DC People!!!

[sbird1]

Hey folks from DC (Dattebayo, IDK who else) I'm attemping to get a job with the Capital Police and I am looking for a cheap place to live, should I be in that area soon. You guys have any idea? Maybe I should have put this in the regional forums, but no one checks that shiz.

I take the entrance exam, well, today at 10 am. and will hopefully be up in that area soon. Maybe this should have been a "PM" but oh well. LMK if you guys know of good places near DC where I won't get murdered. Thanks.

[themadscientist]

Southeast looked cheap. The bag lady told me so. D.C. is a nice place to visit, in the daytime and only certain areas, but I don't think living there would be cost effective. I know the Virginia side is expensive, perhaps certain sections of Maryland are more affordable?

[flohtingPoint]

I live in Occoquan. It's outside of Fairfax, which can suck my dongle, and the rent is fairly cheap without having to live deep into Woodbridge (or Hoodbridge as it's known). You get murdered in northern DC, south of there you're relatively fine.

[themadscientist]

Dale Citiot over here. Occoquan is nice. If you had a power boat you could commute up the Potomac every day.

[flohtingPoint]

It would definitely circumvent the 495 hell-hole traffic. Wonder if they have a dock near DCA...

[themadscientist]

Yup!
http://www.capitalyachtclub.com/
http://www.gangplank.com/

To name a few.

If I can get the job at Quantico in a few years I am looking at I thought about river commuting to the marina down there from Occoquan. Gives me an excuse to get ma boat!

[krash]

You'll get killed in SE DC. NW is pretty alright though. You can always take Jim's advice and snag a place somewhere outside of DC for not too bad. I live in Silver Spring, which is a stone's throw away from DC (16th street will take you straight to the white house), and there are some pretty affordable places in this area.

[hannibal]

DC has a reputation for being a dangerous city. I lived in Silver Spring for 3 yrs or so and spent some time in the district. I've never had a problem and I stumbled home drunk far too many times. SE DC on the west side of the river is not bad at all. Capitol Hill, Eastern Market, and Potomac Ave area has some nice English basements for rent. This was one of the areas I looked at most.

I was staying in Largo, MD and just moved to NE DC. So far, so good. I spent three weeks looking at places. I looked everywhere from Dupont Circle to SW Waterfront. You'd be amazed at what passes for an apartment here. 350 sq ft studios, units without kitchens, it's nuts. I encourage you to take your time looking. You can go from a nice neighborhood to a rough area in a matter of blocks.

I must mention that I'm Black so my definition of what's scary might be different from yours.

BTW, I might rent out my 2nd bedroom. Let me know if you're interested.

[Dattebayo]

First off, you haven't declared what you'd consider "cheap". Jordan up there^ seems to think 1100 a month is cheap, while I would die from not being able to eat paying that every month...

[alms24sebring]

Cheap is non existant. You sure as hell dont wanna live in Northern VA and travel to DC everyday or pay rent here. Even a 1bed, 1 bath, and a porched apartment runs like $1200/month. It takes hours to get there and hours to get back (depending on where) from VA. I also highly recommend to NOT to live in Hoodbridge. It is gheeeeetto and way too far to travel.

I think its fairly cheaper on the East side of MD (Oxxen Hill -> Woldorf). Its alittle more open and suburban and might be worth looking into. I couldnt tell you about rent in DC. But I can tell you about Satan's traffic that exists there. The best bet is to Metro. It can be a bit crowded but definantly faster than driving.

Yeah fool lets get drunk somewhere (if you still drink). My license is restricted but I can always Metro lol

[Dattebayo]

Basically, what I've been told here is forget renting and try to own, because the mortgage payments are going to be less than what rent costs you.

If your credit stinks and you can only afford something for less than $800, you're gonna have to live in a sketchy neighborhood or find a basement somewhere.

[boston824]

Personally, I live in Frederick MD and commute into DC each day along with a lot of my neighbors; I drive straight down 270 everyday. I sometime drive only to Rockville and take the metro into the Capital. Either way, cheap does not exist in DC (unless you where your vest everyday/ all day).

http://www.apartmenthomeliving.com/apar ... 702-184855

Good luck

[Dattebayo]

That is a terrible idea. You're not saving yourself anything by moving all the wayfu*k out there...

That's a ridiculous commute.

[themadscientist]

If work lead me to D.C. I need to be near a metro station, maybe Vienna. My mom fought that 95 BS into Alexandria and back for years, I ain't playing with that crap.

[alms24sebring]

Its no joke expecially south from Wilson Bridge to 40 miles to Fredricksburg. I dont know how pwoplw do it.

Some people used to drink a 6pack in that traffic and be drunk by the time they walk in their door They had a good point tho, "cops dont sit in traffic"

[ILOVESILVIA(S13)]

Stay away from Prince George Co.

[carloslebaron]

This is not only about the price of the room, apartment or house, but also about your new location in refeence to your workplace. I used to work with two guys who own beautiful houses in Waldorf MD, but in order to be on time at their workplace, they had to leave their home at 5:30am in order to be without traffic problems in DC at around 7:30am. The same happened after work, they leave their workplace at 5:00pm to be at home around 7:00pm. What it make them to be late going home was the rush hour traffic, and what it made them to leave so early everyday was to avoid getting caught in the rush hour traffic.

So, Virginia is beautiful, but you must have to cross bridges to reach DC and at rush hour the bridges are mostly bumper to bumper traffic.

In DC itself you have nice areas to live at in NW, NE, SW and SE, but don't generalize them as if their safety and kind of people is the same, because -as in any city of US- you just cross one street and going forward is a different city.

So, "cheap" will be defined according to where you come from. Lets say you come from Rhode Island, then to pay 1200 bucks for a one bedroom apartment will look cheap to you, but coming from North Carolina you will see it too much for your packet.

So, there are several factors to consider including your daily schedule, because if your schedule is after 10:00am everyday, it won't matter if you live in VA -like Fairfax, Vienna, etc, about one hour plus driving.

Other way to reach your workplace is living near a metro station, so no matter where your location is, metro is fast and no problems.

About safety. No place in US or the entire world is crime free, so that part can't be answered. But for sure, "risk" to be murdered comes greater if you are a white person living in Benning RD SE, specially close to the public housing complexes.

Give more information about where your working headquarters might be, and the assumed schedule. Also what kind of transportation you prefer to use, what do you want to rent or buy, like a studio, a one bedroom apartment, a condo, a house.

So far, no help will be useful if no more information is giving from you, because -let me give you an example- in NW DC, you cross the 16th Street and the price of houses change completely, you cross M St in SE DC and the same happens, etc, etc.

Just give an amount that for you might be affordable, also -please no one to be offended- if you can tell the color of skin, and your preferences for neighbors. In DC, MD, and VA, there are several neighbors that have mixed races, other areas are primary white, or black, inclusive latino.

The same as well, are you bringing a family? Children perhaps? Then, Prince George is cheap in areas like College Park, good schools, good neighborhoods, but Prince George Landover, Bladensburg, Oxon Hill, and others, are negative for schools, and if you are not black, you will have more inconveniences.

DC is a nice place to live in, you'll learn to love it, so you better keep getting informed about the best areas that fit with your way of living, so you won't have to adapt yourself too much and feel like home.

My regards.

[sbird1]

Thank you guys for all the replies. I really do appreciate it. If I do make it up there, beers will be consumed on me.

[alms24sebring]

yay body shots!! Oh wait.. I see what you meant.