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Planning a possible job move that is near L' Enfant Plaza. Could someone suggest a good place to live where I can take Metro and is safe from Crime. I am single male, no kids, looking for good place to rent. I would prefer to live in Maryland due to Virgina car property tax, but if someone thinks differently, please post. Which is better, live in DC, Maryland, or NoVa
Just keep in mind that living in Maryland will require a longer commute since it's on the other side of the city and the red line is the only line to not run directly to L'Enfant (so you'll have to transfer).
As for places to live, what's your budget and what type of area do you want to live in (suburban, urban, active, quiet, etc). L'Enfant is an easy commute from North Arlington, Pentagon City, Crystal City, Alexandria, Capitol Hill, Gallery Place/Chinatown, and Foggy Bottom, so it really just depends on what you want (all safe, metro-accessible areas).
Not a big fan of city living; also trying to avoid high rises. I prefer garden style apartments that is quaiet and safe. My budget would be about $1300-$1400 for a one bedroom apartment. Any specific recommendation on apartment complexes.
I know you said that you're avoiding VA, but you can try looking into South Arlington. The area directly around the Pentagon City and Crystal City metro stations are all high rises, but you can find garden style apartments not too far away. If you're open to taking a shuttle to the metro, my friends loved living in The Park at Arlington Ridge (no idea how much it costs). You could also try Alexandria, which has far more garden-style and low-rise buildings (Old Town, Del Ray, Rosemont are all good areas near the metro). I lived in Archstone Newport Village near King & 395 and took the bus to the Pentagon, which really wasn't that bad. It took me about 30 minutes to get to L'Enfant.
As for Maryland, you'd want to look at places along the red line, like Rockville, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Wheaton, or Glenmont. However, your commute will be closer to an hour from these places, so just keep that in mind. I'm not as familiar with Maryland, but I'm sure someone else can offer up suggestions.
Now for DC, Capitol Hill might work for you. It is urban, but quieter with older townhomes and small apartment buildings instead of high rises. It'd be a 15-20 minute commute to L'Enfant, depending on how far you live from the metro (aim for Capitol South or Eastern Market stations). Otherwise, look in upper NW like Cleveland Park, Woodley Park, Van Ness, or Tenleytown. It's more suburban than other areas of DC. As for commute time, my guess would be about 30-35 minutes. You'd take the red line to either Metro Center or Chinatown and transfer to any other line to get to L'Enfant.
juniperbleu...you are the best. This is the kind of information that I am looking for. Specific areas as well as detailed apt. complexes. I am from CA and I see rental prices are even higher in DC! Have the prices gone down. Ido agree with you that I have to think about the commuting time if I am to live in Maryland. I heard bad things about living in Prince George County in Maryland. Also, I notice that Crystal City or Pentagon City is by Reagan airport, is it noisy there
What are taxes like in VA? Sales tax, income tax...I used to live in CT and hated the idea of paying "property" tax on my car. I know VA has it so I hate it but if my commute can be reduced, I think it will be worth it.
Thanks a bunch
Last edited by zotmeister; 06-18-2009 at 11:51 PM..
I've noticed some prices coming down a bit, mainly because I realized I was able to actually afford a few places in Dupont Circle, which was impossible last year. However, I think it's mostly the pricier places that have gone down, and even then it hasn't really been by a lot. The way the flight plan is for planes taking off from Reagan there's actually more noise in Rosslyn than Pentagon City or Crystal City. I can't remember the exact path, but airplane noise isn't a big issue.
Coming from Pennsylvania I was much happier with the taxes (and car insurance rates) in Virginia. I don't know exact numbers off the top of my head, but if you go to VA's Department of Taxation (or Revenue, something like that), you should be able to pull up previous tax return charts. The car property tax goes through the "city" or county that you're in, so you'd have to look into Arlington or Alexandria's government websites. It's a pain, but wasn't a huge burden.
There have been some studies comparing the tax burden of DC, MD, and VA, and I believe it always showed that VA residents paid the least tax, followed by DC and MD paid the most. So even if you get stuck paying the car tax in VA, you'll get a break in state tax to make up for it.
There have been some studies comparing the tax burden of DC, MD, and VA, and I believe it always showed that VA residents paid the least tax, followed by DC and MD paid the most. So even if you get stuck paying the car tax in VA, you'll get a break in state tax to make up for it.
I vaguely remember seeing that, I think you're right. I think it was in the Post, maybe?
You are rerferring to the overall tax padi, both car tax, income tax, and sales tax coorect. Or were you referring specifically only to income tax. Thanks for the advice
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