Would we regret moving to the DMV?

[Anonymous]

DC is a great happy medium between NYC and Philly and many, many lawyers have made the same decision/trajectory/move. If you are both in biglaw now and do a couple more years before shifting to in-house or fed, the housing budget issue will become less of a real constraint.

-PennLaw grad

[Anonymous]

NOVA is welcoming to transplants , specifically -if you are politically liberal and socially conservative and you should also be mainstream in views in general-think : NPR,CNN followers. I am not a lawyer but most of my neighbors are--they are from non profit ones (lower salary) to big law (making more). There is more acceptance of "where you are from family wise ie are your parents educated/rich/non-blue collar" (Philly has this) and more snobbery with "what your social and political views are" .There are a lot of social climbers types. There is less of an educated hipster/emo vibe than Philly has and more of a country club vibe.

Haddonfield has much nicer houses, sidewalks and a nicer downtown stretch than most of the NOVA suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds like you’ve done a good amount of research on housing costs, but less so on career paths for lawyers in your specific situation — i.e., lawyers wanting to move, whether in the shorter or longer term, from a big-firm investigations practice to either a government job or something else. You might want to post on the jobs forum to ask how someone like you or your spouse would find an exit path from a big firm. That could help you assess whether DC would actually offer better professional options than staying in Philadelphia.

You should also consider that many firm and agency jobs in DC involve a lot of travel. If you are trying to move here to avoid regular travel to NYC, be certain that you're not trading for another job with frequent travel.

On the positive side, the DC area is very friendly and you would find it easy to put down roots, especially since you are a young family. Many people are transplants. As others have said, the schools aren't as good as they used to be, but that might be true everywhere.

Did you say DC is very friendly?

DP and despite its reputation, I do think the DC area is relatively friendly, at least compared to NYC and Philly (and Boston). At least, pockets of it are. Maybe the more expensive areas are less friendly, but I tend to think they're still welcoming to the people who can afford them. It's not like you have to have grown up here for people to be friendly, which is the case in many parts of the country. People sort of expect you to be from somewhere else.

I’ve found it to be most unfriendly compared to other cities I’ve lived in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds like you’ve done a good amount of research on housing costs, but less so on career paths for lawyers in your specific situation — i.e., lawyers wanting to move, whether in the shorter or longer term, from a big-firm investigations practice to either a government job or something else. You might want to post on the jobs forum to ask how someone like you or your spouse would find an exit path from a big firm. That could help you assess whether DC would actually offer better professional options than staying in Philadelphia.

You should also consider that many firm and agency jobs in DC involve a lot of travel. If you are trying to move here to avoid regular travel to NYC, be certain that you're not trading for another job with frequent travel.

On the positive side, the DC area is very friendly and you would find it easy to put down roots, especially since you are a young family. Many people are transplants. As others have said, the schools aren't as good as they used to be, but that might be true everywhere.

Did you say DC is very friendly?

DP and despite its reputation, I do think the DC area is relatively friendly, at least compared to NYC and Philly (and Boston). At least, pockets of it are. Maybe the more expensive areas are less friendly, but I tend to think they're still welcoming to the people who can afford them. It's not like you have to have grown up here for people to be friendly, which is the case in many parts of the country. People sort of expect you to be from somewhere else.

I’ve found it to be most unfriendly compared to other cities I’ve lived in.

What other cities are you comparing it to? Compared to Chicago, yes, less friendly. Boston? More friendly, at least IME.

It also probably depends in part on the neighborhood. Our little corner of Silver Spring/Kensington is very friendly and welcoming.

[Anonymous]

Just on its own, without a comparison I wouldn’t describe DMV area as friendly.

[Anonymous]

I would do it if I were you OP. I always dreamed of living in DC (I have an "international" background) so I can't imagine preferring Philly over a city like DC. People are not exactly "nice," as I'm sure you noticed from all the sweet white ladies on this site, but they are interesting and highly educated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would do it if I were you OP. I always dreamed of living in DC (I have an "international" background) so I can't imagine preferring Philly over a city like DC. People are not exactly "nice," as I'm sure you noticed from all the sweet white ladies on this site, but they are interesting and highly educated.

Pot calling the kettle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would do it if I were you OP. I always dreamed of living in DC (I have an "international" background) so I can't imagine preferring Philly over a city like DC. People are not exactly "nice," as I'm sure you noticed from all the sweet white ladies on this site, but they are interesting and highly educated.

Here’s a perfect example of the unfriendly.

[Anonymous]

DC is great if you want to be a worker bee. It’s not a fun place to live. A lot of dual income families focused on work, visiting family not in the area, and educating kids. Never got the impression anyone wanted to have fun or enjoy life. Completely different vibe from NYC. Maybe the suburbs of DC are different. Seemed to me like a giant rat race but with bad housing stock and not a lot of joy.

[Anonymous]

Not sure what DC offers you that NY can’t. Mentioning that since you lived in NY. Both cities have a crime problem and long commutes. Ten years ago DC had way way cheaper real estate so the DC versus NY play could make sense. But now I’m not so sure.

[Anonymous]

DH and are are both lawyers, and we love living in the DMV. We live in the Bannockburn neighborhood of Bethesda. It’s an extremely friendly, welcoming community that attracts people who love trees and nature—it’s a short walk down to the towpath. I work at a Federal agency and love my job, and it has been perfect for work/life balance while raising kids. DH started out in BigLaw but left for a more entrepreneurial career. There are so many job opportunities for lawyer here.

The housing prices are ridiculous, but like a PP said, you should be fine on that front if one of you is willing to stay in the law firm job for a few years. I don’t really understand why people on here talk about how the schools in our area are going downhill. Our kids have had excellent experiences at Bannockburn, Pyle and Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what DC offers you that NY can’t. Mentioning that since you lived in NY. Both cities have a crime problem and long commutes. Ten years ago DC had way way cheaper real estate so the DC versus NY play could make sense. But now I’m not so sure.

OP - While I'm prepared for DC to be a more stressful and expensive place to live than Philly has been, I have the impression that it's an easier place to raise kids than NYC. Please let me know if I'm mistaken. We don't want to move to DC only to find ourselves dealing with the same issues that we left NYC to avoid.

Housing, while undoubtedly very expensive in DC, still seems less expensive than NYC. We cannot imagine buying real estate in NYC. It also seems like you get more space for what you pay in DC than in NYC. We're also just used to a slightly less urban lifestyle now. That may sound strange given that we live in central Philadelphia, but it's true. We have a car, a little bit of outdoor space, and a dog who would absolutely hate living in NYC. We enjoyed NYC and visit frequently, but we don't want to return.

The NYC burbs also are not appealing to us. It seems much easier to get into DC from the closer-in DC burbs than it is to get into NYC from NJ, LI or Westchester (unless you're near the PATH in NJ). In my (limited) experience, the DC area feels like an easier place to live and raise kids than the NYC. But again - please let me know if I'm off base here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what DC offers you that NY can’t. Mentioning that since you lived in NY. Both cities have a crime problem and long commutes. Ten years ago DC had way way cheaper real estate so the DC versus NY play could make sense. But now I’m not so sure.

OP - While I'm prepared for DC to be a more stressful and expensive place to live than Philly has been, I have the impression that it's an easier place to raise kids than NYC. Please let me know if I'm mistaken. We don't want to move to DC only to find ourselves dealing with the same issues that we left NYC to avoid.

Housing, while undoubtedly very expensive in DC, still seems less expensive than NYC. We cannot imagine buying real estate in NYC. It also seems like you get more space for what you pay in DC than in NYC. We're also just used to a slightly less urban lifestyle now. That may sound strange given that we live in central Philadelphia, but it's true. We have a car, a little bit of outdoor space, and a dog who would absolutely hate living in NYC. We enjoyed NYC and visit frequently, but we don't want to return.

The NYC burbs also are not appealing to us. It seems much easier to get into DC from the closer-in DC burbs than it is to get into NYC from NJ, LI or Westchester (unless you're near the PATH in NJ). In my (limited) experience, the DC area feels like an easier place to live and raise kids than the NYC. But again - please let me know if I'm off base here.

I’ve lived in both. Yes, living in DC (not the suburbs) is easier and less expensive than Manhattan. Definitely. But people flee to the burbs the same reason they leave manhattan - schools and space.

Are the DC burbs a very different lifestyle than the NYC burbs? I am not sure. I would prefer the NY burbs with better housing stock and proximity to beaches and skiing. Also the COL is very similar. It’s more a toss up when you compare the NY to DC burbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and are are both lawyers, and we love living in the DMV. We live in the Bannockburn neighborhood of Bethesda. It’s an extremely friendly, welcoming community that attracts people who love trees and nature—it’s a short walk down to the towpath. I work at a Federal agency and love my job, and it has been perfect for work/life balance while raising kids. DH started out in BigLaw but left for a more entrepreneurial career. There are so many job opportunities for lawyer here.

The housing prices are ridiculous, but like a PP said, you should be fine on that front if one of you is willing to stay in the law firm job for a few years. I don’t really understand why people on here talk about how the schools in our area are going downhill. Our kids have had excellent experiences at Bannockburn, Pyle and Whitman.

+1 We live in Wood Acres adjacent to the Bannockburn area. I was w DC office of NY firm, eventually with financial regulator. Non-lawyer spouse w non financial federal agency. Surrounded by interesting families from all over the world. To be clear, DC (DMV really) is a company town. Government. Think of a class of biglaw lawyers. 10 arrive, years later 1 makes partner and 1 of counsel. The others move to NW DC, close in Montgomery County, or close in NoVA with government jobs or in house or non-profit. Fun to work for Senate or House if you can get in there. The closer a home is to the White House/Capitol, the more it costs. Come on down, great career options for lawyers. Solid home prices in upper NW DC and close in Bethesda have some non random correlation to biglaw associate compensation.

[Anonymous]

I've left DC a few times, but always move back. There are SO many opportunities for lawyers here. I'm licensed, but don't practice at Big Law anymore. Now I am an executive at a large think tank. The thing I love about DC is that you can go to a nonprofit and make a living wage if you get tired of practicing. You can go into government, or corp. Choices everywhere.