What is it like to live in Washington DC?

Question

What's it like?
Does it suck?
Is there fin stuff to do there?
What about housing?
Schools?

WHAT ABOUT THE BASE THERE?

Answer 1

I think honestly that DC is a better place to visit than to live. The DC area is one of the worst in the country for traffic. The subway system is decent (although expensive); the rest of the public transit in the region is not so good. Actually, the whole area's cost of living is really expensive, especially in the "good" parts of the city. Housing is very expensive as is most other stuff. Violent crime in the city, per capita, is pretty high. As far as living in the city - Northwest DC is nice for young professionals or students with lots of restaurants, bars, stores, walkable neighborhoods, relatively safe, on the Metro, etc. The suburbs, especially Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA both have among the best public schools in the country so are probably better for families. (The city of Washington has one of the the worst school systems. The same applies for most other public services - Montgomery and Fairfax Counties are great, DC is barely functional). The city has some of the best assets of any city I've been to, especially the Smithsonian, which is truly world-class. Besides my family, that is by far the thing I miss the most about living in DC. The monuments and parks are also really pretty. Overall, DC has pretty crappy restaurants compared to most cities I've been to. And the people are generally self-centered and dull.

I'm not sure which base you're referring to - Andrews AFB maybe? Not that I know anything about that anyway. I've never been there.

Overall, my short analysis is this: It's a better city to visit than to live in. It has some great things to see but the quality of living is not the best as far as cities. If you do end up living there, stick to Northwest DC, or Montgomery or Fairfax Counties.

Answer 2

If you're open to it, look outside of DC itself. The District is usually either very expensive, or not-so-safe, depending on where you are. You can find some very nice suburban areas in northern Virginia that are still "inside the beltway", so pretty much part of the DC area. There are a lot of options really. But you have to decide how much you're willing to pay to live in or near a bigger city like DC. Something safe, quiet, and with good schools will cost you much more per square foot in this area than in some other metro areas. And of course you can have all the things you listed in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. There are tradeoffs for everything. What I recommend: List what you want in a neighborhood, then a house, in order of your priorities. Then speak with a realtor who knows the area. Even if you don't end up using them, they'll be able to best help you identify neighborhoods that fit your needs. Good luck :)

Answer 3

I just recently moved to the D.C. area. I'm enjoying it so far. It's very diverse and there are alot of job opportunities, especially if you're looking for a government job. If you're into art and culture the bulk of the National museums are in D.C. and they are free. Also the cool thing about D.C. is that the suburbs are close to the city. I live in Silver Spring, MD which is a great place! I love it, the American Film Institute is across the street from me as well as lots of shopping and dining and I'm less than 10 miles from downtown D.C. but I'm far enough to not be affected by the hustle and bustle of D.C. Also if you're into travelling, you're right next door to Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, and Richmond, VA. Talk about weekend trips! It's expensive but every major city is in its own right. I lived in Atlanta for a long time and it was pretty expensive but not as expensive as it is here but expensive all the same, the difference is that the salaries in D.C. make up for the cost of living. The minimum wage in D.C. is the highest in the country, that should tell you something about the pay scale. I recommend the move and wish you luck!

Answer 4

I've lived in Washington my whole life, which means for 28 years! I love it. It is a 3-hour drive from the Ocean, a 90-minute drive from Skyline drive, and a zero-minute drive to the Smithsonean Institution, one of the best museum systems on the planet, and FREE! We get the change of seasons, the beautiful autumn leaves, a little snow, a little extreme heat in August. There are night clubs, great restaurants for every price range, wonderful theater, and you can shop for ANYTYHING you'd ever need. It is EASY to get anywhere from Dulles Airport with very few connections. It is trivial to catch a train anywhere up or down the East Coast.
Depending on where you live, housing can be quite reasonable or very expensive. Shools may be great (NW DC, some suburbs) or you may want to put your kids in private schools if you live in some of the areas without great schools.

Answer 5

I love it here. (2nd time living here) But what I like about it is there's tons of free things to do concerts, museums, plays, etc. There are tons of restaurants, cafes, bars-any ethnic food we have it here. Sports, walking, jogging, etc
Housing is expensive though! It is also culturally,
racially, and economically diverse which is also great. I grew up in the Midwest!! Tons of good colleges/universities and schools.
The job growth is also great-you always have a job!! On the weekends when you want to get away you can drive 45mins to Baltimore /2hours to Philly or to the Beach/New York is 3 1/2 hours. 3 airports/marc train/metro you can get around w/ out a car if you have to.

Answer 6

Lots of traffic, but not too bad if you time your travel correctly. Lived in the suburbs before living in DC - liked DC better. Which base are you talking about?

Answer 7

It's busy, tons of government works. Traffic sucks. Plenty of stuff to do. Schools and houses are nice in good neighborhoods, stay away from the bad areas

Answer 8

D.C. awesome place to live but you have to make good money because it can be very expensive. Countless of fun activities no matter what you are into, schools are great, I have a couple friends who goto school up there. Traffic definatly sucks, metro is best bet for transportation.

Answer 9

I lived there for three years while in college... DC is always busy, plenty to do (museums, restaurants, clubs etc...) Quality housing can be expensive, depending on what you are looking for. All in all, DC is just like any other major metro city, hustle & bustle.

Answer 10

Im going to be real with you, alot of people think DC is this great place to live and it is if you are white and live in upper NW. But I'm not so I don't. I live in the ghetto of DC, which alot of people don't know about. Its hard living, crime, drugs, gangs in schools and car thief and with all this power this city has they do NOTHING!