is DC a good place to live long term? for singles? (Washington: fit in, lawyers)

[useasbackup]

I'm female in late 20s considering relocating to Boston or DC area. since DC is ranked 5th for young professionals and 6th for singles.

I only have traveled to DC for a few days and just been to the tourist spots, the impression I got from the city is it's a clean city, big scale, a lot of green spaces, which is nice, but I also feel that the city is too refined.( completely opposite to NY)

I know I might be wrong because I've not lived here or visited longer.
can I ask a few questions which will help making my decision?

1. do you feel the city diverse with cool culture and nice attitude to different people and cultures?
2. is the city going uphill? seems major employers are hospitals, are there hi tech, professioinals?
3. are there a lot of cultural events? concerts, farmers' market, lectures,etc?

I'd considered NY, but I don't think I like there much, too hectic. Boston is nice, but I'm a liitle worried about the long winter and reserved Irish culture. still thinking. any info will help. thanks in advance.

[Zippy7fo]

1. do you feel the city diverse with cool culture and nice attitude to different people and cultures?
2. is the city going uphill? seems major employers are hospitals, are there hi tech, professioinals?
3. are there a lot of cultural events? concerts, farmers' market, lectures,etc?
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1. Yes...you have people from around the world here....very accepting of everybody. Race, nationality, sexual preferences
2. Yes....Governemnt employers, defensive contractors, healthcare, bio-pharmaceutical, research, non-profits, consulting, public relation firms, technology...and of course law is all here...tons of opportunity if you went to college.
3. Yes...tons of stuff to do between Baltimore and Northern VA and what alot of people fail to realize is that you have access to Boston, Philly, NY, Atlantic City, VA Beach and Charlotte...all within 2-4-6 hours of DC by car and all have buses and train access..

Its a great area

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by useasbackup

1. do you feel the city diverse with cool culture and nice attitude to different people and cultures?
2. is the city going uphill? seems major employers are hospitals, are there hi tech, professioinals?
3. are there a lot of cultural events? concerts, farmers' market, lectures,etc?

1. Absolutely. People come here from all over the world, and I've never heard of anyone having problems. Many of the concentrated immigrant populations are out in the suburbs (which was different for me), but if you go around the World Bank, IMF, and embassy areas you'll meet people from other countries there as well.

2. Very big yes. From people I talk to, there has been a significant upward change over the past 10 years. I've only been here a year, but even still it's obvious how many new projects and things they have going on in different areas of the city. Much of the tech stuff is in the suburbs (especially near Reston, Herndon, Rockville, and Gaithersburg), but I'd be surprised if there wasn't any in DC itself. As for professional jobs, there's all sorts of opportunities, you just have to pick one.

3. Again, yes. I know of good farmer's markets in Arlington, Dupont Circle, Old Town Alexandria, and Penn Quarter, and I know there's more out there. Lectures are very very common, I hear about them all the time. To keep up on them, you can talk to people in grad school or get on some mailing lists. During the spring/summer there's all sort of outdoor concerts and events, usually on the Mall. Other areas, like Crystal City (suburb in Arlington), have also started having events as well. I've never had a problem finding things to do around here

[LIS123]

As for dating, they say Males have an advantage. I'd agree with that based on numbers, but the discrepancy doesn't seem overwhelming. Men shouldn't expect to have women falling at their feet and women who are friendly and approachable should have no problem meeting men and dating. I think the problem lies with the
status-driven, self-absorbed culture. It seems like you have to 'earn' a chance just to chat. My sense is that a lot of people (both genders) are eliminating others who they'd probably get along with before giving them a chance in the first place. I get the vibe of a lot of people carrying around heavily-inflated senses of self-worth.

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by LIS123

I think the problem lies with the
status-driven, self-absorbed culture. It seems like you have to 'earn' a chance just to chat. My sense is that a lot of people (both genders) are eliminating others who they'd probably get along with before giving them a chance in the first place. I get the vibe of a lot of people carrying around heavily-inflated senses of self-worth.

This can be true, although I've found plenty of people who don't fit into this category. My roommate and I came to DC with the mindset that we want to meet new people and expand our group of friends (since we didn't know many people in the area to begin with). It's worked, we just do our best to be open and friendly to everyone and haven't had a problem. People won't be tripping over themselves to meet you, but if you just try to start up a conversation, organize something with coworkers (i.e. happy hours), or join groups like kickball or something you'll definitely meet plenty of friendly people.

[PenguinSix]

DC is clean and the professional class definitely has a bit of their own culture going on. There are a lot of professionals here (I think the surveys will show you their are areas with more lawyers per person than anywhere else, more PhDs than anywhere else, etc). There are not necessarily as many people in the 'business class' as there are in NY, as the financial community isn't what it is in NY. There is a very strong tech community in NoVa and Maryland, though it's not necessarily the '20 year old billionaires in sneakers' more like the '30 year old missile systems engineers or 40 year old joint PhD/MD bio tech guy'.

There are artisticy 'funky' areas as well, though at times it feels they are a bit bottled up.

There are more cultural activities than you will have time for. You'll have to pick and choose and find your niche.

One thing about DC is that at a certain level it is a transient town. It's rare you'll meet someone 'born here' or 'grew up here' (though they do exist). Most come in after college and spend a bit of time, or come and stay forever.

My advice would be to angle for one of the 'youthful' professional areas with a bit of nightlife and close to things. I wouldn't recommend the outer suburbs as you'll go nuts with traffic and married families, but some inner beltway areas such as Geogetown, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Dupont Circle, Glover Park, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, U Street and in VA places like Clarendon or Rosslyn and in MD places like Bethesda might be kind of fun to live as a single professional.

I came to DC for politics. It was what I wanted when I wasn't sure what I wanted. After I transitioned to tech, I stayed in the area mainly because I liked Washington--it was a compact enough city with a lot of very interesting professionals in a relatively small area, with good things to do, shop, parks, etc. I have a few other places in the world I visit (and occasionally live in) but I like the DC area as my 'base' for now.

Though I do think of cashing out the money I've made in my DC house and buying 100 acres and a mansion somewhere in the Midwest and doing nothing for awhile...