What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the Washington, DC?

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cafe4567

Advantages:
*A lot to do! Especially if you are interested in history. The Smithsonian museum are free!
*DC gets a lot of great bands - so its a great place for music! The club scene is good too!
*Easy to get around - Although it can be slow The DC metro (subway) is easy to use and they are often open late on weekends!
*Good Sports Teams - Redskins, Capitals, Nationals, DC United, Wizards...

Disadvantages:
*Its expensive. Expect to pay at least $1000 per month on rent if you want to live alone. It will probably be a lot higher by 2010!
*Traffic sucks. At the rate new developments are going in, I doubt this will be solved by the time you get here.

My advice. Visit DC for the weekend or a week and see how you like it.

Helen

I am a huge fan of living in Washington DC. I lived there for 5 years and found it to be an amazing experience. But it depends what you are looking for.

-DC is great for young people, there is a big young professional scene, nice bars and lounges and because people are constantly moving in and out of the city, people are fairly approachable. As long as you have at least one good wingman/woman you will be fine.

-DC is great for politics, government jobs and was recently voted one of the best places to find a job in the US because it's mostly government based it is immune to the business cycle.

-DC is small. If you're a professional moving to the city you will probably live and stay in NW, which makes the city fairly small, after a while people will know who you are and you will run into people you know.

-DC can be affordable. I'm from NYC and I'm living in London now, and I miss DC. There are lots of affordable places to eat out, and rent is expensive, but cost of living really isn't too bad if you have a job.

The problem with DC, like many other cities, it can be alienating, but if you have a good network of people (like coworkers) you will have a good chance of starting a good life there. It's close to the Shenandoah valley which is beautiful, you are surrounded by intelligent people, and it is a manageable city.

Good luck!

Kathy H

Very cold in the winter and hot and humid in the summer.
High rent.

Celtic Rebel

I moved here to be with my girl, and since we split I can't wait to leave!

The weather is gawd-awful. It's either sweltering hot and humid, or it's freezing cold. There are about six weeks during the year when the weather is tolerable, in the spring and fall, the rest is unbearable.

People are far more conservative than one might expect. For example, I'm used to people dressing up and having an office party on Halloween. When I suggested that here, people looked at me like I was insane and I was taken aside and told that such is very inappropriate.

Purchasing alcohol in the store is just an ordeal. If you're in DC there's one set of laws, another in Virginia and yet another in Maryland. It's hard to keep track of where you can buy what and how much sin tax they're going to tack on. For example, you can buy wine in the grocery in Virginia, but a bottle of single malt scotch can only be obtained in the State liquor store and is heavily taxed. In Maryland you can't get beer or wine in the grocery, only in the liquor store and the selection is terrible, but it's cheaper than in Virginia!

But since you are single I can say that one advantage here is that women here are better looking than other places on the average.

f4fanactic

plus -side ....Power center of the USA, Great opportunities, nice weather, and very cultural.

negatives-include VERY high crime rates and high housing costs

Tired Old Man

I hear that DC is one of the worst places to live. High crime rate,not safe to be on streets at night. high cost of living.parking facilities not the greatest. Tour driver told us that Govt. people were the only ones who could afford to live there . cheaper to live out of area & commute to work.

Merti

Wow, you sure are planning ahead! From my experience, single people seem to have a better time in DC. They are more likely to live with roommates (saving money by splitting rent and utilities and getting to live in a big place), which leaves more money to spend going out and having a good time. If I knew a single person moving to this area I would tell them to stay in the city.
DC is a city of slow to no change, so by 2010, I can't imagine that just about anything will change.
Well, maybe the southwest waterfront. It is currently a relatively sketchy area (at nighttime for the most part), and the city is trying to bring more business and housing there to make it a destination, rather than a place no one visits at night. By 2010, you'll know how the project worked out.
Plans are in the works to bring the Metro line farther west into northern VA, but this isn't very beneficial to someone living in DC. The ride from, say, metro center, will probably be at least 1-1.5 hours to the end of the new line. They also just broke ground on an intercounty connector highway in MD, but this also doesn't really benefit anyone living in DC.
I agree with someone above who said DC is conservative. That is definitely something to keep in mind. It is not a fun city overall, but you can have fun here. You are reminded daily that it's the seat of government, which for some is cool, and for others is annoying.

Patricia M

There is a lot of stuff to do and the city is like no other. The weather is very hot and muggy in the summer and housing prices are through the roof. If you ever decide to have a family or move out of the city, buying a house will cost you a lot of money.

el cid

Advantages: free admission to museums and zoo, good architecture, nice subway sytem, largest library on earth located here

Disadvantages: Many areas of DC are dangerous, subway system is somewhat overpriced, terrorist threats

Changeres in surrounding; plenty of highrises but all skyscrapers are less than 600 feet.

allibillwm

DC is a great area. Not far from the ocean or the mountains, plenty of cultural opportunities, and with the federal government plenty of job opportunities.

The downside is the traffic and congestion. Try to locate near a Metro station.

Stargatebabe

2010... ask again in 4 years

john_belley

advantages: your in the capital of the united states

disadvantages: your in the united states, move to canada, eh,

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