Moving to DC. Which neighborhoods should we look at?

[Anonymous]

mount pleasant...west of 17th st

[Anonymous]

Arlington... its progressive and crunchy, and people are really nice here.

[Anonymous]

If apartments are fine, I suggest the Connecticut Ave corridor in NW DC. Woodley/Cleveland Park and northwards meet your criteria, though it is not a particularly crunchy area. You'd also have to be ok with buses above Van Ness. The only really crunchy area I'm aware of is Takoma Park, but I know it only by reputation, so who knows?

[Anonymous]

How about Glover Park? Not as crunchy as Portland - but very walkable.

If would also look at Mt. Pleasant - I think you could find a 2BR apt in that range.


If you are going to live in DC - and your child turns 3 before sept 30th, 2013, you can look into free PreS through DC public schools / DC public charter schools. There are a lot of nice programs throughout the city.

[Anonymous]

Also D.C has great coop preschool organized by parks and recreation. Programs are part-time, play based and cheap!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arlington... its progressive and crunchy, and people are really nice here.

Progressive to an extent. Definitely not crunchy. There are a lot of Republicans in Arlington, even if the the local politicians are all democrats.

[Anonymous]

Capitol Hill near Eastern Market is very crunchy granola.

[Anonymous]

I would look at the Mt. Pleasant area. Loads of families, good community vibe, and more space for your money. NW DC is much more preppy.

[Anonymous]

You can tell that our suburban friends have all lost power. The majority if posts are recommending DC neighborhoods and we don't have the usual DC neighborhood crap talk. I hope that everyone is okay, but it is also pretty nice to have a less hostile thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capitol Hill near Eastern Market is very crunchy granola.

Yes, but 2500 is a stretch there. I agree with the above Mount Pleasant shout outs. There's also Columbia Heights, but I'm not sure how many rentals they have. The thing about Arlington is that it has TONS of apartment buildings. They're boring, but convenient and easy. You could start with a simple rental there with low level commitment, and then find your ideal neighborhood once you're here.

[Anonymous]

I live on NE Capitol Hill and find it a wonderful community. You should come check it out. But I think Takoma Park is probably crunchier.

I agree that Eastern Market would be great, but that it's probably outside your price range.

[Anonymous]

Takoma Park, Columbia Heights, Mt. Pleasant, and Glover Park are all good bets. You should be able to find an apartment or small rowhouse in any of these places.

[Anonymous]

I think that you would like Acorn Hill Waldorf School in SIlver Spring http://acornhill.org/ With this school you could live in downtown SS so that DH could walk to Metro or live in Takoma Park which would much more Portland-ish but probably not so Metro convenient.

You would also like Potomac Crescent Waldorf School http://www.potomaccrescentschool.org/about-pcws/ and live in Del Ray in Alexandria, VA. Actually, you would probably be happiest with this set-up! http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/del_ray_virginias_small_town_near_the_big_city/2903.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I will be moving to DC for a temporary job rotation (1-2 years) next spring. We have a son who will be 2 when we move. We live in Portland, OR and love it here. My hubs will be working close to the White House. I would like to start researching places to live but have no idea where to even begin. We need 2 bedrooms and our budget will be around $2500/month. Ideally I'd like somewhere that doesn't feel to suburb-y, has a good commute downtown (preferably using public transit), is family friendly, and has the right "feel". We are a semi-crunchy family (home birth, extended nursing etc) and I would like to be around like minded but laid back families. Parks and access to quality food (farmers markets and the like) are important too. Basically, I'd like to find somewhere like Portland! Does a place like this exist? If it does, could we even afford it?

This sounds so like Capitol Hill--especially the northeast/H Street part. Tons of young families, v. crunchy, lots of parks, and several good preschool options (some public, some private). 2500 might even get you a little rowhouse. Let me see if I can find any.

Oh, and my sister lives in and loves Portland. So I know what people love about it, and I think you can find a neighborhood in DC that won't make you miserable!

17:28 here. A rowhouse in your price range will likely be on a block you'd prefer to avoid. Although I'd personally stay at least a few blocks south of the H Street corridor, so my perspective is different than PP's.

And please don't let me scare you off of Capitol Hill! It's a really neat neighborhood, and sounds a lot like what you're looking for! We live here (a few blocks from the Potomac Ave Metro stop), and love it!

Tell the truth about the Hill's very serious underlying problem. This is a young family with a 2 year old and they are asking for honest opinions and deserve more than "I love it".

[Anonymous]

Takoma Park, MD near the Metro.