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I highly recommend Brightwood. It's diverse along every dimension I can think of: the obvious ones including income, race, and language, but also in more subtle ways. There are plenty of immigrants, people who were born in DC and whose families have been here many generations, and recent transplants. There is a good contingent of families with children across all ages, couples without kids, also ranging from 20s--80s, elderly people who live with a caretaking family member, and young single people in the apartments or a few shared houses. There are all sorts of professions represented in my immediate neighborhood, including people who work at all levels of the DC and Federal government, non-profit professionals, people who work in trades or run their own small business, lawyers, cabdrivers, and realtors. People are very friendly but not gossipy or in everyone's business, which I like. I am half of a dual-income professional couple and we have felt extremely welcome here by neighbors with all the backgrounds I mentioned (some people are more social than others but it doesn't seem to work along any sort of demographic line).
I almost never drive and haven't found our public transit options to be limiting. Almost all of Brightwood is walkable to the amenities you really need (CVS and Safeway on Georgia Ave). It's quieter than bordering neighborhoods in terms of fewer restaurants and places to go out, but there are enough places that we don't get bored (insider tip: Wapa Cafe has great food and happy hour). When you want more restaurants or nightlife, the 16th street buses make it a quick trip to Petworth and the Columbia Heights/U Street scene. Which commuting option you'll want depends on where in Brightwood you live, but there are reliable, frequent buses running down 14th street and 16th street, and you can walk or take a quick bus ride to the Takoma or Georgia Ave metro stations, too, depending on whether you're in north or south Brightwood.
I'm happy to answer any questions you have about Brightwood. Good luck whatever you decide!
I would say Hyattsville, MD. It's diverse, relatively safe, and close to the city. I live walking distance from the metro and pay a fraction of the cost that I did living in DC. There is no nightlife, but I'm OK with that for the amount of money I am saving.
I am originally from Chicago, and lived in fairly diverse, lower-middle income neighborhoods (Albany Park, Rogers Park). Rent was mostly affordable, I always felt pretty safe, I knew my neighbors, and it didn't seem like waves of people with money were displacing people without money.
If you liked those parts of Chicago (as did I; I was part of a community theater troupe that played at No Exit Cafe), look northeast-ish here: east of Rock Creek Park, north of US 1 (Rhode Island/Baltimore Ave), within the Beltway. Several people have already mentioned neighborhoods in this general vicinity, like Brightwood, College Park, Edgewood, Hyattsville, Silver Spring, Mount Rainier, Wheaton, and DC's Ward 4. More specifically, I think you might be happiest in Maryland, in areas like Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Takoma Park, Langley Park, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, or Riverdale Park. These areas are definitely much more affordable than closer-in parts of the District, which means that they have relatively more international immigrants (especially from Latin America and Africa).
Keep in mind two huge differences between Chicago and DC:
- Size: the city of Chicago is almost four times larger than the District (234 sq. mi. and 2.7 million residents vs. 63 sq. mi. and 670,000 residents). However, the metro areas are of comparable population, which means that DC proper comprises a very small share of the metro area by land area or population: only 1 in 14 residents of the Washington-Baltimore region live in the District, whereas over 1 in 4 residents of Chicagoland live in the city.
- Age: DC is also a much newer city than Chicago; the areas you'll be looking at will have been mostly built in the mid-20th century, and thus look/feel more "suburban," than the early-20th century neighborhoods you're familiar with.
So, when you're comparing neighborhoods, don't instinctively shudder when you hear that they're in "the suburbs." Rogers Park is ~10 miles north of the Loop, whereas Silver Spring, MD is ~6 miles north of Metro Center. It's 30 minutes by bus/train from downtown Hyattsville to Metro Center, vs. 45 minutes on the Brown Line from Kimball to the Loop.
The areas of Chicago within five miles of the Loop, like Lincoln Park and Lakeview, Bucktown, East Garfield Park, or Bronzeville, aren't that diverse, either: immigrants usually don't move to neighborhoods that are long-established enclaves of native-born Americans.
Downtown Silver Spring and Takoma Park, MD are likely out of their price range, inside the beltway near the metro neither of these communities can be called "working class". They are mostly middle and increasingly, upper-middle class. They are both likely out of their price range. While it may have been affordable in the past that is no longer the case. Outside the beltway, lets say Wheaton, is a different story. In fact Wheaton is probably exactly what they are looking for. Very diverse, it leans latino, mostly lower-middle class. Fairly walkable, and has it's own metro station.
Brightwood in DC would be the other answer, but I actually think Wheaton, MD is the better choice because of better retail amenities.
In fact Wheaton really reminds me of some Chicago neighborhoods.
If you would learn how to read with even some limited comprehension, you would understand that I was trying to make the point that those neighborhoods in addition to Carver Langston are not good neighborhoods. Stay out of grown folks business please!!!!
If you would learn how to read with even some limited comprehension, you would understand that I was trying to make the point that those neighborhoods in addition to Carver Langston are not good neighborhoods. Stay out of grown folks business please!!!!
Thanks for the clarification.
Also, relax. Its not even that serious. Don't give yourself a heart attack over it. After all, heart disease is a silent killer of "grown folks".
My boyfriend and I are getting ready to move to DC this summer, and are just starting to get serious about looking for apartments. And, like every other newcomer on the forum, we are freaked out about the rent prices.
Here's the thing: We're both white, college educated, and broke as hell (at least in DC money). We're moving to DC bc he has a fellowship there, but the pay is low (again, by DC standards). I don't have a job there yet, but I'm in non-profit work, so I doubt that I'll be pulling in much more than he is. But, bottom line, we're trying to be as responsible as we can be when moving to a city that is being gentrified very quickly.
I am originally from Chicago, and lived in fairly diverse, lower-middle income neighborhoods (Albany Park, Rogers Park). Rent was mostly affordable, I always felt pretty safe, I knew my neighbors, and it didn't seem like waves of people with money were displacing people without money.
Does anything like that exist in DC? The neighborhoods I lived in weren't perfect, of course, but they had a history of working people from different backgrounds living next to each other. That's tough to find in Chicago, and I am afraid that it will be even tougher in DC.
Anacostia may be a good option for you. It's in the early process of gentrification and much cheaper than Navy Yard on the other side of the river. Living on a low wage in DC is going to be rough. I've read some articles stating you need to make over 100k (I think one website said 108k) to live comfortably in DC. If I were you I would opt for a DC suburb in MD unless you want to live in a sketchy part of town. Where is your boyfriend's fellowship?
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