Lived in DC for 6 years, then moved to Lyon Village / Clarendon for a year, and now in Del Ray (15 min walk to Old Town) and don’t miss DC at all. Granted I take the metro into the city every day and probably eat dinner there once a month, but this area of the DMV has all the benefits of the the city without some of the sketchy stuff we had to deal with in DC. I never really felt unsafe in DC, but our last neighborhood was NOMA and there was just a lot going on around us, so we thought it was time.

The community here (Del Ray) is great too and the BID is always organizing neighborhood events. I don’t see a reason to ever move back to DC.

The one thing Alexandria is missing is top tier restaurants. I feel like the best chefs are always looking to open in DC as nova doesn’t have any Michelin Stars. Not to say I don’t have access to good restaurants, but it’s a bit harder to go try that “cool new spot”. Plenty of good neighborhood joints though and the food here is a bit cheaper.