Real Estate
I have several friends who are hunting for new homes and houses in D.C. Picking a neighborhood is tricky, especially in a rapidly developing city like Washington. Not many of my friends have kids, so schools aren’t really an issue. Instead, it’s the usual single-professional litany: crime and coffee shops, kitchens and subway stops. In the suburbs, the old maxim was:“Start at your office. Then drive till you can afford it.” In the city, it’s: “Start at your favorite bar. Then walk till you can afford it.”
That is excellent advice for city living.
When I first moved to Washington, Dupont was a lot scruffier than it is now, and my rule was ‘never live more than 2 blocks from the Fox & Hounds’.
— Jim Manzi · Nov 11, 08:28 PM · #
this rings true. for western cities where there are a lot of hills i like the live-up-a-hill-and-avoid-random-crime heuristic.
— razib · Nov 11, 08:53 PM · #
The problem is that perception of what is a dangerous neighborhood, and what is statistically a dangerous neighborhood, are rarely consonant with one another. Then again, maybe that’s the point. You should worry about how you feel. The odds of being the victim of a random street crime, even in DC, are remarkably low.
— Freddie · Nov 12, 12:35 AM · #
Well, the odds of you being injured are low. The odds of you being seriously injured are even lower.
But the fact remains that about half of my friends in D.C. have been mugged at least once (some 3 or 4 times), most at gun point. The Post ran a story a couple years ago that pointed out that, on weekends, muggings spike as high as 5 an hour.
And a pretty high number of my friends have had their homes or cars broken into. I remember when I moved to town, a friend told me that every person in her office had either had their car or home broken into over the course of a year.
So no, if you live on the Hill or in NW, you’re not likely to be seriously hurt, but still, I think it’s understandable to worry in this city.
— Peter Suderman · Nov 12, 04:28 AM · #
Please put your friends in touch with me: I am a foirmer DC professional now trying to SELL a house in the DC suburbs. Admittedly not near any great bars, but a good location for the ones who do have kids.
— MannyJ · Nov 12, 09:50 AM · #