I have lived in DC almost twelve years, and I have feasted upon the beauty and rich culture of this area. It has been an absolute delight to live easy walking distance from the National Gallery and Library of Congress. My husband and I live quite comfortably in a one-bedroom condo, and we haven't owned a car for the entire time we have lived here. We haven't missed it, either. Metro, Uber/Lyft, and Zipcar are fine for our local transportation needs, and it's a too-short 3 1/2 hour Amtrak trip to NYC. I can't complain about my three-block commute to work, either. Overall, I don't regret moving into the city.
As I get older and less nimble, however, I'm starting to feel more vulnerable. Unfortunately, there are too many guns in this town, and too many economically disadvantaged youths anxious to stir things up. I don't fear any adults in DC, but teenagers in groups frankly terrify me much more than they ever used to. It's generally the teenagers in my neighborhood responsible for the shootings and muggings and random attacks. We had planned to stay and be retired here, but now we are planning to move to a medium-sized city in Europe, instead. Still walkable and beautiful, but much calmer and safer. Added bonus -- no more sweltering, sticky, bug-infested DC summers.
If we were to stay in the area, I might be more inclined to move out of DC to a close-in suburb like Bethesda or Rosslyn.