Moving from DC to Old Town, Alexandria?

[Anonymous]

We made the exact move (with another stop in NW for a couple of years) and feel so lucky to have ended up in old town. It often feels like we’re on vacation. It’s more walkable than when we were in nw. One thing that I didn’t fully appreciate until I moved was how easy the city services were. People on nextdoor and Facebook complain but it’s a piece of cake to get any permits, reserved parking, report a tree down, etc. Heck I’ve even emailed the mayor and he wrote back in an hour. We had hellish experiences in dc w/ city services, could never get a reply from our anc rep, etc.

A lot of the hate and panic online is over crime in Braddock or Arlandria or Fairfax county parts of Alexandria. The rage on our neighborhood group is over the occasional stolen package or solicitor coming door to door. Old Town is wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crime rates are substantially lower in Alexandria than DC.

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/dc/washington/crime.amp

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/va/alexandria/crime.amp

Those sites have not been updated!!!!

Honestly I looked at a handful of websites that similarly said DC had more crime per capita than Alexandria and I just chose one.

Why don’t you provide evidence that there’s more crime in Alexandria than DC?

[Anonymous]

We’re a different couple than OP, also from DC for the past 10+ years, looking at renting a condo near Old Town, also to keep our commutes comparable but get away from the crime and general shenanigans in DC, dysfunctional city services, unresponsive police, lack of any care of QOL problems, inability to buy many cars to replace our beater because of rampant theft of the whole car or its wheels or catalytic, disinvestment in our local grocery likely due to theft, etc. We’d pay $500/mo less income tax (and have one crappy car) in VA than DC, but we’d pay $500/mo higher rent for a place that’s also 50% bigger, though we don’t entirely NEED the extra space.

Condo we’re eyeing is at Pitt and Madison. It’d be a long term lease (several years). It looks like there’s not just the public housing around Braddock Metro but also a couple blocks south of the condo. I’m concerned about walking home alone at night from Braddock or dealing with car break ins. We wouldn’t have garage parking. Am I making a mistake? Should we pass on OTN and look only further south in Old Town? Should we just go to Crystal City or Rosslyn? I just want some peace without moving out to Reston.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re a different couple than OP, also from DC for the past 10+ years, looking at renting a condo near Old Town, also to keep our commutes comparable but get away from the crime and general shenanigans in DC, dysfunctional city services, unresponsive police, lack of any care of QOL problems, inability to buy many cars to replace our beater because of rampant theft of the whole car or its wheels or catalytic, disinvestment in our local grocery likely due to theft, etc. We’d pay $500/mo less income tax (and have one crappy car) in VA than DC, but we’d pay $500/mo higher rent for a place that’s also 50% bigger, though we don’t entirely NEED the extra space.

Condo we’re eyeing is at Pitt and Madison. It’d be a long term lease (several years). It looks like there’s not just the public housing around Braddock Metro but also a couple blocks south of the condo. I’m concerned about walking home alone at night from Braddock or dealing with car break ins. We wouldn’t have garage parking. Am I making a mistake? Should we pass on OTN and look only further south in Old Town? Should we just go to Crystal City or Rosslyn? I just want some peace without moving out to Reston.

I would not make that walk. Someone attempted to kidnap a child and showed her his erect p*?!s in south old town just two weeks ago. But for indictments in PW county for indecent liberties with a child, he would have walked away with a misdemeanor citation. I live near the machete wielding man who got shot location of the city. Four shootings in the last 4 months close enough for use to hear gunshots. My kid won’t ride the city bus because he was almost assaulted by mob a month before his friend was actually assaulted. Old town is great, but moving there to flee crime is not necessarily reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old town has issues due to public housing, but it is way better from a crime standpoint than DC. No homeless everywhere, and less carjackings and shootings.

wrong.

Certainly less than DC and parts of MD.

NOPE!

Shouting something doesn’t make it true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Four shootings in the last 4 months close enough for use to hear gunshots.

So you're saying there'd be 4x fewer shootings close enough to hear than where I live now in DC for the same after-tax cost with 400 fewer square feet! Sincere thank you for your input. I am concerned about the walk home from metro most of all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old Town is great, and convenient for the points you mentioned. I would try to stay as close to the river as possible or actually south of King Street. There is definitely crime, and a lot of it happens around the Braddock Road metro.

I work in McPherson Square and the 11Y bus goes straight up the parkway to McPherson Square. Of course you could also take the metro but I find this more convenient.

North of king is the restaurants and shopping that cater towards residents and not tourists

Interestingly, one can walk to north of King from south of king pretty easily…(NP)

[Anonymous]

Following this thread as I’m also considering a move to Old Town, but less concerned with crime as it compares to DC. Found this site helpful to get a perspective on crime in different parts of the City of Alexandria.

https://apps.alexandriava.gov/CrimeReport/

[Anonymous]

The mayor is turning Old Town into Seattle. Crime is way way up and personal property rights are being restricted as we speak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re a different couple than OP, also from DC for the past 10+ years, looking at renting a condo near Old Town, also to keep our commutes comparable but get away from the crime and general shenanigans in DC, dysfunctional city services, unresponsive police, lack of any care of QOL problems, inability to buy many cars to replace our beater because of rampant theft of the whole car or its wheels or catalytic, disinvestment in our local grocery likely due to theft, etc. We’d pay $500/mo less income tax (and have one crappy car) in VA than DC, but we’d pay $500/mo higher rent for a place that’s also 50% bigger, though we don’t entirely NEED the extra space.

Condo we’re eyeing is at Pitt and Madison. It’d be a long term lease (several years). It looks like there’s not just the public housing around Braddock Metro but also a couple blocks south of the condo. I’m concerned about walking home alone at night from Braddock or dealing with car break ins. We wouldn’t have garage parking. Am I making a mistake? Should we pass on OTN and look only further south in Old Town? Should we just go to Crystal City or Rosslyn? I just want some peace without moving out to Reston.

I would not make that walk. Someone attempted to kidnap a child and showed her his erect p*?!s in south old town just two weeks ago. But for indictments in PW county for indecent liberties with a child, he would have walked away with a misdemeanor citation. I live near the machete wielding man who got shot location of the city. Four shootings in the last 4 months close enough for use to hear gunshots. My kid won’t ride the city bus because he was almost assaulted by mob a month before his friend was actually assaulted. Old town is great, but moving there to flee crime is not necessarily reality.

OP doesn't have children though and won't have to worry about schools or their kids getting jumped. Old Town is amazing if you don't have children as rich childless couples and poor families are Alexandria's preferred demographics.

OP, go hang around Old Town at the bars/restaurants and you will see it's all couples having a good time then going home at midnight. We moved from DC to Old Town and loved it except for all the eye rolling we have to do when couples with young kids complain about the schools. It's not like the terrible school system isn't public knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Following this thread as I’m also considering a move to Old Town, but less concerned with crime as it compares to DC. Found this site helpful to get a perspective on crime in different parts of the City of Alexandria.

https://apps.alexandriava.gov/CrimeReport/

Yeah I see two stolen auto reports on this for the 800 block of N Pitt from just this summer. I really don’t want to lock myself into a 3 year lease of more of the same problems as DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of pearl clutching on this thread.

Are you the same poster that cites "pearl clutching" every time that you disagree with someone on the Real Estate Forum? Instead of criticizing someone as "peal clutching," you might be more persuasive if you explain why you disagree with the person?

+1. I suspect that poster is fearful of real estate value declines due to crime. I had two carjackings within a half block of my house in DC and was accused of being a “pearl clutcher” for wanting to move.