bettyjoan Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Okay, I know this isn't really food-related (tangential at best), but I want the input of folks who live/work in DC and the surrounding areas... I lived in DC from 2005-2008, and I loved it. Met the now-husband, and due to his career necessity at the time, we moved back home to Atlanta. Now I am considering a job opportunity that would move us back to DC. It is a promotion, and a very good career move, but it is not a big raise (government position). I know cost of living is MUCH higher in DC than it is in Atlanta. We don't have kids and are not planning on having any, but we do have a dog and a cat and a house and two cars. My husband would likely have to quit his solo law practice and find a more structured government/firm job, which would probably mean we'd be living separately until he was able to do so. When we lived in DC the first time, we were more like students - we rented (at 16th and U), we didn't care as much about investments or debt or putting down roots, we just wanted to be in the heart of the action. Now, we crave a bit more permanence. We are still young and active, but we also want our own space, for ourselves and our critters. We also love to entertain at home, and would relish the opportunity (and the square footage) to do so, even if it meant eating/drinking out less. I guess I need help thinking about DC from a more "grown up" perspective. Help! I still love Atlanta, and my job there is fine (frustrated with it at the moment, but there may still be growth potential, though the timeframe is uncertain), so it makes things all the more difficult, as it truly is a choice and not a necessity. Thanks for any feedback you can provide...moderators, feel free to move if this is in the wrong place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rieux Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Try Mount Pleasant. Still walkable to stuff, good public transit, the park, and lots of row houses with nice yards. As a refugee from 16th and R I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Really interesting topic. I grew up in Montgomery county (Silver Spring), lived in D. C. (Wisconsin and Porter) and eventually moved to Virginia (Reston). My wife also retired from the National Science Foundation. And I am really chauvinistic to D. C. where I was born (North Capitol street). If I did not have children I would live in the city. Somewhere within a half mile of Dupont circle in any direction. (This relates to anti war protests and liberalism a long, long time ago.) Still, I love this part of the city. It feels like Paris, London-very European. If I had children I would seriously consider Arlington or Bethesda. Old Town would be interesting also (and every bit as expensive). But for me Connecticut avenue north from Dupont circle feels like the other side of the ocean-the good side. Four decades ago I had a different reason to live there; today I still want to be in the same place...but with different politics. Addendum: I once worked at 14th and U and my sister, today, has her business on U between 15th and 16th. I should also note that we have two cats who have no interest in moving anywhere. And, after living on both sides of the Cabin John bridge I can honestly tell you that those who live on the Maryland side believe that those on the Virginia side (one and one half miles away) live in another country (let alone another state). Those on the Virginia side feel exactly the same way about those in Maryland. The Potomac might as well be the Atlantic ocean. Split the difference and live in D. C. who look down on both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lion Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 It's a topic the wife and myself have discussed a lot especially this past year. Crossing the Potomac, for both of us, into Maryland or Virginia has been challenging and we also thought about moving into DC at some point as a compromise. However, at the moment, the amount of space and being in more natural setting that comes with living outside of the city is much appreciated. A $500K 2 Bedroom condo with 900 sq feet in Dupont Circle area or a 4 Bedroom townhouse outside of DC, double sq feet, but an hour commute? This seems to be the basic decision to make regardless of the compass direction around the beltway. So, the main questions become, how much space do you need for yourselves, your pets, and to entertain in relation to the inevitable commuting time calculation? Personally, the view outside the window makes a difference to me. What's the view outside your current place? Maybe what you like or dislike can help lead you to the right area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 My two cents: If you don't have children and don't plan to have them in the next few years, I wouldn't move to Maryland. Only because the tax rate is so high for DINKs and the benefits aren't quite there if you don't have children. DC has higher taxes than Virginia, but you also get the perks of living in the city, I often miss that. But if I was going to live in the city, I would want to live in the city- in the thick of it and not way up in NW. I really loved living in Capitol Hill area, it was fairly convenient to two different metros, parking wasn't as horrific as some other areas of town, although not easy. You could easily drive to parts of DC, MD and VA. There were some small parks to walk animals and run pretty closeby. Not sure what prices for the space are now. I would also suggest Arlington. It has a young-ish vibe, lots of restaurants, really pet friendly. They are putting in a lot of buildings- the condos, townhomes back behind the Ballston mall for instance, new complexs around the metro corridor. You can find a lot of pet friendly options. Which are still walkable to the metro. It's easy to drive to DC, parts of MD and VA. That gives you a lot of commuting options. I do a lot of driving for my work (atty) and often drive to Fairfax, I have an office in Reston, one in old town, I drive to other courts from time to time, and normally there is some traffic, but you aren't hitting the worst roads at the worst time. And if you can metro, there is normally a metro not too far from where you live in Arlington. The tax rate is a bit lower, crime rates are low so you feel pretty safe driving and walking places. It's still not cheap, but you still get the feel that you aren't totally outside the city. And there are some decent spaces. Lots of small parks and spaces for pets. Parking can be an issue if you don't have a driveway or garage in some parts, but it's not like when I lived in Dupont. It's really easy to get into DC by metro or by driving. The area around Shirlington also has some nice spaces, but isn't metro friendly which you probably want. That's also the big drawback with Alexandria, as their main metro stop is really inconvenient to most residents. Del Ray is cute and will have a metro stop at Potomac Yard, but that won't be for a bit. If your husband is going to practice law then he will probably be in DC, FFX (Reston or FFX City area) if in MD then Bethesda/Rockville. If he goes govt he will probably want to metro too. I really love Arlington. It makes me love Virginia, and I am originally from MD. Anyway that's my two cents. You may also want to rent for a couple months somewhere just to see if you like it and if not figure out where you want to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 I guess giving folks some idea of how we live NOW could help direct us to whether we might find something remotely similar in the DC metro area, and where. We live in Duluth, which is in Gwinnett County, Georgia, about 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. It is a VERY diverse community with great schools, and the real estate market seems to have fared much better than surrounding suburbs. In 2010, we bought a 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom house - it is about 2400 square feet, and has an unfinished basement and a small backyard (which we fenced in for our doggie). We never thought we'd be able to get new construction in our price range (high $200s), but we actually qualified on ONLY my salary because my husband is self-employed and it was too complicated to even factor him into the equation. Do we need that much space? Absolutely not. Does the house or the neighborhood have a lot of "charm"? No, it's the suburbs. But we definitely enjoy having the room to have folks over, to grill out on our deck, to store our bikes and our tailgating equipment, etc etc. As for my commute, I am driving anywhere between 35 minutes (in absolutely no traffic, which rarely happens) and an hour and a half (on the worst day, when there is an accident on the interstate or something). Usually it averages about an hour. I could live with that, as I have gotten used to it, but I'd certainly love it if public transit could be factored in again (Atlanta sucks in that regard, always has). I think, bottom line, as much as I would love love LOVE to live in the District itself, it isn't going to be spacially or financially feasible with the critters, as I don't think we would be willing to give up the square footage (well, we'd be willing to give up SOME, but not THAT much) or the access to our own outdoor space. So, if we up the price range some (since we will eventually be dealing with two salaries rather than one), are there areas we should be focusing on that would give us some of what we are used to within an hour commute of downtown DC? We'd probably need to rent for at least a year or so, since we couldn't qualify for a DC-area mortgage on just my salary, and hubby will need some time to find a job. That part of it doesn't thrill me - it is like taking a step back, after we worked so hard to buy here in GA - but it is what it is. It will give us some time to really decide where we want to settle, if this is the decision we end up making. I just shudder at the thought that we are going to have to spend $3K a month (rent) or $500K (buy) to get anything close to what we are used to within an hour of DC. I think that is part of what keeps the relocation from being a slam dunk decision. Being a grown up is hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Sounds like you're ready to come back to this area...it will always be a trade off- yes, it's more expensive, you will have to weigh the value of space & commute vs. ease & minimalism-when we moved here, at the height of the RE boom, I was astounded at what we would be paying for our first house(& it's not a special house, but we have a big yard for the kids & dogs ) on a single income. We live near Ft. Belvoir (my husband's in the Army), it's close to post, we were familiar w/ the area & the schools are pretty good. As much as I hate the traffic & crowds, I'd rather live here then almost anywhere else (if I had to commute, it would probably only be 20-35 min. to DC) you still can find housing deals, someone picked up a foreclosure in my neighborhood for $265k, a little more than half of what we had to spend....hope you join us.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 I think I am ready from a career perspective - it is a good move - but holy moly if the $$$ isn't giving me a panic attack! I think I just need to focus on each little immediate segment at a time - submit application, actually GET job (I think I have a very good shot), and then figure out each digestible piece at a time (see, I worked it back to food after all, haha) and try not to get overwhelmed. I'm sure I will be back to ask folks for advice as things progress, probably in the professionals and businesses forum. Thanks for all of the feedback. Feel free to PM me if there is more that I should keep in mind. I love DR.com! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers2000 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 As someone who moved every year for 6 years before finally settling in the district (Cleveland Park) the area's (non-DC, although I would second Mt Pleasant) I would suggest are: -Arlington- Looking at the edges of Ballston (particularly up Glebe towards Marymount). You won't get the square footage but there are a solid amount of rental options...particularly as you get a bit farther away from the metro. -Dunn-Loring - The new Mosaic district is starting to come together and it seems there is a push for it to become a Shirlington-esqe type of set up which should give plenty of things to do. It's a bit farther out but you would have Orange line access and it probably fits within your hour commute if you drove. Prices out that way are a bit better than Ballston or closer in on the orange line. -Alexandria - Old Town is expensive, but you can do pretty well if you look at some of the Townhouse developments (Stonegate, etc) that are close to 395 and an easy drive to Old Town...it fits the hour mark but you give up the metro (its accessable, but you essentially have to drive there). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 Well, the application has been submitted, so who knows what will happen now or how long it will take. I am a very strong candidate for the position, and clearly this is not the private sector where they can try to offer me the moon to make it worth my while, but there is some negotiation that could be done in order to make the transition easier if they wanted to offer me the position. It really came down to a decision of heart (don't they all?). My heart was telling me that the career decision was the right one, and that we could figure everything else out in time. We still have some friends and family in the District and surrounding areas (including on this wonderful, fabulous, exists-nowhere-else-on-earth board), so I'm sure we will be reaching out for various types of help and ideas if things start getting real on the quick! Thanks for the feedback - I will keep you updated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 Update: coming up for an interview on Monday. Eek! There is definitely some formidable competition for the job, but now that I have spent so much time thinking about it, I am convinced that I am the best person for the position and gosh darnit, I WANT IT. It really would be an opportunity to effect change on a national scale. Wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Update: coming up for an interview on Monday. Eek! There is definitely some formidable competition for the job, but now that I have spent so much time thinking about it, I am convinced that I am the best person for the position and gosh darnit, I WANT IT. It really would be an opportunity to effect change on a national scale. Wish me luck! Wow! That was fast. Good luck . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Well...I got it. DC, here I come (again)! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Well...I got it. DC, here I come (again)! Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Congratulations and welcome back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lion Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Congratulations and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMango Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 *cheers!* If you need any intel/info to ease your transition, you know where to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Well...I got it. DC, here I come (again)! Congrats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Well...I got it. DC, here I come (again)! That's great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squidsdc Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Congrats!! And since no one has chimed in yet for MD, don't forget to check Takoma Park/Silver Spring/Wheaton and even venture up towards Olney. Commutes are over an hour from Olney, but further South not as bad. I live in between SS and Wheaton and on good days my commute is 40 min and on bad days an hour and 15 min. With very easy access to bus routes to take me directly to metro. Takoma Park has some good areas and some "developing" areas, just as does the area just outside of SS. Very diverse area. And I believe there are good schools in the southern SS area but you'd have to ask Joe W. his opinion on that. ("Silver Spring" encompasses a very large area.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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