Reply to Living in Capitol Hill...Why?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I know that this is probably going to anger some people, but I don't understand the draw to living in Capitol Hill. Yes, the homes are historic. Yes, there are many beautiful renovations, but apart from that, it has to be one of the most DEAD areas of DC. You walk around and it's like no one lives there. It's a ghost town on weekends and holidays. Yes, Eastern Market can get fairly lively, but the area as a whole doesn't have the feeling of a living, breathing, neighborhood.

Am I missing something? Can someone enlighten me? [/quote]

It's not just capitol hill it's most of DC.  Most of DC is neighborhoods with little or no retail.  I would only live there if I worked on capitol hill.  Otherwise there are plenty of other areas that have much more retail that is actually walk-able including many town centers in the suburbs.

I think people choose where they live for commute/being close to job above everything else, then walk ability, and then schools (but not everyone has kids)  [/quote]

OP here. This is the point I was getting at. Comparing say Old Town Alexandria, Georgetown, and Capitol Hill, in my experience while you get somewhat similar architecture, Old Town and Georgetown seem to be superior in walkability. I do recognize that Georgetown is significantly more expensive, but again it feels like Capitol Hill is more about name recognition than anything else. I have seen improvements on Pennsylvania, 8th Street, and of course H, but I don’t think the neighborhood is as walkable as PPs have stated. Also, the neighborhood has seen significantly less appreciation than other neighborhoods, because homes have been at or around $1 mil since the late 90s/early 00s. 
[/quote]

Capitol Hill is a better medium between retail & restaurants, and space.  PLUS the elementary schools are solid choices (and many charters are reachable as well.) If you work anywhere on the blue or red lines, you can have a pretty much car-free life as well.  The housing prices (for a reasonable amount of space) are attainable for many dual-income earners with 1 or 2 kids.  Getting around is not a congested hassle like Georgetown.  I don't know as much about Old Town but I don't think the elementary schools are good, and the commute is worse.

I found the Hill boring when I first moved here (compared to Petworth and U St/Dupont/Adams Morgan, where I had lived before.)  But now with a kid in elementary school I think it's totally fabulous.  I can walk to cafes, bookstores, grocery stores (hello Trader Joes!), walk to work if I want or very short metro ride; my house is appreciating nicely; tons of parks and kid activities; and it's not crowded or obnoxious.  Obviously there are advantages to the SUBURBS (bigger yards, kids can bike, the neighborhood is probably more stable -- a lot of people move on and off the Hill.)  But I truly can't see the advantage of Georgetown or Logan Circle or whatever.  [/quote]

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