Suggestions for where to live in Washington DC
October 8, 2015 12:53 PM Subscribe
I'm a single woman in my 30s (no kids) who works from home. I'm looking to move from Silicon Valley to Washington, DC and would like advice about where to live and how much I should expect to pay. Additional details inside.
What I'm looking for:
• A place in the district.
• Somewhere walking distance to the metro, a supermarket, and dining options. (I intend to get rid of my car.)
• Ideally, I'd like a 1-bedroom with a den to use as my office, but would settle for a standard 1-bedroom.
What neighborhoods should I be considering? I'm not entirely sure what my price range is yet, but I'm definitely looking for something on the more affordable end of the spectrum. Thanks for your help!
What I'm looking for:
• A place in the district.
• Somewhere walking distance to the metro, a supermarket, and dining options. (I intend to get rid of my car.)
• Ideally, I'd like a 1-bedroom with a den to use as my office, but would settle for a standard 1-bedroom.
What neighborhoods should I be considering? I'm not entirely sure what my price range is yet, but I'm definitely looking for something on the more affordable end of the spectrum. Thanks for your help!
I live in a place that's within a few blocks of the metro, a supermarket, and excellent dining/bar options. The neighborhood is Petworth. It's a great place to live. There are a few apartment buildings nearby, but it's also worth looking into basements in the area, there are a lot of houses with separate unit basements that the owners rent out. Some of them are quite big, and in my experience they tend to be about $1000/mo.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 1:22 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by everybody had matching towels at 1:22 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Preemptive welcome to DC! I love it here and I hope you will too!
We're a pretty expensive city; rents are similar to San Francisco, so I'd keep that in mind as you decide on your price range. You're probably looking at around $1750 for a 1BR or $1900 for a 1BR+den. (A little less if you are OK with renting a basement apartment in a row house.) You can get away with not having a car in the suburbs, so if that doesn't sound doable, you might want to look at a couple of the more urbanized areas of Maryland (Silver Spring, Takoma Park) or Virginia (Clarendon, Alexandria) if you are not entirely wedded to living in the District and your priorities are more focused around supermarket/dining/metro accessibility.
Now, assuming that price range is OK with you and you do want to live in the District, yay! I live here and it rules! Great neighborhoods for the things you're looking for are Columbia Heights, Petworth, Logan Circle, U Street (Yellow/Green Lines), Cleveland Park (Red Line), or Capitol Hill/Eastern Market/Barracks Row (Blue/Orange Lines). The management company I rent from unfortunately has very few non-commercial rentals, but off the top of my head, I know people who have rented with Bozzuto (for modern buildings) and W. C. Smith (for old-but-charming buildings) and really like them. For more detailed answers, I'd look at these recent questions.
If you are looking to rent from a private landlord via Craigslist or similar, be advised that you want to schedule a showing immediately after the post goes up because housing gets snapped up fast. However, unlike in the Bay Area, you will not need to pay several months' rent up front, prove you are a high-salaried engineer, or anything like that.
Apologies for arguing with other comments, but H St. NE is unfortunately not at all metro-accessible. You're looking at a mile or two to the metro. I have also never heard of a basement 1-bedroom going for as low as $1000 but I wasn't looking heavily in Petworth so I am willing to be surprised.
I already wrote you a novel but feel free to MeFi Mail me if you have more specific questions!
posted by capricorn at 1:29 PM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
We're a pretty expensive city; rents are similar to San Francisco, so I'd keep that in mind as you decide on your price range. You're probably looking at around $1750 for a 1BR or $1900 for a 1BR+den. (A little less if you are OK with renting a basement apartment in a row house.) You can get away with not having a car in the suburbs, so if that doesn't sound doable, you might want to look at a couple of the more urbanized areas of Maryland (Silver Spring, Takoma Park) or Virginia (Clarendon, Alexandria) if you are not entirely wedded to living in the District and your priorities are more focused around supermarket/dining/metro accessibility.
Now, assuming that price range is OK with you and you do want to live in the District, yay! I live here and it rules! Great neighborhoods for the things you're looking for are Columbia Heights, Petworth, Logan Circle, U Street (Yellow/Green Lines), Cleveland Park (Red Line), or Capitol Hill/Eastern Market/Barracks Row (Blue/Orange Lines). The management company I rent from unfortunately has very few non-commercial rentals, but off the top of my head, I know people who have rented with Bozzuto (for modern buildings) and W. C. Smith (for old-but-charming buildings) and really like them. For more detailed answers, I'd look at these recent questions.
If you are looking to rent from a private landlord via Craigslist or similar, be advised that you want to schedule a showing immediately after the post goes up because housing gets snapped up fast. However, unlike in the Bay Area, you will not need to pay several months' rent up front, prove you are a high-salaried engineer, or anything like that.
Apologies for arguing with other comments, but H St. NE is unfortunately not at all metro-accessible. You're looking at a mile or two to the metro. I have also never heard of a basement 1-bedroom going for as low as $1000 but I wasn't looking heavily in Petworth so I am willing to be surprised.
I already wrote you a novel but feel free to MeFi Mail me if you have more specific questions!
posted by capricorn at 1:29 PM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
Congratulations on your decision to move to DC! It's a lovely city with a lot to do and don't believe a lot of the things people may say about it (I've never lived in a place where the residents talked more trash about the place they were living).
Since you're in your 30s, I would say you would do best in a low key neighborhood with Metro accessibility. However, do not discount the bus system in DC. It's cheap, clean, and is reliable. I have lived in town in a neighborhood about a mile from the nearest Metro (up a very daunting hill) and it's been easy to get around by bus to almost anywhere.
I second Capricorn's suggestions above, as those are generally great neighborhoods. Expect your experiences to vary on the question of rent. I live in Cathedral Heights in a well appointed one bedroom apartment with updated amenities and a gorgeous building for $1800 a month. While I think Cathedral Heights may be a little out of the way for some, definitely check out Woodley Park and Cleveland Park (both on the Red Line) and portions of Adams Morgan, though somewhat douchey, also have some very lovely apartments for rent that are off the shitshow that is 18th St. I am also told that Navy Yard is up and coming, but it still seems a little remote to me. I find U Street a little too crowded and the H Street corridor is just too remote (you'd want a car, in my opinion).
I found my apartment on Craigslist and I love it to death. There seems to be a ton of inventory in DC at any given time (for renters at least) because of the transient nature of the town. That said, this is an amazing place to live, very friendly and welcoming (some of the best customer service I've ever experienced, though I should disclose I'm originally from NY).
Oh and make sure you have a bike! This city is AMAZING to bike in. Oh oh oh, and wait until you try all the restaurants! DC has SO much great food.
posted by MyFrozenYear at 1:52 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Since you're in your 30s, I would say you would do best in a low key neighborhood with Metro accessibility. However, do not discount the bus system in DC. It's cheap, clean, and is reliable. I have lived in town in a neighborhood about a mile from the nearest Metro (up a very daunting hill) and it's been easy to get around by bus to almost anywhere.
I second Capricorn's suggestions above, as those are generally great neighborhoods. Expect your experiences to vary on the question of rent. I live in Cathedral Heights in a well appointed one bedroom apartment with updated amenities and a gorgeous building for $1800 a month. While I think Cathedral Heights may be a little out of the way for some, definitely check out Woodley Park and Cleveland Park (both on the Red Line) and portions of Adams Morgan, though somewhat douchey, also have some very lovely apartments for rent that are off the shitshow that is 18th St. I am also told that Navy Yard is up and coming, but it still seems a little remote to me. I find U Street a little too crowded and the H Street corridor is just too remote (you'd want a car, in my opinion).
I found my apartment on Craigslist and I love it to death. There seems to be a ton of inventory in DC at any given time (for renters at least) because of the transient nature of the town. That said, this is an amazing place to live, very friendly and welcoming (some of the best customer service I've ever experienced, though I should disclose I'm originally from NY).
Oh and make sure you have a bike! This city is AMAZING to bike in. Oh oh oh, and wait until you try all the restaurants! DC has SO much great food.
posted by MyFrozenYear at 1:52 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
My best friend has a pretty nice one bedroom in Columbia Heights. She's been in DC going on eight years now. It's an expensive city to live in, but if you've got a decent job, no car, and fairly accessible place to live, it more than makes up for that.
posted by Kitteh at 3:55 PM on October 8, 2015
posted by Kitteh at 3:55 PM on October 8, 2015
Union Station is two blocks from one end of H St. NE, but H St. NE continues to run east away from there.
"Affordable" and "near metro" are a tough mix. When I last did the math (a couple years ago) you could expect to pay an average of $1200 per bedroom near the metro in a neighborhood like Columbia Heights, and $800 per bedroom not near the metro, in a less popular neighborhood. These numbers are skewed somewhat by the big, managed apartment buildings that have been built near or atop various stations, where a 1BR starts at $2000 per month and goes up from there. Property managers and leasing agents here also tend to be a little bit shady with the whole "den" thing (if it's not a legal bedroom, you can't advertise it as such) so a 1BR + den often costs about the same as a proper 2BR, since they're assuming that a human will indeed be sleeping there. Wink wink.
The best deals these days seem to be found around Capital Hill or along upper Connecticut Ave. On the Hill there are a lot of older rowhouses that were divided up into apartments long ago, but which are mostly independently owned and managed, and you can find cute/cozy 1BR apartments, maybe with weird layouts that lend themselves to a home office space, for $1200 or less. On upper Connecticut Ave there are a lot of midcentury apartment buildings with units that come available pretty regularly, and since it's not a trendy sort of neighborhood they don't fetch the rents that, say, Shaw and Columbia Heights do.
FWIW I rented a basement apartment in Columbia Heights for ten years. I've lived above ground for six, and I would never recommend basement living to anybody. I thought I didn't mind it; I just didn't know.
Like everybody had matching towels, I also live in Petworth, but my wife and I bought our house two years ago. It fits your description but the north end (where I live) isn't really near metro (it's a mile from our house to Georgia Ave/Petworth metro), and the stuff closer to the metro is starting to fetch Columbia Heights prices due to overflow demand. That said, we love it here, and there's a whole lot of dining going in along Upshur St.
posted by fedward at 7:40 PM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
"Affordable" and "near metro" are a tough mix. When I last did the math (a couple years ago) you could expect to pay an average of $1200 per bedroom near the metro in a neighborhood like Columbia Heights, and $800 per bedroom not near the metro, in a less popular neighborhood. These numbers are skewed somewhat by the big, managed apartment buildings that have been built near or atop various stations, where a 1BR starts at $2000 per month and goes up from there. Property managers and leasing agents here also tend to be a little bit shady with the whole "den" thing (if it's not a legal bedroom, you can't advertise it as such) so a 1BR + den often costs about the same as a proper 2BR, since they're assuming that a human will indeed be sleeping there. Wink wink.
The best deals these days seem to be found around Capital Hill or along upper Connecticut Ave. On the Hill there are a lot of older rowhouses that were divided up into apartments long ago, but which are mostly independently owned and managed, and you can find cute/cozy 1BR apartments, maybe with weird layouts that lend themselves to a home office space, for $1200 or less. On upper Connecticut Ave there are a lot of midcentury apartment buildings with units that come available pretty regularly, and since it's not a trendy sort of neighborhood they don't fetch the rents that, say, Shaw and Columbia Heights do.
FWIW I rented a basement apartment in Columbia Heights for ten years. I've lived above ground for six, and I would never recommend basement living to anybody. I thought I didn't mind it; I just didn't know.
Like everybody had matching towels, I also live in Petworth, but my wife and I bought our house two years ago. It fits your description but the north end (where I live) isn't really near metro (it's a mile from our house to Georgia Ave/Petworth metro), and the stuff closer to the metro is starting to fetch Columbia Heights prices due to overflow demand. That said, we love it here, and there's a whole lot of dining going in along Upshur St.
posted by fedward at 7:40 PM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
If being near a park (woods) is a plus for you may I suggest you look closer at A -Mt. Pleasant (small apartment buildings, lots of families and houses but very liberal) and yet still 10-25 minutes walk from the metro. B - Columbia Heights (rowhouses, some larger apartment buildings but much more urban, Target, Giant Food, Best Buy, Petco, luxury apartments and housing projects all together) on the green line metro. C - Cleveland Park/Van Ness which is a quieter, more upscale feeling neighborhood on the red line metro. A one bedroom in those neighborhoods should range from $1800 to $2500+, roughly. All have restaurants, good bike share and Car2Go options, supermarkets, coffee shops, etc.
I have lived in A and currently live in B and spend a LOT of time in Rock Creek Park, one of the most awesome and less utilized things about DC. A and B also have farmers markets on Saturdays.
Throughout the city beware of flooding in basement apartments if you go that route, be sure to get renters insurance and spell out clearly the liability/responsibility of the landlord.
Welcome!
posted by perrouno at 8:23 PM on October 8, 2015
I have lived in A and currently live in B and spend a LOT of time in Rock Creek Park, one of the most awesome and less utilized things about DC. A and B also have farmers markets on Saturdays.
Throughout the city beware of flooding in basement apartments if you go that route, be sure to get renters insurance and spell out clearly the liability/responsibility of the landlord.
Welcome!
posted by perrouno at 8:23 PM on October 8, 2015
Bloomingdale! But avoid places with basements (there's flooding, ask me how I know). I paid ~$1350 for a large studio around 2011, so I'd think you could find places between 1500-2000 that meet your criteria. Several bars and restaurants have opened up in the neighborhood in the last few years, there's a terrific farmer's market, and a great local coffee shop. It's 1 mile to Shaw metro (yellow) and a little further than that to New York Ave metro (red). I walked by myself at night all the time, usually between there and U St or Metro. I did have a car and street parking was free and pretty available, so I drove for my other groceries. There are a few well-stocked small markets in the neighborhood, and buses you could take to big box stores if needed, so you'd want to give that some thought. Welcome!
posted by juliplease at 10:23 AM on October 9, 2015
posted by juliplease at 10:23 AM on October 9, 2015
Sorry, street parking wasn't free. I think it was $35/year and part of the registration process.
posted by juliplease at 10:25 AM on October 9, 2015
posted by juliplease at 10:25 AM on October 9, 2015
As another homeowner in Petworth for the past three years (hi neighbor fedward!) I totally recommend this area. Near the Georgia Ave. stop, lots of good new food opening up, a real neighborhood feel (unlike Adams Morgan where we used to live).
I also second the poster above that said to look into the bus system. Despite living only three or four blocks from the Petworth stop, I haven't ridden the metro in weeks or even months at this point. Busses just go everywhere I want to go, or I ride my bike.
Welcome to DC!
posted by Inkoate at 6:41 PM on October 9, 2015
I also second the poster above that said to look into the bus system. Despite living only three or four blocks from the Petworth stop, I haven't ridden the metro in weeks or even months at this point. Busses just go everywhere I want to go, or I ride my bike.
Welcome to DC!
posted by Inkoate at 6:41 PM on October 9, 2015
A few days late to this, but I'd also recommend looking at SE DC near the Navy Yard / Nationals Park. There are some really great places to eat, Navy Yard Metro is right there at M and New Jersey and a TON of nice places to live. Just stay on the north side of the river. If I was going to relocate from SW (just on the west side of the ballpark) that's where I'd go.
SW DC has some real gems, and it's definitely the quietest of the 4 quadrants (near Waterfront Metro) but you have to look around, because SW also has some pretty dodgy bits.
posted by Thistledown at 10:57 AM on October 12, 2015
SW DC has some real gems, and it's definitely the quietest of the 4 quadrants (near Waterfront Metro) but you have to look around, because SW also has some pretty dodgy bits.
posted by Thistledown at 10:57 AM on October 12, 2015
Response by poster: Just wanted to thank everyone for the great advice. I found a terrific place in Columbia Heights and moved here in February. I couldn't be happier. So far I'm loving it.
posted by KMouse at 4:55 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by KMouse at 4:55 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
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"Affordable" is relative. Yarmouth is a property management company that deals with the area--check their listings.
posted by MrMoonPie at 1:11 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]