From the article: Living in the Washington, DC Area
What's it like to live near the nation's capital? Tell others why the Washington, DC metro area is a great place to live and/or share some of the challenges that you cope with every day. Share Your Experience
Love Cheap Culture in Washington DC
- The article is spot on with the pros and cons of living in Washington DC. My favorite thing is the variety of free/cheap cultural opportunities. We take my kids to all the Smithsonian museums, many of which have free kids performances. The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. The Sculpture Garden jazz series. There's always something free and interesting to do.
- —MdMomof3
It's a Fascinating City
- There's always so much going on in DC. It's a great place to be if you like to be busy and immersed in cultural activities. I've lived here for 5 years and am always amazed by things that I haven't yet discovered. It's an expensive place to live but you can always find free things to do. It's pretty easy to get around by Metro but parking a car is pain. You have to plan extra time to get just about everywhere because you never know when you will be delayed by traffic.
- —Guest Sonya
I Don't Love It
- D.C. is like Hollywood: it's a one industry kind of town. Yes, there are other industries. But the job sector is not at all diverse. Most jobs are government, law firm, lobby firm or the lobby shop of a large corporation, gov't contractor, or non-profit. If you're looking for industry variety, D.C. is terrible for that. It's a pretty city, very pretty. Very green, very clean. But parts of it completely die on the weekends because it's all office buildings and not mixed-use. How can such a big city actually have entire dead areas on Saturday and Sunday? It's bad for city life and bad for local business. If you're a big city lover, D.C. may not be for you. It's really not a big city in the same way that Boston, Chicago, NYC, and San Francisco are big cities. It's lacks a lot, including character. But for those who like a small city, this is that kind of place. There are a lot of free cultural events to enjoy. There is mass transit. It's a city for non-city people.
- —LFreemon
Personally... I like it here
- I have lived in DC, near DC (I live in McLean now), in San Francisco, near Sacramento, in Beijing, and in College towns... and i have liked all of them to various degrees. I now either bike or metro to work, so traffic hasn't been a problem. The schools (in McLean) are great. I really like my neighbors. I work near metro center, and enjoy the area, and my job, and my co-workers...... the amount of whining and angst in the post responses i have read here really perplex me! moist of the negatives relate to the cost of housing and to traffic (which arise because so many people want to live here, right?) .... i like it here!
- —Guest not whining
Stress for families!!
- Have a family in the Baltimore/DC Metro area, both parents working fulltime. It is very competitive, traffic is bad, schools are good but very fast paced and my kids are stressed. Also it gets COLD and VERY WINDY in winter. Unless you are a TYPE A personality, I would recommend finding someplace else to settle down.
- —Guest Guest E
Lived in DC my whole life
- I was born and raised in DC I once I started to have children I had to move. The cost of living is ridiculously HIGH and there is a lot of crime. I wanted my children to be able to go out and play and be kids. Another thing, if you want to live in a good neighborhood the only place in PG County you should live is Bowie. Do Not live anywhere else in PG county MD, its best if you can afford it to move to Montgomery County...Gaithersburg or Germantown or anywhere in that area. Just simply because they are good neighborhoods for kids up that way. But like I said if your not family oriented person then the DC metro area is perfect. I mean don't get me wrong, I've lived in the area my whole life. And it a beautiful place to live, very diverse and lots to do. But you have to work very hard to have a good life.
- —Guest guest DS
Not for Families
- Unless you have a ridiculous amount of money and/or a great support system already established in the area, don't move here with your children. DC would be a great city for young professionals who can walk to work and dedicate all of their time and energy to their job.
- —Guest guest t
For money, not people
- Do not move here unless your primary focus in life is making money. That's what kind of city this is culturally. Even then, hope you don't mind sitting in a Porsche for 3-4 hours on the highway everyday, you won't be going any faster than the Smart cars and you certainly won't find parking (unless you have hundreds of dollars a month for that too.) I've sat in bumper to bumper even past 10PM several times, Rush hour is 3-4 hrs long. I agree that there are countless different ethnic groups living here; I also agree that they all stick to their own so much that you don't really get a multi-cultured experience. If you like local music and art go to Baltimore, there isn't anything underground here besides Dischord Records. Free entertainment exists and mass transit is great within the boundaries of the city, but again that's if you're supremely wealthy enough to live in the city or by a metro stop -- 2500 a month for a small house is NOT an exaggeration, and that's both Northern VA and MD
- —Guest Randall
Lived here my whole life
- It's hard to live in the greater Washington area. Take it from a person who has lived here for their whole life. It's the beauty of the area that made me stay. It's better to live outside the city. As I say if you can make it in Dc traffic you can make it anywhere.
- —Guest Whatever
Lawyer leaving DC
- I have been here since I was an undergraduate DC has changed - old DC places like Eagans. 4P's, Armands, Malt Shop, etc - all gone - real estate prices are ridiculous - the weather is awful in the summer - the city government is corrupt - I never thought I would say this but, I am leaving DC and I am happy to do so - farewell
- —Guest Sam Winchester
I miss DC
- I lived in DC for 20 years. I grew tired of the fast pace and moved to Florida. I can't wait to move back. I miss the weather, the people, the variety and abundance of jobs, and above all, the massive cultural experience. There is NOTHING in Florida that compares to living in Washington DC. Florida is for retirees and we are still far from that!
- —Guest Mrs. G.
DC's OK
- I really wanted to live in DC when we moved here seven years ago for my significant other's work. There are plenty of positives to living in DC: museums, decent climate, and lower unemployment rate (approx. 5%) to name a few. Some negatives: housing is out of reach for many (we're fortunate that we can afford a 900 sq ft condo--that was 2x the price at less than half the space without a 2 car garage and large yard of our single family home in the Midwest), traffic, traffic, traffic, and employment is not the best for older workers. For example, I came here in my mid 40s with many years of design management experience and found myself competing for jobs with eager young professionals who have great educations and little experience who are willing to do the same job for less than half my salary...I say let them have it. Looking forward, I await the next chapter and hope it's someplace else but until then this is home and I'll enjoy all that DC has to offer.
- —Guest Artist
DC Is great
- DC is a great city and I have come to love it having been here twelve years. It's got great culture, restaurants, bars, green space, job opportunities. Even the Government is finally coming around. It continues to become every day more of a thriving, living city you can live and work in-- not just a place to commute to. Thank you, Tony Williams, Adrian Fenty, Michelle Rhee, and Natwar Ghandi for getting us this far. Now lets get it across the line!
- —Guest Logan
Horrible, awful place to be relocated to
- We were relocated here last year. Being a military family you learn to adapt and enjoy each place you're stationed as a new adventure, usually falling in love with the place in a couple months, D.C. however has been a nightmare that I cannot wait to get away. Within the first two months I knew that this was a place we would never return to, ever. The locals are either supremely arrogant, rude, slang talking, dangerous drivers who think they are entitled or nerdy, boring professionals who lack personality. It's unbelievably crowded. The streets, housing, stores, the sidewalks etc. No privacy! The expenses of living here (even being higher up in rank in the military) we barely make it each check between food, gas and high cost of living, no children, just husband and I. Its outrageous!!! I can't tell you how many times this city has brought me to tears just in the last week. I loath this place. Do not move here if you wish to keep your sanity. No paycheck amount is worth the horrible conditions.
- —Guest Guest
DC was GOOD to me
- I was born and raised in DC, enjoyed summers in Rock Creek and Potomac Park. I worked in the gov't and life was good. I relocated to North Carolina in 2008. Why? I simply wanted a change. Yes, DC is expensive and my retirement takes me further in the Carolinas. You have to get to know DC and all it has to offer before you slander it. If you're from out west, find a home in Crofton, Odenton, or inner city if you can afford it. Everywhere has crime and you can't escape the ever changing times, so be realistic. Be true to yourself and your desires and it'll all come together. What's good for some, may not be good for you. It is, what it is.
- —Guest formerdcgirl
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