Moving to DC?

Question

Hi all. I just finished school in Boston now I m moving to DC and I am wondering whats a good place to live. I am not into upscale class areas but at the same time not into ghetto areas, you know right in the middle where immigrants and native people live along, you know areas where with some spanish population and the housing is not sky rocketing. My only thing is I am going to be working in Arlington or crystal city in VA so within a metro area would be great. The other thing is a place where sat dishes are allowed.

Thank u

Answer 1

Falls Church is probably your best bet. Two Metro stations, a good blend of people and lifestyles without being too city, or too suburb. You can easily hop on the Metro and get to Arlington, Crystal City or downtown quickly. Places where housing isn't skyrocketing? Hard to find within 60 miles of DC, but things have settled somewhat in the last 12-15 months.

Most places have to allow satellite dishes by law now, so you should be OK there.

Are you looking for an apartment? House to share? Rent? Buy?

Answer 2

Hate to tell you, but you won't find anything decent that is not sky rocket. But it depends what you consider sky-rocket. Arlington and Crystal City are really nice areas. But the cost of living in the Tri-state area (DC, MD,VA) is very high. Check out http://www.apartmentguide.com. Be sure to keep traffic in mind, for traveling to and from work...even on the Metro. The metro (both bus and train) has rush hour/peak times as well. The Tri-state area is very populated. Once you get there, you have to find what works for you.

Answer 3

Not to scare you, but DC has one of the worst housing markets in the country. Things tend to be pricey here, and it's often between kinda ghetto and pretty nice. Not much middle ground.

If your job is paying you at the entry level, the best thing to do is get a roommate. Otherwise you're looking at at LEAST $875 for a good place, utilities not included. Even the "Spanish" (I'm going to assume you meant Spanish speaking) people live in the more expensive areas due to them sharing apartments and houses with relatives or friends. Either that, or in not-so-savory parts of the Metro area.

I would check out places Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church or the Takoma Park area (which covers two counties in Maryland and a part of DC) and maybe the U Street Corridor in the city(young people tend to like it). Really, the best thing you can do is to visit apartments in various areas of DC. You know what your comfort level is. It's hard for people to tell you what would be good for you.

Answer 4

a lot depends on whether you want to bring/buy a car or not. if you plan to do that, living in arlington/crystal city could cost you up to an additional $250/month for parking. in falls church, you're much more likely to find cheaper/free parking.

if you stay in the inner four suburbs (arlington, alexandria, falls church, annandale), your community is going to be pretty diverse, and with a very few exceptions, extremely safe.

if you plan to live and work in va, i personally would go the car route. for some reason, metro commutes within va are really long (and car insurance is super cheap here).

Answer 5

I highly recommend Columbia Heights/ Mt Pleasant area it is in the middle of the city and has great access to Metro. (Green and Yellow Line) It is similar to the Symphony Hall area in Boston.

Answer 6

Hate to break it to you, but NOVA (northern VA) is expensive everywhere you go.
Go to rent.com or apartments.com and it will give you a general idea of prices. You can type in what amenities you want, the more/less you check off, the nicer/not so nice of a place it will be, therefore giving you an idea of the kind of neighborhood you'll be in.

Answer 7

I would try move to Baltimore MD. There's this excellent housing condo in Druid Park that's only about 400 a month. You would love it there! Nice and Ghetto!

LOL

Answer 8

Annandale would be a good choice for you if Falls Church is too expensive.