Relo to DC area, seeking condo suggestions and/or opinions on living in DC vs. north Arlington?

[Anonymous]

Greetings,

We are moving to the DC area from the west coast and are seeking suggestions/opinions to help us make the move less stressful. We (spouses) both work and will be employed downtown, near the Federal Triangle/Metro Center area. We are not sure if we'll stay in the area more than 2-3 years, so we decided due to the volatile housing market that we would rent. We have two small children, 2 and 4.

We are considering living in DC to minimize commute time. Reading these forums it appears that north Arlington is also close-by and has many desirable qualities (good schools, etc). Our budget is in the $3500/mo range for housing. Would you offer suggestions on condo buildings to look for, or if we should lean towards NoVa over DC? My eyes are sore from trolling all the online apartment rental websites, and it's hard to find "the true story" behind an ad listing.

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to the responses.

[Anonymous]

Welcome! We're from the West Coast too, but we bought so can't really help you with rentals. IMHO, the choice between NoArlington and DC is really a personal one. It all depends on what you're willing to compromise and whether you prefer a more urban or suburban environment. FYI tho - there's a Spanish-English bilingual school in the district so if you want your DCs to have Spanish that's a good option. It's called Oyster.

I do want to warn you though, do NOT eat the Mexican food here. It's awful. Everyone will tell you to try this place or that place and they will all be a huge disappointment. The wine prices here are crazy too, especially for California, so stick with French and Spanish.

[Anonymous]

Some thoughts from someone who loves N Arlington, having lived here for several years...

It really depends where you are looking to commute to -- sometimes North Arlington will be a better commute to Metro Center, than the commute there from some parts of DC. It really depends what part of Washington, DC you are talking about. (I recommend checking out Google Maps trip planner- plug in the address and see transit times, or estimates of driving times.)

Schools aren't really an issue for you, but for the 4 year old- you will need a good elementary. DC public schools aren't always so bad for elementary, but many people try to live in the best public school districts, or try to get into a good charter school, rather than attend some of the sketchier DC schools. The schools in N Arlington are pretty much uniformly excellent.

There is also a Spanish immersion school in N Arlington, Key School.

If you're a runner or you like to exercise outdoors, North Arlington is much better - the downtown parts of Wash, DC are a concrete jungle, while the far away suburban parts (Upper NW) are mostly really far from transit and mostly not walkable. People like N Arlington because it has green space, but you can also walk to shops, restaurants, transit.

[Anonymous]

It sounds crazy - but you might want to have childcare influence your decision. IMO it is easier to get a daycare spot in Arlington than in DC - but this may not be a consideration for you if you plan on going the nanny route.

As a PP mentioned, your 4 YO will be eligible for DC Public Schools through the lottery process if they will be entering PreK next year. Every public school in N Arlington is great, there are a handful of good public schools in DC - but given your housing budget, you can definitely rent in-bounds for a desirable school.

The housing cooridor along the red line North of Dupont Circle will put you inbounds for Oyster (spanish bi-lingual), Eaton, Murch, Janney, some of the more talked about elementary schools in DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some thoughts from someone who loves N Arlington, having lived here for several years...

It really depends where you are looking to commute to -- sometimes North Arlington will be a better commute to Metro Center, than the commute there from some parts of DC. It really depends what part of Washington, DC you are talking about. (I recommend checking out Google Maps trip planner- plug in the address and see transit times, or estimates of driving times.)

Schools aren't really an issue for you, but for the 4 year old- you will need a good elementary. DC public schools aren't always so bad for elementary, but many people try to live in the best public school districts, or try to get into a good charter school, rather than attend some of the sketchier DC schools. The schools in N Arlington are pretty much uniformly excellent.

There is also a Spanish immersion school in N Arlington, Key School.

If you're a runner or you like to exercise outdoors, North Arlington is much better - the downtown parts of Wash, DC are a concrete jungle, while the far away suburban parts (Upper NW) are mostly really far from transit and mostly not walkable. People like N Arlington because it has green space, but you can also walk to shops, restaurants, transit.

Nope. Rock Creek Park is nicer than any place to run in North Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Obv. it's a very personal choice. However, at 4 y/o your older kid is already old enough for PK & your younger will be old enough for Pre-School soon (DC has free public PS fro 3 y/o if you win a lottery, lottery for PK as well). You might want to check out greatschools.org or the dc public school forum on this site to get an idea of what's out there (local schools vs charters).

I can't recommend a specific building, but maybe look into McLean Gardens or along CT Ave. There are lots of great condos all over DC if you're not worried about schools b/c you think you'll end up at a charter or private school.

I know nothing about the schools in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

I commute from North Arlington to Federal Triangle/ Metro Center and it is convenient. DC would be more convenient, but I'm in the area long-term so I went for the better/easier school options in North Arlington.

If I were looking in DC, I'd probably look for something on Capitol Hill near the Orange/blue line metro. (capitol south/eastern market.) Great walkable (charming) neighborhoods and a super-easy commute. Some of the elementary schools aren't bad, though daycare/preschool could be harder than in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you're a runner or you like to exercise outdoors, North Arlington is much better - the downtown parts of Wash, DC are a concrete jungle, while the far away suburban parts (Upper NW) are mostly really far from transit and mostly not walkable. People like N Arlington because it has green space, but you can also walk to shops, restaurants, transit.[/quote]

Nope. Rock Creek Park is nicer than any place to run in North Arlington.

And, the "concrete jungle" of downtown DC includes the Mall, the Monuments, the White House, and easy access to several beautiful bridges. One of the big reasons we choose to remain downtown is because we love running around here and would get so bored if we were just running through the suburbs looking at the same people's houses each day.

[Anonymous]

I think that PPs noting schools have it right on, and you should consider NOVA for daycare reasons. Daycares with year-round rolling admissions in DC for a 2 year old are HARD to get into. Preschools (with before/after care) for a 2 year old usually start in September, and if you are moving midyear it will be hard to get a spot. I think you will have more preschool options for your 4 year old (either public or private preschool).

[Anonymous]

We found N Arlington (Rosslyn-Ballston corridor) to be the perfect fit and best of both worlds. From a practical access perspective this corridor in N Arlington is as accessible to central DC (esp. Foggy Botttom, Farragut West and Metro Center)as the typical residential areas in DC. We are in to the city (esp. national mall area) almost every weekend, and it takes us less than 7-10 mins from Ballston via route 50 by car (it would take some of our friends in upper NW double or more than that to get to them same place). For what we pay we get a larger, newer place and the local services are vastly superior to DC, which makes a diff w/ kids.

I also always thought I wanted to be right at the center of DC, but I don't think I've lost out on an 'urban' lifestyle living in N Arlington....

[Anonymous]

In my personal opinion, N. Arlington is pretty ugly and lacking in the charm department. Hands down, I would choose a place in NWDC along the red line. Since you're not going to be here long enough to have to worry about middle school, schools won't be an issue in DC- the elementaries in NW along the red line are great. My answer would differ if your kids were older and you were going to need a good middle school. I really think you should come down for a weekend and visit both North Arlington and DC and see what you prefer.

[Anonymous]

The choice is very personal - and you can read tons of threads here from people who choose to live in the city and people who choose to live outside it. My husband and I both work in the city and live in a condo (own) a few blocks away. We walk to work, we walk to our daughters school and we spend lots of time outside in greenspace.

I have a neighborhood playgroup and a large group of "mom" friends. I can knock on many doors in my building and find friends. When I walk down my street, I almost always see people I know.

I'm not saying that you wouldn't get this in Alrington, but I LOVE living in downtown DC. Some of the parents that live downtown had set up a website for parents living in DC. Check it out for more information. http://downtowndckids.org/

It has informaton about daycare, schools and events. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Thank you to all who took the time to post here. After contacting many, many daycares both in DC and VA (and hearing how long the waiting lists are) we decided to see which would have an opening. As luck would have it, we were able to get into one of our top DC daycare choices (due to someone leaving) close to our work locations. So now that we know a) where we're going to work, and b) where the daycare is, we can focus on finding a place to live. We have found the "red-line" corridor to be very nice, and are leaning towards the Embassy Row area. Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my personal opinion, N. Arlington is pretty ugly and lacking in the charm department. Hands down, I would choose a place in NWDC along the red line. Since you're not going to be here long enough to have to worry about middle school, schools won't be an issue in DC- the elementaries in NW along the red line are great. My answer would differ if your kids were older and you were going to need a good middle school. I really think you should come down for a weekend and visit both North Arlington and DC and see what you prefer.

I totally agree with this - N. Arlington may be convenient but I just find it cold and unattractive compared to the historic beauty of DC (sorry N. Arlington people, not trying to be mean just my opinion). The red line neighborhoods in DC are so much prettier. I live in Dupont Circle and my child is in DC public schools at Ross Elementary and we've been very happy. I love my neighborhood and will hate having to leave in a few years (have to for more space and for middle schools eventually, I think). I love being walkable to restaurants and parks and if I were in your situation, I'd pick something near the Dupont Circle, Cleveland Park, or Woodley Park metros. There are lots of condos/ apartments in all three neighborhoods that you can afford on your budget and you'd have good elementary schools in most of them (but check the dcps sites in your zones before you pick). I also love Capitol Hill and there are TONS of families there. And there are a few good DCPS elementary schools for your kids but you'd want to make sure to rent in one of those zones. Not sure about condo buildings on the Hill, though - you'd probably be able to find a nice rowhouse to rent for that budget, though.

Good luck!