Relocating to DC...what's life like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - just be aware that you'll find a lot of negativity not just in this forum, but in most of the forums here. Lots of troll-calling, name calling, sarcasm, "I'm smarter than you", "you're stupid" etc.,.

Don't let DCUM scare you, most of these people are harmless and just letting off steam due to the high stress of their lives.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, avoid the suburbs at all costs - most of the whiners and complainers about unfriendliness and traffic are people stuck in traffic hell.

Live in DC, have a short commute, and you will find it is a much easier place to live than most major cities - more affordable, more space, and people in fact are friendly and welcoming to transplants.

Thanks so much! Our target is living in DC. Fingers crossed we can eventually find a place to buy!

I will put in a plug for Bethesda. It gets a bad rap on this board but it’s more dense and walkable than most of NW. It is further out but how much that impacts your commute depends on where you work, how you get there (metro vs car), etc.

Sure. OP loved London and Hong Kong. So Bethesda is the obvious choice.

You’re just proving my point that it gets a bad rap from people who donmt know what they are talking about.

If OP wants a SFH with density and walkability they could do lot worse than the neighborhoods near dt Bethesda. Georgetown, Cleveland Park, Tenleytown are not better.

What’s the point of saying “it’s not HK or London”. It’s also not New Berlin WI

Thank you! I think we want row house as we aren't really "yard maintenance" people. My concern is my kids going from a one acre backyard/swing set in a large suburban home...to city life. As long as we go out and enjoy the parks and city, I hope they are fine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

....and get shot, or mugged, or both.

Ridiculous

I’ve lived in the Hill for 15 years and raised my kids here. It’s a wonderful place. I know my neighbors, kids walk to eastern market with their friends, good restaurants, dog friendly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

We are likely relocating to DC in the summer 2022 from Wisconsin. We have lived in several cities before, including Hong Kong and London, however, each city has their vibe. Can anyone share what the overall feeling is in the district, such as is it friendly, fast-paced, open to meeting transplants, kid-friendly, etc. What should I be aware of before coming? Will probably focus on finding a house in NW quadrant for kid's schools.

Thanks!

I moved here from the South after college and have made lifelong friends here. My friends are a mix of transplants and natives. People who say it isn't friendly puzzle me because I can't be an outlier.

[Anonymous]

To be near Georgetown look at Burleith. It’s walkable to Georgetown without the Georgetown prices.

I find DC people to be generally friendly. It is true though they the first thing people ask here is, “what do you do” which took me a while not to feel bad about saying I’m a SAHM.

I love Burleith though. I know several SAHM neighbors, there are parks, actual woods with deer practically in our backyard, free swimming pools and tennis courts and an easy walk to everything in Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

....and get shot, or mugged, or both.

Ridiculous

I’ve lived in the Hill for 15 years and raised my kids here. It’s a wonderful place. I know my neighbors, kids walk to eastern market with their friends, good restaurants, dog friendly.

You go ahead and continue trying to convince yourself of this since you've spent your hard earned money to live there ....

https://www.areavibes.com/washington-dc/capitol+hill/crime/

https://wjla.com/news/local/million-dollar-homes-capitol-hill-neighborhood-murders-carjackings-shootings-dc-police-contee

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/im-still-looking-for-the-bullet-shooting-kills-1-breaks-neighbors-window/2835596/

https://wtop.com/dc/2021/10/spike-in-crime-leads-to-more-pushback-complaints-about-city-leaders/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, avoid the suburbs at all costs - most of the whiners and complainers about unfriendliness and traffic are people stuck in traffic hell.

Live in DC, have a short commute, and you will find it is a much easier place to live than most major cities - more affordable, more space, and people in fact are friendly and welcoming to transplants.

Thanks so much! Our target is living in DC. Fingers crossed we can eventually find a place to buy!

I will put in a plug for Bethesda. It gets a bad rap on this board but it’s more dense and walkable than most of NW. It is further out but how much that impacts your commute depends on where you work, how you get there (metro vs car), etc.

Sure. OP loved London and Hong Kong. So Bethesda is the obvious choice.

You’re just proving my point that it gets a bad rap from people who donmt know what they are talking about.

If OP wants a SFH with density and walkability they could do lot worse than the neighborhoods near dt Bethesda. Georgetown, Cleveland Park, Tenleytown are not better.

What’s the point of saying “it’s not HK or London”. It’s also not New Berlin WI

Thank you! I think we want row house as we aren't really "yard maintenance" people. My concern is my kids going from a one acre backyard/swing set in a large suburban home...to city life. As long as we go out and enjoy the parks and city, I hope they are fine

Then I think Capitol Hill is what you are looking for (although for reference many of the SFH close in are on lots that are more like a tenth of an acre)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be near Georgetown look at Burleith. It’s walkable to Georgetown without the Georgetown prices.

I find DC people to be generally friendly. It is true though they the first thing people ask here is, “what do you do” which took me a while not to feel bad about saying I’m a SAHM.

I love Burleith though. I know several SAHM neighbors, there are parks, actual woods with deer practically in our backyard, free swimming pools and tennis courts and an easy walk to everything in Georgetown.

Thank you! Do you think DC is balanced with SAHM and moms working outside the home or one group more than the other? I'll have to research your area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

....and get shot, or mugged, or both.

Ridiculous

I’ve lived in the Hill for 15 years and raised my kids here. It’s a wonderful place. I know my neighbors, kids walk to eastern market with their friends, good restaurants, dog friendly.

You go ahead and continue trying to convince yourself of this since you've spent your hard earned money to live there ....

https://www.areavibes.com/washington-dc/capitol+hill/crime/

https://wjla.com/news/local/million-dollar-homes-capitol-hill-neighborhood-murders-carjackings-shootings-dc-police-contee

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/im-still-looking-for-the-bullet-shooting-kills-1-breaks-neighbors-window/2835596/

https://wtop.com/dc/2021/10/spike-in-crime-leads-to-more-pushback-complaints-about-city-leaders/

Yawn.

Stay in your trailer park in Loudoun and keep watching your local Fox channel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be near Georgetown look at Burleith. It’s walkable to Georgetown without the Georgetown prices.

I find DC people to be generally friendly. It is true though they the first thing people ask here is, “what do you do” which took me a while not to feel bad about saying I’m a SAHM.

I love Burleith though. I know several SAHM neighbors, there are parks, actual woods with deer practically in our backyard, free swimming pools and tennis courts and an easy walk to everything in Georgetown.

Thank you! Do you think DC is balanced with SAHM and moms working outside the home or one group more than the other? I'll have to research your area

In my experience there are definitely more families where moms work outside the home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

+1. I also don't think you should be worried about crime on the Hill (a couple posters on this forum seem to love to bring it up; I think it's one of those weird anti-urbanist schticks that they think makes them seem edgy but actually just makes them seem out of touch). But there are usually ample opportunities to rent on the Hill first if you want to see if it's for you.

Georgetown and Burleith are also good suggestions. They trend a little older and a hair more conservative if that matters to you. You should also check out Glover Park and Mount Pleasant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

....and get shot, or mugged, or both.

Ridiculous

I’ve lived in the Hill for 15 years and raised my kids here. It’s a wonderful place. I know my neighbors, kids walk to eastern market with their friends, good restaurants, dog friendly.

You go ahead and continue trying to convince yourself of this since you've spent your hard earned money to live there ....

https://www.areavibes.com/washington-dc/capitol+hill/crime/

https://wjla.com/news/local/million-dollar-homes-capitol-hill-neighborhood-murders-carjackings-shootings-dc-police-contee

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/im-still-looking-for-the-bullet-shooting-kills-1-breaks-neighbors-window/2835596/

https://wtop.com/dc/2021/10/spike-in-crime-leads-to-more-pushback-complaints-about-city-leaders/

Yawn.

Stay in your trailer park in Loudoun and keep watching your local Fox channel.

But the crime there is out of control.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/homicide-under-investigation-in-loudoun-county/2882298/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

+1. I also don't think you should be worried about crime on the Hill (a couple posters on this forum seem to love to bring it up; I think it's one of those weird anti-urbanist schticks that they think makes them seem edgy but actually just makes them seem out of touch). But there are usually ample opportunities to rent on the Hill first if you want to see if it's for you.

Georgetown and Burleith are also good suggestions. They trend a little older and a hair more conservative if that matters to you. You should also check out Glover Park and Mount Pleasant.

Op I agree Capitol Hill might be great if you want a row house and families love it. It’s also flat and more easily walkable and bikeable to things similar to what it sounds like you’re looking for (there are parts of NW and NE that are actually less walkable to restaurants/shops than my suburb home). I know some on Capitol Hill end up moving in middle or high if they don’t get good numbers in the lottery though. We lived in Chicago for 5 years and then moved back here, we both grew up in the area. We are in a walkable area in Arlington and very happy. People give this area such a hard time, but i had a great childhood here and find it very kid friendly to raise my kids. And I don’t really understand why everyone says people aren’t friendly, I find most to be very friendly (and didn’t notice a huge difference in Chicago), we have a wonderful neighborhood with great, kind, generous neighbors. It’s definitely more high pressure than Chicago, just career wise. Many people work interesting jobs and they like talking about them (some are self absorbed, but many are just generally passionate about whatever political or social issue they work on, for me this is a pro of the area not a con).

It sounds like you will like it here! It sounds like you aren’t considering the suburbs, but I saw your concern about your kids transition from a very different environment and similar to the Bethesda poster I will just say it might be worth a look at Arlington if you think that transition will be too much. We were really worried we wouldn’t be happy not living in the city after living in great neighborhoods in Chicago for years, but we found a great walkable (suburb walkable, still not like certain parts of the city!) neighborhood we love here (westover) and it makes life pretty easy. But I can still be downtown on a Saturday morning to a museum with my kid in 10 minutes (literally).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

+1. I also don't think you should be worried about crime on the Hill (a couple posters on this forum seem to love to bring it up; I think it's one of those weird anti-urbanist schticks that they think makes them seem edgy but actually just makes them seem out of touch). But there are usually ample opportunities to rent on the Hill first if you want to see if it's for you.

Georgetown and Burleith are also good suggestions. They trend a little older and a hair more conservative if that matters to you. You should also check out Glover Park and Mount Pleasant.

Thanks so much! Very helpful. We did consider the Hill in our search earlier this year before we became discouraged and decided to try next year. Definitely have to be there in person to play the real estate game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

+1. I also don't think you should be worried about crime on the Hill (a couple posters on this forum seem to love to bring it up; I think it's one of those weird anti-urbanist schticks that they think makes them seem edgy but actually just makes them seem out of touch). But there are usually ample opportunities to rent on the Hill first if you want to see if it's for you.

Georgetown and Burleith are also good suggestions. They trend a little older and a hair more conservative if that matters to you. You should also check out Glover Park and Mount Pleasant.

Cap Hill is absolutely something to check out. We rented there for 8 years before moving.

Burleith has changed over the last approx 5 years because of changes to Gtown University policies on off-campus housing and many of the houses rented to students have been bought by developers and fixed up and made bigger. While there are lots of older folks who have lived here for decades, there are also many families moving into the popped up and renovated row houses. Some are very nice, some are pretty over the top. With regards to the woods being nearby, there are real trails and sometimes you’ll see deer in your tiny front yard.

I’ve loved living in both neighborhoods for different reasons. If you aren’t sure if you want to send your kids to private, though, the schools are overall better over here in NW. And if you plan to apply to privates in upper NW, the commute from the Hill can be kind of a pain. It has some good private school options of its own to check out, but they aren’t the top privates if that’s what you are after.

Burleith is a decidedly different vibe than the Hill because of the proximity to the University. When you are on the Hill, it is a special feeling that you are close to all the action. Burleith is quiet pocket that many people don’t even know exists. You’ll see walking around college students, doctors (the hospital is also nearby), elderly people, people pushing carriages. The Hill is more economically and racially diverse. We do miss the diversity.

There are many women who work in the DMV and work a LOT. There are lots of high-powered couples I know. It is still a town that loves its networking and who-are-you-who-do-you-know. But you can definitely find your group of SAHMs, too. Some are taking a break from work, some never plan to return.