<p>My daughter had to “interview” for the house she moved into and it was all Swarthmore grads!</p>
<p>Now, two years later, they just did an extensive interview process to fill an empty slot. All three of them met with a number of applicants and had second interviews with the guy the chose. There are also shorter-term group houses, so a new grad might move into a situation and then end up moving on at some point down the road. I would start putting the word out with alumni networks.</p>
<p>Mansfield:</p>
<p>My D works at Stanton Square (just northeast of the Capital (C Street and Mass Ave NE), which is over in that direction. I think that area down to Eastern Market is generally known as Capitol Hill. My daughter has never mentioned knowing anyone who lives in that area. I think it’s pretty pricey and pretty sleepy at night. The fringes north of there (H Street) are beginnning to emerge, but are still pretty rough. I’m not sure about south towards Eastern Market.</p>
<p>As far as safety, my daughter takes public transit to and from work – her walk is less than half a mile to either the Columbia Heights or Georgia Petworth stations and she takes the bus sometimes. Other than adapting to the regional custom of catcalls from passing motorists, I don’t think she’s ever experienced any safety issues. I equipped her with a little kit of a police whistle, a very loud keychain alarm, and pepper spray. She says that she does carry the stuff, but has never felt the need to use it. She already had some city smarts and I think she’s pretty good at being aware of her surroundings. She tries to stay on streets where there are a lot of people and avoid deserted streets/areas. And, she will take a cab if it’s late at night or if she’s not with a group.</p>
<p>Honestly, following the crime in the area pretty closely from some of the neighborhood blogs, the violent crime is almost ALL between “associates”. These are not random drive-by shootings of random people who just happen to be out walking their random dogs on a random street. Every once in a while, you hear of a mugging or somebody getting followed from a subway station, but that’s really rare. The crime that makes the headlines is usually “guy X” who has a specific beef with “guy Y”. Even most of that is confined to some locations that people who live in the neighborhoods learn to avoid. It varies so much from block to block that it would be difficult to make general statements.</p>
<p>It’s a city. I don’t mean to suggest that everyone will feel safe at all times. Different people have different frames of reference. The Columbia Heights area is crawling with young people in their 20s and 30s. I don’t think safety in that area is an insurmountable obstacle at all.</p>
<p>My D is attending med school in DC, and is living in an apartment in Silver Spring, MD. She has a car but is also right on the Metro’s Red Line. She is near a lot of great places (shopping, movies, restaurants, etc.) and is happy that she chose Silver Spring.</p>
<p>My D moved to DC with a group of fellow graduates right after college graduation. She and her friend found a 2 BR in Dupont Circle. Pricey, but certainly worth it in terms of location, convenience and safety. Many parents I know subsidize their new grads’ rent for a year or two to ensure a safe location closer to where the “action” is. In addition to Dupont, U Street, Adams Morgan (further away from the Red Line)Woodland Park are also safe areas.</p>
<p>DuPont would be fantastic if you can afford it. Most kids out of college cannot.</p>
<p>Adams Morgan was the next expansion of young people gentrification into “sketchy” areas expanding northward as DuPont became too expensive. It is a real concentration of hipster bar nightlife. Very popular for young people, cheap eats at happy hour specials and the like. Downside: it’s not very convenient to the Metro subway, although a new Circulator bus route has improved access. Also, some neighborhoods described as Adams Morgan may not be that fantastic. There’s an area northeast of Meridian Hill Park (sort of halfway between Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights) that is not good thanks to a particularly heavy concentration of large public housing developments.</p>
<p>The opening of subway stations and resulting wildfire commercial development has pushed the resurgence, first to U-Street, and now up the hill to Columbia Heights. Ironcially, some of the rougher blocks between U-Street and Columbia Heights are now surrounded to the north and south by much more active bustling areas. </p>
<p>For example, there are luxury apartments, restaurants, shopping and activity at 14th and Irving and 14th and Park, but I would not want to live at 14th and Harvard or 14th and Girard.</p>
<p>My daughter might have the opportunity to live in the Capitol Hill area around 12th St. and S St. NE. The only reason she would go with this housing is for the cost and the house itself is great; not convenient for her, but not terrible either. If she walks to the Eastern Market Metro, she can get the blue/orange line to her work stop at Foggy Bottom. Anyone have any knowledge of this immediate area and the walk to either Union Station or Eastern Market? I am sure on the weekends she will head out to other areas of the city, so there will be evening walks back home later at night. She can take a cab, but would prefer to walk when she can.</p>
<p>Question on Adams Morgan and Columbia Height/U-Street areas mentioned. My daughter and son-in-law are starting grad school this summer–he’ll be at Johns Hopkins School of International Studies (which is not in Baltimore, but in DuPont Circle) and she’ll be at Georgetown (MBA program). They’re looking for a rental apartment in an area where they could take public transportation to get to their classes. Their budget is in the $1500-1900 range. Would the neighborhoods mentioned above work for them?</p>
<p>I can’t find that address on the map. No 12th and S Street NE or SE. There is one in NW, which is a couple blocks from the U Street metro. Conceptually, that would be a convenient location, but I don’t know the specific blocks.</p>
<p>Bromfield:</p>
<p>Dupont Circle is very convenient to Adams Morgan (walking distance) and easy enough to Columbia Heights. You have to make a transfer on the subway, but there are also Circulator buses that run non stop in circular routes, both directions, connecting DuPont, Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. Georgetown is not so convenient because there’s no subway. Without doing a lot of research, I think you would take the train downtown and then catch and east/west bus (there’s also a Circulator bus that connects Georgetown to Union Station. Price wise they would be fine. I think the brand new fancy apartment buildings at the Columbia Heights metro start at around $1000 a month for an efficiency (that may be an introductory deal price), so nice one-bedrooms should be available in that price range. They would probably be more convenient to live in DuPont Circle, but I just don’t know what the pricing is like.</p>
<p>My S was able to live with relatives in MD for a few months after graduation while he settled in and got to know the area. Then he moved into a townhouse in Georgetown with 3 guys from his church. Over the years (he graduated in 2005) the roommates have changed one by one, and now he is the one who has lived there the longest. He loves the area. There are families and long-term residents on his street, as well as other groups of young people. He is close to the Naval Observatory. He works near Union Station - perhaps 4 miles from home, and has been known to walk it on occasion. Usually he takes the bus. He has a car as well, but only uses it on weekends. He now attends Georgetown U part time, so his location works well for that as well.</p>
<p>My nephew got a job in DC a couple years ago, and has been through two different apts in VA before finally moving into the city. Nice, affordable apts, but added a big commute and cut down on his ability to enjoy the benefits of the city. He is much happier in the city.</p>
<p>Woops-That should have been 12th St. and “D” St. NE, sorry for the typo! I realize that my daughter can get anywhere on the Metro, but I don’t understand living in the Capitol Hill area when you work by Foggy Bottom and don’t plan on hanging out in the area. She does have friends on the area which is why this housing is known to her. She says it is a great house and cheap, but the commute to work isn’t great.</p>
<p>Hold on, snowball. My daughter works halfway between there and Union Station - at C Street and 6th. As I mentioned, things change block by block. </p>
<p>The walk for transportation to Foggy Bottom would be to Union Station. There are East/West bus routes (including Circulator buses) that connect Union Station to Georgetown and all points in between. </p>
<p>There are also north/south bus routes along 8th street that go up to U-Street along Florida Avenue. </p>
<p>I know that young people’s entertainment in that area would be along the newly developing H Street corridor, where there are a number of rock clubs and trendy bars anchoring a hipster movement. H-Street was the other major commercial district (along with U-Street and Columbia Heights) that was burned to the ground in the 1968 riots and left to rot for 30 years. It’s a few years behind Columbia Heights because it doesn’t have the Metro Stations anchoring development, but is beginning the gentrification journey. </p>
<p>I’m guessing that D Street has really nice old Capitol Hill townhouses. Around where my daughter works is more non-profit, advocacy group, headquarters territory, not so much residential. Lots of outfits, like Sierra Club, have their national headquartes in those old townhouse and more recent office buildings.</p>
<p>Yes, she usually does use the Union Station metro when she visit her friends. Her thought was maybe it would be easier for work to get on at Eastern Market to avoid a transfer or getting off at Dupont and walking yet again. Actually walking doesn’t bother her at all, it is the time it would take her. Plus she would like to look fresh when she arrives to work in a suit!</p>
<p>I think the attraction to this home is the yard and patio, perfect for her dog! Of course the price for a newly renovated home seems good to her. She is still looking as she would rather live NW, but this is a possibility. As a mom, my concern is her safety, the rest she can figure out.</p>
<p>I’m asking my daughter what she knows about the area after dark.</p>
<p>You probably wouldn’t take the subway to foggy bottom from there. You’d take one of the east/west bus routes. The D-6 bus route runs along C-Street and stops at D & 12 (eastbound) and C & 12th (westbound). The runs all the way over to Washington Circle on K Street and continues to Georgetown. My daughter often uses that bus instead of walking to Union Station, for example, if it’s pouring rain. It connects with all the major north/south bus routes and subway routes. She says it’s 6 in one, half dozen in the other with the east/west Red Line subway.</p>
<p>If she can get in a group townhouse with friends and a yard for the pooch, there’s a LOT to be said for that. The dog is going to complicate her search immensely and moving in with friends is good because it opens up avenues to overlapping circles of new friends. They start socializing in friend’s work circles and vice versa. Generally speaking, if a slot opens up in an existing group townhouse with friends you already know and like, that a good situation.</p>
<p>I’ll get back to you on the neighborhood, although your daughter’s friends who live there know it better than anyone, so if you daughter is comfortable on that score, you can probably be comfortable too. The homeward commute on the D-6 bus literally stops at the corner of D and 12th, so that would take care of any concerns about coming home after dark. Street view in Google looks fine. Typical transitional neighborhood with some run down townhouses interspersed with renovated townhouses. It’s a crazy city like that because it’s in the middle of wildwire gentrification.</p>
<p>Almost all residential, getting nicer as you go towards Union Station. Ironically, it’s kind of counter-intuitive. My daughter says that she tries to stick to more bustling major roads with lots of people around, especially at night, and would prefer to skip the quiet empty streets at night. Doesn’t like, for example, stretches of road that are all churches or blocks where there aren’t people sitting out on their front porches.</p>
<p>OK, thumbs up from my daughter on the neighborhood and safety. She says that the entire area stays “really nice” all the way from Union Station east as far as you are talking about. Not a problem. She says that she wouldn’t want to live in that area, but only because she likes the hustle/bustle of the brunch places, happy hour places, house parties, hangin’ out, and generally young scene in Adams Morgan, U Street, Columbia Heights, etc. Your daughter already knows that, but she’s smart to look at the big picture. Word of mouth through friends is really the way to get into a housing situation. There’s a lot to be said for a bird in the hand and it sure beats a temp apartment in Virginia.</p>
<p>On the neighborhood going east from where she works, my daughter says with a bit of a Washington sense of neighborhoods changing block by block, “it stays really nice - beautiful row homes. close to all the great bars/restaurants/clubs of H street but far enough away that you wouldn’t hear gunshots”</p>
<p>Note: East and north from the H street commerical center is a rough neighborhood.</p>
<p>Great information again, thanks. This housing might not pan out and is not on the top of my daughter’s list, just a possibility. Her first choice would be Adams Morgan or Dupont. The friend and 2 guys are currently in the home and all 3 were planning to move out. Now one of the guys thinks he might stay as his paycheck at his new job is not what he was hoping. If he stays, my daughter’s friend would consider staying if my daughter would move in. </p>
<p>It is interesting that finding dog friendly housing and roommates is not as difficult as we were led to believe. Yes, we have run into many homes that do not allow dogs, but there are more than enough that do. Many potential roommates are happy to have a dog in the home without the cost and responsibility of actually owning one; a win win situation for all involved! I would like to see her live where students or retired people live as she might be able to have someone available for emergencies or to pick him up from daycare on the days he goes, or to feed and walk him if she needs to stay late at work.</p>
<p>Anyone who has any interest in living in DC should bookmark this thread. What a wealth of information, Interestedad! You have done a great service here in providing such accurate and thorough descriptions. Daughter works in Columbia Heights and has lived in misc. housing. How true a few blocks can make. She always suggests that newcomers not only look into the transportation to work but also for going out at night AND returning. Bus schedules can be tricky.</p>
<p>I agree. The information on this thread is terrific. Looks like my kid is indeed DC bound, so I’ll likely be back with more specific questions on neighborhoods/streets as well.</p>
<p>I just talked my daughter. She said that C and D streets are both really nice headed east to 12th street. She has a friend that lives at C and 12th. Only problem is that it’s quiet and sleepy, not many people out and about. That’s why you hear of the occasional house burglary. Different from streets where there is a lot of foot traffic and hustle/bustle 'til midnight or so.</p>
<p>She said it starts getting more “interesting” as you go north towards H Street with Maryland Ave being a bit of a dividing line. So, from a safety, nice neighborhood standpoint, that location would be A-OK.</p>
<p>Yeah, transportation is really the key. What’s the walk to the train stations? To the grocery store? What are bus schedules.</p>
<p>My daughter’s crew moved four blocks and improved their situation in every respect. Very short walks to two different train stations. Two different major north-south bus routes and one major east-west stop literally at their front door. Quarter mile to a nice grocery store. </p>
<p>She now looks at her iPhone to see which bus will be at the front door in how many minutes (they all have GPS now) and decides whether to bus or train to work.</p>
<p>They found the new house by being in the neighborhood and having a sense of transportation, location, specific blocks, etc. The old house had a yard and stuff, but that proved to be largely irrelevant to their quality of life. It’s not like a bunch of 20 somethings are out gardening. Being able to walk home from 15 cent buffalo wing and $1.00 beer happy hour dinner in Adams Morgan is more important.</p>