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I'll likely be attending Georgetown next semester for law school, but I am not familiar with cheap/safe areas for housing in the area.

I've heard Columbia Heights is a good area.

I'm looking to pay $1,100 - $1,500 for a place.

Things I'm looking for:
(1) $1100-1500
(2) Prefer to live alone (not a shared)
(3) Prefer to be as close to the school as possible within my price range
(4) If not close to the school, then 15 minute metro ride

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

my initial reaction is that it will be impossible to fulfill all 4 of those conditions

Petworth and Brightwood brah.

Thanks Neb - do many students live out in Petworth?

Your best bet would be to see if Gtown has any graduate housing that you could rent each semester. That would cut down on your commute and rent each month. The thing with Gtown is that it is not located near any metro station or affordable housing. Georgetown (the neighborhood) is notorious for very expensive housing and the area is always crowded with tourists. I know some people who live across Key Bridge (in the Rosslyn area), but that can be as pricey as the Georgetown area. You can move up north near the Petworth area, but it's an upcoming area that often makes headline news for shootings, etc. It is therefore not the safest area (in my opinion). Unless you're willing to pay extra ($2K+ range/month), you'll have to commute via metro and bus from Virginia or somewhere else in DC. Check out River Place (in Rosslyn) and Craigslist...you might get lucky and find something affordable.

GULC is NOT in Georgetown.

Even CH isn't really a "15-minute" Metro commute. You either have to transfer @ Gallery Place to go one stop on the red line, or walk from Gallery Place (maybe 10 min walk from there). Petworth/CH I'd plan 45 mins door to door. It's also probably faster to take a 70-series bus line down Georgia Ave/7th. Or ride your bike. H St. wouldn't be a bad commute. No Metro, but the X2 goes right near GULC. Or anywhere on Cap Hill along the D6.

I'd look @ Brightwood.

Don't live in Virginia. Virginia is lame and blue/orange line commuting to Judiciary Square would be stupid and awful.

DC neighborhood shopping is entirely based on YOUR idea of safety/comfort/affordability. There's People who think CH/Petworth is the hood and is dangerous. There's People (like me) who lived there and loved it. I don't view it as any less safe than anywhere else in the city (unless you're personally in a gang).

dudders wrote:GULC is NOT in Georgetown.

Even CH isn't really a "15-minute" Metro commute. You either have to transfer @ Gallery Place to go one stop on the red line, or walk from Gallery Place (maybe 10 min walk from there). Petworth/CH I'd plan 45 mins door to door. It's also probably faster to take a 70-series bus line down Georgia Ave/7th. Or ride your bike. H St. wouldn't be a bad commute. No Metro, but the X2 goes right near GULC. Or anywhere on Cap Hill along the D6.

I'd look @ Brightwood.

Don't live in Virginia. Virginia is lame and blue/orange line commuting to Judiciary Square would be stupid and awful.

DC neighborhood shopping is entirely based on YOUR idea of safety/comfort/affordability. There's People who think CH/Petworth is the hood and is dangerous. There's People (like me) who lived there and loved it. I don't view it as any less safe than anywhere else in the city (unless you're personally in a gang).

^this. OP, like others have stated, it seems rather difficult to satisfy all the things you want at your price point. Petworth would be the cheapest option, but everyone I know that lives in Petworth lives in a house with a few people. If you're looking for a decent place by yourself, I'd focus on trying to find an english basement in Columbia Heights.

Basement apartments in Brightwood are bigger and less expensive + safer neighborhood. And the commute would be an extra 10 minutes max. Probably 30 minutes taking public transit.

The thing with Gtown is that it is not located near any metro station

Georgetown Law is near the Red Line stop at Union Station.

http://www.law.georgetown.edu/about/maps-directions.cfm

I assume you have no car. That would greatly improve your options.

You could probably find a cheap place in VA. Though the metro ride would be close to 20 minutes.

heavoldgotjuice wrote: Things I'm looking for:
(1) $1100-1500
(2) Prefer to live alone (not a shared)
(3) Prefer to be as close to the school as possible within my price range
(4) If not close to the school, then 15 minute metro ride

This is doable as long as by "15 minute metro ride" you're not counting the walk to the metro and the wait for the train, or are willing to consider bus. It also depends on your tolerance for "transitional" areas--if those don't freak you out, then you've got a number of options.

I think your best bet if you're set on living alone is to look first in Columbia Heights or Mount Pleasant (just to the west). My friends in DC loved Mount Pleasant and if you're into quieter residential areas it's a good deal. Also walkable to CH and to Adams Morgan.

Additional alternatives that come to mind that are more transitional (to varying degrees) include: Bloomingdale/Eckington/LeDroit (probably the sketchiest), the area around the Convention Center/just east, and H Street. These would all be fairly short bus commutes.

Other options would be geographically further--you could live in upper NW on the Red Line and might find some deals, but it's a longer ride and it's boring up there. I wouldn't recommend VA; places in your price range would be too far away and you're a student so no tax savings to be had.

CounselorNebby wrote:Basement apartments in Brightwood are bigger and less expensive + safer neighborhood. And the commute would be an extra 10 minutes max. Probably 30 minutes taking public transit.

I don't know Brightwood but I've been to Takoma Park (north of Brightwood, on Metro) and it seems nice enough--very quiet and residential. Granola reputation. OP could consider there as well but would definitely be bit further out from the social scene compared to CH/Mt Pleasant.

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Try 2800 Woodley for Studios under 1500. Its a 20 minute metro ride. Also Dupont Apartments had studios under 1500 but the building wasn't the greatest.

Silver Spring, take the redline to Union Station. You can get Studios in SS for 1200 or less. I paid 765 for a room in a 2/br in the Summit Hills complex.

I would consider NoMa, Shaw, Mt. Vernon, and Bloomingdale as well. NoMa would be pretty convenient because it's on the red line and not too far from North Capitol, which has some bus lines that you could use. Shaw and Mt Vernon are each on Green/Yellow but there are a lot of new units coming on in those areas, and you might be able to hit your price point. Plus there are some great bars/restaurants around and the cityscape can be very nice in those parts.

My 3L year, I paid $1335 for a 1BR in Silver Spring, very near two grocery stores, a half-mile from the Red Line station, with a very easy commute to campus. I was in a 1960s high-rise in great shape. The building also had studios for $1000 but none were available.

Rising 3E at GULC and resident of DC for 10+ years here.

Silver Spring and Takoma Park are (in my humble opinion) ideal options (although for Silver Spring - make sure any place you look into is actually close to the metro. Silver Spring is a big area and there's a lot that is far away from public transit).

Both of these areas are less than a 15 minute metro ride from school (GULC is in between Judiciary Square and Union Station). They are safe, generally quite pretty neighborhoods, and have some decent food/shopping, all while having plenty of housing options that are pretty affordable.

I live over an hour from school, but I've been getting slowly used to a longer commute over the last 10 years and also really wanted to own a home, so we're in different situations. I highly recommend living in Maryland or Virginia over living in DC proper: better grocery shopping options, better neighborhoods, more peaceful at night - the little things you don't think you care about when picking a place to live but will appreciate WAY more when you are actually moved in. Virginia, as stated above, makes for a bit of a difficult commute.

Living right by GULC = blech. Awful neighborhood, occasionally unsafe (but not quite as bad as campus security likes to make out), no good shopping/eating options, and lots of construction going on for the foreseeable future.

I really loved living in Columbia Heights but it can be hit or miss from block to block regarding safety. I wasn't willing to spend nearly as much as you for living but even then, $1500 for your own place there might be a push. I was paying between $500-600 for a room in 4br row house with other students and recent grads.

The neighborhood is convenient for food and shopping, has some good grub and bars and is mostly safe. I only remember two shootings during my 7 months there and both took place at the same corner (14th and Columbia). I've lived in a number of cities and never felt particularly fearful in Columbia Heights or Petworth. Like others mentioned, some folks consider it "hood" but the neighborhood is definitely in transition. I lived 1 block from a vegan bistro but 4 blocks from project housing. In between were hipster bars.

Might be longer than 15 minutes to get to school, though since you'd have to walk to the green/yellow and then transfer again.

My instinct would be to suggest finding a place that fits your price on the redline somewhere but possibly abandon the 15 minute metro goal.

I've heard Anacostia can be nice.

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nickb285 wrote:

dibreezy wrote:I've heard Anacostia can be nice.

Trinidad too, def. check it out.

Trinidad is an up and coming neighborhood. It's a lot better than it was 5 years ago.

Google "capital plaza." I used to live in a studio there for 1261/m, including utilities, in 2011-2012. You will see from the map how close it is to GULC.