Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In regards to apartment complexes within walking distance of metro stops, I had originally read that Ballston had more of the immediate college graduate to mid 20s crowd but Clarendon and Courthouse were an older late 20s, 30s, even 40s/50s with some families, etc. However, when I went on apartmentranking.com, many people in Clarendon and Courthouse apartment complexes complained about loud parties from 20s crowds that had been seen as a relatively new influx into those areas. Not that I'm against the fun, but I've been that age and want a quieter place now - not being kept awake by neighbors at 2 AM on Fri/Sat (yes, there are noise restrictions but several tenants on apartmentranking.com said their landlords never did anything other than tell them to call the police). Thoughts?
Frankly, I never noticed a major age difference between people who live in Ballston versus Court House/Clarendon area. It's mostly under 40 single professionals.
As far as finding a quieter place, you need to be selective on where you choose to live. I rented an apartment in a high-rise condo (which I now own) and I can tell you that there was no way the condo association would tolerate loud noises. The building was managed well. If the place you choose is managed well, you won't be facing those issues. GL!
However, when I went on apartmentranking.com, many people in Clarendon and Courthouse apartment complexes complained about loud parties from 20s crowds that had been seen as a relatively new influx into those areas.
I assuming you mean apartmentratings.com?
From my experience, that website is notoriously negative on every managed building. It seems as though the dissatisfied customers want it known to the world how awful their life has been for the length of their lease, whereas the satisfied customers don't see writing rave reviews on the website all that worth their time...
Apartment living is extremely hit or miss. You might live in a building and have a peacefully quite apartment. Your buddy might live down the hall and have professional wrestlers living one floor up. Sometimes its just a roll of the dice...
First I want to reinforce that whether you choose Clarendon, CH or Ballston, you are moving to very safe, desirable and close-in Metro-accessible areas. I know these areas well, so I'm just going to give you my opinion on them, + and -, and you can hopefully glean something from it.
Ballston: Loads of offices. Western edge of the area you are looking. Easy access to I-66 for when you need to get to Tysons, etc. Tons of restaurants (Chevy's, Rock Bottom, Rio Grande Cafe, Tara Thai). Arlington's Central Library is here as well as Ballston Common Mall (Macy's and a movie theatre, but otherwise a "service" mall versus an actual Gap/Abercrombie type of place). Not so many bars here. Harris Teeter is here as well as some tennis courts behind the library and an outdoor track and public pool at Wash-Lee HS. The people in this area vary in age range, but I think 30s professional and single is a good description.
Clarendon: This is a true gem in terms of unique-ness. Arlington as a whole is a unique place in the DC area as it actively rebuts big suburban homes (they do exist in some parts) and encourages civic involvement. Clarendon is kind of the heart of all this. If you are liberal, you will love it here. Bush is a four letter word here. Tons of bars and restaurants. My favorites include Cheesecake Factory, Faccia Luna (also a location in Old Town Alex), and Whitlows on Wilson. There is always something going on at the Clarendon Ballroom or Iota. You could easily fill your social life here - eliminating the need to Metro into DC. They have a special night on April 15th, something like Tax Blues Happy Hour or something. Whole Foods Market is the grocery store here, so you do kind of need your car to drive 5 minutes to Giant on Wash Blvd or Safeway down in Rosslyn on Wilson. Barnes and Noble and the Apple store are here too! Out of the three areas, this would be my first choice to live in.
Court House: This is the home of the Arlington government and courts (hence the name...lol). There are some bars here, a Corner Bakery will be opening soon. Office Depot is here along with a good bagel place called Brooklyn Bagel (some of the best bagels in DC in my opinion). There is a movie theatre here, but not as nice as the newer one in Ballston. Two stops to DC is nice on the Orange line as well.
Hope this gives you a taste of the area. I really wouldn't worry about the noise as much. Yes, there are some group houses with rowdy 20s, but in truth, the neighborhoods in these areas are simply too expensive for weekend drunks. The homes behind Clarendon, due north of Wilson Blvd, have tons of children and all. I think in these neighborhoods, you will usually see more children being pushed in strollers than the rowdy drunks. Best of luck to you!
Which place would be best for a person of a more socially conservative persuasion?
I don't think anywhere in Arlington (or really anywhere within the beltway or other close in suburbs) is especially suited to socially conservative people, if you mean that in the political sense. It's heavily Democratic.
If you mean conservative in that you don't like parties and nightlife, I'd say Ballston is the better choice. Both areas have similar types of residents, however, and you're going to see people walking around drunk and being loud on the weekends. It's not anything like, say, Adams Morgan, but you'll probably find a few red cups on the streets on Sunday morning.
Apartment Ratings is not a useful website. As another poster said, it's overwhelmingly negative. I get the impression that the people using it simply have unrealistic expectations about life on the planet earth.
I lived in a high rise in Courthouse for 3 years and we had some LOUD neighbors.
If you can score recent-construction condo, the walls will be thick enough not to hear anything. Even semi-recent rental stuff will have thin walls and you'll be SOL.
It's a nice area though. We had a view of the mall from our place, which is a very rare commodity in the DC area (it's not a "view" city, generally, due to height restrictions, so Arlington has the view market cornered).
I could walk to 5 guys and metro in 2 minutes, farmer's market right there on Saturdays, it was nice. I was glad to GTFO and buy a house in the suburbs, but I'm just that kind of guy. I value having my own garage more than I value being "in the thick of it".
Apartment Ratings is not a useful website. As another poster said, it's overwhelmingly negative. I get the impression that the people using it simply have unrealistic expectations about life on the planet earth.
Combine this with management blasting the conditions at the competition and praising the conditions at their own property and you get a completely unrealistic mix of reviews. Gotta love the anonymity that is the internet...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
