Ask HN: Moving to DC in 2023?

Counterpoint to the Clarendon vs. DC. IMO Clarendon bars are chock full of college frat bros with next to no diversity, while DC is more of a mixed scene.

There’s very much a culture to DC, but you have to look beyond the interim 20somethings to find it.

Long time HN lurker and DC resident, first time HN poster.

Welcome! You specifically mentioned Dupont Circle or Logan Circle. Are you "young, single, and ready to mingle?" Great! Both are awesome neighborhoods and I cannot stress how compact and _walkable_ the city is.

Besides the amenities in those neighborhoods you have mass transit options (subway & surprisingly functional buses for North/South movement), and I'd argue that you can literally walk from Ballston Virginia all the way to U St (north of Logan Circle) with the entire 6 mile route full of _interesting things to do_. (Yeah yeah, some blocks are better than others - Ballston is a shopping mall, Farragut North is just offices, but my point is that it's an unbroken stretch. You don't need a car living downtown, ever).

I lived in Dupont for over 10+ years and had a blast. Tons of bars, restaurants, music venues, cultural options, and great dating opportunities for heterosexuals (about 50/50 male/female in the city, allegedly slightly more single women than single men). Or if you're LGBT you've already discovered the "gayborhood": Dupont Circle/Logan Circle.

Disclosure: I got married, moved out of the city (but still nearby), and then the pandemic blew up everything, so things have changed since I did. I think a lot of businesses went under, but the area isn't derelict when I drive through.

Some of the comments here stick to stereotypes about DC being "only government and defense work". There's plenty of it and it's very visible, but it's not all. You can easily go your whole career never touching Government/Defense. The statistical metro area is the 3rd largest in the US, and it ranks highest in wealth and education.

Just today, from the WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/washington-d-c-has-more-tech-jo...

You said you don't want a clearance, but keep in mind that if you ever do work for the civilian government, you might need to get a "Public Trust" clearance. There's no polygraph or anything invasive, you just need to list where you've lived, not have problems with the IRS, and not be a current drug user. That includes marijuana.

A clearance (inc Public Trust) doesn't care if you did use marijuana, as long as you've stopped and haven't done so for at least a year. Admit you did long ago and then stopped. I strongly recommend never lying and saying you don't use currently if you do - if you ever change your mind about upgrading a clearance, down the road "I lied on my sworn testimony to the US government" is an automatic disqualification. I'd say drug (marijuana) disqualifications are 90% of the whining I see on Reddit & clearancejobs forums.

I disagree with some of the opinions here. But I think it depends on your background, age, lifestyle, family status etc.

I have lived in DC for 6 years and in the NOVA area for much longer. I ended up buying a house in DC, in Georgetown. I absolutely love it in DC.

There are so many cool little bars and restaurants, especially around the Logan Circle area. The wharfs and waterfronts in Georgetown and in Southwest are really fun. The Kennedy Center is magnificent. The national mall and monuments are beautiful and cannot be beaten by any other US city. You can grab a beer (or a spliff!) and sit by the tidal basin and watch the sunset.

DC is a clean and very beautiful city. Yes there is crime and homeless, but it is better than San Francisco or New York in that regard.

I lived in Manhattan for a few years, near Wall Street. It was so dirty and a concrete jungle. Yes there were more options for clubs / bars / restaurants but it was not worth it in my opinion. I saw human shit frequently, and as of yet I have not seen that in DC!

Move to Logan Circle! You won't regret it. You can walk from your house to Le Diplomat and grab some brunch or walk to Flash and party until 7am. It's a good time.

Regarding tech scene. Yes there is a very strong tech scene in the DMV. I do think there may be some more in-office work in NOVA vs DC proper. But someone with your talent would have no issue landing one of the cushy tech jobs in downtown DC. Also, I easily commute to Herndon or Crystal City when I need to. From my location in Georgetown it only takes like 20 - 30 minutes. From Logan Circle it will definitely take longer due to traffic and lots of lights. You won't need a clearance unless you want to get into that kind of work, which it doesn't sound like you do. There are plenty of non-cleared tech jobs.

DC is a region of various "downtowns" connected by the metro / beltway. Tysons Corner, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rosslyn, Alexandria, are all their own business centers with their own neighborhoods, themselves walkable. Each looks like a medium-sized US city downtown. Each has its own anchoring agencies / businesses that define the economy of the area.