Washington D.C. area

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Maaaaay be getting a job offer out there. I have been there twice--stayed in Arlington, which is a nice area but rather expensive. I enjoyed the Arlington area and the National Mall, museums, etc. but I have not seen the rest of the area. I hate to leave the SF Bay area, and I hear the traffic is horrendous in the DC area. What if you are a bit further out, say in Maryland, and can live close to work?

What are your thoughts on living in this area--cost of living, quality of life, climate, etc???

Thanks.

[Parsifal]

Regarding climate, winters are generally mild, though unpredictable.  There have been three years or so without a single substantial snow storm.  Before that was a storm which dropped a meter of snow in a 5 day span, and another early winter storm which dropped more precipitation in a 24 hour period than had ever been observed before.  During such storms the power in the suburbs often goes out for 5 days at a time.

Summers are not spectacularly hot, but are very humid.  The most miserable summer weather I have ever experienced, although I hear the Houston is far worse.

Washington DC culture seems to be focused on young professionals.  Affordable housing is being leveled to put up more an more buildings of studio apartments for 20 somethings.  Housing prices in the district are are generally high, comparable to Silicon Valley, although suburbs outside the beltway were made more reasonable thanks to the housing bust.

In Maryland the most desirable spots are in Montgomery Country, Bethesda and Chevy Chase.  Takoma Park is the less pricy, more bohemian district.  Sort of the Berkeley of the Capital regioin.  Prince Georges country is the home of government corruption and illicit drug culture.  If you live near the Metro you can take it into the capital, but the Metro system is not very exhaustive and there are many areas that are not so well served by public transit (not too similar to the Bay Area, I suppose).

One plus of the Capital region is the Smithsonian, which has a variety of museums that are free.  That means you can wander in and look around for an hour or two, rather than paying a steep fee and feeling that you have to march around all day to get your money's worth.

[snyprrr]

You're not going to be a drone pilot are you?!?!

DC Metropolitan Area = Heaven for real estate agents and defense contractors!!!ugh

e$$$pensive

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

No, not going to be a drone pilot. If I really wanted to wreak havoc, misery, and death, I would just get into banking or the insurance industry.

Thanks for all your comments. The job would be located in MD about 50 miles from DC, and from what we've seen, the rents/housing prices are much cheaper (even than where we are living now). And, I really like quiet neighborhoods, and am not in search of nightlife and the like. (I hate noise!) Every time I fly into/out of Dulles or Reagan National, nearly all the houses I see a bit further out seem to have large yards, lots of trees, swimming pools, etc. It looks promising...

We currently live in a similar situation in the East Bay (about 30mi east of Oakland). It is arguably "boring", but there is nice scenery, wineries, open spaces, hiking trails everywhere around here. The neighborhoods are green and low in crime, and everyone is friendly. I go on morning walks around my neighborhood, and nearly all the neighbors, and even complete strangers I pass on the sidewalk, say "Good morning!" When we are in need of bookstores, record stores, museums, great restaurants, gourmet food stores, we just take a pleasant little (1-1.5hr) trip into Berkeley or San Francisco. These places are great for those types of attractions, but unless you have a lot of money, life is much easier out here, especially if you work nearby.

I really hate to leave the Bay Area and this neighborhood, but the longer I go without stable employment, the more I am willing to relocate. And I think people in DC area don't quite appreciate how expensive it is out here, especially in silicon valley, the peninsula, San Francisco, or even some undistinguished places in the East Bay like Hayward. We've looked at home prices in Arlington, and they are really a quite reasonable compared to high priced areas in the Bay Area. But that's just an example--Arlington woudl be way out of the way for us...

[Parsifal]

50 Miles in what direction?  The scale of the region is such that 50 miles from the capital in any direction you are in a totally different place.