Despite my screen name, I actually live in Arlington (Virginia Square) and work in DC. I highly recommend Arlington for a young single woman. There are a lot of great restaurants/neighborhood hangout type places in the Clarendon-Virginia Square-Ballston area and all 3 are on the Orange Line on the metro. As has been stated before, it would be hard to give you specific commute info without knowing where in Alexandria you would be working. Best of luck with your move!

Please do not be scared off by the post who said DC was dangerous. I lived in DC-22nd & R- when I first graduated from college from 1995-1997. I was right out of school and had no issues with safety/security being a woman. Please do not get turned off by that post. DC is a great, fun, young place to live and work.

Yeah, the "dangerous place for anyone, but especially for single people" comment is a tad dramatic.
Been in the Arlington/Alexandria area for 6 years (Clarendon, Pentagon City, Duke Street-Cameron Station), and I agree about not really looking at Old Town. It is a beautiful area, but pricey, more for families (I think), and the Metro stations are on the outskirts of Old Town. And where I live is definitely starter-families.
I started out in Arlington (Courthouse) and loved it! And with all of the Metro stops along Wilson Blvd. your commute from there to Alexandria will probably be the easiest and least crowded. Also, in DC, the Dupont area is building up near 15th & P, and the other areas mentioned in DC are great too (with plenty of Metro stops). Definitely see if you can afford DC, first, if you are interested in living downtown. You never know. Then venture into Arlington (although the prices there are rising quickly).
Hope this helps! OH! Go to the Metro website www.wmata.com - that might help.

I assume you are a young, single lady. I would suggest living in Arlington or a small apartment in the Dupont Circle/ West side area of Washington.

When I was single I lived in Arlington-it was great, Rossyln, Court House, Claredon and Ballston are filled with lots of young people(23-30's) lots of bars/restaurants all in walking distance. The areas are all names of metro stops but in general when people ask "where do you live in Arlington?' they will mention one of the above areas. Also "North Arlington" is a great area as well-more houses than apts. I prefer North arlingtom over South Arlington(in south,parts are a little scketch but nice places as well)

Yep, Arlington is the place to be for young singles in the DC area--good metro access, lots of nightlife, and close to the city (yet you avoid the hassles/ineptitude of DC city government). Even though it's a suburb, Arlington still has a very urban feel, with lots of shopping, bars and restaurants within walking distance of the orange line Metro stops. There are tons of singles in the area between Rosslyn and Ballston (Clarendon would be my number one choice).

Alexandria has some very nice areas, but I agree that it's more for families than singles. The same goes for areas like Springfield, Annanndale, Vienna, etc.

Good luck! It's a pretty different atmosphere from LA, but I think you'll really like DC once you get acclimated.

Thanks for all the good tips. To answer some of your questions, my job is in between the King Street Station and the Eisenhower Station in Alexandria. It's off of the Yellow or Blue Line. From most of your responses it seems that Arlington is the best choice, somewhat affordable but close to restaurants, stores, and nightlife. Is a commute by bus or Metro from Arlington to Alexandria reasonable?

I live in DC now and take the Metro everywhere. If you are working in Alexandria and you choose to live in Arlington you will need to change trains for your commute. You would start on the Orange line and transfer to the Blue line. It won't take you more than 15 to 20 minutes.

If you decide to live in DC. The blue line and yellow line run would give you a direct shot without having to change trains. There are many, many new apartment buildings going up in the Logan Circle area which is about 3 to 5 blocks from the Blue Line and in Penn Quarter which is near the yellow and blue line.

DC in the Logan Cirlce and Dupont area are great for singles and couples. Lots of new restaurants, bars, theatres, etc.

As for "dangerous"....just use common sense. We have lived in Logan Circle for the last 4 years and have never had a problem but we don't go walking alone at midnight down an alley way either.