Moving to DC. Which neighborhoods should we look at?
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Anonymous
| 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? |
Anonymous
| OP here... another consideration is preschool options for next fall, when my son is 2.5. Something part time, play based, Montessori or Waldorf leaning, and in the neighborhood that we end up moving to. |
Anonymous
|
You might not get a lot of helpful answers today due to the storm.
But, House or apt? $2500 isn't a great deal to work with here. |
Anonymous
| There really isn't any place like Portland here...but there are like-minded people in most communities. You will just need to seek them out. I think you'll likely need to look at apartments with your budget. |
Anonymous
| OP again. Apartments are fine. Might even be preferable, since apartments can be closer to shops and activities and such. It all depends on the neighborhood. |
Anonymous
|
Id say Arlington, Takoma Park or close in Silver Spring. If you want to live IN DC, then look at the NW quadrent of the city.
ex: silver spring, takoma and NW/DC http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/apa/3347297337.html http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/apa/3357142452.html http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/apa/3371367135.html |
Anonymous
I'd look in Shepherd Park or Brookland. The Palisades would be great too, but pretty expensive. |
Anonymous
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! |
Anonymous
|
for crunchy in DC, I'd go with Brookland, Petworth, Mt. Pleasant, or Takoma (all of which have public preschool for 3 year olds, should you want it!). In Maryland, look into Takoma Park, College Park, and Mt. Ranier.
In Virginia, maybe Del Ray? |
Anonymous
|
You should also look into Capitol Hill. You can get a 2-bedroom apartment close to the Metro (Potomac Ave, Eastern Market, both an easy commute to the White House) in your range. It's walkable, extremely family-friendly, and has more than its fair share of granola-crunchy types. It's also a "transitional" neighborhood, though, so be advised. If you do look in Capitol Hill, I would personally stay west of 15th St., north of G St., SE (if you're east of 8th St.), and south of F St., NE. Capitol Hill has a really vibrant community of families and a very active listserv (Moms on the Hill).
As another PP mentioned, Takoma Park is another great option to fit your needs. Takoma Park is a city in MD and a neighborhood in DC. The DC neighborhood is also "transitional," so do your research on location before you rent an apartment there! And please realize that "transitional" in DC means a lot of tension around race and socioeconomic differences, more so than in other places (my reference point for that is Chicago). And be prepared for sticker shock! This area is INSANELY expensive! |
Anonymous
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! |
Anonymous
|
We rent the top two floors of our rowhouse inside 10th and half a block north of East Capitol for $2,400. It's 2BR/2BA -- plenty of room for OP.
Look on Craigslist, OP. But be ready to act fast. |
Anonymous
| Hyatsville, pg county |
Anonymous
| OP, there an area in arlington that is convenient and fit everything you're looking for. I will be moving there next summer for 1-2 year too. I've lived in that area before and find it the best landing pad for someone moving with a family to DC for the first time. Send me an email offline where I can send you info on rentable places. I am from your neck of woods too. |
Anonymous
| In DC, you could get free preschool |