Washington DC area where is the best place to live?

Question

We're moving to Wash DC and don't know anything about the area. Anyone live there that can recommend a nice, affordable area with good schools??

Answer 1

Hi,

If you are single, try GeorgeTown or Alrington.

If you are a married couple with kids, I think the best choice is Fairfax and McLean (more expensive). Both areas have the best views, lots of trees, lots of space, beautiful homes and very decent schools. It is not so far from the city but enough to have a good life quality and avoid the city problems (like traffic, vandalism)

Falls Church is a good area too but be carefull where in falls Church. That area has the 23rd best HighSchool in the country: George Mason* | Falls Church | Va. | 4.098 | (check: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7723397/site/newsweek/ )

Fairfax has the 34th best one: 34 | W.T. Woodson | Fairfax | Va.

and McLean the 50th best one: 50 | Langley | McLean | Va. | 3.334 | 1

Hope this Helps.. Enjoy the city

Answer 2

Monuments and memorials, eclectic neighbourhoods, true local flavour this is exactly what Washington, DC is; a spot unlike any; exactly like this site hotelbye . Washington it's your home overseas with free museums and America's entrance yard. Washington is recognized around the world as a mark of the United States. Here, the area you cannot skip is the Capitol. Capitol may be the seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The large dome, on the basis of the dome of St. Peter's in Rome, stands out above all other Washington buildings. Like Washington itself, the building has developed over the years since the key portion was built between 1793 and 1812. The last improvement, in 1958-62, enlarged the main façade where presidents get the oath. On the other area, a marble terrace presents wonderful opinions over the mall and the city. The inner is resplendent with frescoes, reliefs, and paintings, especially the rotunda under the good cast-iron dome with a roof painting by Constantino Brumidi and huge paintings of views from American record on the walls.

Answer 3

I would recommend Va over Md because there are more cities to choose from. But I can tell you from living there and owning a home there, the are no affordable places close to DC. You will have to go about an hour outside of dc into Va, maybe Stafford,Va or that area.

I loved the Va weather, and people. Its a great place to live and I liked the schools my kids went to. I just can't believe how inflated the housing costs have become.

22oosq ft home for 400,00$ in the Manassas, Va the closer you get the higher the price for a smaller home. Do you homework and be prepared to either live in a tiny house close or do a lot of driving to get into DC.

Answer 4

DC is going through a major reconstruction phase. It would be safe to say that living in Northwest would probably be the most expensive areas in DC to stay. But pretty soon every area of DC will be fairly moderate as far as expenses. Look to see about a 2 to 3 percent tax increase. The traffic on any given day could drive you nutts. Overall, DC has a lot to offer someone who is looking to find a home or apartment. You just have to know where to look.

Answer 5

I'd recommend living in the city itself. The suburban sprawl has really gotten out of control. Fairfax and Arlington have great public school systems but unless you have a ton of money, you won't have much left over after mortgage/rent, and the commutes are brutal. You can still get a lot of house for your money in the city (comparatively speaking, of course--- no $200,000 4-br homes anywhere). Even though the public school system needs a lot of help, there are some very good public charter schools, especially for elementary and middle-school. You have to do some research but it's worth it. And I find a spirit of community in the city itself that I don't find in the 'burbs. People are more likely to know their neighbors really well in the city; my city-dwelling friends and I all know everyone on the block, and most of my suburban friends hardly know their next-door neighbors.

Look into Columbia Heights (hard to find something affordable any more), Petworth (can have some bad blocks so do your homework), 16th Street Heights (awesome), Brookland/CUA neighborhoods. If you have a really high budget ($800k and up for home purchases) you would love living in Friendship Heights, Tenleytown, or Woodley Park.

Answer 6

Sorry, washington doesn't work that way anymore. Your choices are
1) long commute (1 hr plus each way), reasonable prices, good schools...then you want some of the outlying suburbs in Virginia like Manassas
2) short commute, outrageous prices ($700+ for a 3 bedroom house), and great schools...then you want montgomery county in Md or Falls Church in Va.
3) short commute, medium prices, awful schools: live in thedistrict - the price of the house depends on how nice the neighborhood is - anywhere from $250K (dangerous areas of SW and SE) to $800, for nice areas in North west.

So what's a person to do? Here's my best recommendation: Gaithersberg - in Md, living on the red line metro makes the commute managable (45 minutes ish to down town), you get the good Mont. county schools (several of which placed in top 100 in US news world report) and the housing stock isn't quite as expensive....Silver Spring, also in Mont county has a more fun down town, but you'll pay over $500K.

Answer 7

Nice area, affordable area, good schools.

You can only pick two, and usually only get 1 1/2 in DC.

First, traffic is horrible anywhere.
The Beltway (I-495) has been backed up for the past 30 years.

Second, crime is out of control. But, it's like most other cities: don't live anywhere near MLK Ave. In DC, that goes double. The corner of MLK Ave @ Malcolm X Blvd has a liquor store and plenty of crackheads.

Third, did I mention the traffic?

Not sure if it's important to you, but if you have a residence inside The District, then you don't have any representation in Congress.

Answer 8

It depends on what you mean by affordable. Their are a lot of places on the outskirts of DC, which would be Fairfax County, their schools are good,but that would be on the Virginia side.
Their is a lot to do their, because you have DC, Va. and Md.
I lived on Connecticut Ave years ago, but it has become very expensive. that would be near the Zoo.
Happy Hunting!!

Answer 9

In Alexandria Virginia, right out side of DC. Nice slow pace there, really beautiful.

Answer 10

Try Howard County - Columbia or Ellicott City, which is rated the forth best city to live in US