For DC:
-Fairly large city
Check
-Somewhere were I already had friends
Check
-Lots of young people (I'm 25)
Check
-Sports (Profesional to watch & rec leagues to play in)
Check
-Fairly Clean (I was amazed by the cleanliness of DC's Metro)
Check
-Low crime for a big city (I haven't seen any of the sketchier parts of DC but I'm sure they exist. Do you DC residents feel safe in most areas?)
I have never felt unsafe. I haven't been to the absolute worst parts but I end up in bad areas at night and never feel out of place. You just know how to handle yourself and not be stupid.
-Low cost of living compared to income (I know DC dosen't really fit this factor)
Nope
Some questions after reading your replies:
-A couple of people mentioned Minnesota's music scene. This is a big plus. I'm a big fan of going to smaller clubs and seeing unknown bands, can anybody comment on DC's music scene?
DC gets pretty much any band on tour. There are really only two places for smaller shows: 9:30 club which gets mid-range stuff (
http://www.930.com) and Black Cat which gets really small and local bands.
-I hadn't thought about proximity to big cities. This is a plus for DC. However I can drive from Minny to my college, which I do still visit from time to time.
DC is awesome for this. Chinatown bus is $35 roundtrip to NYC. Baltimore is 1 hour although I don't know why you'd go there. The beaches in the summer in the area are great also.
DC Residents-I'm pretty apathetic about politics. How much does it come up in your day to day life? Will I be able to live without really caring about politics?
Never. Yes.