Help Me Understand DC Neighborhoods

[BG2008]

I think there are quite a few DC natives on this board.  Can you guys help me understand the various neighborhoods in DC?  I have spent some time down there.  Superficially, I think that Georgetown is chic and historic.  The Navy Yard and waterfront is kind of cool and new.  Everything else kind of feels like a big mash pit of things.  Can a native there help me understand it better? 

 

If anyone wants feedback for Queens NYC, I can provide lots of details. 

[netnet]

Although I haven't lived there in awhile, I can try: what is it that you want to know?  Where to stay , where to party, what to see, where to buy RE?

 

For sight seeing, the museums, when they reopen are free!  As are the tours of the capital--ask your representative for tickets.  Climbing the stairs to the top of George Washington  monument is a good workout. Kayaking the Potomac is nice, beware of the Great falls area though.  (the sunken shipwrecks is an interesting nature experience, south of DC)  Remember that DC area it was a yellow fever swamp though, classified as hazard, tropical duty by the British foreign office. So it is hotter and more humid than Queens.

 

As for partying, I'm afraid I'm out of date on that one, but the rectangle from say 22nd to the say 12th and L to U might be a good locus.  I'm told that the Ethiopianl/Eritrean food is the best to be had outside of Adis Ababa, but last time I was there there were still no good renditions of fish oriented coastal cuisine.

 

There are a number of brew pubs, as one would imagine, but you have Yelp for that.  There are also a huge number of Salvadoran places.  I have not found great Haitian food, but there has to be some there.  And of course there is West African food. I think there are 2 or 3 Michelin starred restaurants, if that is your thing.  a local speciality is soft-shell crabs, which I adore.  You can also do hard-shell crabs, much cheaper and do a bucket with fries and beer

 

The bus system is okay, but the Metro is great, much cleaner and quieter than NY but obviously 1/10 as extensive.

 

Good luck

 

[thepupil]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/judgmentalmaps.com/post/115859415065/washingtondc/amp

 

Will post more when have the time. I’m by no means a native and live about ~100 yards from the border so not an official DC resident but close.

[SHDL]

Yes the answer depends a lot on what you’re interested in. A few things to note:

 

1. The NW (which includes Georgetown) is the historically rich neighborhood.

 

2. The rest of the city has gentrified a lot over the years, so keep that in mind when reading older documents or asking people who lived here years ago. Logan Circle for instance was known as a pretty dangerous area until not too long ago, but now it’s a hip neighborhood for yuppies. Walk a few blocks east and things start to look sketchy.

 

3. There is a “Chinatown” but if you go there you will know what the quotation marks mean. :)

[lnofeisone]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/judgmentalmaps.com/post/115859415065/washingtondc/amp

 

This is hilarious though a bit outdated given how fast DC has been gentrifying.

 

@BG - is there something specific you are looking for? DC is a very strange city. The first thing that took me a second to process but now acts as my compass is the fact that DC comprises of 4 squares aptly named SW, NW, NE, SE. The center between these 4 quadrants is the Capitol with streets such as East/North/South Capitol St emanating from the Capitol Building. The National Mall acts as a de facto West Capitol St. This is the geographical separation of DC. DC also subdivided into 8 wards. A ward can span multiple quadrants. Most span two quadrants. Ward 6 is the only one that comes to mind that spans 3 (SE, SW, NE). Not an exclusive list but possibly a start below:

 

Ward 1 highlights include Adams Morgan (hipster/young crowd), Columbia Heights (Target and really emerging), Kalorama (Obama has a home here), Howard University, Shaw and U street. Lots to do in terms of food and exploring. Good mix of young crowd and families. Decent metro access.

 

Ward 2 highlights your prototypical DC. DuPont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Georgetown (quaint?), Downtown (Chinatown-light is here) Logan Circle, Penn Quarter. Lots of touristy stuff, food, Government buildings. Definitely an interesting mix of residents. Georgetown - very rich or college students. Logan circle - lots of professionals. Phenomenal metro access.

 

Ward 3 brings you to American University, Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights, Glover Park, Woodley Park, Telnleytown, Observatory cicle. Largely residential (you will find a lot of co-ops with beautiful architecture here) with some great food places and general activities. Great place to walk around and spend the entire day. Basically no metro access.

 

Ward 4 is the northmost ward in the city and home to Brightwood, Crestwood, Fort Totten, Petworth, and Takoma. Definitely improved in the last 5-10 years. Lots of small shops and things to do. I'd say a lot of blue collar or just starting out professionals live here. OK Metro access.

 

Wards 5, 7, and 8 (basically south and east of the city) are predominantly minority wards characterized by below-median salaries, below-median property prices (affordable?), mixed-use land (residential and light industry), and higher than median crime. There are some hidden gems here (in terms of neighborhoods and things to do) but they are still being discovered. For example, Brookland reminds a lot like Forest Hills in Queens. Bus system is generally extensive but the metro access is rather mediocre. If you are lost, missing your phone, and are looking for a heuristic, you want to walk west of here.

 

Ward 6 is probably the most gentrified in the last 5 years. Not the most expensive but definitely getting there. This ward is the home to Mount Vernon, Navy Yard, Eastern Market, NoMa, Southwest Waterfront, and (my personal favorite name) Swampoodle. Plenty to do here in terms of art, music, food. Metro access is great.

 

[LC]

One rule of RE in DC is: You need metro access.

[BG2008]

Thanks everyone for your contributions

 

I am mainly looking for ways to understand the multi-family and office markets in DC.  Let's starts with some basics.

 

1) How does one typically look for apartments or decide where to live in DC?  In NYC, there are hordes of recent college graduates that come from all over the US and the worldwide every year.  You have the typical IB, law, tech, etc.  They tend to live in Manhattan and within a sub 30 minute subway ride to work since they spend a lot of time in the office.  Then you have the creative types, advertising, media, creatives, etc.  They don't get paid as much. So they tend to move into neighborhoods that continues to gentrify.  Brooklyn has been gentrifying for years now.  Queens was the ugly step child that no one wanted to be caught dead in for a long time.  That has changed in the last 5 years.  In my 20's, if you told a date that you live out of Manhattan, that might have been a deal breaker before Uber.  Because the cabbies just want to stay on Manhattan Island and drop off drunk passengers.  With Uber, it has changed the game. 

 

1) DC like many other urban cities such as NYC has gentrified rapidly in the last 20-30 years.  I remember in the 90s, DC was kind of scary with lots of homeless right around the white house.  What has caused this in your opinions? From a NYCer, it appears that government has gotten bigger. 

 

2) Zoning/Nimbyism - How difficult is it to build in DC?  In NYC, it is incredible difficult to bring new supply into the market.  It seems like there are always large 300 apt multi-families being built in DC.  There are also quite a few firms that are constantly doing projects.  In NYCs, it seems like you need the clout of a Related Company or one of the old Guard NYC families like The LeFraks to get anything built.  I am always super jealous that you can get new apts with much more sqft and awesome amenities in DC.  In NYC, its always like a broom closet.  What is it about DC zoning that allows people to build?  Is it easy to get approval?

 

3) What are your views of living on the water in DC?  Is it cool to live in the Navy Yard on the Potomac?  What's it like to live in the DC Wharf (by Captain Whites).  Are there more waterfront projects coming on line?  Are there other potential sites for waterfront?

 

4) What's going through the mind of someone who is 22-30?  Where do people want to live to maximize their chance of meeting attractive people?  Where do families want to live?  Where are the affordable starter homes? 

 

5) What schools and regions is DC drawing from?  I know a lot of UVa kids go to DC after graduation probably why I transferred out because I knew I wanted to be in NYC.

 

6) What are the "no go" zone.  Let's not have a political fight over this.  I can tell you that I don't like being in the Bronx, Brownsivlle, Brooklyn or East New York Brooklyn.  These neighborhoods scare me.

 

Thank you guys!

[mttddd]

Thanks everyone for your contributions

 

I am mainly looking for ways to understand the multi-family and office markets in DC.  Let's starts with some basics.

 

1) How does one typically look for apartments or decide where to live in DC?  In NYC, there are hordes of recent college graduates that come from all over the US and the worldwide every year.  You have the typical IB, law, tech, etc.  They tend to live in Manhattan and within a sub 30 minute subway ride to work since they spend a lot of time in the office.  Then you have the creative types, advertising, media, creatives, etc.  They don't get paid as much. So they tend to move into neighborhoods that continues to gentrify.  Brooklyn has been gentrifying for years now.  Queens was the ugly step child that no one wanted to be caught dead in for a long time.  That has changed in the last 5 years.  In my 20's, if you told a date that you live out of Manhattan, that might have been a deal breaker before Uber.  Because the cabbies just want to stay on Manhattan Island and drop off drunk passengers.  With Uber, it has changed the game. 

 

1) DC like many other urban cities such as NYC has gentrified rapidly in the last 20-30 years.  I remember in the 90s, DC was kind of scary with lots of homeless right around the white house.  What has caused this in your opinions? From a NYCer, it appears that government has gotten bigger. 

 

2) Zoning/Nimbyism - How difficult is it to build in DC?  In NYC, it is incredible difficult to bring new supply into the market.  It seems like there are always large 300 apt multi-families being built in DC.  There are also quite a few firms that are constantly doing projects.  In NYCs, it seems like you need the clout of a Related Company or one of the old Guard NYC families like The LeFraks to get anything built.  I am always super jealous that you can get new apts with much more sqft and awesome amenities in DC.  In NYC, its always like a broom closet.  What is it about DC zoning that allows people to build?  Is it easy to get approval?

 

3) What are your views of living on the water in DC?  Is it cool to live in the Navy Yard on the Potomac?  What's it like to live in the DC Wharf (by Captain Whites).  Are there more waterfront projects coming on line?  Are there other potential sites for waterfront?

 

4) What's going through the mind of someone who is 22-30?  Where do people want to live to maximize their chance of meeting attractive people?  Where do families want to live?  Where are the affordable starter homes? 

 

5) What schools and regions is DC drawing from?  I know a lot of UVa kids go to DC after graduation probably why I transferred out because I knew I wanted to be in NYC.

 

6) What are the "no go" zone.  Let's not have a political fight over this.  I can tell you that I don't like being in the Bronx, Brownsivlle, Brooklyn or East New York Brooklyn.  These neighborhoods scare me.

 

Thank you guys!

 

1. DC functions pretty similar to NYC in that regard, there are neighborhoods that are very popular with new grads. Also while DC doesnt have many finance jobs there are a ton of consultants and lawyers. Similar to NYC it isnt uncommon for new grads to live in an apartment that has been converted to add an additional bedroom (or has a sunroom/den used as a bedroom), generally you get a bit more space than you do in NYC but in my experience prices arent wildly different you just get a bit more. Unlike NYC the areas outside of DC tend to be nicer (e.g., Arlington, Bethesda, Alexandria) but the key driver of prices in DC is metro access and which line you are on (red, orange, blue > green). Your uber story is also the exact same with DC, pre uber getting a cab back to VA/MD was a pain in the ass, now it might take me only a few minutes longer to get to a bar in DC as some of my friends who live in the city.

 

2. We obviously have the height restrictions but on the whole it seems DC has been relatively developer friendly, the big drivers in recent years have been Navy Yard and the Wharf. People have also made a ton of money buying your typical row home, renovating it and turning it into condos. VA/MD have also seen quite a bit of development on the metro lines, the silver line being the most obvious example.

 

3. The wharf seems popular but is too commercial for my taste. Not sure either are really considered cool? they are both a bit out of the way from the "cool" areas but Navy Yard in particular seems to be changing as places like Dacha pop up but I only find myself out there after a baseball/soccer game. 

 

4) Logan circle is very popular with young people that have money, the U street corridor is also very popular. At least in my social circle the nicer parts of north east have been popular for starter homes, or moving to Virginia (we + several of our friends landed in alexandria). Once you are looking at putting your kids into school I think the general consensus is you are looking at outside of DC or private school (although iv heard some of DCs schools are getting better?).

 

5) All the Virginia schools are big feeders, anecdotally UVA grads tend to live in the city with VT/JMU grads landing in arlington. (VT/JMU also seem to have a larger % of grads end up here vs UVA which tends to see people disperse a bit wider). GMU, GWU, and Georgetown are also well represented. But you also get a ton of folks from all over the country coming here to go into politics/non profits/law etc.

 

6) North of colombia heights and northeast can be a bit sketchy but in general the more north and/or east you go the worse it is and anything on the other side of the anacostia river is a no go. Gentrification is changing it a bit but DC is a pretty typical railroad tracks city, west of union stations is nicer than east. Obviously these are generalizations but on the whole iv never had any issues (but also a privileged white male)

 

[lnofeisone]

I am mainly looking for ways to understand the multi-family and office markets in DC.  Let's starts with some basics.

 

1) How does one typically look for apartments or decide where to live in DC?  In NYC, there are hordes of recent college graduates that come from all over the US and the worldwide every year.  You have the typical IB, law, tech, etc.  They tend to live in Manhattan and within a sub 30 minute subway ride to work since they spend a lot of time in the office.  Then you have the creative types, advertising, media, creatives, etc.  They don't get paid as much. So they tend to move into neighborhoods that continues to gentrify.  Brooklyn has been gentrifying for years now.  Queens was the ugly step child that no one wanted to be caught dead in for a long time.  That has changed in the last 5 years.  In my 20's, if you told a date that you live out of Manhattan, that might have been a deal breaker before Uber.  Because the cabbies just want to stay on Manhattan Island and drop off drunk passengers.  With Uber, it has changed the game. 

 

When it comes to looking for living arrangements most people prioritize: affordable place, decent neighborhood, minimize their commute to work. Most people I know go out where they live unless it's a big event (hockey/baseball/parade) or they are trying to go to a new restaraunt. Very rarely someone that lives in DC will go to VA or MD to go to a bar or on a date even with the advent of uber (which is much cheaper here than in NYC). I am very guilty of that.

 

DC housing spans DC, VA: Arlington, Crystal City (National Landing  ;D), Alexandria, MD: Silver Spring and some other MD cities that I don't know well. The general cost of renting goes up the closer you get to DC. Bus commuting in DC is pretty straight forward, less so once you go to VA/MD. If your job is not near where you live, you will look for a place near a metro.

 

Jobs in DC are consultants, lawyers (which are really legal consultants but they hate being called that  ::)), govvies, and political/non-profit. There are very few tech shops here (non-consultant tech firms) and a smorgasbord of other types of jobs but they make a very tiny fraction of jobs. If you want to figure out where someone is going to live, it's best to stratify folks by salaries and age. Loads of new (under)grads join DC area and they tend to live in apartments or row houses that have either been subdivided or they rent as a group. Grads (which tend to be lawyers and mostly in big firms) tend to live by themselves in apartments or they rent houses as a smaller group. This is a consistent trend for younger consultants, lawyers, and polotican/non-profit jobs. When people get older, get families, etc. they tend to move out to MD/VA. Govvies young/old tend to prefer to live in VA/MD just because it's much more affordable.

 

1) DC like many other urban cities such as NYC has gentrified rapidly in the last 20-30 years.  I remember in the 90s, DC was kind of scary with lots of homeless right around the white house.  What has caused this in your opinions? From a NYCer, it appears that government has gotten bigger. 

 

Crack epidemic. In the 90s, you could've bought crack maybe 10-15 blocks away from the WH. Homelessness was a problem but with neighborhoods gentrifying, homeless just get pushed up north. There are still mini-campus north of Union Station (under the bridges). There are few spots where you'll find 10-15 tents one after the other. Today, DC counts about 1% of its population to be homeless.

2) Zoning/Nimbyism - How difficult is it to build in DC?  In NYC, it is incredible difficult to bring new supply into the market.  It seems like there are always large 300 apt multi-families being built in DC.  There are also quite a few firms that are constantly doing projects.  In NYCs, it seems like you need the clout of a Related Company or one of the old Guard NYC families like The LeFraks to get anything built.  I am always super jealous that you can get new apts with much more sqft and awesome amenities in DC.  In NYC, its always like a broom closet.  What is it about DC zoning that allows people to build?  Is it easy to get approval?

I saw there was a comment on DC being friendly to developers. I would disagree with that. NIMBY is definitely a thing.

a) We have a height restriction and lots of old houses. People have been expanding their houses (building them forward and back and pop-ups) to very absurd levels and in some cases have really screwed up the appeal of some areas. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/is-this-the-ugliest-addition-to-a-row-house-in-dc-and-should-that-matter/2013/08/12/aadf3dba-0363-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html. Because of that, building up or out became generally hard (with new laws and regulations) and your neighbors have A LOT of say and ways to stop you. For example, we are adding solar panels to our roof not because it's a good investment but because our neighbors can't build up to block them.

b) There is a reason why new condo buildings in DC span the entire block. Developers have to buy out every house or get them to agree to build up. The Wharf you are referring to took 8 years to just get the necessary approvals before they broke ground in 2014.

c) There is also a "historic" designation. Getting your neighborhood designated as such will make everyone's life much harder when it comes to building. Capitol Hill is one such area. Bloomingdale, Emerland street are a few others.

d) Trying to build in affluent neighborhoods is extra hard. Trying to build in DuPoint, Logan circle, Georgetown something that doesn't fit is nearly impossible. Less of an issue in low-income areas.

 

3) What are your views of living on the water in DC?  Is it cool to live in the Navy Yard on the Potomac?  What's it like to live in the DC Wharf (by Captain Whites).  Are there more waterfront projects coming on line?  Are there other potential sites for waterfront?

 

Living next to waterfront is not that big of a premium. On the west side, we have Potomac and very affluent neighborhoods with single-family homes overseeing the river. On the east side, we have Anacostia which is dirty. Neither has beaches. At best you can walk along the river in Georgetown or Navy Yard/Waterfront. maybe hike in one of the few islands that are parks that are adjacent to DC.

 

4) What's going through the mind of someone who is 22-30?  Where do people want to live to maximize their chance of meeting attractive people?  Where do families want to live?  Where are the affordable starter homes? 

I can only speak to DC. Online dating was alive and well pre-covid. Getting around the city on metro/uber is easy and affordable. Otherwise going out in your neighborhood bar will net you a well educated attractive person. Families tend to move out to the burbs but those that want to stay move into neighborhood-like burbs in DC (eastern market, Brookland, north DC). You'll find similar affordable start homes in those areas.

 

5) What schools and regions is DC drawing from?  I know a lot of UVa kids go to DC after graduation probably why I transferred out because I knew I wanted to be in NYC.

I find that VT/UVA/UMD have good representation here but not as dominating as you'd think. I'd say all ACC schools are well covered. My immediate group of friends and coworkers comes from NY/CA and some mid-west.

 

6) What are the "no go" zone.  Let's not have a political fight over this.  I can tell you that I don't like being in the Bronx, Brownsivlle, Brooklyn or East New York Brooklyn.  These neighborhoods scare me.

Anywhere east of Anacostia is a no-go for me and I grew up in East New York projects. East DC but west of Anacostia is barely OK with some exceptions spots. West of Union Station is basically as safe as it gets with some funny exceptions. 

 

[BG2008]

I am mainly looking for ways to understand the multi-family and office markets in DC.  Let's starts with some basics.

 

1) How does one typically look for apartments or decide where to live in DC?  In NYC, there are hordes of recent college graduates that come from all over the US and the worldwide every year.  You have the typical IB, law, tech, etc.  They tend to live in Manhattan and within a sub 30 minute subway ride to work since they spend a lot of time in the office.  Then you have the creative types, advertising, media, creatives, etc.  They don't get paid as much. So they tend to move into neighborhoods that continues to gentrify.  Brooklyn has been gentrifying for years now.  Queens was the ugly step child that no one wanted to be caught dead in for a long time.  That has changed in the last 5 years.  In my 20's, if you told a date that you live out of Manhattan, that might have been a deal breaker before Uber.  Because the cabbies just want to stay on Manhattan Island and drop off drunk passengers.  With Uber, it has changed the game. 

 

When it comes to looking for living arrangements most people prioritize: affordable place, decent neighborhood, minimize their commute to work. Most people I know go out where they live unless it's a big event (hockey/baseball/parade) or they are trying to go to a new restaraunt. Very rarely someone that lives in DC will go to VA or MD to go to a bar or on a date even with the advent of uber (which is much cheaper here than in NYC). I am very guilty of that.

 

DC housing spans DC, VA: Arlington, Crystal City (National Landing  ;D), Alexandria, MD: Silver Spring and some other MD cities that I don't know well. The general cost of renting goes up the closer you get to DC. Bus commuting in DC is pretty straight forward, less so once you go to VA/MD. If your job is not near where you live, you will look for a place near a metro.

 

Jobs in DC are consultants, lawyers (which are really legal consultants but they hate being called that  ::)), govvies, and political/non-profit. There are very few tech shops here (non-consultant tech firms) and a smorgasbord of other types of jobs but they make a very tiny fraction of jobs. If you want to figure out where someone is going to live, it's best to stratify folks by salaries and age. Loads of new (under)grads join DC area and they tend to live in apartments or row houses that have either been subdivided or they rent as a group. Grads (which tend to be lawyers and mostly in big firms) tend to live by themselves in apartments or they rent houses as a smaller group. This is a consistent trend for younger consultants, lawyers, and polotican/non-profit jobs. When people get older, get families, etc. they tend to move out to MD/VA. Govvies young/old tend to prefer to live in VA/MD just because it's much more affordable.

 

1) DC like many other urban cities such as NYC has gentrified rapidly in the last 20-30 years.  I remember in the 90s, DC was kind of scary with lots of homeless right around the white house.  What has caused this in your opinions? From a NYCer, it appears that government has gotten bigger. 

 

Crack epidemic. In the 90s, you could've bought crack maybe 10-15 blocks away from the WH. Homelessness was a problem but with neighborhoods gentrifying, homeless just get pushed up north. There are still mini-campus north of Union Station (under the bridges). There are few spots where you'll find 10-15 tents one after the other. Today, DC counts about 1% of its population to be homeless.

2) Zoning/Nimbyism - How difficult is it to build in DC?  In NYC, it is incredible difficult to bring new supply into the market.  It seems like there are always large 300 apt multi-families being built in DC.  There are also quite a few firms that are constantly doing projects.  In NYCs, it seems like you need the clout of a Related Company or one of the old Guard NYC families like The LeFraks to get anything built.  I am always super jealous that you can get new apts with much more sqft and awesome amenities in DC.  In NYC, its always like a broom closet.  What is it about DC zoning that allows people to build?  Is it easy to get approval?

I saw there was a comment on DC being friendly to developers. I would disagree with that. NIMBY is definitely a thing.

a) We have a height restriction and lots of old houses. People have been expanding their houses (building them forward and back and pop-ups) to very absurd levels and in some cases have really screwed up the appeal of some areas. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/is-this-the-ugliest-addition-to-a-row-house-in-dc-and-should-that-matter/2013/08/12/aadf3dba-0363-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html. Because of that, building up or out became generally hard (with new laws and regulations) and your neighbors have A LOT of say and ways to stop you. For example, we are adding solar panels to our roof not because it's a good investment but because our neighbors can't build up to block them.

b) There is a reason why new condo buildings in DC span the entire block. Developers have to buy out every house or get them to agree to build up. The Wharf you are referring to took 8 years to just get the necessary approvals before they broke ground in 2014.

c) There is also a "historic" designation. Getting your neighborhood designated as such will make everyone's life much harder when it comes to building. Capitol Hill is one such area. Bloomingdale, Emerland street are a few others.

d) Trying to build in affluent neighborhoods is extra hard. Trying to build in DuPoint, Logan circle, Georgetown something that doesn't fit is nearly impossible. Less of an issue in low-income areas.

 

3) What are your views of living on the water in DC?  Is it cool to live in the Navy Yard on the Potomac?  What's it like to live in the DC Wharf (by Captain Whites).  Are there more waterfront projects coming on line?  Are there other potential sites for waterfront?

 

Living next to waterfront is not that big of a premium. On the west side, we have Potomac and very affluent neighborhoods with single-family homes overseeing the river. On the east side, we have Anacostia which is dirty. Neither has beaches. At best you can walk along the river in Georgetown or Navy Yard/Waterfront. maybe hike in one of the few islands that are parks that are adjacent to DC.

 

4) What's going through the mind of someone who is 22-30?  Where do people want to live to maximize their chance of meeting attractive people?  Where do families want to live?  Where are the affordable starter homes? 

I can only speak to DC. Online dating was alive and well pre-covid. Getting around the city on metro/uber is easy and affordable. Otherwise going out in your neighborhood bar will net you a well educated attractive person. Families tend to move out to the burbs but those that want to stay move into neighborhood-like burbs in DC (eastern market, Brookland, north DC). You'll find similar affordable start homes in those areas.

 

5) What schools and regions is DC drawing from?  I know a lot of UVa kids go to DC after graduation probably why I transferred out because I knew I wanted to be in NYC.

I find that VT/UVA/UMD have good representation here but not as dominating as you'd think. I'd say all ACC schools are well covered. My immediate group of friends and coworkers comes from NY/CA and some mid-west.

 

6) What are the "no go" zone.  Let's not have a political fight over this.  I can tell you that I don't like being in the Bronx, Brownsivlle, Brooklyn or East New York Brooklyn.  These neighborhoods scare me.

Anywhere east of Anacostia is a no-go for me and I grew up in East New York projects. East DC but west of Anacostia is barely OK with some exceptions spots. West of Union Station is basically as safe as it gets with some funny exceptions.

 

Thank you for such an exceptional answer

[BG2008]

What is considered an acceptable amount of walking time to get to a Metro Station in DC? 5 mins? 10 mins? 15?  It does get hotter than NYC.  Here, 5 is superb, 10 is acceptable and can still command premium rent.  over 15, it gets hard.  From a leasing perspective, I own a 4 unit that's a 5 minute walk to the local stop.  We can get that rented out in less than a week from April through October.  During the winter months, it's takes a little longer.  This is pre-covid. 

[SHDL]

What is considered an acceptable amount of walking time to get to a Metro Station in DC? 5 mins? 10 mins? 15?  It does get hotter than NYC.  Here, 5 is superb, 10 is acceptable and can still command premium rent.  over 15, it gets hard.  From a leasing perspective, I own a 4 unit that's a 5 minute walk to the local stop.  We can get that rented out in less than a week from April through October.  During the winter months, it's takes a little longer.  This is pre-covid.

 

I think this is a little hard to generalize. One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of young professionals here seem to be going Metro-free. They live not too far away from their offices, walk/bike maybe 15-30 mins to work, and use Uber for everything else. Areas like Logan Circle are/were indeed doing quite well even though there are no conveniently located stations nearby.

[lnofeisone]

What is considered an acceptable amount of walking time to get to a Metro Station in DC? 5 mins? 10 mins? 15?  It does get hotter than NYC.  Here, 5 is superb, 10 is acceptable and can still command premium rent.  over 15, it gets hard.  From a leasing perspective, I own a 4 unit that's a 5 minute walk to the local stop.  We can get that rented out in less than a week from April through October.  During the winter months, it's takes a little longer.  This is pre-covid.

 

I think this is a little hard to generalize. One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of young professionals here seem to be going Metro-free. They live not too far away from their offices, walk/bike maybe 15-30 mins to work, and use Uber for everything else. Areas like Logan Circle are/were indeed doing quite well even though there are no conveniently located stations nearby.

 

I would agree that it's hard to generalize. My general rule of thumb was 0.25-mile walk to the metro is ideal, 0.5-mile walk to the metro is OK, anything beyond that better worth it. I totally forgot about biking. It's definitely one of the more serious and widely used modes of transportation, especially amongst young professionals (and old). I'd consider myself on the "older" side of professionals and bike to work anytime it doesn't rain.