Hi Rob, I've been living in this area for the past 16 years and I can tell you that the crime gets worse the further South you go. You should stay away from NE, SW, or SE DC, also avoid areas of Prince Georges County MD. Your best bet is somewhere in Maryland, Kensington, Bethesda comes to mind, or in Virginia Alexandria or Arlington. I would highly recommend living in MD, but then again I'm bias.
oh, and don't worry about the gangs.......they're on my payroll.
