Dear PoP – Is Petworth Safe

“Dear PoP,

I have found a lot of affordable places in the Petworth area but have gotten a lot of conflicting opinions on its level of safety. I was wondering if you had any solid advice and if moving there would be a wise decision. Thank you for your time.”

Well since I live in Petworth and am an unabashed fan, I’d say it’s great. As we’ve discussed a million times, when living in a city you need to have common sense and this applies for nearly all of DC’s neighborhoods. You can read a guest post from Eric Nuzum about moving to Petworth here.

However, I must warn you about the perils that do exist in Petworth. If you move to Petworth and fall off your roof it is likely you will break your leg. If you move to Petworth and someone with H1N1 coughs on you it is likely you will catch the Swine flu. If you move to Petworth and fall off your bike it is possible you may break your collarbone. Since I’ve moved to Petworth, I’ve sprained my ankle twice playing soccer and smashed my foot once in a terrible breakdancing injury. All of the above is 100% true. Petworth can be rough.

I’m sorry for being a bit snarky but I receive this question quite frequently and always find it frustrating. We all have our comfort levels. What is “safe” for one person is not considered “safe” for another. I highly recommend you visit it and see for yourself if you feel comfortable. And I have to say, (knock wood, knock wood) I’ve lived here for 6 and a half years and have had 99% positive experiences.