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Hi All,
I'm currently living in the Youngstown Ohio area...where the cost of living is cheap but good jobs are few and far between. I'm a 30 year old female with an M.B.A., currently in law school but will be graduating in a year or so. I plan on moving to the D.C. area after I finish law school. I'm not sure what I'll be able to afford in terms of housing, I'm thinking around $1500 a month. I have a cat who is fixed and declawed and a medium sized dog (about 55 lbs.) who is fixed as well. I definitely plan on bringing my pets with me and I am looking for a dog friendly area, maybe somewhere by a dog park or walking/jogging trails. I'm planning on keeping my car when I move so parking is something I'll definitely need. I'd like to be able to commute via Metro and not worry about driving my car through D.C. during the week. And of course, I'd like to live in an area that would be safe for a single female. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
First off, for $1500 a month (I'm assuming a 1 bedroom) you'll have a lot of options. The inner suburbs might be a good option, given the pets and parking needs. Alexandria and Arlington both have nice and safe areas to live by the metro. I'm not familiar with N. Arlington, but I know people who live with cats and dogs in or near Pentagon City and love it (especially near Addison Heights and Aurora Hills). From there you're only 2 stops away from downtown, which takes 5-10 minutes.
As for Alexandria, to be near a metro I'd aim for Old Town (King Street & Braddock Road metros). The area near the Braddock Road metro tends to be cheaper, but there are some sections in that area that aren't as nice. In general, Old Town is animal-friendly (i.e. water bowls outside the stores, doggie costume parades during Halloween), so you could probably find a building or privately-owned place that allowed them. I have a cat and found several places that would have let her in. Also, the area is very safe, and King Street is door-to-door restaurants, bars, stores, etc.
I'm sure there are areas in DC that would fit as well, I just unfortunately don't know them as well. With the car in the district, you'd probably end up having to either 1) pay for parking ($150+ a month) or 2) park on the street. If you don't use your car for work, parking on the street shouldn't be a big deal, since it won't move often.
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