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I already live in DC, but am looking for more space at a lower price so am thinking of moving to a somewhat more transitional neighborhood.
I'm a woman in my mid-30s, and will have a roommate.
Any thoughts on these neighborhoods, or particular locations to stay away from? I understand that there's crime throughout the city, but am trying to learn about any current hot spots.
I'm not sure what your definition of "lower price" is, but at least two of the neighborhoods you mentioned (Columbia Heights and LeDroit Park) have housing that is quite expensive.
I can't speak to crime in Eckington, but I can tell you that Columbia Heights has seen an uptick in crime this year. There have been several murders, and so-called "quality of life" crime (muggings, robberies/thefts, property crime) are up. Columbia Heights is definitely a changing neighborhood (changing for the better, that is) but there is almost a false sense of security about it. Yes, there are a lot of shops and restaurants up there, but there is also a fairly resilient drug trade.
Now, what you consider to be a "tolerable" level of crime is likely different from someone else's, so i would encourage you to visit these neighborhoods at all hours--morning, afternoon and night--and spend some time walking around and familiarizing yourself with them.
Thanks much for your thoughts. I live only a couple blocks off 14th and U, so am pretty used to city life. Realistically, I probably already have a false sense of security to some degree where I am currently. But at least I know my way around, whereas I'm less familiar with these other spots.
Thanks much for your thoughts. I live only a couple blocks off 14th and U, so am pretty used to city life. Realistically, I probably already have a false sense of security to some degree where I am currently. But at least I know my way around, whereas I'm less familiar with these other spots.
That's helpful. I live a few blocks off of 14th and U as well (obviously), but there's quite a difference once you ascend the 14th Street hill.
In Ledroit Park the crime hotspot is the 200/200 block of W and V. If you stay south or east of there it's much nicer. Eckington has some trouble spots across N Capitol (e.g. Lincoln Rd NE), but I'm not as familiar with that area.
Overall Ledroit and Eckington are pleasant and quiet. Much less bustling than Columbia Heights (which is either good or bad depending on what you are looking for).
I'd place my bet on Eckington. It definitely has problems - I have a god grandson who was shot there by a gang who hadn't gotten enough good feelings by shooting up the house he lived in. (He's a medical miracle, praise God - two bullets to the head and amazingly enough, he's doing just fine.) Eckington is not uniformly dangerous by any means, and is in many ways quite quiet. Nice rowhouses, yes, very much like Dupont Circle, but that's true of a lot of the inner city, of course. Despite all this, I like Eckington, yes, I do, It's got some great old houses, and I'd give the Eckingtonites (Eckingtonians?) a chance to show off their good side. A general note of caution - with hundreds of Washingtonians being laid off by the DC Government, house values in a lot of neighborhoods will be affected. See my new blog, (BrightSparklyJewels.blogspot.com) for some estimates of layoffs. That may affect prices in neighborhoods like Eckington, as well as other, similar neighborhoods.
I live in Columbia Heights. Look, DC is a metropolitan city and there is crime everywhere. You just gotta be smart about it and know where you're going. It's not rocket science.
Housing is expensive in the area. I would recommend the Allegro apartments which just opened up a few months ago. Studio apartments go for $1700, while 2 bedroom apartments go for I believe $2200. It's a very expensive area to live in, but if you can do...then I recommend the area. There's Metro, a supermarket, a mini-maill with Target, Best Buy, etc, Starbucks, some decent local bars.
I live a few blocks fom Eckington, in Bloomingdale. Can't really give anything more than anecdotal evidence about crime so I won't bother. But there's more to real estate prices than crime -- Eckington is a LOT less interesting than areas like Columbia Heights or even Ledroit Park. The housing stock may be similar to Dupont Circle but there's not a whole lot to do.
I live in Columbia Heights. Look, DC is a metropolitan city and there is crime everywhere. You just gotta be smart about it and know where you're going. It's not rocket science.
You are correct that it's important to be street-savvy and understand where you are going. But it's also correct to say that some areas of the city have worse crime than others. True, crime is everywhere, but you're far less likely to have a gun shoved into your face in Tenleytown than you are in Columbia Heights.
You are correct that it's important to be street-savvy and understand where you are going. But it's also correct to say that some areas of the city have worse crime than others. True, crime is everywhere, but you're far less likely to have a gun shoved into your face in Tenleytown than you are in Columbia Heights.
That is true , but that can be said for D.C compared to other cities, and yes I agree that the crime is everywhere argument is correct but also useless at times or rather ignorant at times.
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