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I recently graduated college and will be moving to the DC area in June and will be living with 2 friends. Our jobs are kind of spread out with one working just north of Dupont Circle, one working in Crystal City and the third working near the DC convention Center. Never living in the DC area, I have no idea where the good neighborhoods, where the bad neighborhoods are, where the nightlife hotspots are and such. Does anyone have suggestions on areas where I should look for apartments? We are looking for a 3 bedroom, 2+ bath apartment/house close to a metro (no more the a hour commute), close to nightlife hotspots, in safe neighborhoods, and have a budget of around $3,300. So far almost all of the places I have found are big apartment buildings in Arlington.
Probably a dozen plus neighborhoods would meet your criteria. Be more specific about the kind of feel you are going for in a neighborhood. For example, what kind of nightlife do you like? The recommendation for the best "hotspot" is going to be completely different for somebody who wants a fratty atmosphere vs. someone who wants a dive bar, hipster-type atmosphere vs. someone who likes crowded clubs blasting EDM.
Probably a dozen plus neighborhoods would meet your criteria. Be more specific about the kind of feel you are going for in a neighborhood. For example, what kind of nightlife do you like? The recommendation for the best "hotspot" is going to be completely different for somebody who wants a fratty atmosphere vs. someone who wants a dive bar, hipster-type atmosphere vs. someone who likes crowded clubs blasting EDM.
Yeah, very hard to judge.
Plus right now the rental market for 3 BR places is somewhat tight.
It might not be ideal, but I would look into Meridian Apartments because their 2 bedroom apartments come with a sun room that a lot, if not most people use as bedrooms. They are also well within your budget. I would consider the Ballston, Courthouse, and Gallery Place locations. You could also get a row house in DC or Arlington with your budget.
North Arlington (Ballston, Virginia Square, Clarendon, Courthouse, and Rosslyn), Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, Capital Hill, and Dupont Circle are more preppy neighborhoods. Clarendon and Dupont Circle are probably the biggest nightlife hubs in that circle.
H Street NE, Shaw, U Street, 14th Street, Logan Circle, and Adams Morgan are more of the hip neighborhoods. U & 14th and Adams Morgan are the biggest nightlife hubs in that circle.
Old Town Alexandria, Pentagon City, and Crystal City are lame and not really for young people so ignore those areas. It's also not to say that someone who's not preppy can't live in a preppy neighborhood.
3 BR are very hard to find, you are basically looking at a house. Sometimes there is an office or sun room which can be used as another room.
Otherwise you are looking at a house.
In the past this would have been much easier with your budget, but the cost of 3 BR+ has gone up. The median rent is close to $4k in DC for a place that size, especially in a neighborhood closer to nightlife. You may be able to find a house in Petworth or Brookland with that budget. Petworth maybe the better bet since it is not far from U St.
Gomason's suggestions are not necessarily bad, but I would not consider 14th St hip. It's more preppy at the end of the day. I am not sure anything in DC is hip necessarily anymore (or any other city for that matter).
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