Which DC neighborhood is right for my growing family?

[Anonymous]

Currently live in Columbia Heights with a 1 year old, a dog, and another one soon.

Looking to move within the district for the following reasons:
- need more space
- crime makes me feel like I can’t be totally at ease roaming with the kids

Our budget is 1.6M, we want good schools, parks and to build a sense of community. Most of my friends are on the West Coast, so can get lonely sometimes.

Currently we are looking pretty strongly at CCDC - we loved the vibe of young families around Lafayette Park, and that it can still be walkable to some restaurants etc.

Any other suggestions, or reasons CCDC may not really be what we want?

[Anonymous]

OP -
I should note also that we are fairly liberal and a multiracial family.

[Anonymous]

You really can’t go wrong with Ward 3. Your budget can get you something nice there, most likely a townhouse by van ness or a house in palisades. Otherwise, Shepherd park is nice and safe. I’d avoid anywhere else in the city.

[Anonymous]

Can’t go wrong with CCDC. Only downside is how expensive it’s gotten. Most of the families have made a similar move.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you don’t prioritize metro access and are ok with driving everyday? We wanted metro and walkability, so that’s how we narrowed down our search in Ward 3. Parts of CCDC are very isolated/ surburban. Our preferences also cut out Glover Park and most of AU Park. There’s a neighborhood in CC between the FH metro and Connecticut Ave that’s very nice and walkable (right by the playground), but there’s limited turnover. We ended up closer to Tenleytown.

[Anonymous]

We didn't want to do CC when we bought several years ago because of the NIMBY/ redlining reputation (all of Ward 3 has these issues, but CC is infamous). BUT the historic district thing was basically defeated last week, so things seem to be getting better? https://www.historicchevychasedc.org/historic-district-campaign-2006-2008/hccdc-board-of-directors-elects-not-to-support-historic-district-application/ Although I'm not on the listserv, so there may be other annoying things going on there. We like going up to the playground and some of the businesses on Connecticut.

[Anonymous]

I would not call area around Connecticut Ave safe anymore…

[Anonymous]

Redlining in CC?? I think you are confusing terms. I think you mean covenant's. But I would dismiss a nice neighborhood for something that was put in place over 100 years ago, was outlawed and no current resident had anything to do with.

[Anonymous]

None of the schools are that great once you get to high school and Deal pretty crowded. Keep in mind that lack of school buses in DC may mean more driving for you depending on where schools are and where you live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Redlining in CC?? I think you are confusing terms. I think you mean covenant's. But I would dismiss a nice neighborhood for something that was put in place over 100 years ago, was outlawed and no current resident had anything to do with.

I’m from CC. It’s a nice place to live, but the reality is the legacy of its racist/exclusionary past is the reason people want to live there. People don’t pay a premium for Lafayette because it’s so different, they pay a premium because it has fewer poor kids and more wealthy kids.

I mean this is true of most places with “good schools” and “low crime” and I don’t have a solution, but I do think it’s sort of more top of mind in CC in an annoying way. The liberal yard signs really are irritating in a place where the racial diversity quadruples every morning when the worker class arrives. The park is big and beautiful, but you can’t forget it is there because they had to eminent domain out the Black families, especially if you go on a weekday morning to the tot section where there are undeniable British Colony vibes. Maybe it’s just because it’s my home town, idk.

[Anonymous]

Been in CCDC almost 5 years, no british colony vibes. Then again, my DC's nanny who was an African immigrant, so maybe I was one of the "colonizers". LOL.

Seriously though, it is a wonderful place for kids to grow up. Tons of families, dogs. I like that we can walk 3 blocks to school and it is very safe. Neighbors are kind. People take care of their homes and yards.

[Anonymous]

Moved to CCDC for the same reasons and we love it here. We are in a walkable part so it's really the best of both worlds. Nice to see lots of elementary age kids riding bikes and getting slushies at Broad Branch market by themselves. I wouldn't have felt comfortable letting my kids walk around by themselves at that age in our old neighborhood. I will say it is much less diverse than Columbia Heights so that will seem weird. It's also a much older neighborhood, with what seems to be a large percentage of retired people. So it's not the same high energy vibe as a more urban neighborhood. It's definitely the surburbs and gets very sleepy at night. Definitely check out the area and walk around, go into the shops, etc. I find it to be very livable here. The stretch of shops on CT Ave isn't big, but has a lot of things that are useful to a parent--a few restaurants, post office, UPS, Avalon Theater, toy store, bike store, pretty much every bank branch for some reason, Safeway, Magruders, etc. I am also hopeful that with the Friendship Heights redevelopment that we'll get more to walk to there as well. (Trader Joe's is supposed to be coming there.) Good luck with your search!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Been in CCDC almost 5 years, no british colony vibes. Then again, my DC's nanny who was an African immigrant, so maybe I was one of the "colonizers". LOL.

Seriously though, it is a wonderful place for kids to grow up. Tons of families, dogs. I like that we can walk 3 blocks to school and it is very safe. Neighbors are kind. People take care of their homes and yards.

Yeah that’s what I meant, especially if you also have a Hispanic yard crew. There’s obviously nothing wrong with having an immigrant nanny or a Hispanic yard crew but it’s hard not to notice and think about all the stuff in play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Been in CCDC almost 5 years, no british colony vibes. Then again, my DC's nanny who was an African immigrant, so maybe I was one of the "colonizers". LOL.

Seriously though, it is a wonderful place for kids to grow up. Tons of families, dogs. I like that we can walk 3 blocks to school and it is very safe. Neighbors are kind. People take care of their homes and yards.

Yeah that’s what I meant, especially if you also have a Hispanic yard crew. There’s obviously nothing wrong with having an immigrant nanny or a Hispanic yard crew but it’s hard not to notice and think about all the stuff in play.

Is this just an internet trope or does it exist in real life - people who make decisions like housing based on the optics of racial equity and virtue signaling? No one I have ever met in real life thinks and acts like this : hmm I can afford to live in a beautiful safe neighborhood with good schools, but gosh because of the underlying structural issues that led to this neighborhood being so nice (and thereby frequently not very diverse), let me prioritize feeling virtuous over the needs of my family and instead buy or live in a more diverse neighborhood!

Does anyone know a real person from real life, not an internet poster, who behaved this way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Been in CCDC almost 5 years, no british colony vibes. Then again, my DC's nanny who was an African immigrant, so maybe I was one of the "colonizers". LOL.

Seriously though, it is a wonderful place for kids to grow up. Tons of families, dogs. I like that we can walk 3 blocks to school and it is very safe. Neighbors are kind. People take care of their homes and yards.

Yeah that’s what I meant, especially if you also have a Hispanic yard crew. There’s obviously nothing wrong with having an immigrant nanny or a Hispanic yard crew but it’s hard not to notice and think about all the stuff in play.

Is this just an internet trope or does it exist in real life - people who make decisions like housing based on the optics of racial equity and virtue signaling? No one I have ever met in real life thinks and acts like this : hmm I can afford to live in a beautiful safe neighborhood with good schools, but gosh because of the underlying structural issues that led to this neighborhood being so nice (and thereby frequently not very diverse), let me prioritize feeling virtuous over the needs of my family and instead buy or live in a more diverse neighborhood!

Does anyone know a real person from real life, not an internet poster, who behaved this way?

Sure--anyone who picked mt pleasant could live in Barnaby woods and chose not to.