Washington DC/Baltimore

[nsalways85]

I work in DC and am currently looking to buy a home. I have lived in Southern Maryland my whole life, but was considering moving to DC to be closer to work. Can anyone tell me which areas are safe and which are high crime areas. I hear DC horror stories all the time so am a little apprehensive about moving there. I found a home in the Trinidad area in NE is that an ok area?

[apthound]

My first reaction is to avoid that area as it has little resources and has high crime.  You get the neighborhood you pay for. I am only a little familiar with DC but remember a couple summers ago, Trinidad was in lockdown with curfews and police checkpoints, only residents allowed in.  

A good resource is the DC metro police crime map: just enter the address you're interested in to see reported crimes in the area, http://crimemap.dc.gov/presentation/query.asp

For myself, I'm looking at Capitol Hill west of 14th St, possibly Logan/Thomas Circle, Columbia Heights, or  U St.  Consider the area you work in, since you know it better.  As always with any city, it depends on the exact area, and conditions vary block to block.  

[ben_in_dc]

If you're used to the burbs, then almost anywhere around here is probably going to seem at least a little sketchy to you.  A general rule of thumb is the further west you go, the safer (and more expensive) things get.  You may have to compromise and get a condo rather than a house, but it will get you into a much fancier area.

Have you been to http://dc.urbanturf.com/neighborhoods/ ?  They have profiles of tons of neighborhoods around here that i've found to be extremely helpful, especially because there are a lot of nice areas that nobody's ever heard of.  I'd also recommend asking coworkers where they live and go out, they can probably give good advice too.

[nsalways85]

Thanks for the information and advice. I work at the Navy Yard in South East and that area is ok as far as I know. I know it used to be high crime but has improved alot. I'm not trying to spend any more than $250,000, so I am kind of limited on the areas. I don't mind a little crime because I know it's the city and it's going to have crime, plus I have lived in Largo and Fort Washington and alot of people think those areas are sketch lol. I just don't want shootings and that kind of stuff, Trinidad does sound kind of bad if they had a lock down.

[DCbuyer]

With 250k downpayment you can find a lot of house in decent neighborhoods. Trinidad has improved a lot--but it will take years before it can get close to Capitol HIll as far as safety, convenience and beauty are concerned. 

[Blueberry]

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DCbuyer wrote:

With 250k downpayment you can find a lot of house in decent neighborhoods. Trinidad has improved a lot--but it will take years before it can get close to Capitol HIll as far as safety, convenience and beauty are concerned. 

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I think nsalways85 meant he wanted to spend $250k total, not $250k downpayment.

[usamj]

brookland is a good neighborhood which you can look into. relatively safe for the prices. 

[usamj]

brookland is a good neighborhood which you can look into. relatively safe for the prices. 

[lowrioh]

Check out Cheverly, MD.  Good neighborhood on 295 just outside the district on the Orange line.  You should find a house in your price range.

[jag2923]

My 2 cents would be to check out downtown Silver Spring. It's more urban/walkable/public transit friendly than most DC neighborhoods (especially at the 250K pricepoint) while still having the perks of living in MoCo over DC (low crime, good schools, etc.).