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[quote=Anonymous]OP, I'm a DC near-native who moved away for ~20 years (including abroad) and moved back ten years ago. Some observations to add to the more thoughtful posts above:

DC has a reputation as a city of transients, but that's mostly a sense you'll get from other youngish transplants who moved here for jobs and met people who did likewise, so a lot of confirmation bias in that view. There are a lot of neighborhoods with long-established, multigenerational families who look out for each other, a vibe you'll find especially but definitely not exclusively in the historically Black neighborhoods east of the Park.

Although DC has grown in population a lot in the last decade, it still feels like a manageable-size city, in which by getting involved in your neighborhood you can find yourself connected to people in local politics and activism and in all kinds of cool jobs. People I meet at neighborhood activities include my Councilperson, the head of a Smithsonian museum, somebody who does cool stuff at NOAA, somebody (not the Councilperson) who's very good at getting the city to fix stuff, several artists and somebody who runs a gallery, lots of people who work in the public and charter schools, several Foreign Service Officers, several architects, several authors...and surprisingly few lawyers, come to think of it, though I grew up in an all-lawyer neighborhood across town.

Things that have changed for the better since I went away in the early '90s: more good food all over, and you don't have to go to the trendy places to find it. There are lots of neighborhood amenities in many DC neighborhoods, the sort of places you run into neighbors. Neighborhood libraries and parks constantly getting upgrades or being built anew, which was inconceivable in the 80s-90s.

Things that have gotten worse: Traffic, of course, and the state of Metro, which has lost its sheen. People have gotten pushier and more stressed, for reasons that are broader than DC-specific pressures but are probably exacerbated by the types of jobs people come here for. I really don't see this in my neighborhood, but I notice it in public spaces in the lawyer-heavy neighborhoods I grew up in. Admittedly, some of what I remember is the remnant of DC's (in)famous Southern charm, which went along with a lot of bad things (segregation) but also reflected a less-pressured time in many people's lives.

Final thoughts: When I come back from New York or London, both of which I love, I still take a big breath of relaxation at how exhausting DC ISN'T, because it's so easy to step outside into the respite of green space or pause in parks or cafes on your rambles. Or pop into a museum or stroll the Zoo at lunch or go for just one exhibit because it's free and you don't have to get your money's worth. Or cross the Potomac to walk around Old Town Alexandria and appreciate an 18th-c. city with a real riverfront. Or walk or bike or bus around town and have beautiful architecture to admire. Or just sit on your porch and wave at your neighbors: DC is a city of great porches, an underappreciated feature that is great any time but has been a godsend in the pandemic.[/quote]

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