Anonymous wrote:As someone who has lived in both places, I don't think Clarendon is any cheaper than any of D.C. hip neighborhoods. I just think some people really don't want to live in the city. I think its lame for the 20-something set, but hey, it's their choice.

But it is cheaper. Prices are fairly high, but you get more (larger apartments, modern buildings) for those prices.

Anonymous wrote:
It's not a snark, I am one of those 30 somethings who feel young. I like Clarendon and I am aware there are young people there. However, they are there because they can't afford DC proper (DuPont or Georgetown). The place has 'no edge' for that reason.

I disagree. Some are there because they can't afford DC neigborhoods; others are there because they prefer a safer area; and still others are there because they've heard the Orange Line corredor is "bro central." It's also easier to get to many DC jobs on the Metro from Clarendon than from Georgetown, which does not have a metro station. The notion that they'd all make a beeline for Dupont or Georgetown if they had only more money is just wrong.

As someone who has lived in both places, I don't think Clarendon is any cheaper than any of D.C. hip neighborhoods. I just think some people really don't want to live in the city. I think its lame for the 20-something set, but hey, it's their choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Another way to describe Clarendon is that it's for people who feel young or would like to be young but are not necessarily young.

The borderline snark in your post characterizes some of the SFH areas near Clarendon like Lyon Village, but there are also apartment complexes full of people in their 20s. This area is full of 20-somethings now. A lot of them are in DC and Arlington, and certainly enough of them in Clarendon that the couple wouldn't feel adrift in a sea of middle-age suburbia. But there is simply no edge to the place whatsoever, and that can be a problem for some folks who still need to explore their inner Bushwick.

It's not a snark, I am one of those 30 somethings who feel young. I like Clarendon and I am aware there are young people there. However, they are there because they can't afford DC proper (DuPont or Georgetown). The place has 'no edge' for that reason.

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Another way to describe Clarendon is that it's for people who feel young or would like to be young but are not necessarily young.

The borderline snark in your post characterizes some of the SFH areas near Clarendon like Lyon Village, but there are also apartment complexes full of people in their 20s. This area is full of 20-somethings now. A lot of them are in DC and Arlington, and certainly enough of them in Clarendon that the couple wouldn't feel adrift in a sea of middle-age suburbia. But there is simply no edge to the place whatsoever, and that can be a problem for some folks who still need to explore their inner Bushwick.

PP here. Another way to describe Clarendon is that it's for people who feel young or would like to be young but are not necessarily young.

I would suggest DuPont Circle. To me, Clarendon is tailored toward young hip families with one child or childless hip couples who are not ruling out having a child. OP's relatives could fit there, for sure, but I don't think that's what they are looking for.

As a 20-something I lived in NW DC (by the Cathedral) and drove into McLean for work. Morning commute was fine. Evening commute could be fine, could be over an hour. Trying to get across Chain Bridge is its own special little hell when you "reverse" commute. I also had a colleague who lived on CT Ave (not much further) who liked that area.


If you're working for the government, make sure they actually take taxes out of DC properly. They messed mine up the first year since they think everyone that works in VA lives in VA....anyway, I ended up owing a bunch in back taxes. PITA.

Anonymous wrote:Def mean DC proper. These are 26 yr old kids who still go out to bars, etc. However if the commute is god awful they will probably consider "urban" areas of Arlington. Thanks. And to pp, plenty of people choose not to live near their jobs, like those who live in McLean but work in DC.

That is living near your job, it's part of what makes McLean so expensive.

--McLean resident who commutes to DC. 20 mins.

Clarendon is a good compromise of amenities and proximity to McLean. If the OP's friends want something more urban, Adams-Morgan is a possibility. You can easily get on the Rock Creek Parkway from A-M and then take the GW Parkway to Route 123.

We live in McLean and like it, but would never have moved here in our 20s. And, quite honestly, now that we are older, we have no desire to have new neighbors in their 20s kvetching about the lack of night life, when there are plenty of people with kids in their 30s moving in with young families who basically have the same attitude we do (i.e., it's fine and very convenient, but would be better if we could selectively add some additional retail).

OP, young with no children is no candidate for McLean. (People generally move to McLean for the schools - certainly not the people!) In fact, I would venture to say this area is not for you! But, if you are staying for the jobs as most of us, try to find someplace with like people. I like the recommendations of "suburban city" places such as perhaps Clarendon.

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that "where I would want to live as a childfree 26 YO" = DuPont Circle, but the best way to get to McLean from DuPont is by driving, and parking in DuPont is hellish.

Clarendon has a lot of bars and is, I guess, pretty lively at night (I live in Clarendon, but in one of the SFH neighborhoods, and I am not lively, so I am talking only about what I've heard), but I don't think it's as interesting as the District proper.

Nails, you be hitting them on the head. Let's imagine parking could be secured, would a commute from dupont be pretty terrible?

The problem is that "where I would want to live as a childfree 26 YO" = DuPont Circle, but the best way to get to McLean from DuPont is by driving, and parking in DuPont is hellish.

Clarendon has a lot of bars and is, I guess, pretty lively at night (I live in Clarendon, but in one of the SFH neighborhoods, and I am not lively, so I am talking only about what I've heard), but I don't think it's as interesting as the District proper.

Clarendon

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Young couple, no kids. Would like to live in the city for a few years, commute to Mclean. Where would you live? TIA!

Why are you here?

Just go away fool and don't derail this useful exchange of information.