Moving to the DC metro with spouse. Firm office is in DC so planning to take the Metro to work. Never been here but a friend recommended living in Arlington, VA. Any other specific suggestions and/or factors to consider (state and local taxes, easy commute, etc.)? Don’t have kids so school is not a concern.

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I’d personally prefer living in the District over NoVA but it’s going to depend on a number of factors. There are a lot of great neighborhoods in both, you just need to consider things like commute time (note DC Metro is notoriously awful), cost of living, whether you want to walk or to drive places, and what amenities are important to you.

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If you can afford it, live in DC. I can’t imagine commuting from Arlington all the time and once you establish some friends they won’t be wanting to cross the bridge to go see you often so you’ll be coming into the city all the time. Once you get to enjoy the city for a year or two you can evaluate whether you’d want to go live in VA to save money! There are also quieter neighborhoods further north in DC if you don’t want to be in a busy area.

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If you don’t have kids, find a place in the city. Definitely beats the burbs, and your commute will be better. Brookland, Shaw, Eckington, NoMa, and Capitol Hill are all fatastic neighborhoods.

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If you do not have kids, you should be living downtown in the district. Penn corner, Mount Vernon, Navy Yard, waterfront, always be better choices than living outside of the district. He will have much better access to restaurants, things to do, and your commute will be shorter – – the metro is much more convenient within the city.

Once you have kids it is a different story.

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We loved living in the courthouse area of Arlington. Easy commute pre covid and good food options. Clarendon is livelier but kind of rowdy at times. A lot of young college grads and interns going out to bars. Living in court house you can take advantage of that scene if you feel like it but also have some quiet when you don’t want to deal with that.

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I’ve lived in Arlington and the District and I vastly prefer the District. Alexandria is nice too, but only if your spouse’s commute works from there. There are lots of great neighborhoods in DC — Capitol Hill, Glover Park, Chevy Chase DC. Depends on where your spouse is working and whether you like an urban or suburban feel, and how much space you want. Traffic is terrible when people are in the office, so I would prioritize commute over space. I would definitely recommend living within a mile of the metro if you’re taking it daily. Feel free to message me if you want insights into neighborhoods.

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I can’t imagine why people without kids and a solid income would choose Arlington over DC. Arlington has also the negatives of the suburbs plus all the negatives of a quasi-urban area. In DC, at least there are some positives! 😂

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I lived in Arlington for a number of years and commuted to K Street NW on the Metro. It was pretty easy, as far as public commutes go. But personally I wish I lived in DC proper just for the hang-out factor. I was single and just out of law school at the time. Not sure about taxes, etc, though.

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Falls Church is very livable in my experience. Good metro connexion, too.

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MD has highest taxes, VA has lowest. Dc falls in the middle.

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Also, if you want to rent cheaper, look for condos v rental buildings.

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Just moved to Alexandria and love it. Metro to my office is door to door 30 min. Feel free to dm me

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Courthouse, colonial village

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ew, suburbs? nah. District for life.

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