Looking for a place to live and communte into Washington DC (apartment, school)

[sierrayem]

I am attending Gallaudet University in Washington DC in the fall. I am looking for a fun, open-minded community to live in outside of the city. I plan to ride the metro into the city for school. Since I am a student, I need to find an area that is not very expensive. Any suggestions?

[saganista]

Originally Posted by sierrayem

I am attending Gallaudet University in Washington DC in the fall. I am looking for a fun, open-minded community to live in outside of the city. I plan to ride the metro into the city for school. Since I am a student, I need to find an area that is not very expensive. Any suggestions?

Fun tends to mean people, and people tend to mean expensive, particularly outside of DC. I think the best you could do would be to look for a room (not necessarily an apartment) on the fringes of Old Town Alexandria or along the Ballston Corridor in Arlington (Ballston, Virginia Square, Clarendon, Courthouse). Both are socially active and fairly liberal places, and the Metro is available from both. Craig's List is an option in searching, also the Washinton Post of course, and also the Washington City Paper, although they tend to serve the District more than VA or MD. Is there something you have against living in DC? There may actually be more active-yet-semi-affordable housing available inside the District than out...

[yankee.peddler]

If you desire to live outside of D.C., you may want to check out Takoma Park and downtown Silver Spring in Maryland. Both are active areas and very convenient to the Red Line [10-20 minute ride to the New York Avenue (Gallaudet) station]. The housing is also relatively cheaper than Virginia.

If you look in this area, I suggest avoiding Maple Avenue and Langley Park in Takoma Park and Flower Avenue in Silver Spring; both areas are further removed from the Metro and can be a little rough.

Good Luck!