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Comment by torstenvl | Hacker News Reader

Strongly advise against living in the District. There is little to no benefit to doing so. If you want a "downtown" feel, I'd recommend Alexandria or the north side of Arlington (the south side of Arlington is very DoD, so probably not your vibe).

Virginia has a much lower violent crime rate (104 per 100000 vs 977 per 100000 in DC), lower taxes, a better social scene, and is more accessible to any of the common recreational activities (hiking in Shenandoah, camping in West Virginia, wineries, breweries, etc.).

Even if you like going out to a bar to socialize, I still think the Clarendon area on the north side of Arlington is better than literally anywhere in the District.

https://www.arlnow.com/2020/07/29/arlington-neighborhoods-to...

https://suburbansolutions.com/blog/arlington-va-crime-rate/

https://suburbansolutions.com/blog/washington-dc-crime-rate/

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Strongly advise against living in NoVA. It’s extremely segregated and parochial. Do you like the Cheesecake Factory and frat boys? Then you’ll love Arlington. I throw up in my mouth a little whenever I venture across the Potomac (I live in Mount Pleasant in DC).

I don't think I could have posted a better advertisement for Virginia. Thanks!

Virginia is for lovers. DC is for haters. Don't live in the District unless you want to surround yourself with people who "throw up in [their] mouth a little" when they think about interacting with people from a different walk of life.

DC attracts the higher end culinary restaurants--the sort of place an upper middle class person can afford to eat at once a month or less. But you are fooling yourself if you think the tiers of restaurants below that are any better in the district. Both are worse than food scenes in real cities.

And for the places you are paying 200/person for dinner--people in Arlington aren't much (or at all) further than people in NE.

And you are fooling yourself if you think the people living in old town are much different than people in Logan Circle. Or people in courthouse are different than people in navy yard.

> Virginia has [...] a better social scene

What's your definition of a "social scene"? I have lived in both and have known many people who have lived in both and you are probably the only person I've ever met (myself included) who thinks this.

My idea of a social scene is people doing things with strangers such that they can be social outside their existing friend groups and make new friends.

It isn't two far-left white dudes in suits talking politics and their Hill jobs at a ground level bar in some brutalist monstrosity while ignoring everyone around them.

Yeah there are some fun and quirky things but a lot of that was hurt by COVID too.

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.

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