This Thanksgiving, my family and I would like to share five reasons we’re grateful to live in the DC area. I no particular order, here are five things that make this area wonderful for families. May this holiday bring you laughter and joy.
1. Active, connected neighborhoods: We could’ve moved to dozens of other neighborhoods in or out of the District and would’ve felt the same way. Whether it’s Montgomery County, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince George’s, Howard, Frederick, or DC itself, this area is full of active, family-oriented people who understand the meaning of community. Whether it’s through day cares and pre-schools, public or independent schools, places of worship or pool clubs, the DC area fosters village-style communities and is a welcoming, multicultural place to bring up our kids.
2. Beautiful places to hike: Some of our earlier memories of moving to DC is of our young family hiking — at the Audubon Naturalist Society, Rock Creek Park, Great Falls, Sugarloaf Mountain, even trekking out to Harper’s Ferry. There are tons of trails we’ve logged miles on since, particularly since two of our kids are Scouts, and we never run out of places to visit for a hike or long nature walk.
3. All-ages concert venues: My high-school sophomoreis a big music lover. While he enjoys the big-ticket concerts at Verizon Center and Merriweather Post Pavilion, he’s particularly fond of the smaller gigs at 9:30 Club, Rock & Roll Hotel, the Black Cat, and (although it’s much larger), the new Anthem. Most shows are all-ages, so we can even drop him off with friends to see a performances (particularly if it’s a band my husband and I aren’t into ourselves).
4. Access to government: Depending on your politics, it may not always feel like a blessing to live close to the White House, but living in this area gives our family a sense of what it means to run this country. So many families in this area include federal employees (including my own) that we can see how these agencies work. It’s also easy for us to meet and speak to politicians, who live in our neighborhoods, attend our schools and churches, etc.
5. World-class local theater: Despite all of our initial complaining after moving from New York City, we now love the local theater offerings, whether it’s touring Broadway shows at the National Theatre, amazing revivals at Arena Stage, family shows at the Kennedy Center, kids theater at Imagination Stage or Adventure Theater, multi-cultural offerings at Atlas, or classics at Shakespeare Theater and the Folger, there is so much quality theater in this town!
What are your favorite reasons for loving in the DC area?
