Graduate - Relocating to D.C.?

Question

I'm thinking of relocating to the DC area after this semester and want to find out what its like.

1. Employment opportunities
2. Cost of living
3. Diversity/population
4. Inexpensive apartments
5. Friendliness of residents

Thanks for any tips!

Answer 1

Ahhhh, DC....I just moved out of DC (don't worry - I left because I went back to school...)

To answer your questions - DC is expensive! Expect to pay at least $1000 a month on an apartment - if you want to live alone. The best place to live in Northern Virginia. Where would depend on where you work. For instance, I use to live in Falls Church but would commute to Gainesville, which is west of the city. The drive took about 45 minutes for about 30 miles. If this was opposite, and I was giong from Gainesville to Falls Church, which is going towards the city, then that drive could have taken me 2 hours!
If you want a cheaper apartment - I would look west of the city. But again, like I said above, it depends on how your daily commute is going to be...

Hope this helps some.

Answer 2

Employment opportunities are good IF you have graduated college with a high GPA. Do NOT come to Washington DC without a firm job offer or you will not be able to rent an apartment.

Apartments will cost a minimum of around $1000 per month in a decent area.

If you live in a racially diverse neighborhood, you are risking your life. Much, much violent crime in DC.

Residents of DC are not over friendly at all. No one speaks on the subway to each other. People do not say Good Morning to others on the street. The general rule is look straight ahead and do not make eye contact. Lots of panhandlers on the streets who will curse at your if you do not give them money.

Downtown parking is very expensive and if you park in unlighted areas, your car will probably be stolen or vandalized. Lots of carjackings and killings over cars in DC.

If you have a written job offer with a salary over $55,000 per year, you will be happy in DC. Otherwise, stay home and do not come to Washington.

Answer 3

Hun, just like everyone else says DC is expensive. But it's a great place to be. You meet all kinds of people here.

1. employment opportunuties are plentiful here. i dont know what field you're looking at but you're best bet would be to check out cragislist because this lists the local jobs. i've come across so good job leads there. keep in mind that you might want to check out the job fairs here. i know in sept. and usually feb./mar. area colleges (hu, umd, udc) have their annual job fairs.

2. cost of living- expect to pay. you may pay as high as $1800 per mo. for rent in DC. you may also pay as low as $525, but remember you get what you pay for and trust you DONT want anything in that price range. decent places in DC usually run $900 - 1200. consider places in northern va like falls chuch. that area is still metro accessible and it maybe about 15min - 20min drive into DC. also what about maryland?? metro is everywhere in maryland. silver spring is a thriving area (mediocre pricing), also hyattsville, laurel, greenbelt, college park are good areas.

3. very diverse. all ethnic backgrounds, which goes hand in hand with a tremendous amount of ethnic restaurants.

4. check out 2.

5. depends on where you live at.

check out some of the links below. i gave the link for the dc city paper. this is a weekly paper here that gives all the local happenings, spots, employment section, housing, clubs. i get it every thursday. i find it to be very helpful.

Answer 4

Welcome to Washington..

1. Employment opportunities--

Look into think tanks, embassy, and college jobs-- there's numerous opportunities. GPA is less relevant than experience, from what I've found. But as the person above said, it will be hard to rent an apartment without a pay stub-- let alone a job-- in hard at reputable apartment complexes. Subletting, roommates, and group houses are your friend.

2. Cost of living--

It depends on what you're comparing it to. If you compare it to Tokyo, then it's cheap. If you compare it to Louisville, it's pricey.

As others have said, if you want a one-bedroom in the suburbs (Arlington), prices begin at around $1000-1200 plus utilities. If you want a very small efficiency downtown DC, prices start at $900-1000. It varies by area, size, and amenities-- the amenities for the price are definitely better in Arlington.

Eating out-- lunch is generally $6-10 for cheap places, $15-20 for moderate lunches. It depends on where you go, of course.

Parking-- parking is a pain. Don't even think about street parking downtown for 8 hours during the workday. Tickets for doing so are given out all the time lately. Parking in offices is generally $200+ per month. I pay more like $300 to park downtown at work, $50 to park at my apartment. Some apartments have parking rates starting at $150 and going up to as much as $450 (rare). Generally it's rarely less than $150-200 a month to park outside in a lot downtown; $250 plus in a garage in your building. So, you'll have parking costs both at home and at work much of the time.

DC has a relatively high crime rate. Muggings, car vandalism/theft, etc. is common. With that being said, you might never be affected. Just stay out of the risky areas, especially late at night, etc.

3. Diversity/population--

Definitely pretty diverse with all of the embasy folks and diplomats and int'l students. The population that actually resides within DC is about half a million. That number doubles (at least) during the day with workers coming in to the city.

4. Inexpensive apartments--

Adams Morgan, if you can stand traffic, noisy, and an upcoming area (used to be run-down) can be moderately priced for DC. Your best bet is Arlington. I'd suggest Ballston, Crystal City, etc. for decent prices with better than average amenities.

Some people opt for group houses. That's the chepeast way to live here. If you actually find one that will work out for you, expect to pay between $600-900 for a one-bedroom (varies) in a group house.

You'll notice very quickly that homes in DC are generally old. If you're coming from an area with newer houses with lots of space, you'll find it hard to believe that the old, small house in the Palisades runs around $500,000 for 3 small bedrooms. Embassy row houses and other downtown locations can be high. Even efficiency apartments downtown can sell for $150,000 (bargain basement quality) to much more.

5. Friendliness of residents--

It's not the friendliest place in the world, that's for sure. People often keep to themselves, so if you want to meet people, it helps to start up conversation first (they rarely iniate) and go to bars/community service/churches/common interest groups to meet friends. Most people consider it a harsh city to live in-- but once you make some friends, it can be a fun place to live.

Answer 5

1. Good
2. High
3. Very good
4. No way
5. Medium

Check out crime statistics before you decide where to live. Some areas are relatively safe, and some are far worse than average.

Answer 6

I LIKE GOING TO VIST BUT LIVE IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND THE TRAFFIC MY FAMILY JUST MOVED TO GAINSVILLE IT'S UP AND COMMING I THINK IT WOULD BE BEST TO LIVE IN NORTHERN,VA CAUSE THE CRIME RATE IN DC IS TERRIBLE. GO TO DIFFRENT WEB SITES I KNOW DULLES AIRPORT IS HIRING 4 SCREENERS.

Answer 7

where from? I am trying to move there from north carolina very soon.... friendly and upscale...great culture! as in poloiticians, doc, lawyers, scientists!!! art......history...people, nice,smart.