Best DC Neighborhood For US

[Anonymous]

My mom used to live in DC decades ago (in the 80s). She was there about 8 years, and said back then there were 2, maybe 3 really desirable neighborhoods with the big two being DuPont Circle and Georgetown. A cousin who used to live in DC in the early 2000s told me about this board. She lived in Capitol Hill for 5 years and then had kids and moved back to her hometown in New Jersey. Beyond those anecdotes I don’t know anyone with personal experience, and those are far from recent.

I’m newly married, living in San Francisco, and we are planning to move to DC this summer. Here’s what we are looking for.

1. 3 BR with a max price around 2.3 million (remember we are coming from San Francisco. We’re used to high prices.)
2. Very walkable with restaurants, stores, services
3. Dog friendly
4. We will have one car but we are also used to looking around for street parking so garage or parking pad not mandatory
5. We don’t want to be in a place where it’s just a bunch of singles or young people. We want to be able to grow our family and we think neighborhoods with people of all ages add to the experience
6. I am white, my husband is Asian, if that’s makes any difference although I can’t imagine that’s the case in a city like DC where there must be lots of couples who are not of the same race/ethnicity
7. One of us will be working in a building at the Wharf and the other at Georgetown University.

Where do you suggest we look?

[Anonymous]

Burleith/glover park or NW between Wisconsin and Connecticut Aves

[Anonymous]

What’s your tolerance level for crime and poverty?

[Anonymous]

Loan circle

[Anonymous]

It sort of sounds like you want to put down roots in this house. Would you like to use the public schools, or is that not a concern? I think your budget is healthy enough to find something nice that will meet your needs, fwiw.

[Anonymous]

Commuting to Georgetown main campus is a pain, so I would second Burleith, as well as Dupont and Logan Circles close enough for you to walk to catch the Circulator or bus to campus. Glover Park is lovely but getting to the Wharf from there would stink I think.

If the Georgetown job is at the law school campus, then that opens up more options. In that case, I'd probably live in the closer in parts of Capitol Hill.

You might also consider Mt. Pleasant if the Georgetown person will drive. It's a pretty easy shot down to the Wharf on the Green Line.

[Anonymous]

Georgetown.
Palisades
North Arlington near restaurants.

All three are very livable and you'll find something decent for your budget.

If Metro is a concern, North Arlington would be your best bet.

[Anonymous]

Capitol Hill would be fantastic, and if you’re in SE, proximity to the Orange/Blue lines would make commutes doable. Walkable, friendly, lots of families, lots of character. I find Georgetown and nearby neighborhoods (Burleith, Glover Park bland by comparison. Dupont Circle is lots of fun, too, and has more going for it than G’town. Both the Hill and Dupont will have less crime than some of the more central neighborhoods you might consider, like Logan Circle and Columbia Heights.

FWIW, I lived on the Hill for 8 years and absolutely loved it. Super walkable and lots going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom used to live in DC decades ago (in the 80s). She was there about 8 years, and said back then there were 2, maybe 3 really desirable neighborhoods with the big two being DuPont Circle and Georgetown. A cousin who used to live in DC in the early 2000s told me about this board. She lived in Capitol Hill for 5 years and then had kids and moved back to her hometown in New Jersey. Beyond those anecdotes I don’t know anyone with personal experience, and those are far from recent.

I’m newly married, living in San Francisco, and we are planning to move to DC this summer. Here’s what we are looking for.

1. 3 BR with a max price around 2.3 million (remember we are coming from San Francisco. We’re used to high prices.)
2. Very walkable with restaurants, stores, services
3. Dog friendly
4. We will have one car but we are also used to looking around for street parking so garage or parking pad not mandatory
5. We don’t want to be in a place where it’s just a bunch of singles or young people. We want to be able to grow our family and we think neighborhoods with people of all ages add to the experience
6. I am white, my husband is Asian, if that’s makes any difference although I can’t imagine that’s the case in a city like DC where there must be lots of couples who are not of the same race/ethnicity
7. One of us will be working in a building at the Wharf and the other at Georgetown University.

Where do you suggest we look?

Where are you going to work? Traffic is a consideration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom used to live in DC decades ago (in the 80s). She was there about 8 years, and said back then there were 2, maybe 3 really desirable neighborhoods with the big two being DuPont Circle and Georgetown. A cousin who used to live in DC in the early 2000s told me about this board. She lived in Capitol Hill for 5 years and then had kids and moved back to her hometown in New Jersey. Beyond those anecdotes I don’t know anyone with personal experience, and those are far from recent.

I’m newly married, living in San Francisco, and we are planning to move to DC this summer. Here’s what we are looking for.

1. 3 BR with a max price around 2.3 million (remember we are coming from San Francisco. We’re used to high prices.)
2. Very walkable with restaurants, stores, services
3. Dog friendly
4. We will have one car but we are also used to looking around for street parking so garage or parking pad not mandatory
5. We don’t want to be in a place where it’s just a bunch of singles or young people. We want to be able to grow our family and we think neighborhoods with people of all ages add to the experience
6. I am white, my husband is Asian, if that’s makes any difference although I can’t imagine that’s the case in a city like DC where there must be lots of couples who are not of the same race/ethnicity
7. One of us will be working in a building at the Wharf and the other at Georgetown University.

Where do you suggest we look?

Where are you going to work? Traffic is a consideration.

oops just saw your last point.

[Anonymous]

For more of a neighborhood that is kid friendly although slightly less walkable than some of the others with that budget you could look in Cleveland Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Commuting to Georgetown main campus is a pain, so I would second Burleith, as well as Dupont and Logan Circles close enough for you to walk to catch the Circulator or bus to campus. Glover Park is lovely but getting to the Wharf from there would stink I think.

If the Georgetown job is at the law school campus, then that opens up more options. In that case, I'd probably live in the closer in parts of Capitol Hill.

You might also consider Mt. Pleasant if the Georgetown person will drive. It's a pretty easy shot down to the Wharf on the Green Line.

This is an excellent point! OP, which Georgetown campus will you be at?

Also, find a good realtor who lives in DC- they will be helpful too.

[Anonymous]

OP- the nice thing about DC vs SF is that for 2.3 million you can get a lot more than a 3 bedroom, even in the best neighborhoods.

So you can save $500,000 to 1 million and get a nice 3 bedroom in a dense neighborhood (DuPont, Georgetown, Capital Hill, etc) or spend your full budget on a large house with a yard, etc. You have many options!! Could also think about parts of Virginia (probably Arlington) since you’re interested in Georgetown and Capitol Hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s your tolerance level for crime and poverty?

+1 don't buy in dc. I just moved out of one of the most expensive neighborhoods that was "walkable" etc and people were (I am not exaggerating) getting stabbed, held at gunpoint, cars jacked, and accosted by homeless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown.
Palisades
North Arlington near restaurants.

All three are very livable and you'll find something decent for your budget.

If Metro is a concern, North Arlington would be your best bet.

I agree all of these neighborhoods would be convenient. Amazon is headquartered in South Arlington now (HQ2). North Arlington along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor is dense and only getting denser. If you look there, keep in mind there are some developments in Rosslyn, Courthouse, and Clarendon that should be done in 5 years, with more to come. Ballston has the highest population density in the entire DMV (DC-Md-Va metro area). DC will always have gentrification but the neighborhoods can’t change as much as North Arlington bc DC has strict height limits for buildings. You might find this a plus or a minus.