A good area in DC for a young college grad to live???

[Anonymous]

Cleveland Park - Quebec House
U Street area
Woodley Park
Dupont
Foggy Bottom

Would not do Petworth - not enough going on at night and too sketchy in my book. Wouldn't do Columbia Heights or Mt. Pleasant either for safety reasons.

Adams Morgan is too traffic-clogged and the main drag is all torn up with construction. No-one goes out there anymore.

[Anonymous]

Ballston area of Arlington is home to many, many 20 somethings.

[Anonymous]

if it were me I'd look in Logan or else Clarendon/Courthouse.

[Anonymous]

Georgetown, really? Soooooo tired...

Columbia Heights and H St. NE. That's where the cool kids play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of young people now live in Arlington as per my young professional relatives.

I moved to DuPont Circle when I first moved here right out of school, but I work with lots of young people, and they seem to all live in Arlington (specifically Clarendon/Courthouse). The young married couples all live on the Hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of young people now live in Arlington as per my young professional relatives.

I moved to DuPont Circle when I first moved here right out of school, but I work with lots of young people, and they seem to all live in Arlington (specifically Clarendon/Courthouse). The young married couples all live on the Hill.

I work with lots of young people, too-- either graduate students or recents MAs and PhDs. Many of them do indeed live in Arlington, with Silver Spring a close second, but most are rather disappointed about that. They certainly feel like they've settled because outside of group homes, housing prices in the District are prohibitive for them. (Then again, we're in a poorly compensated profession...)

[Anonymous]

If he can afford it, Logan/Dupont/Shaw/U St. is the best location for the 20-somethings. It is a PITA to get downtown from Arlington/Clarendon/CTH but if he can't afford downtown, Clarendon is not a bad alternative. Silver Spring is insane and the Hill is for early 30-somethings unless you are a staffer.

[Anonymous]

PP here -- it is perfectly safe in Logan/Dupont/Shaw/U St. if he has any sense whatsoever. We lived in Logan for many years and only moved to Friendship Heights when we had kids. By that time (several years ago) U St. was fine. Columbia Heights is slightly more dodgy but still safe. NE/NY Ave. is where he doesn't want to go. And the Hill, all my friends that have been held up were on the Hill.

[Anonymous]

Right out of college, I took dodgy. Columbia heights is a fantastic place to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My post-college age son lives in Glover Park and loves it. Mix of 20 somethings, families and seniors. Safe, walk to bars, grocery stores, Georgetown,lots of greenery. No metro but bus to Dupont Circle is efficient and fast.

If he's fairly preppy and has a car (or even if he doesn't... there is Bike Share here), I second this. There are tons of twenty somethings in this neighborhood. They go out a lot on the Wisconsin Ave strip, at Town Hall, Bourbon, and other places. He can walk to Whole Foods and Safeway. Rent is a bit cheaper b/c of the lack of Metro but the D2 bus runs constantly. Plus it's a safe neighborhood. Great for running (GP abuts Glover Archbold Park, part of Rock Creek Park). Tons of people have dogs.

[Anonymous]

SW - a couple bars and restaurants, especially Cantina Marina, relatively affordable rent, and two metro stops from Penn Quarter.

[Anonymous]

I would choose someplace walkable to his work, as well as metro accessible. Walking to NoVA is not really in the cards if he's working downtown. If not walkable, then at least near a Metro. It's not convenient as a young person who socializes a lot to have to hail a cab to get home late a night.

If he works on the Hill, I'd live on the Hill.
If he works near Metro Center, the range of options expand: Dupont, Logan, Penn Quarter, U St., Columbia Heights, etc.

[Anonymous]

If it were me I'd choose Clarendon, Courthouse, or Ballston.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: It is a PITA to get downtown from Arlington/Clarendon/CTH but if he can't afford downtown, Clarendon is not a bad alternative.

??? Do you know where Clarendon or courthouse are? They are popular with 20 somethings precisely because they are so convenient to downtown. When I lived there I often rode my bike in, jogged on the bridge, and metro is only a couple stops. Also it's a social community. My friends living in dupont never met anyone in their buildings and would instead hang out with the Arlington crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It is a PITA to get downtown from Arlington/Clarendon/CTH but if he can't afford downtown, Clarendon is not a bad alternative.

??? Do you know where Clarendon or courthouse are? They are popular with 20 somethings precisely because they are so convenient to downtown. When I lived there I often rode my bike in, jogged on the bridge, and metro is only a couple stops. Also it's a social community. My friends living in dupont never met anyone in their buildings and would instead hang out with the Arlington crowd.

Why yes, of course I do. It is more convenient to walk ten minutes to work than to walk to Metro, ride it a couple of stops, then walk from Metro to work. Hence why Clarendon is not as awesome if you work downtown and your friend group generally goes out downtown.

I had a few friends that lived in Clarendon and they did it because it was cheaper and they found the inconvenience factor worth it. Clarendon is cute and fun but it takes half an hour to get downtown. Or at least it took me half an hour to get to their apartments from downtown, and I imagine the opposite is true as well.

I liked jogging on the Mall better than jogging across the bridge, better people-watching.