2015 at 09:11 PM..
I'm sorry, but that's the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard. You can spend months continuously discovering fascinating sights in the city.
D.C. has the World's largest collection of free-admission museums Smithsonian ,
the 2 largest church buildings/ cathedrals in all the western hemisphere (National Cathedral and the National Shrine),
the World's largest Library (the Library of Congress), every inch with elaborate ornate art and decor,
the National Gallery of Art (free, 2 separate buildings)
natural places like Great Falls of the Potomac with its challenging Billy Goat Trail,
the C&O Canal towpath (189 miles long),
the very scenic Mount Vernon Trail (18 miles long),
the longest paved bicycle trail in the U.S. (the W & OD from Rosslyn to Purcellville),
a great Zoo with free admission,
the U.S. Botanical Gardens (free),
the nation's largest Bicycling club,
the nation's largest Skiing club,
even a "Black Ski Club",
charming places like Colonial Alexandria and Colonial Georgetown,
iconic and inspiring world-class monuments and historic sights (Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam Wall, Korean War, W.W. 2, Martin L. King, Roosevelt)
the magnificent U.S. Capital Rotunda, and Statuary Hall
great works of architecture of all styles.
I forgot about that being one of his questionable "cons" about DC and I'm surprised no one else called him out this garbage. By his "definition", you can see all of San Francisco in a weekend
LOL Even under mild weather, NOBODY can see the entire National Mall in a full weekend, let alone the rest of the City.
Ive heard alot of people mention D.C has a very unfriendly city. Why do you think this is?
And what do you mean that Gas stations suck? High gas prices?
No. I'm not complaining about the gas price, but how the gas stations are built. Small land, barely squeezing your car in, barely lit at night.
So, in the South, you have these acres of land for gas station that's lit for days. It's brighter than the sun itself.
That's what I miss. The land within the gas stations.
D.C. isn't an unfriendly city. They're very friendly, depending on what questions you ask, and how drunk you are.
Ive heard alot of people mention D.C has a very unfriendly city. Why do you think this is?
And what do you mean that Gas stations suck? High gas prices?
I think this is the most liberal conservative (yeh, I know, Oxymoron, but if you live here, you get to know what I mean) non-giving a damn city that I ever lived at. I mean, DC has the perfect balance of not being trying so hard to be trendy like SF/NYC, or too traditional like NYC/Boston.
The people are smart here. Very smart. And smarter than just being specialized in app developing or interactive web bs (and it's bs, it's just got another name for it today).
More than that, people actually think about issues seriously on their own time, despite their own past, and the values that they grew up with. But at the same time, these people in DC who went to get heavily educated in really great schools have their own thoughts and ideas, and they're very down to earth, like Philly, or Georgia. And their thoughts and ideas tend to mix with their manners, and their professionalism, unlike SF or any other hipster cities.
You can be open minded and liberal without playing out the stereotype. Most people I know that's established tend to drive their S550 during the work time, and drive their beat up pickup on their own time here.
It's a friendly city, but that doesn't mean, they're going to open their arms and welcome you without knowing you. Even when you get to know a lot of people, because of the security clearance, they tend to talk about the weather or not talk at all.
You'll begin to figure out who's a security holder and not by what they talk about.
But, at the heart of it all, you can find a conflict in a community that struggles with making the best for everyone. I realize that, this might sound like all of the big cities, but DC tend to do this more effectively, because there are so much diversity politics here that actually matter. Not political diversity, but diversity politics.
I think people come here looking for a good paying job, then realize that they can actually make a difference in the world, and they eventually find themselves here. But they do it differently than Cali or NY.
Gas stations in DMV are small, and hard to access, and they tend to offer very little of what a gas station does in the south. And that's what I meant.
If I had to make a friend, I'd make a friend from either Boston, Philly, DC or Atlanta. It's because, I fit with the people better there then other cities that I've been too.
I'm sorry, but that's the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard. You can spend months continuously discovering fascinating sights in the city.
D.C. has the World's largest collection of free-admission museums Smithsonian ,
the 2 largest church buildings/ cathedrals in all the western hemisphere (National Cathedral and the National Shrine),
the World's largest Library (the Library of Congress), every inch with elaborate ornate art and decor,
the National Gallery of Art (free, 2 separate buildings)
natural places like Great Falls of the Potomac with its challenging Billy Goat Trail,
the C&O Canal towpath (189 miles long),
the very scenic Mount Vernon Trail (18 miles long),
the longest paved bicycle trail in the U.S. (the W & OD from Rosslyn to Purcellville),
a great Zoo with free admission,
the U.S. Botanical Gardens (free),
the nation's largest Bicycling club,
the nation's largest Skiing club,
even a "Black Ski Club",
charming places like Colonial Alexandria and Colonial Georgetown,
iconic and inspiring world-class monuments and historic sights (Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam Wall, Korean War, W.W. 2, Martin L. King, Roosevelt)
the magnificent U.S. Capital Rotunda, and Statuary Hall
great works of architecture of all styles.
I agree with this. There are more. There is no way you can see DC over the weekend.
Pros:
1Walkable and good public transportation (metro bus and metro rail), though the subway has several challenges you can still get to VA and MD in reasonable time
2National Museums, National Gallery of Art and Zoo free, except the private museums, like Spy and Police museums downtown
3Chinatown has good restaurants and a beautiful arch
4Tourist friendly
5Lots of shopping in G'town, downtown, K street, uptown Connecticut & Wisconsin aves
6Rich neighborhoods, lots of renovations of older homes by gentrifiers, lots of new apt buildings
7Home to Howard, Catholic, G,town, AU, GWashington universities
8Lots of restaurants, whatever you want you can find
9MCI for Wizards games, Nationals Stadium
10Some of the best Hospitals, Howard for Sick Cell, WHC is the heart hospital
11public schools improved, great but expensive private schools like Sidwell and Burke
12Home of the feds, lots of contractors making good money, city is recession proof
13City elections always have great voter turnout
14City demographics have changed drastically, more of a melting pot than majority black pop. like it was in the 70s-90s, actually the white pop. is almost if not half the city pop.
Cons:
Traffic all day all night, minimal parking, speed cameras on just about every corner, city is very expensive to live, average "row" home in the trendier neighborhoods can be up to $750k
Lots of construction, city is a work in progress, high property taxes, heavy police presence, be mindful that there are over 30 federal police agencies in DC that have jurisdiction, but Metro PD has overall authority and know that DC is under federal jurisdiction so crimes committed can carry federal penalties and federal time
Pros:
1Walkable and good public transportation (metro bus and metro rail), though the subway has several challenges you can still get to VA and MD in reasonable time
2National Museums, National Gallery of Art and Zoo free, except the private museums, like Spy and Police museums downtown
3Chinatown has good restaurants and a beautiful arch
4Tourist friendly
5Lots of shopping in G'town, downtown, K street, uptown Connecticut & Wisconsin aves
6Rich neighborhoods, lots of renovations of older homes by gentrifiers, lots of new apt buildings
7Home to Howard, Catholic, G,town, AU, GWashington universities
8Lots of restaurants, whatever you want you can find
9MCI for Wizards games, Nationals Stadium
10Some of the best Hospitals, Howard for Sick Cell, WHC is the heart hospital
11public schools improved, great but expensive private schools like Sidwell and Burke
12Home of the feds, lots of contractors making good money, city is recession proof
13City elections always have great voter turnout
14City demographics have changed drastically, more of a melting pot than majority black pop. like it was in the 70s-90s, actually the white pop. is almost if not half the city pop.
Cons:
Traffic all day all night, minimal parking, speed cameras on just about every corner, city is very expensive to live, average "row" home in the trendier neighborhoods can be up to $750k
Lots of construction, city is a work in progress, high property taxes, heavy police presence, be mindful that there are over 30 federal police agencies in DC that have jurisdiction, but Metro PD has overall authority and know that DC is under federal jurisdiction so crimes committed can carry federal penalties and federal time
Actually the property tax rate in DC itself is actually low compared to many other cities. In fact it's much lower than some. The only reason why property taxes may be high is actual home values are going up. But the 0.85% plus the owner occupancy discount which makes the effective property tax even lower (closer to .70%). NYC in comparison has a 10%+ property tax rate, Boston is 1.2%, Philly is 1.47% Chicago is now 2.1% (and the Chicago suburbs are 3%-5%). Montgomery county and the local suburbs actually have a higher property tax rate 0.92% for example. So people complaining about the property taxes being high around here do not know what they are talking about. You are paying more because your home is actually worth more, not because the tax rate is higher. The tax rate here is one of the lowest urban tax rates in the country.
The DC having high property taxes is more myth than reality. Property taxes are based on home values, and home values are based on appraisals, and from what I have noticed is with my own property tax appraisals is DC is conservative with regards to them. In the fact they are usually significantly less than what the home is worth. DC collects most of it's taxes actually through income taxes, even then the highest tax rates are for those making quite a bit of money.
So DC doesn't have high property taxes, our property tax rate is one of the lowest in the country. I will tell you right now, my property tax bill is rather low every year.
Actually the property tax rate in DC itself is actually low compared to many other cities. In fact it's much lower than some. The only reason why property taxes may be high is actual home values are going up. But the 0.85% plus the owner occupancy discount which makes the effective property tax even lower (closer to .70%). NYC in comparison has a 10%+ property tax rate, Boston is 1.2%, Philly is 1.47% Chicago is now 2.1% (and the Chicago suburbs are 3%-5%). Montgomery county and the local suburbs actually have a higher property tax rate 0.92% for example. So people complaining about the property taxes being high around here do not know what they are talking about. You are paying more because your home is actually worth more, not because the tax rate is higher. The tax rate here is one of the lowest urban tax rates in the country.
The DC having high property taxes is more myth than reality. Property taxes are based on home values, and home values are based on appraisals, and from what I have noticed is with my own property tax appraisals is DC is conservative with regards to them. In the fact they are usually significantly less than what the home is worth. DC collects most of it's taxes actually through income taxes, even then the highest tax rates are for those making quite a bit of money.
So DC doesn't have high property taxes, our property tax rate is one of the lowest in the country. I will tell you right now, my property tax bill is rather low every year.
My dad's lower property taxes have jumped considerably, given he had a homestead credit for years. Most of the older residents I know have seen a big increase, I guess we could appeal it.
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.
