Moving

[Smurfysmiles]

Maybe moving to Washington D.C. I''m going there with SO to live with his brother''s family for a month so we can both job hunt in a bigger city. Are any of you ladies from around there? Got any good tips? I''ve already looked up which neighborhoods to stay away from so I don''t get mugged. It''s pretty scary but I''m excited at the same time

 

[sweetjettagirl04]

I'm about 45 mins outside DC, but my dad travels there every day for work. I love going down there, it's a great city! I don't have much to offer - I just know that living IN DC is kinda pricey. Good luck with the move & job hunting!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Yeah I''ve heard a lot of people say it is pretty pricey. His brother lives in White Plains, MD which is about a 30 min drive into DC so maybe we''ll be able to find something affordable around there.

 

[sweetjettagirl04]

It''s only pricey to us "country folk" because the rent and housing is so much more. But, you''ll be making more money the closer you get into the city, so it''s all relative because the cost of living is the same. What are you looking to do? Career-wise, I mean?

 

[Smurfysmiles]

i''m in graphic and web design. SO is in the field of archaeology.
his brother and wife both work for the government though we don''t know what they actually do because they can''t tell us (seriously lol) but they both have pretty good connections for the both of us and i''ve been applying left and right at all the design agencies around there.

 

[sweetjettagirl04]

That''s awesome. You shouldn''t have too much of a problem, even if you look in the cities around DC, there''s bound to be something for you.

Make sure you do the touristy things when you''re there - like the Spy Museum, The Zoo, Smithsonian, and the Holocaust Museum. I''ve been down there about twice a year every year since I was little, and it''s still fun to go do all that stuff.

Maybe you could post in Hangout and get some more inside information, there have to be some DC''ers on here!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Definitely
SO actually is going to try to get an interview at the smithsonian while we are there, apparently he has some inside connection
I''ve been there once and been to the holocaust museum and all those places
i''m gonna try and hit up stuff off the beaten trail this time around

 

[~*Alexis*~]

Hey Smurf!!

I live in Calvert County in Maryland I will tell you that the farther you are away from DC the cheaper it usually is. If you can live in MD, the better off you are. You can get decent rent in Calvert/ Anne Arundel if you look. Apartments are about 1200 or so. Possibly a little cheaper depending on where you live. You can get into a park and ride area and you can just catch the metro you might be better off.

Let me know if you have any other ???''s....oh and white marsh is kinda so-so...a little iffy....but better than most areas that way....

 

[SparkleSparkle]

Hi Smurfy! I live in Montgomery County now (Rockville MD), although I have lived in southern Prince Georges (Fort Washington MD - was nice growing up there but not so great anymore), Charles (Waldorf MD), and Arlington County in VA. You''ll probably want to avoid PG county since the crime rate is insane now.

As much as I''d love to agree with your FBIL, White Plains is about 30 mins from DC on Sunday morning at 2am. In daily traffic you''ll be well over an hour. Rush hour here is from 5:30am - 10:30am and 2:30pm - 7:30pm. Cities like Waldorf and Rockville (and several others) are heavy traffic most of the day. Jobs in Southern Maryland don''t pay much - Montgomery is better but again it''s a commute thing. If you choose to live far outside of the city, see if you can find a job where you work from home a couple of days a week - it''ll save your sanity. If you do decide to move closer in, you may need to sacrifice a house for a condo or apartment to afford the payments. I''ve lived here most of my life and I can tell you that the cost of living here is crazy. I paid more for a 1-bedroom condo here than a friend of mine in SC paid for a 3-bedroom house on a 1/2 acre lot! Your SO is right to look at the Smithsonian for work - since he''ll be working in the city, you might want to consider finding a place that is close to the Metro (subway) system. You''ll pay more but the convenience is priceless!

Okay, I''m getting off my soap box now. Good luck with your search!

 

[gwendolyn]

Heya Smurfy, I used to live in SW Baltimore about a minute (literally) from the junction onto I-95S to DC. I worked in Laurel which is considered a suburb of DC and it took me 20 minutes to commute to work in the mornings. It was GREAT. Lots of people in my neighbourhood in Baltimore commuted down to DC because the prices in Balto are better and the commute is decent.

Friends of mine have done the same commute from closer (Silver Spring, Takoma Park) and it''s pricier but worth it to them to be physically closer. The friends in Takoma Park would commute to a train station and take the train in. Maybe that could be an option?

I''d stay away from the NW suburbs like Chevy Chase--it''s gorgeous but oh so expensive!!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

 

[Smurfysmiles]

yeah we''re definitely living on a budget right now and unfortunately only have one car which could cause troubles, but hopefully not! thanks for all the great information ladies it''s great to talk to people who know firsthand what things are like

 

[trillionaire]

My BF is in the DC area, I love it! Have fun and good luck!