2 blocks from Howard-Shaw Metro Safety (rentals, crime, how much)

[ssk023]

Hi all,

I am looking to rent a place 2 blocks from the Howard/Shaw metro on S and 5th st, NW. I was wondering about the safety of the area, I feel like it is fine but some people have told me I should insist that the landlord put bars on the windows.. I feel like this is a bit drastic and besides I don't think the land lord will go for it anyways.

What do you guys think? Anyone live in the area already? Do you walk your dogs there, do you feel safe walking late and night? Do you think its safe for women, I realize its a city and one has to be careful but I still don't want to feel like I might get mugged on any given night walking home from work.

I currently live in Silver Spring and I really just want to live in the city and I have found the perfect place, so I appreciate any advice!

thanks!

[stateofnature]

Shaw is definitely somewhat on the fence between safe and unsafe. I know a bunch of people who have lived there for awhile without problems. I also know another person (single woman, out walking her dog at night) who got punched in the face, knocked to the ground, and robbed. This was at 5th and N NW, which is pretty far from the Shaw metro but still part of what is generally considered Shaw.
I also had a friend who recently moved out of her house at 6th and Q because it got burglarized.

Robberies, drug deals, etc go on there at a higher rate than the generally accepted "safe" neighborhoods in DC like Dupont, Georgetown, Cleveland Park, etc. but you are still unlikely to be a victim if you're smart. You do have to accept that you are more likely to be a victim of a crime if you live there than other places, though.

I think coming from Silver Spring it might feel unsafe. But if you're used to hanging out in inner-city neighborhoods, it might feel quaint.

I think the bars on the windows is a good idea, though, considering I personally know someone who was burglarized in Shaw. If you're not comfortable with neighborhoods that get enough crime for there to be bars on many windows, then Shaw is not the area for you.

It's definitely a neighborhood for people who are adventurous and ok with "gentrifying" neighborhoods, not for people who want neighborhoods that have already arrived.

[KStreetQB]

I live a block from the Shaw metro. I generally feel safe but there is a criminal element that keeps the neighborhood from being a real jewel.

Your biggest threat is really property crime. So just tuck any portable electronics away on your walk home. If you're getting off the metro at rush hour, there is going to be a lot of foot traffic, and you'll most likely be in good company. If it's late at night, I tend to just stay on the safe side and take a cab.

I really like the neighborhood. It's very residential, and quiet compared to most areas I've lived in. There will be an occassional gunshot, or a drug-fueled 3am argument in an alley; if that's something that's going to freak you out, then it might not be the right place for you. Everyone's threshhold is different.

[movinghere]

It's not the best, not the worst. Why don't you head over there at night and walk around, and see if you feel safe?

[ssk023]

Thanks! I'm def going to walk around tonight- its just hard to tell, I have been to U street and even had a friend that lived on 8th and U, I never felt totally safe but I have also never felt really unsafe. I guess what concerns me is that there are no bars on the windows- I don't know if that should be a deal breaker- but given the amount of break-ins just in the past two days I probably should insist.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by ssk023

I guess what concerns me is that there are no bars on the windows- I don't know if that should be a deal breaker- but given the amount of break-ins just in the past two days I probably should insist.

I would actually view the lack of window bars as a positive thing and an indication of how much then eighborhood has improved from a crime perspective over the last decade or so. Also, break-ins that involve the smashing of windows are themselves exceedingly rare. Not to say that it never happens, but in terms of being a victim of crime you're much more likely to be mugged or have your car broken into.

Shaw itself is a really a block-by-block neighborhood. There are trouble spots--the area immediately around the Shaw Metro, 11th and N, Fifth and O, and probably a couple of others. But there are also a number of quiet, residential streets where residents rarely come into contact with the criminal element. I'm curious as to how your visit/walk around the neighborhood went?

[movinghere]

Originally Posted by 14thandYou

I would actually view the lack of window bars as a positive thing and an indication of how much then eighborhood has improved from a crime perspective over the last decade or so.

While this statement can be true in some cases, it isn't always true for rentals. In my neighborhood most of the owner-occupied buildings have bars on the groundfloor windows, while many of the rentals (with the exceptions of ones that used to be owner-occupied until recently) don't have bars on the windows. If a number of other units on the block have bars on the windows but yours doesn't, I would be concerned. If very few of the units have bars on the windows, then I'd agree with 14thandYou's advice to some extent.