Where not to live in Washington D.C. area?

Question

I am relocating to the Washington D.C. area. Can you tell me which neighborhoods in D.C. are the most dangerous. Basically where should I avoid in looking for housing.

Answer 1

Nothing called HILL or Hot Spot. I have found that alot of secured apartment places off of N street or K street in DC are of middle class/upper class buisness people and parking is expensive but can be accessible and within walking distance to fun locations. As far as getting a house if you are going to work in DC, you might as well go OUTSIDE of DC unless you find a pot of gold next to a museum or something...that would be an awesome find but otherwise Virginia is more house for less $$. Columbia Maryland is a very pretty area with access to the beltways so that you can commute or park&ride. I am fond of the Arnold Md. area...just like the community and it connects to major routes 50/301-695-Route 2. Route 100. So I find there are several different ways to Baltimore, Annapolis, or DC if needed. Hope this helps. Take Care.-Rachel.

Answer 2

There is a tradeoff between cheap housing and a high crime rate.



Personally, I think even the worst parts of DC are safer now than they were 5-10 years ago. Those neighborhoods have commuter access to the Green Line via bus and even foot in some neighborhoods. The stretch of Pennsylvania Ave. between 295 and the MD line has improved greatly although there's more room for improvement.



With the opening of the Nats stadium and the gentrification of the surrounding neighborhood, Southeast will eventually be gentrified and the remaining bad neighborhood in DC will be south of New York Ave. and Bladensburg Rd. north of New York Ave. I'm also not partial to Minnesota Ave. as it parallels the Orange Line although there seems to be some improvement there as well.

Answer 3

It is best to avoid the southeast quadrant of the city - with the exception of Capitol Hill to Eastern Market (that wedge, between East Capitol Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, is fine).



There are some neighborhoods in Northeast that are not good either - those are visibly bad neighborhoods - and places you are unlikely to go.



Some folks will say that Prince George's county Maryland is a place to avoid, but there are many good neighborhoods in that county - it is too much a blanket statement.

Answer 4

Don't believe vague generalizations like "Not southeast." There are pockets of million dollars homes, even east of Eastern Market (which is on 7th St).



First, narrow down your choices, not by figuring out where you DON'T want to live, but where you DO want to live. There are plenty of safe but boring areas. Where are you going to be working or going to school? Talk to people there for recommendations - they will know where to look for a good commute. And as one person said, if it's too cheap to be true, it's probably not someplace you'd want to live. For example, a $700 /month 1 bedroom in DC property is likely to be in a really bad area.



To get a quick sense of the dangerous areas of the city, check out the map of murders here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/specials/homicide/



However, this is only a starting point; it is data from 10 years ago. Specifically, the areas in the center of the city (Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights) have improved a lot.

Answer 5

i've got lived in Dupont Circle / Adam's Morgan for 15 years. it fairly is a great community. there are various gay people, yet there additionally are particularly some single women of their 20s. It sound such as you desire to be on the ingredient of the action. verify out a map. think of of 18th and U because of fact the midsection of the action and Connecticut and Q because of fact the metro. In between the two could be a sprint high priced and intensely yuppie. purely north and east of 18th and U is a sprint greater low fee and level-headed. something around that section is great. The bars run up north to Columbia highway and east over to approximately twelfth highway (from the 18th and U ingredient). yet another regularly occurring place for 20-somethings is around 14th and S.

Answer 6

Rather than say what to avoid, I'll tell you where to look. Arlington or Fairfax counties in Virginia (and the independent cities/towns that lie within those counties), and Montgomery County, MD. Because of the taxes, crime, blight, corruption, schools, crummy city services (trash, snow removal) etc., I would not recommend anywhere in DC.

Answer 7

South of D.C --Fredericksburg. Lorton, Woodbridge. etc. The traffic into D.C. on 95 is awful!!!

Answer 8

U should check out Valley Ave. SE. Great neighborhood! You'd luv it! Sourthern Ave. SE also, great housing!

Answer 9

Avoid Northeastern and Southeastern DC. Also avoid the eastern suburbs of DC.



The NW quadrant is good, then comes the SW; yet there's still SOME crime there too.

Answer 10

Remember that if a place is cheap there is usually a reason for it.