Finding a place to live
by Susan Abbott

If you are planning to move to Washington, DC, it is likely that you have heard vicious rumors about how difficult it is to locate an apartment, land a job and meet people.  The bad news is that there are indeed many truths to the scarcity of housing in DC.  The good news is that there are many resources readily at hand to help you in your hunt for a place to call home.  Apart from the housing hurdle, DC is a relatively easy place to find an interesting job and meet even more interesting people.  

 A good starting point for meeting people, of course, is contacting one of the members of the CEU Alumni & Friends Association, Washington, DC Chapter (see our contacts page).  We regularly hold social events and meetings throughout the year.  Visit our web site for the latest information about upcoming happy hours, parties and other social events. 

 In the meantime, there are a few sources on the World Wide Web that you should consider checking out.  Check out a small sampling of useful resources below:

 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/  (Washington, DC’s weekly newspaper, provides a great starting point for reading about DC politics and the local scene.  Good classifieds section, with weekly listings of apartments, shared groups housing and things for sale – think furnishings for your new apartment!)

 http://www.insiders.com/washington-dc/main-international2.htm#Heading1 (Very helpful section for international visitors is probably one of the more helpful and interesting reads on the web, check it out!)

http://home.earthlink.net/~georgesilva/dcjobs2.html (Fabulous site for finding a place to live in DC, looking for an internship, or landing a job)

http://www.ustreet.com/csna/real1.htm (U-Street-Cardozo neighborhood, good connection to George Washington University, rent is likely be lower here than in other more posh spots.

http://www.announce.com/khein/dupont/introdct.htm (Dupont Circle neighborhood information)

http://www.dupont-circle.com/  (A favorite web site about Dupont Circle, it has links for so many things, including a guide to area think-tanks – think employment!)

http://www.logancircle.org/ (Logan Circle neighborhood, which is very close to Dupont Circle, and has many old and historic buildings.  Rent in this neighborhood is going to be cheaper than in Dupont because it is in the process of being revitalized.  It is an “up and coming” place to live, although it is not as Metro accessible)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/metro/front.htm (This site provides a map of DC’s Metro system and an interactive neighborhood viewer, so you can learn your way around the streets of Washington and figure out exactly you are going)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/travel/visitorsguide.htm   (Washington DC’s visitor guide, good basic information on entertainment and facts about the city.  Worth spending a little time on this site just to familiarize yourself with the city. Go to “tours of the town” section for more detail about all the touristy things to do in DC)

http://www.dcpages.com/ (Good information about DC, just type in your keyword search and the site will deliver the goods)

http://www.insiders.com/washington-dc/  (Great interactive guide to everything you would want to know about DC)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/virtualtours/adamsmorgan/  (Digital tour of Adams Morgan, one of DC more interesting and fun neighborhoods.  This area has a lot of group housing, international restaurants, nightclubs and cafes)

http://www.washdc.org/neighbor.html  (DC neighborhoods on line, just point and click to get the information you want)

http://www.ngen.com/housing/american/neighborhoods.html (American University’s helpful rundown of descriptions about different DC neighborhoods)

http://www.insiders.com/washington-dc/main-realestate.htm  (see this site especially for finding a house or a more permanent place to live)

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(This page last updated April 24, 2001)