Friendliest communities to live in or near DC (for single person)?

I'm moving to DC this summer or early fall. Need to decide where to live. I'll start off staying with a friend, but then will be looking for a nice place to settle. Right now I live in a kind of funky Midwest neighborhood that is very diverse, artsy, friendly and good for singles as well as others. I'm looking to find someplace like this in or near DC - someplace that is easy to meet people and hang out... doesn't need to be the safest (I grew up in NYC), or the fanciest, and certainly not the priciest (though I'll probably do a house-share)... I'm really looking for the friendliest, funky-est, mellow-est, nice people-est places to live (on the Metro line, of course). Someplace that has a sense of shared community- especially for singles, not just families.
P.S. I'm not a real party-type, so heavy nightlife is not a hi priority.
Thanks a whole lot!

A bit more "suburban" (meaning more single family homes than apartment blocks and townhouses) than Dupont Circle, U Street/Cardoza or Columbia Heights, I'd also suggest you check out Takoma Park (which straddles the D.C. - Maryland border). Many second-hand clothing shops, organic farmer's market and co-op, the House of Musical Traditions, cafes, free-trade and craft stores, and the Liz Lehrman Dance Exchange are there. Easy travel by the Metro Red line (Takoma station). Very community-oriented, politically and socially active. We residents lovingly describe it as the "crunchy granola" neighborhood of the District/Maryland.

Northern virginia ( alexandria, fairfax, falls church, Montogomery county MD, Prince Georges County MD. I am from Brooklyn NY and I moved to Prince Georges County 3 years ago. I am 25 mins from D.C., I live 20 minutes from the train and I live 25 mins from Virginia.

Dupont Circle in DC is probably like your current place of residence. That's about the most artsy, kinda of throwback part of town. There are alot of diverse groups, both in the sexual sense and in the cultural sense. There are lots of shops, restaurants, beauty stores, bookstores, hair salons, corner cafes and the like there. Its right near the heart of the city, easy to get to the subway and its a decently safe place compared to other areas of DC. I actually went for dinner and books at a place last night there! Threes plenty of community things there and people see accepting...maybe you should give it a look!! Good luck and welcome to DC in advance!

Arlington, Virginia has a lot of single people living there, lots of cafes and restaurants and things to do. The metro runs right through the city with easy access to DC. Can be a bit pricey though. There are lots of ads on craigslist for housing in DC so you can weigh your options.

Capitol Hill is a very friendly neighborhood. A lot of people are actually neighborly. An old friend who lived in upper NW used to comment the Hill is actually a neighborhood.

Its great for singles, definately. Its a lot of young (under 40) people, and with Eastern Market & Barracks Row (8th St. SE, around the Marine Barracks), a fair collection of bars, a growing number of decent restaurants, its got a lot going on & more every month.