I came to Washington, DC on August 8, 2002 with two huge suitcases, no place to stay, no friends, and just a few bucks in my pocket. Those were really though times, fortunately I met great people in DC who helped me. Since that year I promised myself to keep a record of all the information that could be useful for those coming from abroad to live in D.C.
Where to live in Washington, DC
There are lots of options to live in the Washington, DC area. One can live in the District, or one of the counties in Maryland and Virginia near Washington, DC. If you decide to live in Washington, DC, think carefully what you want, there are very nice neighborhoods for every budget. I strongly encourage you to look in Craigslist, and find out the pros and cons of the different neighborhoods.
Since I already went through the pain of understanding the good, the bad, and the ugly of DC-area neighborhoods, here there is a list of my recommended neighborhoods:
Adams Morgan (Washington, DC)
Brookland (Washington, DC)
Ballston-Virginia Square (Arlington County, VA)
Bethesda(Montgomery County, MD)
Capitol Hill (Washington, DC)
Clarendon (Arlington County, VA)
Cleveland Park (Washington, DC)
Columbia Heights (Washington, DC)
Crystal City (Arlington County, VA)
Dupont Circle (Washington, DC)
Foggy Bottom (Washington, DC)
Georgetown (Washington, DC)
Logan Circle-Shaw (Washington, DC)
Mount Pleasant (Washington, DC)
Old Town (Alexandria, VA)
Pentagon City (Arlington County, VA)
Petworth (Washington, DC)
Rosslyn (Arlington County, VA)
I live in Northwest Washington, D.C., here are some links of reasonable affordable apartment buildings to rent:
Sutton Plaza
The Cambridge
The Eddystone
Borger Management Buildings in Washington, DC
WCSmith Properties
If you want to have a better taste of the local flavor of the District, I encourage to read one of the multiple blogs of DC neighborhoods: DC Blogs. Yes! almost every neighborhood has a blog, isn´t that amazing? (Thank God for the Internet). It will help you a lot!
Personal Identification is Important
When you first come to the US (work or study) feels like being born again. You do not exist in the “system”, so it is important to obtain a valid Federal ID. Of course, you can keep carrying your passport (until you lose it!).
Here are links to different types of documentation you need to obtain to be identified as yourself:
First: obtain your Social Security
If you are coming to work or study you will need to obtain your Social Security. It will take several weeks, but you MUST OBTAIN ONE, DO NOT BE LAZY. To obtain your social security: click here
Second: Obtain a valid Federal ID
Your passport is a valid Federal ID, but you do not want to carry your passport when going to bars or discos. You might lose it and do not want to get in that trouble. Click on the following links to know how to obtain:
Driver’s License
Non-Driver ID
Third: Obtain health insurance
You are almost there, health insurance is important, do not even think about not getting one! Health services are extremely expensive in the US. Click on the links below to know more about some health insurance companies (there might be more, but these are the ones I know):
Aetna
Cigna
Blue Cross – Blue Shields
Get to Know DC
There are a lot of things you can do in DC, but one never knows where to start. I recommend you to visit About.com (an excellent source of information) to help you decide where to go. If you are wondering when those special events in DC are (i.e. Cherry Blossom Festival), click here.
I personally like outdoor activities (biking, hiking, running) and yoga. Here are some of my favorite sites to know where to go: Biking; Hiking; Running; Yoga (Bikram Yoga; Down Dog Yoga; Flow Yoga; Studio DC; Tranquil Space); Gyms (VIDA Fitness)
I do party, eat in restaurants, go to the movies, visit museums, go to the opera, etc… Here are some sites you might want to check: bars, movie theaters, museums, opera,restaurants.
Washington, DC is a vibrant and dynamic city, enjoy your stay.
Bienvenido to The Nation’s Capital!
Andrés
Hi Andres, I read your blog and I found very useful hints. I found a nice flat in Capi tol Hill. In your list yuo don’t mention this neighborhood. I heard that it is pretty nice. I would like to ask you if you can give me your personal opinion. Thank you very much for the help.
Hi there, yes. Capitol Hill is a great place to live. I don’t know what I missed it. I am going to add it to my list. Feel free to ask any other questions about it.