Walkable Communities in the Washington, DC Metro Area

Many people I’ve talked to want to downsize from the home where they raised their children, but they don’t yet need the extra support of a Continuing Care Retirement Community or an Assisted Living Community.  Many active seniors want to move to one-level living and be within easy walking distance of lots to do.  They are thinking ahead to when stairs and driving might become difficult, but they also just want to really enjoy their retirement and/or empty nests.

In the DC area, there are many places that also have active Senior Villages.   You can follow the link to read my blog about these (specifically the Capitol Hill Village), but basically, these are organizations that offer plenty of clubs and activities for seniors, in addition to volunteers who can help or support seniors when necessary.  So, what areas in the greater DC metro area might be a good fit if you’re looking for these things?

In Maryland, the metropolitan centers of Friendship Heights, Rockville, Bethesda, and Silver Spring all fit the bill.  They each have walkable areas that include grocery stores, restaurants, and shopping.  They all have metro stops.  They also each have senior villages (Rockville's is currently being developed), or community organizations that act as senior villages.  The cost of real estate in these areas does vary somewhat, with Friendship Heights and Bethesda being more expensive, and Silver Spring and Rockville being less so.

Washington DC itself has many walkable areas, of course, and it would be hard to narrow down your options to just a few.   But the areas with active senior villages include Capital Hill, Cleveland and Woodley Park, Dupont Circle, East Rock Creek, Far Southeast, Foggy Bottom West End, Georgetown, Glover Park, Mount Pleasant, Waterfront, Palisades, and Northwest.  If you’re thinking about living in DC itself, it might help to narrow down your options by thinking about what you most like to do.  Waterfront is a great area if you want to go to a lot of Nats games, Capitol Hill and Foggy Bottom are great if you want to go to museums frequently, etc.

In Virginia, the walkable areas in Arlington include Ballston-Virginia Square, North Rosslyn, and Courthouse-Clarendon.  In Alexandria, the King Street Metro/Eisenhower Ave, Old Town, and Braddock Road metro areas all earn top marks according to Walkscore.com.  There is an Arlingon Neighborhood Village and an Alexandria Senior Village, in addition to other senior villages in Northern Virginia.

So, there are definitely lots of options for people in the DC Metro Area who want to downsize and move to a more walkable community.  I’ll examine some of these areas more closely in future blogs.  Also, this is by no means an exhaustive list, so feel free to send me an e-mail if you think I've left an area out.  

Please let me know if you’re thinking of downsizing and buying in a walkable community.  I’d be happy to help!