Columbia Heights with Kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s be clear - it’s varying degrees of shooty being discussed here op. Petworth still has a LOT of shootings - so many that we moved out once we had kids and many of our friends there are planning their exit. You need to be really comfort with gun crime if your living in Columbia heights or petworth.

If you can afford Columbia Heights then you can afford 16th St Heights, which has very few shootings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're in Columbia Heights with a one year old and one on the way and we LOVE it. You can't throw a rock without hitting a playground - the Girard St playground in particular we really love, but there are literally three others just a few blocks from our house. There's also Meridian Hill Park, which doesn't have a playground, but is such a great scene - always tons of people out in nice weather, musicians, picnics, a real community vibe. Plenty of grocery stores, I think, but we're lazy so we just get our groceries delivered. It's very walkable - we don't have a car and it's great - tons of bus lines and the metro is right here, plus really everything you need is in walking distance. It's also one of the few truly diverse parts of DC - racially and economically. Yes, crime is a bit higher here than in the rest of NW DC, but we feel perfectly safe walking around, with or without our kid, after dark (although now that it's summer he's in bed before dark!) People are friendly.

And, while certainly, people are free to make their own determinations about safety and their own comfort level, I would keep in mind that while this website is called "DC Urban Moms" it has a large suburban contingent, and skews rather wealthy, and that may impact the responses you get on threads like these.

I second this post. We were in Adams Morgan and now are in Columbia Heights/Petworth area (13th and Quebec) and we love this area. Plenty of streetlights at night and I haven't felt unsafe. It's city living, so you have to be aware of your surroundings, etc. and yes, crime has been on the rise particular in 2020, but I wouldn't pay attention to the fearmongering on this thread. (Although different people have different risk tolerances, which is fine!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're in Columbia Heights with a one year old and one on the way and we LOVE it. You can't throw a rock without hitting a playground - the Girard St playground in particular we really love, but there are literally three others just a few blocks from our house. There's also Meridian Hill Park, which doesn't have a playground, but is such a great scene - always tons of people out in nice weather, musicians, picnics, a real community vibe. Plenty of grocery stores, I think, but we're lazy so we just get our groceries delivered. It's very walkable - we don't have a car and it's great - tons of bus lines and the metro is right here, plus really everything you need is in walking distance. It's also one of the few truly diverse parts of DC - racially and economically. Yes, crime is a bit higher here than in the rest of NW DC, but we feel perfectly safe walking around, with or without our kid, after dark (although now that it's summer he's in bed before dark!) People are friendly.

And, while certainly, people are free to make their own determinations about safety and their own comfort level, I would keep in mind that while this website is called "DC Urban Moms" it has a large suburban contingent, and skews rather wealthy, and that may impact the responses you get on threads like these.

I second this post. We were in Adams Morgan and now are in Columbia Heights/Petworth area (13th and Quebec) and we love this area. Plenty of streetlights at night and I haven't felt unsafe. It's city living, so you have to be aware of your surroundings, etc. and yes, crime has been on the rise particular in 2020, but I wouldn't pay attention to the fearmongering on this thread. (Although different people have different risk tolerances, which is fine!)

If you acknowledge crime has been rising (ignoring that it isn't limited to 2020) and recognize that different people have different risk tolerances, why do you nonetheless decry anyone who is raising concerns about safety as "fearmongering"?

[Anonymous]

Where are you moving from OP? What's your life like now?

[Anonymous]

Which is why OP should go to the MPD crime map and judge for herself. Btw, I live in Adams Morgan, and I feel safer there than in CH. Not suburban, either.

[Anonymous]

LOVE Columbia Heights. That said we moved when our kids were younger to WOTP for schools and just more outdoor space. We lived on a busy street and I couldn't imagine letting my kids run around by themselves until they go older - lots of traffic, lots of drunks who didn't understand boundaries with kids, the drug dealers were actually my favorite - they always tried to be so polite - didn't want anyone messing up their business.

I would do Mt. Pleasant or Petwork or Crestwood or 16 St Heights if you want that area. There is a ton to do in Columbia Heights - but not enough green space or room to breath sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Just do yourself a favor and search the sex offender map wherever you move. I'm not sure about all of DC but I had thought about moving to Columbia Heights and/or U Street area and the map is literally littered with rapists and molesters

[Anonymous]

FYI For Mt. Pleasant, Crestwood and 16th Street Heights you need at least $1.5m to buy a place - this board skews suburban AND wealthy. There is more affordability in CH, Park View and Petworth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FYI For Mt. Pleasant, Crestwood and 16th Street Heights you need at least $1.5m to buy a place - this board skews suburban AND wealthy. There is more affordability in CH, Park View and Petworth.

$1.5M will get you a large nicely renovated house with a yard and separate 2BR rental unit in 16th St Heights. Prices are crazy but not that crazy*.




*yet. I’m probably going to eat this post in 6 months when that’s the price for a fixer-upper, ugh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI For Mt. Pleasant, Crestwood and 16th Street Heights you need at least $1.5m to buy a place - this board skews suburban AND wealthy. There is more affordability in CH, Park View and Petworth.

$1.5M will get you a large nicely renovated house with a yard and separate 2BR rental unit in 16th St Heights. Prices are crazy but not that crazy*.




*yet. I’m probably going to eat this post in 6 months when that’s the price for a fixer-upper, ugh

You are at least two weeks behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI For Mt. Pleasant, Crestwood and 16th Street Heights you need at least $1.5m to buy a place - this board skews suburban AND wealthy. There is more affordability in CH, Park View and Petworth.

$1.5M will get you a large nicely renovated house with a yard and separate 2BR rental unit in 16th St Heights. Prices are crazy but not that crazy*.




*yet. I’m probably going to eat this post in 6 months when that’s the price for a fixer-upper, ugh

You are at least two weeks behind.

I just checked Redfin and there are plenty of places that recently sold well below $1.5M

[Anonymous]

If you go into it willing to accept the following:

-- You'll be living very close to a lot of entrenched subsidized housing.
-- You are likely to encounter crime, some of it violent.
-- You are moving into the most densely populated area of DC.

You'll probably be okay.

As for grocery stores, my experiences with that Giant have been almost universally negative, but there are better options not far away and there's also delivery.

[Anonymous]

Lots of homeless, mentally ill, and open air deunkenness and drugging. I live in another urban area (Shaw) with kids and have lived here for 15 years with kids. Still id recommend against CH and go where others are recommending. petwirth, and mount pleasant, 16th street heights, adams morgan in particular are good optiond.

[Anonymous]

I think it's fine with young kids, but as they get older it gets trickier. I'm not sure how the schools are in CH. I'm in Logan Circle and have been driving my kids around to private schools for many years now. I'm considering moving just for that reason. I could do public up to middle school but after that it's a hard no. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're in Columbia Heights with a one year old and one on the way and we LOVE it. You can't throw a rock without hitting a playground - the Girard St playground in particular we really love, but there are literally three others just a few blocks from our house. There's also Meridian Hill Park, which doesn't have a playground, but is such a great scene - always tons of people out in nice weather, musicians, picnics, a real community vibe. Plenty of grocery stores, I think, but we're lazy so we just get our groceries delivered. It's very walkable - we don't have a car and it's great - tons of bus lines and the metro is right here, plus really everything you need is in walking distance. It's also one of the few truly diverse parts of DC - racially and economically. Yes, crime is a bit higher here than in the rest of NW DC, but we feel perfectly safe walking around, with or without our kid, after dark (although now that it's summer he's in bed before dark!) People are friendly.

And, while certainly, people are free to make their own determinations about safety and their own comfort level, I would keep in mind that while this website is called "DC Urban Moms" it has a large suburban contingent, and skews rather wealthy, and that may impact the responses you get on threads like these.

This website also has a lot of people who have lived in Columbia Heights and then moved from Columbia Heights, sometimes to the suburbs but often also to other parts of DC (not just UNW), once they have kids.

Maybe. But they mostly moved away because they think the schools are too brown for their kids, not because of "crime."