My husband and I are moving to DC in about 2 months, and have no clue where to live! I will be working a few minutes away from GW. Any suggestions on afforable housing in a safe area would be great! I am willing to commute as long as it is close to public transportation so I am open to MD/VA. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
2006-11-27 23:35:24 · 5 answers · asked by bunny 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Washington, D.C.
You may be better off looking for a place in the city. The VA suburbs are very safe (for the most part) but extremely expensive; Arlington and Alexandria VA are closest but if you can find a one-bedroom apartment for under $1200/month you're very lucky. In Maryland, there's Price George's County which is having a serious crime explosion; the College Park area and parts of Greenbelt would be decent (choose carefully in Greenbelt) and close to public transportation, and while not really "cheap" might be your most affordable option. Other areas in PG County are spotty as the crime is really spiking and seems to change neighborhood a bit; your neighborhood may be nice now but might be unsafe in 3 months. So I would avoid PG County all together except for those two areas. Montgomery County, MD is very nice and safe for the most part (except Takoma Park) but insanely expensive. If you do have the budget to look in Montgomery County, the Red Line metro goes through Bethesda, Rockville and even a little further north. But this is seriously the high-rent district.
In the city... I live in Columbia Heights and have not had any major problems with crime so I'd say this would be a good choice, rents are also high here but not as bad as the VA 'burbs, do get a map and check out the DC police web site (below) as there are a couple of rough blocks to be wary of. Petworth may be a bit more affordable, also the Brookland/CUA area. DuPont Circle, Friendship Heights, Woodley Park and Cleveland Park are all great neighborhoods but very pricey.
2006-11-28 03:22:03 · answer #1 · answered by dcgirl 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you are going to work in DC the best bet would be to live in areas such as Springfield, Lorton, and some parts of Annandale. If you live in Springfield you are not too far from the METRO Station. Don't live too close to the Springfield mall area though. Just go to places such as www.rent.com or even do searches from the County websites. If you lived in MD make sure you stay away from Prince Georges County. When I first moved here that was all I heard on the news about the crimes etc. Live close to the border of DC and VA just not in that county. Also, do not forget the cost of living if you can get a 1 bedroom less than $1,400 you are getting a deal!!!!
2006-11-29 13:54:37 · answer #2 · answered by shadowangel_80 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Located about fifteen miles outside of Washington D.C., Vienna has been able to maintain its distinctive small town friendliness, community spirit and widely cherished traditional values.
Okay, Vienna is one of the best towns in the area. Fairfax County has the best school system in the country. Vienna has metro stations, great community and great sports programs. Vienna was also voted the 4th best town to live in 2005.
TOWN WEBSITE- http://www.viennava.gov/
2006-11-30 08:12:27 · answer #3 · answered by evrythingwaztkn 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Avoid southeast DC
I used to live in Bethesda, very nice, close to metro.
2006-12-01 06:56:43 · answer #4 · answered by sunshine 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Avoid Southeast DC. It is known to be VERY dangerous!
2006-12-01 03:51:44 · answer #5 · answered by friendlygal 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋