by Lisa Rayne

Created on: January 23, 2009

In approaching the quest of looking for a place to hang your hat in Washington, D.C., it is important to realize that one can make a happy home with a little bit of sacrifice. There appears to be a "trifecta" which many seeking housing in D.C. strive for: 1) safety, 2) convenience, and 3) affordability. Knowing and accepting that one will have to sacrifice one element of the trifecta to find happy housing is more than half of the battle. Educating oneself on the many vibrant, diverse, and quaint neighborhoods which D.C. has to offer, and deciding which is the best for you, is equally important in defining one's approach for finding housing in the city.

Since it is generally not advisable to sacrifice safety for convenience or affordability, the remaining two factors will be discussed below. In terms of safety, generally neighborhoods in the Northwest quadrant of the city and some parts of Northeast are considered safe. Certain areas of off the beaten paths of Columbia Heights, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, and Shaw, and near the Convention Center in NW and NE should generally be avoided late at night for someone who is unfamiliar with their surroundings. Southeast and Southwest tend to have higher crime rates than the rest of the city. As always, however, one must exercise their proper judgment and caution in determining what one feels safe with. This is always relative.

Convenience:

Searching for housing in terms of convenience, assuming one works in the downtown area of the District, there are a few key factors to regard in one's decision. These factors include types of public transport one prefers to use (if any) and location to amenities (i.e. grocery stores, parks, etc.). If one prefers to ride a Metro train instead of bus, for example, Georgetown is not a recommendable living place for this person as Metro does not travel into this neighborhood. This follows for Glover Park and the National Cathedral districts as well. Busses communicate these areas, however, very thoroughly, and these areas are also quaint and vibrant communities which should not necessarily be overlooked.

For those who prefer to ride Metro, any location nearest a Metro station will rise in price, but the benefits of commuting conveniently cannot be beat.

Many out-of-towners may not realize that grocery stores tend to be scantily scattered throughout the city, making the simple act of feeding oneself a difficult task when caught ill-prepared. For those who need to be closeby a grocery, check

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>