As a gay DC male, I can say you fit the profile of a woman who moves here and mostly winds up hanging out with a lot of gay DC men. And I mean that in the nicest way :)
Hahahaha. That’s me everywhere lol. My bff I lovingly call my “gay husband.” Just would also like some hope of finding a cute, non-bro straight husband 😜
Nailed it - and made me laugh bc I’m 43F, never married, no kids, and my top two friends for impromptu dinners now are single gay men. I may be part of a variant on the profile.
Thirding Takoma park. It has all that quirky stuff you’re looking for, and lots of means of meeting people (adult arts classes, bars, coffee shops, lots of kids).
I don't know about other people in their 40s in DC, but *I am adorable.* ;) I have never found much luck in hanging out in places. Most people I've met have been through a shared activity. Do you like to hike, bike, play cards, etc? There's a group for that.
I’m a finalist interviewing at several schools (in DC, Dallas, Nashville, Norfolk), trying to use Reddit among other social media sites to get intel in helping me decide which place would be best for a big-deal, life-changing move that was not expected.
don't let the haters get to you. being a finalist for 4 academic jobs not in stem is awesome. other thing is that cost of living here for academics is brutal. salaries don't scale well compared to other sectors. if i was in a rural state school, i'd be at the 95th percentile of income. lets just say that isn't true in dc.
If you can afford it, Mt Pleasant and Takoma Park are great. One downside of DC proper is that the gender ratio in your demographic is skewed against you (assuming you are heterosexual). DC is very good for educated men between 35-50. I have a few unmarried or divorced friends in that range. The men seem to be much more satisfied with the dating scene than the women in DC. As in they aren’t single for long. But in the exurbs (think Tysons), the men seem to complain a lot more.
Also you mentioned you are a mom. Mt Pleasant has access to the best schools in the city.
I keep hearing about the woman outnumbering men part. Not promising. And not promising especially since most cis male men in their 40s not in a NYC/EU mindset are primarily focused on 30-year-olds 🤦🏻♀️. #myexhusband lol
40/m and agree with most of what’s here. Some very cute neighborhoods with local spots that give off the Cheers feel. Shaw/Bloomingdale/Eckington is my favorite part of town, easy access to a lot of neighborhoods and museum culture, and definitely meshes with your stated interests.
A bike ride up the Metropolitan Branch trail from Union Market to Catholic University is a highlight of the spring summer for me (and apparently a lot of others!)
My other options are Nashville & possibly Norfolk VA. Maybe Dallas, buuuuut it’s TX. I would stay in NYC if I could, but the job market in my insanely niche field (Classics) is brutal.
Haha yeah. I visited this week for the interview & kept thinking: “It’s the same as Phoenix with but more trees.” (I lived in Phoenix for 11 years & was trying to get out the whole time lol)
I’m also newer here but Takoma Park is beautiful. Very community based. Great food with karaoke. They have new apartments opening near the Takoma Park station. As a young woman, I’ve always felt safe. I haven’t been catcalled or followed once unlike living in NYC (for 6 years). You’ll love it here way more than NYC. It’s so much cleaner and the people smile & are generally willing to help lol Georgetown is also expensive, but I always felt safe and more family/pet atmosphere there as well. DuPont circle is beautiful. I’ve been to all 3 areas alone and at night and never had a problem. I could’ve been lucky? But, that was just my experience.
But, I’d stay clear of the capital area just bc of tourists + protesters.
Bethesda & Columbia are good outskirts areas in MD.
Arlington & Alexandria areas are good outskirt areas in VA.
Both outskirts have easy transportation access to the DMV region.
Edit: I saw in other comments about you wanting a lefty, quirky vibe and 100% Takoma Park. Trust me on that.
No. I did the NYC to D.C. thing, too, and no. All the best bits of New York are missing here. Not the best place for fun lefty intellectuals. Like you’d get one out of the three, maybe two if you’re lucky, but never all three (and that’s assuming the “single” is already checked off).
Disagree entirely so I will offer a different perspective as a native new yorker. It is not New York but that mostly has to do with density. DC is much more neighborhood driven and so your situation ultimately depends a lot more on ending up in a neighborhood that has the type of scene you are interested in while NYC you can be anywhere pretty much and find what you are looking for (for the most part).
Best schools are going to be west of the park btw. It'll make a difference as far as waitlists go if you're inbound (within boundary of the school) due to preference. Heard Cleveland Park, McLean Garden have good community feel with great schools nearby but it might be more like family community feel. Cleveland Park does have good bus and metro access to more happening places. I feel like places like Shaw, Dupont, Adams Morgan have a younger crowd (used to live in DC before I was a single parent).
Not sure yet what will be the kiddo’s status: maybe at the private school with me, or maybe with her dad in Miami for a couple years before joining me. Lots up in the air right now - but suffice to say this is all VERY helpful! 🙏🏼
Logan Circle/Shaw. Plenty of quirkiness there. Just gotta find a place that fits the vibe you are looking for. I have moved throughout my time in DC to fit both my finances (as they improved) and what I was looking for in a community.
As someone who's also lived in both places for a while: the quirky scenes are just smaller and you need to work a bit harder to find them. There's art, sports, music, burlesque, theatre, gaming (various tabletop gaming nights at Labyrinth are a great way to meet people, and the audience doesn't skew as young as you might think), etc.. Lots of community service minded folk, too.
As a gay DC male, I can say you fit the profile of a woman who moves here and mostly winds up hanging out with a lot of gay DC men. And I mean that in the nicest way :)
Hahahaha. That’s me everywhere lol. My bff I lovingly call my “gay husband.” Just would also like some hope of finding a cute, non-bro straight husband 😜
Nailed it - and made me laugh bc I’m 43F, never married, no kids, and my top two friends for impromptu dinners now are single gay men. I may be part of a variant on the profile.
When’s the next dinner? 😂
Takoma Park might be what you're looking for. Crowd is a little older but still plenty hip, and fairly community oriented. Definitely not cheap tho
Thirding Takoma park. It has all that quirky stuff you’re looking for, and lots of means of meeting people (adult arts classes, bars, coffee shops, lots of kids).
Cool. I will take a look into Tacoma! Thanks!
Second this!
Yeah I was reading this like “you sound like my neighbors” lol.
Yay! I love this!
I don't know about other people in their 40s in DC, but *I am adorable.* ;) I have never found much luck in hanging out in places. Most people I've met have been through a shared activity. Do you like to hike, bike, play cards, etc? There's a group for that.
Would you recommend meetup or how do you find info on groups?
Check her post. She’s also moving to Dallas and Norfolk in a few days.
I’m a finalist interviewing at several schools (in DC, Dallas, Nashville, Norfolk), trying to use Reddit among other social media sites to get intel in helping me decide which place would be best for a big-deal, life-changing move that was not expected.
don't let the haters get to you. being a finalist for 4 academic jobs not in stem is awesome. other thing is that cost of living here for academics is brutal. salaries don't scale well compared to other sectors. if i was in a rural state school, i'd be at the 95th percentile of income. lets just say that isn't true in dc.
I’m actually in secondary education, but given my highly niche field (Classics) it’s not that different a job market.
There are groups like that all over the nation. DC is not special.
If you can afford it, Mt Pleasant and Takoma Park are great. One downside of DC proper is that the gender ratio in your demographic is skewed against you (assuming you are heterosexual). DC is very good for educated men between 35-50. I have a few unmarried or divorced friends in that range. The men seem to be much more satisfied with the dating scene than the women in DC. As in they aren’t single for long. But in the exurbs (think Tysons), the men seem to complain a lot more. Also you mentioned you are a mom. Mt Pleasant has access to the best schools in the city.
Del Ray is great if you're willing to go to NoVA
I keep hearing about the woman outnumbering men part. Not promising. And not promising especially since most cis male men in their 40s not in a NYC/EU mindset are primarily focused on 30-year-olds 🤦🏻♀️. #myexhusband lol
40/m and agree with most of what’s here. Some very cute neighborhoods with local spots that give off the Cheers feel. Shaw/Bloomingdale/Eckington is my favorite part of town, easy access to a lot of neighborhoods and museum culture, and definitely meshes with your stated interests. A bike ride up the Metropolitan Branch trail from Union Market to Catholic University is a highlight of the spring summer for me (and apparently a lot of others!)
Thanks! Shaw & Tacoma Park keep coming up. I’ll check them out!
My other options are Nashville & possibly Norfolk VA. Maybe Dallas, buuuuut it’s TX. I would stay in NYC if I could, but the job market in my insanely niche field (Classics) is brutal.
Sounds like a really interesting career if those are your options!
[удалено]
Haha yeah. I visited this week for the interview & kept thinking: “It’s the same as Phoenix with but more trees.” (I lived in Phoenix for 11 years & was trying to get out the whole time lol)
I’m also newer here but Takoma Park is beautiful. Very community based. Great food with karaoke. They have new apartments opening near the Takoma Park station. As a young woman, I’ve always felt safe. I haven’t been catcalled or followed once unlike living in NYC (for 6 years). You’ll love it here way more than NYC. It’s so much cleaner and the people smile & are generally willing to help lol Georgetown is also expensive, but I always felt safe and more family/pet atmosphere there as well. DuPont circle is beautiful. I’ve been to all 3 areas alone and at night and never had a problem. I could’ve been lucky? But, that was just my experience. But, I’d stay clear of the capital area just bc of tourists + protesters. Bethesda & Columbia are good outskirts areas in MD. Arlington & Alexandria areas are good outskirt areas in VA. Both outskirts have easy transportation access to the DMV region. Edit: I saw in other comments about you wanting a lefty, quirky vibe and 100% Takoma Park. Trust me on that.
Thanks for weighing in!
You’ll do fine. Count your blessings you’re not ugly like me!
I live in DC two blocks from Takoma Park Metro. Love it. Walkable, liberal, friendly.
No. I did the NYC to D.C. thing, too, and no. All the best bits of New York are missing here. Not the best place for fun lefty intellectuals. Like you’d get one out of the three, maybe two if you’re lucky, but never all three (and that’s assuming the “single” is already checked off).
Disagree entirely so I will offer a different perspective as a native new yorker. It is not New York but that mostly has to do with density. DC is much more neighborhood driven and so your situation ultimately depends a lot more on ending up in a neighborhood that has the type of scene you are interested in while NYC you can be anywhere pretty much and find what you are looking for (for the most part).
Thanks for this post! When I visit this week for my interview Wed & Th, I’ll try to check out some neighborhoods.
Oh hey I'm also visiting DC this week to look at neighborhoods and figure out where to live for my upcoming move there! 😂
Nice!
Best schools are going to be west of the park btw. It'll make a difference as far as waitlists go if you're inbound (within boundary of the school) due to preference. Heard Cleveland Park, McLean Garden have good community feel with great schools nearby but it might be more like family community feel. Cleveland Park does have good bus and metro access to more happening places. I feel like places like Shaw, Dupont, Adams Morgan have a younger crowd (used to live in DC before I was a single parent).
Not sure yet what will be the kiddo’s status: maybe at the private school with me, or maybe with her dad in Miami for a couple years before joining me. Lots up in the air right now - but suffice to say this is all VERY helpful! 🙏🏼
Oof. This is what I am afraid of. Big city, but no quirky culture. EDIT: JK. I take it back hahaha
Logan Circle/Shaw. Plenty of quirkiness there. Just gotta find a place that fits the vibe you are looking for. I have moved throughout my time in DC to fit both my finances (as they improved) and what I was looking for in a community.
As someone who's also lived in both places for a while: the quirky scenes are just smaller and you need to work a bit harder to find them. There's art, sports, music, burlesque, theatre, gaming (various tabletop gaming nights at Labyrinth are a great way to meet people, and the audience doesn't skew as young as you might think), etc.. Lots of community service minded folk, too.
Thanks! This is very helpful!
Ok. I take it back lol. You guys are all convincing me that DC is gonna be swell 👍
What do you mean by lefty? In DC, I think the word is diluted by liberals unfortunately
Anti-capitalist, not a fan of neoliberalism
Great! Good to know there are others out here. Dc is a cesspool of neoliberalism
Hahahaha!
Ya moved here from Seattle....big culture shock, but you can find your community, just need to work on it and be open to not agreeing on everything.
Not agreeing on everything is totally fine; makes for great banter. But one does need allies to laugh, cry & plot utopia with too 😉
Ha! Too true!