7 Best DC Neighborhoods for Anyone Moving to DC

I’m calling it now. DC is going to come back in a big way. Interest in city-living slowed down during and post-pandemic. With the recent mandate for Federal Employees to return to office, we’re going to see some big changes in our city that I expect will be for the better!

You may see other videos about DC, but a lot of people are using AI to write them. I don’t do that. I say to myself, “Self? What would I want to know if I was moving to or living in DC.” This is all real, genuine stuff so make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the new videos.

This is going to be a mix of the best neighborhoods for people with and without children. We won’t dive too deep on kid stuff though because I cover that in a lot of the videos about Moving to DC with Family.

Dupont is always going to be on the top of my list of favorites. It is centrally located within DC, has easy access to public transportation, offers a short walk downtown but has great restaurants. There is also enough green space that you won’t feel like your soul is being sucked out by a concrete jungle of city living. The sense of community is strong in Dupont as well, and people don’t often leave the neighborhood. You will find a mix of families, empty nesters and young professionals living in Dupont Circle.

With tree-lined streets and gorgeous Victorian homes, it feels very old-DC here. There are also plenty of condos here too. The neighborhood elementary school, Ross, is a 9 on Great Schools. One of the city’s best bookstores, Kramerbooks is here on Connecticut Avenue, as well as several long-standing restaurants that are favorites of the neighborhood. Lauriol Plaza, Regent Thai, Bistrot du Coin, Zorba’s, Agora, Hanks Oyster Bar and Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse are some of the major names. And yes, I’ve eaten at them all. Multiple times.

The average price of houses sold in the last year in Dupont was $2.4M. The average price of 1-bedroom condos sold was $421,000 and 2 bedroom condos sold was $811,000.

The walk score for Dupont is 98 and the bike score is 92.

Logan Circle

It’s a short walk from Dupont Circle to Logan Circle, just to the east. Logan is similar to Dupont but it went through the redevelopment in the early 2000’s where Dupont went through it in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The similarities to Dupont are a direct result of people easily going from one neighborhood to the other. There’s only a 6 block stretch between the two physical circles so the residents will go to the same restaurants and retail.

Logan Circle is also home to many gorgeous Victorian homes, but the history of Logan is slightly different. Lots of car warehouses and repair shops were here so there are many loft spaces that have been repurposed into living space. You won’t find lofts like this in Dupont Circle. There is a mix of young professionals here in Logan Circle with families, but you will likely feel like there are less families compared to adjacent Dupont Circle.

The average price of houses sold in the last year in Logan was $1.6M. The average price of 1 bedroom condos sold was $500,000 and 2 bedroom condos sold was $943,000.

The walk score for Logan Circle is 98 and the bike score is 98.

SW Waterfront & Navy Yard

If you want to see and be seen, and want to be where all the action is, check out the Southwest Waterfront and Navy Yard Neighborhoods. These are not the same neighborhood but they are adjacent to each other and you can easily walk between the two as they are only separated by a few blocks.

There is both a metro stop at the Waterfront as well as one 7-8 blocks east in Navy Yard. These neighborhoods have had so much money thrown into their redevelopment that they are hard to ignore. The buyers here are mostly young professionals as I wouldn’t say this is the best place for families, but I do have clients who have families who have bought here for their second home. There is an endless supply of trendy restaurants, amazing water views and entertainment. Arena Stage is a performing arts theatre, Nationals Park, live music at Union Stage and several parks if you want some green space.

The average price of houses sold in the last year in the waterfront was $990,000. The average price of 1-bedroom condos sold was $369,000 and 2 bedrooms was $943,000. The reason for the differential between one and two bedrooms is that you have a lot of newer luxury buildings with larger spaces, and several older condo buildings from the 1960’s which are mostly small 1-bedrooms.

The walk score for the Waterfront and Navy Yard is a 96 and bike score is 94.

Glover Park

Glover Park is super popular with families because Stoddert Elementary School is so highly sought after. Just west of Wisconsin Avenue and north of DC’s iconic Georgetown neighborhood, Glover Park is tough to get into and people don’t readily leave. About 2-3 homes will be listed for sale a month and there is typically steep competition for them. But if you have a family and you can get in, you likely won’t leave.

The retail strip on Wisconsin Avenue leaves a bit to be desired when it comes to restaurants, but the neighborhood is filled with grocery options. Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Safeway are all within walking distance. Wegmans, Lidl and Giant are less than a mile up Wisconsin Avenue. Guy Mason Recreation Center is also a hub for the neighborhood, offering a cooperative Pre-K class as well as programming for seniors. There is a new program to match neighborhood seniors with adopted “grandkids” in the neighborhood.

The average price of houses sold in the last year in Glover Park was $1.3M. The average price of 1-bedroom condos sold was $310,000 and 2 bedroom condos sold was $691,000.

The walk score for Glover Park is 77 and bike score is 60.

Palisades

The Palisades neighborhood is on the western edge of DC along the Potomac River. The neighborhood is made up of mostly single-family homes with larger yards than you see in many other neighborhoods in DC. Remember how I said that people rarely leave Glover Park? Well in the occasion that they do, many will move to Palisades. There are a lot of families and empty-nesters who have lived in DC for decades who call Palisades their home. Key Elementary School is very highly rated and considered to be on the short list of “best” elementary schools in DC.

There is a retail strip on MacArthur Blvd where you will find a variety of retail and dining options. There’s also a neat little daycare here that my kids were enrolled in many years ago. It’s been renamed as Little Ivies but it was a Montessori back then. The Montessori is still in operation further down MacArthur where it meets Foxhall Road.

The average price of homes sold in the last year in Palisades was $2.5M. There are very few condos in Palisades proper.

The walk score for Palisades is 53 and the bike score is 44.

Capitol Hill

When people think of quintessential DC, the tree-lined streets of Capitol Hill are usually what come to mind. There is a huge draw to “The Hill” for the gorgeous homes and proximity to the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress and all other things government. The Hill, along with Georgetown, is one of the two original settlement locations when DC became DC!

People live here for generations. You will hear a lot of stories about homeowners who lived in one house, then moved to a different one, and know the history of who has lived in each home on their block. Boundaries are very fluid for the Hill depending on who you ask. Generally, it’s the area from the Capitol building, straddling East Capitol Street, and stretching south to 695 and north toward the H Street Corridor. At some point a few blocks south of H Street the H Street Corridor picks up as the next neighborhood. On the eastern side, the Hill stretches to Lincoln Park, and then beyond that is called “Hill East.”

What you have to know though is that many agents will take advantage of the great name the Hill has. They will call any adjacent neighborhood something silly like “Capitol Hill Extended” which popped up to describe neighborhoods on the other side of the Anacostia. Don’t fall for it. You are as much in Capitol Hill east of the River as I am in Dubai right now. (I’m in my house.)

Smaller homes in Capitol Hill will start in the low $1M’s and go well into the mid-millions. The average price in the past year of homes sold was $1.37M. Generally, to get space though and something that’s not in need of a lot of work, you will spend closer to $2M.

The walk score is a 98 and bike score is 92.

AU Park / Chevy Chase

AU Park and Chevy Chase are adjacent neighborhoods that straddle Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues. These two neighborhoods have a huge mix of families and empty nesters, and there’s a very strong sense of community. The schools are what people move here for as well as getting away from the hectic downtown city living where it’s more dense. You have yards and trees and nice parks here, making for a very idyllic suburb in the city.

AU Park is also easily commutable to Bethesda and to Northern Virginia. It’s super easy to hop over to River Road and head north to Maryland or to Chain Bridge and go into McLean.

The average price of houses sold in the last year in AU Park was $1.65M. The only condos in AU Park are at Cityline at 4101 Wisconsin Avenue. They have studio-3 bedroom condos that range from average price of mid $300’s for the studios to just over $1M for the larger condos.

Over in Chevy Chase the lots can be larger but it’s also a tad farther from the metro. Average price in Chevy Chase is $1.66M for homes sold over the past year.

There are a few condo options in Chevy Chase along Wisconsin Ave, Connecticut Ave and Military Road. Prices vary wildly because of the monthly fees and other amenities in the different buildings. Right now, the prices of condos sold in the last year in those buildings run from mid $200’s for a 1 bedroom to $1.7M for a penthouse condo.

The walk score in AU Park is 40, and the bike score is 71. The Walk Score in Chevy Chase is an 88 and the bike score is a 63. This is because of the proximity to Friendship Heights, but I honestly don’t believe this is accurate. AU Park and Chevy Chase in my opinion have a pretty similar if not the same walk score. They also share the same retail and restaurant areas along Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues.