Safe, affordable neighborhoods in the DC area

Northern Virginia. But it's hell.

Most transplants don't realize this until about 2-3 years in so make sure you rent.

Why is it hell, R1?

R2 The people are nasty. The weather is weird. The cost of living is crazy in most parts but still better than DC. The police are suburban thugs. The overpaid government satanists/CEOs that live in Clifton/McLean/Fairfax County area exert a certain amount of influence and live distantly from everyone else. There's white trash areas and ghettos. The Klan still marches further south and in parts of Maryland. It's not very gay friendly despite what you might hear. The list goes on.

Wow. Remind me never to visit Northern VA.

R4 Visiting is fine. I just wouldn't live here if I had my druthers. A lot of people are moving south to more liberal areas of NC. Nice views there and a similar culture without the stress.

R3 is absolutely spot on. Are you sure this is what you want OP? You will be paying a massive amount of money to live in a place that somehow manages to combine the most unpleasant aspects of the American South/Middle America and the more industrialized Northeast into one place, with the benefits of neither. It's uncanny. I would research other places but it's your life I suppose.

The entire DC area is a living hell. Good luck finding a tolerable location.

There IS NO SAFE AND AFFORDABLE area in DC.

If there was someone would be living there.

You can have safe and expensive or cheap (and we know what that means)

The entire dc area is very costly and there is absolutely nothing to do. If you're going to pay out of the nose I would look for a more interesting metropolitan area . The price starts to go down a little once you go west of DC like Frederick MD but then you still have the problem of the commute.

Virginia

Arlington, VA - aside from Buckingham, Nauck, Columbia Heights West and other areas closest to the west end of Columbia Pike (west of George Mason, really) should be fine. You're gonna pay, though.

Alexandria and Loudoun County

Also, the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria is well-liked by many.

I don't love NoVA, but I wouldn't call it a hellhole unless one is living on Rt 1 or down in Hoodbridge.

The commute into DC or other parts of Northern Virginia does suck, though unless you live right by a Metro or VRE station or by one of the bus stops on a line that goes into DC.

If you can't afford to live in DC proper, I'd look to move elsewhere. Northern VA is not just a hellhole, but the mouth that is the entrance to hell. The Maryland suburbs of DC aren't too much better. Frederick MD is a nice little town -- but it's still close enough to DC to be full of entitled assholes.

I lived in Germantown, Maryland about 20 years ago and it was definitely a bedroom community. Lots of condos and townhouses and people moving in and out. I then moved to Frederick and while it was a lot more "homey", the drive into DC felt endless compared to Germantown. I wouldn't live in Northern Virginia if you paid me.

What exactly does “bedroom community” mean?

DC is the one place that seems to get universal hate - from residents and outsiders. As a visitor, I like it - especially for a Spring weekend. But definitely colder, more career oriented people who tend to be uptight and pretentious. I like it architecturally - and the fact that there are a number of gay bars. But I totally see the nastiness of living there full time.

Isn’t there a stop further out on the DuPont Circle Metro Line where apartments are cheaper - a short walk to Metro and it shoots you straight to the gayborhood?

[quote]there are a number of gay bars

Dwindling.

You won;t be happy in suburban VA or MD, trust me. In the District, you are probably going to want to start looking at some of the outer reaches of Shaw (around the 10th Street exit at the U Street Metro station). Also, the nabes around the Potomac Ave station in Capitol Hill. No place in the District is guaranteed totally crime-free. That's if you want to be a "gentrification pioneer."

Otherwise, anywhere on the Red Line from Dupont Circle up to Tenleytown.

What's the upper limit of what you're willing to spend?

Run for President OP, you can live in a nice white house for free. Well only if you win but if Trump can, surely you can. You don't actually have to do the job, you can just appoint and fire people at will, and lets face it, probably the safest house in America.

So since no one is actually helping, here’s your answer: University Park MD, Mount Rainier MD, Historic Greenbelt MD, Cheverly MD, Historic Hyattsville MD, Lake Artemesia MD. Riverdale Park MD .

I love living in DC. It's full of smart people & good financial opportunities. I also love the city/urban vibe of DC -- don't discount it if you're only here for a short period. Suburbs are suburbs anywhere. But gay people are valued and accepted in DC proper. Enjoy it while you're here! You might not get the 4 bedroom house, but do you really need it? I lived in a rough neighborhood when I was young, then Dupont in my 30s, now Capitol Hill with my kid. My current neighbors don't care that I'm gay, or bald, or whatever. I would *never* live in Virginia's sprawl with Virginia's "traditional" values.

I love Living in Virginia. Affluent, well-educated, more space, more lawn, a garage, no rats, and affluent shopping. I couldn’t imagine living in the crowded, dangerous, rat city.

A bedroom community is a suburb that doesn't have much going on other than people who live there and commute to another town for work. That would contrast with a pre-existing small town that turned into a suburb as big city workers looked for someplace pleasant to raise families.

[quote]No place in the District is guaranteed totally crime-free.

No place in the WORLD is guaranteed totally crime-free.

Of the three main entities (DC, MD, VA), Virginia generally has the lowest taxes. If that's a consideration. Also, there's no direct freeway access to DC from most of the Maryland suburbs.

I’ve lived in the DC area for 38 years and in DC itself for 30 of those years. It is a great city with a very vibrant LGBTQ community.

A lot of gay guys prefer living in the area roughly stretching from 17th Street to U Street/Howard Theater down through Shaw. Also, Capitol Hill, and the NoMa, Eckington, Bloomingdale neighborhoods.

Living in the Maryland or Virginia suburbs can be limiting, because you are going to have to travel into the city for any decent nightlife.