| What would make DC more appealing for young professionals? |
DC is not a young person's city, certainly not in the way that other cities are. Not much you can do to change that. |
| Lower taxes. Less crime. Better public transport. More green space. |
| But yet it is filled with younbg professionals. OP -- the premise of your question is off. There are plenty and nothing needs to be done. |
The first two are not relevant for young professionals. The last two might be. |
Why its not? Lots of young people dream of working and living on the Hill. |
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Affordable housing.
Affordable housing. Affordable housing. Affordable housing. Affordable housing. |
DC does not offer what other cities offer. Compared to other cities, DC is not that walkable, and DC is not at the top of young people's lists of where to locate after college. Working on the Hill is not that impressive to everybody - it only appeals to a certain personality. That type of personality is not appealing to most people. For example, OP - you are acting like DC is the be all and end all and why WOULDN'T young people want to be here?? That is exactly what turns people off, especially young people who have choices. |
Taxes are pretty low for young people. What do people make straight out of college these days? $60-$80K? |
| I don't agree with the premise at all. DC is very attractive to young professionals. |
I don’t get it either. Soooo many young professionals came here in the 90s and DC had less to offer than plenty of places, more to offer than some others. Also, crime in DC was high. Have the places that got built up downtown become less attractive? DC is big small “town” but some people around here seem to think it’s something more. Yes, it is the capital but apart from the Mall and national significance, it’s pretty meh. |
Taxes and fees are on par with MD and VA. The fact is, DC is a hugely popular destination for young people who graduate from college and work for consulting firms, law firms, the US government and global and national non-profits. I don't even really understand OP's question. Most major cities are popular with young people, DC is no different. |
Completely agreed. The suburbs offer nothing for young professionals. Unless you love sitting in traffic and forgettable strip mall after forgettable strip mall, that is. |
Sure, if you live in Chevy Chase DC by Rock Creek Park, it isn't very walkable. But then again, not many young people are living there. Where young people live - H Street, SW, Navy Yard, Shaw, NoMA (Eckington) and Ivy City, it is very walkable. The fact that you don't consider DC to be walkable mean either you live somewhere in the burbs, or simply are not familiar with the neighborhoods young people are migrating to. |
+1. If DC isn't walkable, what is walkable? |