DC Dopers: What are the bad neighborhoods?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Now that I’ve gotten over the shock of the “pay-to-post” announcement, I guess I’ll post my question. God knows, it may be one of my last. :frowning:

I recently got a pseudo-promotion at work that will require me to work until 11 p.m. 3 nights a week. Where I rent a room from now, there is no public transportation past 10 p.m. So, I need to find a new place that is either within walking distance of a Metro station (preferred solution) or serviced well into the night by bus lines (acceptable solution).

I’ve seen some places with rent I can afford, but I really don’t know what’s a good neighborhood and what isn’t. Here’s what I think I know:

Good areas:
NW Washington DC
Alexandria
Arlington
Well, pretty much all of northern VA
Silver Spring
Almost everything on the west side of the Red Line

Okay areas:
East side of the Red Line
Northern end of the Green Line

Bad areas:
SE, SW, NE Washington DC
The southern end of the Green Line

Does this sound about right? And is anyone looking for a roommate??

2

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a safe, affordable and reasonably close neighborhood in the DC area. Southwest DC isn’t that bad crime-wise and is definitely cheaper than Arlington or Cleveland Park, but the neighborhood isn’t very interesting: full of high-rises built in the '60s and showing their age.

A basement apartment on Capitol Hill, maybe.

Stay away from Prince George’s County inside the beltway!!

3

Especially stay away from that area inside The Beltway. It’s full of crooks, liars and other unseemly people.

4

I live in the Burbs, Montgomery Village, MD at the present. I like it out here. Although, MV is a bit distant from the city (it takes an hour to commute in each morning).

I think you’re hitting the nail on the head with your analysis. I don’t know northern Virginia too well, but I hear that Geobabe is looking for a roommate out there.

There’s also a condo for sale in Rockville that I can refer you to, if you’re interested…

5

DON’T GO BACK TO ROCKVIIIIIIILLE…WASTE ANOTHER YEEEEEAR…

6

Dammit, Torgo, you beat me to it ;).

Anyway, the area by the zoo doesn’t seem bad…at least, not when I was walking there. By the Hard Rock Cafe–well, the people driving by at dusk in June thought my friend Ashley and I were streetwalkers…

…just live in the burbs. From what I hear, Crystal City, Alexandria, Arlington, etc. are pretty cool. The city isn’t the best place to be looking for safety.

7

I’d be careful of places like South Arlington or the Arlanda and Del Ray areas of Alexandria and Arlington. The neighborhood isn’t a lost cause like Anacostia in DC, but we’ve been tryin to work off a gang that’s trying to take root here. (MS if you wanna know.)

8

Well crap! I was just in MV Saturday afternoon. Had I known you lived there, I would have invited myself over for a couple of minutes to meet you and the lovely Anniz!

(I was somewhere east of 355 on Quince Orchard, though I think the name changed as I crossed 355. I went past a lake on my left and past a golf course and took the first left after the GC. I think it was past some big mall. Is this anywhere near where you are?)

9

Afraid he’s right, you’re going to have a trade-off. Walking distance to Metro means higher prices and/or less safe neighborhood.

Bus to Metro opens your options, but be sure to check the schedules - late night buses are limited.

I lived for many years without a car on Columbia Pike in South Arlington. And yes, the buses ran late at night.

Best bet price-wise is to live in a group home - of course, depending on the roommates you may be trading your sanity in return.

Some rough generalizations:

First, I’m too paranoid to ever call any neighborhood completely safe. I’ll concede in some neighborhoods violent crime is less likely to happen.

OK, comments on some of your options I’m familiar with:

NW DC: Tenleytown, Friendship Heights, Cleveland Park, Cathedral are all areas in NW that are nice enough, but Yow! they’re expensive.

Capitol Hill: The closer to the Capitol, the more expensive. It’s safer than it used to be, for what that’s worth. I wouldn’t live out past 15th St. myself.

Arlington: North is considered nicer than South, though I like South better myself. The Rosslyn-Ballston corridor is very hip right now, and beyond expensive. South is cheaper (unless you’re looking at Pentagon City or Crystal City)but less choice for public transportation. I agree with the poster who said stay out of Arlandria…

Alexandria:…and Del Ray. Old Town has a mix of prices and crime rates. You might look at the Landmark area, but I don’t know how late the buses run there.

Falls Church: Again, better prices and neighborhoods the further out you go, but bus service more sketchy. Higher prices near the Metro stations.

I don’t know Maryland.

10

Yep, we’re right across the street from the big mall (Lakeforest Mall).

Small world.

11

Hold on there, Sterling North. I live in Del Ray (right behind the new Audi dealership on Mt. Vernon Ave,) and I am unaware of any street gangs. We have a family-oriented neighborhood, with great restaurants, cafes, and a frozen custard shop. It’s a safe area to live.

Are you sure you’re not talking about Inner City, the area between Braddock Road Metro Station and Old Town?

12

I just moved to Rockville last weekend and I’ve been singin’ this all week. (My wife’s starting to get a little tired of it.)

As to the OP, I generally agree with your list, although there are parts of NE that aren’t bad.

–Cliffy

13

Actualy I was thinking of my neighborhood, along Columbia Pike, between Bailey’s Crossroads and Hunter’s Crossroads (Glebe Road). There was heavy gang activity a few years back (while I was in Middle School). It eased up significantly since, but I’ve heard rumblings of MS trying to make a comeback here.

14

I live right past the Beltway, on the Rt 1. Corridor (gasp!) near the Huntington metro stop. It has a bad reputation, but it’s really not a bad area, and not too expensive.

15

As far as an affordable, (fairly) centrally located, (fairly) safe neighborhood, might I suggest the Catholic University area? It’s right on the red line, has a few good pubs nearby, and is fairly inexpensive. SW waterfront is another area that’s underrated and affordable, but as someone else said, you’ll be living in a 1960’s high rise (or a houseboat). Capitol Hill (NE & SW) has gotten a lot better in terms of crime but is getting too pricey. As a general rule of thumb, anything West of 16th street NW should be safe. Most of Montgomery County (MD) and Arlington County (VA) are safe, but there’s a couple of questionable pockets in both.

16

Most of Fairfax County is indeed pretty safe, although I’m seeing a few police reports (I knew that job at the PD was going to be useful!) of gang activity in the Culmore area of Falls Church. I’ve been through that neighborhood and it doesn’t surprise me too much, since it’s pretty run down.

17

Columbia Heights is a pretty decent area - they opened the Metro stop there finally, and things are picking up somewhat. I’m sure the prices will rise as the inevitable gentrification sets in but things weren’t so bad when I lived there back in '97 to '99.

South Arlington (where I’m currently living) isn’t so bad either. I’m on Columbia Pike just east of Route 7, and it’s a great mix of ethnicities. There isn’t too much to do here, which means heading to Arlington or Ballston sometimes, but I haven’t heard anything about gang activity in the area. I’ve been here since '99.