Washington DC

Home to over half a million residents, Washington, D.C. is one of the largest and most interesting and diverse cities in the world. Of course, our Capitol City is headquarters to hundreds of government offices – including the office of the President – and has become a synonym for the political going ons of our country. But Washington is so much more than Congress and the White House – it’s a rich and complex metropolis bustling with commerce, research and development, and the arts.

Although D.C. is currently just 61 square miles, when the US won its independence D.C.’s boundaries were drawn to include about 100 square miles along both sides of the Potomac. Just ten years after our capital was born, John Adams became the first President to reside in the then-new White House. About fifty years after D.C.’s founding, the Virginia side become part of the Commonwealth, and the Seat of Government was officially declared to be exclusively on the Washington side. Since its earliest years, Washington’s intellectually and politically stimulating environment has attracted the best and brightest of the nation, making it one of the exciting – albeit expensive – place to live that it is today.

Despite its enormous population, the vibe in Washington, D.C. is comfortable and – in many places – surprisingly pristine. Instead of towering brick buildings, mobs of pedestrians, and over-flowing trash cans, when people think of D.C. the bright manicured lawns, lush parks, wrought iron gates, and cherry-blossom lined streets come to mind. Its many monuments, memorials, and historic landmarks draw hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, and D.C. still stays beautiful and serene.

Because of D.C.’s inviting atmosphere and invigorating culture, competition for a home in its top neighborhoods is stiff. Even in the slowest of markets, a home in Washington, D.C. costs upwards of four times as much per square foot as homes in Middle America.  In those communities – Glover Park, Bethesda, and so on – household incomes tend to match the cost of owning a home. In D.C. as a whole, average incomes are about 25% higher than the national average, and unemployment tends to pace with the US in general.

Some of the biggest employers in D.C. are companies in constant need of well educated, forward thinking talent. This includes major research and consulting firms MedStar, Deloitte, and Booz Allen – to name a few. And with twenty colleges and universities in about 60 square miles, employers have little trouble recruiting. D.C.’s most notable universities are Georgetown, George Washington University, and D.C.’s largest public university (and historically African American college) The University of the District of Columbia. D.C. boasts a staggering five Research institutions within the city limits, as well as four master’s universities and ten special-focus institutions.

D.C. is a large and varied city, with something for almost everyone. If you’re considering a move to the Capitol City, be sure to do your homework. Property values, school districts, and even traffic can vary wildly from one neighborhood to the next. But with unlimited opportunities to learn, grow, work, and play, without a doubt D.C. is a great place to call home.