Washington D.C.

gnarlydorkette

gnarlydorkette

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I am asking those who have lived in D.C. for advice and recommendations.

I am moving there at end of this summer so I am researching on where to live in D.C.

My husband and I will like to live in DC if possible but we won't mind using metro (we will also have our own cars)

So far, places such as Columbia (too frigging far), Silver Springs, and Bethesda have been recommended for both of us-- who are we? Two young adults who want to meet people and having fun but at same time close to Georgetown University and Gallaudet University for studies.

We have got different opinions of which areas of DC are bad-- the Southeast for instance. MOst people said Northwest is best, but expensive.

So I am not asking about price-- but your opinions of which areas are good/bad and who lives there-- for examples: rich white families in that suburb, or young hip adults in cool area SW of DC, or low-income family but relaxed in NE.... etc....

Got it?
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..umm...ask the President? :giggle:


I've visited D.C. quite a few times, although, I wouldn't really have the slightest idea of where it would be feasible and have the notion of feeling 'safe'. I wish you and your hubby all the best with the move and that you both will really cherish wherever it will eventually be at once you're settled.

C'mon Ad'ers, if any of you have any good suggestions--I know she and her hubby will be grateful and appreciate your suggestions and thoughts. ;)





~RR
 
Oh I am the RIGHT person to ask cuz I have moved at least 7 times since moving to the DC area 8 years ago.

In MD

Greenbelt (has metro, many deaf live there, near UofMD college park,reasonable rental prices, middle class to lower class, crime is moderate, about 10 mins from DC)

Laurel (no metro, more upper class, has a lot of shops, malls, reasonable rental prices, many deaf residents, about 20 mins from DC, middle class, low to moderate crime)

College Park (metro, near UofMD, lots of bars/shops, reasonable to pricey rentals, low to moderate crimes, 10 mins from DC, mostly college students)

Bowie (no metro, way out in the suburbs, pricey rentals, middle to upper class, shops, low crime, about 20 mins from DC)

Silver Springs (metro, pricey, city-like atmosphere withshops/bars/nightclubs, lots of deaf residents, middle to upper class, low to moderate crime, about 5 to 10 mins from DC)

Bethedsa (VERY VERY VERY pricey, upppperrrrr classs, have many upscale shops and bars, metro, low crime, about 10 mins from DC)

Rockville (upper class, pricey, shops/bars, metro, low to moderate crime, about 20 mins from DC)

Hyattsville/West Hyattsville (lower class, cheap rental prices, high crime, no shops/bars, 5 to 10 mins from DC, metro)

Landover (metro, middle to lower class, reasonable rental prices, moderate crime, no shops/bars, 10 mins from DC)

Langley Park...that is near Silver Springs...dont know much about it.

Wheaton (metro, middle to lower class, reasonable rental prices, moderate crime, shops/bars, 10 to 15 mins from DC)

All these towns are in MD from Northwest all the way to East of DC)

I wouldnt recommend towns in MD that are near southeast DC. High crime areas.


As for VA...the towns in VA near DC are very expensive. I never lived in VA but Fairfax, Hernon, Arlington, Crystal City are all nice towns with metros that are no furthur than 20 mins from DC.


To live in a nice area in DC, it is pricey but if u can afford it, then Northwest DC towns or Capitol Hill in NE DC near the Capitol are nice areas.

As far as crime is concerned, I have lived in the worst (West Hyattsville) to the best place (Rockville) I really had no problems with crime. Crime can happen anyplace ..as long as common sense is used, it should be fine. I only had my apt (in Laurel) broken in and ranshacked.
 
Roadrunner said:
Thanks Shel90 for your insights and help for her and her hubby. :thumb:








~RR
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No problem. :) When my ex hubby and I first moved to the DC area, we had no clue where to live and we picked West Hyattsville cuz the apts were cheaper and on the map it looked like Laurel, Greenbelt were sooooo far but we werent used to how small MD is. We came from AZ which is a big state, ha! One thing that was shocking to us were the high rental prices compared to Phx's rental prices. We had a heart attack at the condition of our first apt. It was a rat hole but it was what we cud afford at the time. Oh, I cried and cried for months cuz I was homesick and we had a house in Phx. It was a big change for me. Now, I just love it here ..if only the damn housing prices would just go down a few notches. grrrr!
 
Shel -- last i knew -- Langley Park has been having some increase in crime related probs mostly auto thefts but then again ive not been back east in a couple years now and i used to live in east Silver Spring abt 3 mins outside DC

Gnarlydorkette -- Theres also Wheaton, Takoma Park, Hyattsville, and ofc inner-city DC areas -- im trying to recall the area in DC that has alot of artists and im unable to remmy! grr

If u wanna consider VA -- theres Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax and other surrounding areas :)

good luck on ur move!
 
Fly Free said:
Shel -- last i knew -- Langley Park has been having some increase in crime related probs mostly auto thefts but then again ive not been back east in a couple years now and i used to live in east Silver Spring abt 3 mins outside DC

Gnarlydorkette -- Theres also Wheaton, Takoma Park, Hyattsville, and ofc inner-city DC areas -- im trying to recall the area in DC that has alot of artists and im unable to remmy! grr

If u wanna consider VA -- theres Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax and other surrounding areas :)

good luck on ur move!
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That was what I thought about Langley Park but I didnt want to give the wrong info when I wasnt sure.
 
Well, Shel90 gave you the best info about the Maryland area communities. The only thing I'd add, assuming you had the inclination, is that Frederick County, Maryland is about 45 minutes to an hour west of DC, and is home to Maryland School for the Deaf. It's an interesting place to live because it's within an hour of both DC and Baltimore, and is the fastest growing area in the state of Maryland. It used to be nothing by fields, hills and mountains... but within the last 10 years or so, it has become a BOOMING area, and an altogether pleasant place to live (or visit!). Anything along the I-270 corridor leading to Frederick from DC (many of which Shel listed in her post: Rockville, Silver Spring, Germantown, etc.). are nice, but pricey.

I can speak with more "authority" about Northern VA, since that's where I've been living most of my life, since my family came to the States.

Arlington and Alexandria are both great, and VERY close to the city. Parts of Arlington are glitz/glam (near Pentagon City, Rosslyn, Ballston), while other parts are more "suburb-y", basically just living communities. Alexandria (where I live) is a little further away from the city, but still within a 10 minute car ride into the city. Old Towne Alexandria is fantastic... a mixture of quaint 17th century charm with modern-day convenience. If you've ever been to Georgetown in DC, it's very similar, although Old Towne Alexandria has a very "boutiquey" feel, almost yuppy, but not too bad.

Fairfax County is a great place to live, and has one of the best school systems in the country, if you guys are thinking of having kids (or if you already have them). It's VERY expensive, though. You don't get a lot for your money, inside the beltway, and even a few miles outside it.

Loudoun County, Fauquier County and Prince William County are the "bedroom community" sets of the VA side of DC. They've all experienced an explosive population growth over the last decade or so, much in the same was that Frederick County in Maryland has. Parts of those three counties are still quite rustic, so if you're interested in SOME measure of peace and quiet, but access to the active hustle and bustle of nearby DC, those might not be bad options.

If you're determined to live in the city, I would steer clear of Southeast, unless you look close to Capitol Hill, and even then, you're taking chances. Yes, they're cleaning things up there, slowly but surely, what with the new baseball stadium being built (for the Washington Nationals), and all... but you couldn't pay me to live in SE.

NW is THE best, and if I had the money (and the inclination), I'd look at the Dupont Circle, Thomas Circle and Adams Morgan neighborhoods. But beware: those places are phenomenally expensive. But some of those brownstones are to die for!! At least treat yourself to a half-day of househunting there, if you have the opportunity. If you live IN the city, you can definitely get by with not having a car, or having only one. Public transportation in the city, in my opinion, is fantastic. I use it as often as possible, when I have business downtown.

SW and NE are both decent, just not that outstanding, in my book.

Anyway, hope that helps some!
 
InTheGenes said:
Well, Shel90 gave you the best info about the Maryland area communities. The only thing I'd add, assuming you had the inclination, is that Frederick County, Maryland is about 45 minutes to an hour west of DC, and is home to Maryland School for the Deaf. It's an interesting place to live because it's within an hour of both DC and Baltimore, and is the fastest growing area in the state of Maryland. It used to be nothing by fields, hills and mountains... but within the last 10 years or so, it has become a BOOMING area, and an altogether pleasant place to live (or visit!). Anything along the I-270 corridor leading to Frederick from DC (many of which Shel listed in her post: Rockville, Silver Spring, Germantown, etc.). are nice, but pricey.

!
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If Garnlydorkette said Columbia is too far then Frederick is probably too far for their needs. It is a nice town and everything but no metro access at all.
 
shel90 said:
If Garnlydorkette said Columbia is too far then Frederick is probably too far for their needs. It is a nice town and everything but no metro access at all.
Click to expand...

::nod::

Yeah, I saw that... I just figured I'd include the info, because I've had several friends move to the DC area from other parts of the country who had stars in their eyes about living inside the city, or even inside the beltway, until they realize how expensive it is... and then they start considering places that earlier were "too friggin far". :P

And since Frederick is where the Maryland School for the Deaf's other (main) campus is (the other being in Columbia), I figured it was worth mentioning. :)
 
I'm living in Gaithersburg now. We have lived in Fairfax County (Alexandria area), Beltsville in Maryland, College Park, MD and now here. My recommendations are Fairfax County, Arlington, Alexandria. Montgomery County, and the Northern Part of Prince Georges County (except if you have school aged kids). The part of Fairfax county, where I lived (Near US Route 1), is not part of this recommendation. Crime and schools there are not up to the rest of the county. Fairfax and Montgomery both have top school systems. You can't go wrong with either one. South Montgomery, near Prince Georges county (east of Silver Spring) is their bad area. I'm really happy with the Montgomery schools after having had my kids in the Prince Georges Schools. If you have no kids, or don't plan to have any, then Laurel, Beltsville, and College Park are good. I can't really reccommend Greenbelt, as some others have due to crime. If you check out the Metro Maps at wmata.com The best places are on the Red Line, Orange line (in Virginia), or the Blue line (again in Virginia). Gaithersburg, where I live, is a short bus ride to the Red Line. The Red line is the one that goes near Gallaudet. None of the lines go real close to Georgetown (IIRC Orange and Blue run closest) Hope this long post helps.
 
Just to clear a couple things here--

I am not going to have kids in DC. Sorry, once you are a Californian, you gotta breed Californians. ;-) So don't fret about school systems

My main concerns are crimes (gun, murders, etc-- robbery can really happen anywhere in my opinion), access to metro (far, close, et cetera to Gallaudet or just centre of DC), reasonable cost of living (such as-- cheap, but SMALL space, or reasonable with medium-sized, or expensive but SMALL), friendliness of the neighborhood (Deaf-tolerant, et cetera).

But THANKS for recommendations! Seems so far Silver Springs (or around, like Takoma Park) and Capitol Heights are in our range for budgets and plus both seems to have positive reviews. 10 minutes, if by metro, to Gallaudet/center of DC, you think?

(Californians measure by time, not distance of miles or whatever).
 
gnarlydorkette said:
I am asking those who have lived in D.C. for advice and recommendations.

I am moving there at end of this summer so I am researching on where to live in D.C.

My husband and I will like to live in DC if possible but we won't mind using metro (we will also have our own cars)

So far, places such as Columbia (too frigging far), Silver Springs, and Bethesda have been recommended for both of us-- who are we? Two young adults who want to meet people and having fun but at same time close to Georgetown University and Gallaudet University for studies.

We have got different opinions of which areas of DC are bad-- the Southeast for instance. MOst people said Northwest is best, but expensive.

So I am not asking about price-- but your opinions of which areas are good/bad and who lives there-- for examples: rich white families in that suburb, or young hip adults in cool area SW of DC, or low-income family but relaxed in NE.... etc....

Got it?
SHARE AWAY!

map.GIF
Click to expand...


i used to live in the metro dc area but haven't been there since '95... i am glad that shel and flyfree were able to give you info!!! looks like a lot has changed since i left! :D
 
gnarlydorkette said:
My main concerns are crimes (gun, murders, etc-- robbery can really happen anywhere in my opinion), access to metro (far, close, et cetera to Gallaudet or just centre of DC), reasonable cost of living (such as-- cheap, but SMALL space, or reasonable with medium-sized, or expensive but SMALL), friendliness of the neighborhood (Deaf-tolerant, et cetera).

But THANKS for recommendations! Seems so far Silver Springs (or around, like Takoma Park) and Capitol Heights are in our range for budgets and plus both seems to have positive reviews. 10 minutes, if by metro, to Gallaudet/center of DC, you think?

(Californians measure by time, not distance of miles or whatever).
Click to expand...

If you can afford to live in Takoma Park and/or Silver Spring, I say go for it. They're both great... and if asked for my preference between the two, I'd vote for Takoma Park. It's closer to the city proper, has a better record on crime, etc. and is a little more upscale than the majority of Silver Spring. Takoma Park IS the more expensive of the two, though, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for you, based on your posts. :)

As for getting to Gallaudet... plan on a total of 20 minutes to get there from Silver Spring, in addition to any wait time you might have for trains, etc. It's technically about 12 minutes from Silver Spring Metro to New York/Florida Ave Metro... but it's a fairly substantial walk from the NY/FL Metro to Gallaudet, unless you take a 3 minute bus ride.

Sadly, I don't know a great deal about the Capitol Heights neighborhood. Maybe Shel90 (or someone else) might know more.
 
If you're concerned about crime Capitol Heights is out. That's right near the worst area you could choose. Takoma Park is better, but not as good as Silver Spring.
 
What about "East Market" and "DuPont Circle"??
I heard DuPont is pretty expensive, but what about East Market?

DuPont, I have been told, is a lot similar to San Diego's Hillcrest (which is the area I LOVE).
East Market, I have been told, is very diverse (ethnic food, etc) and a mellow area.
 
Dupont Circle is fantastic, but pricey. (Some of the brownstones in that part of town are to DIE for!) It's very trendy and modern, with a lot of neat shops and boutiques. It's also one of the gayest areas of the city (Adams Morgan - to the north of Dupont - being the second half), so if you're ultraconservative, you mind find that aspect unsettling. If that doesn't bother you, then go for it!

East Market is OK... a little older, dingier in places, but not bad. Close to Union Station and Capitol Hill. Definitely more affordable than Dupont. Lots of great ethnic restaurants, as you indicated in your post. (One of my favorite restaurants in the city - Two Quail - is not far from there... I highly recommend it!)
 
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