Washington DC, District of Columbia

We get that looking backward doesn’t fit our go-go culture but it is impossible when you drive into DC not to have your breath taken away by the historical buildings constantly within your view. There is more history here, in one small city, than most of the rest combined. New York’s skyline is impressive, and San Francisco’s views are stunning but between the obvious historical buildings: the Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument, and the less obvious: The Basilica, the National Cathedral, the National Portrait Gallery and the Library of Congress, there is nothing like it and it makes one proud to live here.

If you didn’t know, D.C. used to be a swamp. This means it is stupidly humid and when summer hits you will be unhappy. It gets cold in the winter by southern standards although there’s very little snow. D.C. is notoriously amateurish at dealing with the light dustings of powder that fall in January and schools will close for even an inch of snow.

The lifestyle in D.C. can be deeply intertwined with the worklife. People seriously work hard here and they often mix work with socializing. Going out for a quick drink after a long day of grind is a pretty common night in D.C. for young (and older) professionals.

Setting aside the work/play intertwining culture, there are a few really powerful lifestyle influences in D.C. The first is free access to the most amazing museum/cultural attractions on the planet. If you’re into museum/culture experiences D.C. is going to be your city. The second most powerful influence is the diversity of the population that may or may not affect your social circle, but which absolutely drives the multitudes of ethnic foods/restaurants available throughout the city.

Overall the vibe of D.C. tends to just be how much there is to do, at ALL TIMES. Galleries, museums, tons of sports team, speeches (political/social/environmental etc.), cultural events, parties, restaurant openings, outdoor concerts, it seriously never feels like it ends in this city. That social energy combined with the sheer political energy, means it just feels like this is where the action is.

To see what's happening throughout the year in D.C check out the calendar of events.

Not terribly surprising, but the work culture in the city is dominated by the government. That can make the city feel incredibly transient, given some of the people coming in for government work may only last two years. However, there are also plenty of “lifers” who are lifetime government workers or who work in cottage industries of politics, like lobbying or research etc. So some of your neighbors may be around for good.
One nice thing if you move here and work in the city is an excellent public transport system. Perhaps not on NYC’s level but still the Metro gets most people around so you don’t have to drive if you live here. The intensity of political/government work + the potential for that work to be temporary means there is frantic nature to the workstyle culture in D.C. People are not here to screw around. They work hard, they work for long hours, and they are smart and intense about delivering while they are here. If that intensity sounds exciting then D.C. might be your city.