Tarsi Dunlop takes a selfie after voting in 2019.
I moved to Arlington in 2011, after a year in Maryland and a year in the District. When I moved here, the Gramercy, Acadia, Metropolitan Park buildings, as well as the Barlett and Whole Foods building did not exist. What is now a through street on 12th between Fern and Eads was a dirt path. The growth of businesses and services continues to amaze me.
In the past nine years, I’ve lived as a renter in three different apartment buildings, all within one-block of the same intersection in Pentagon City.
I was born in India in 1987 and was adopted when I was four months old. I grew up in rural Western Massachusetts on a small family farm, and went to school in Vermont so when I moved to the DC area in 2009, I was fairly new to city living and still had a bit of a preference for quieter neighborhoods.
I love the neighborhood feel in my area. I’m a regular (or I was pre-pandemic) at W Nails, as well as Pizza Xtreme, and Sine Irish pub. I appreciate having a Post Office, shipping store, wine shop, exercise centers, yoga studios, grocery store, healthy fast food, Costco, mall, and transit options nearby, including the new bus rapid transit down to Alexandria. I love having the Mt. Vernon trail access point, Aurora Hills Park, and Long Bridge park for outdoor exercise (when it’s not raining, sleeting, or extremely humid).
I liked that the neighborhood felt quieter and more low-key; there are a few things to do and basic necessities and I was living with two really good friends. After work I still usually ended up downtown visiting with friends. I love how easily accessible Arlington is (despite occasional protests from friends that we’re so far away and across the river). I also moved here because the prices were more affordable, although I worry about rising rents, and even higher home prices with Amazon HQ2.
I work at a nonprofit in local policy and am currently a part-time graduate student in urban planning at Georgetown. I imagine buying a home someday, but it feels significantly out of reach at the moment. I believe that diversity—racial, cultural, socio-economic, and experiential—makes communities rich and dynamic. I worry about displacement and long-time Arlingtonians being priced out and I worry about our low-income communities and communities of color being unable to afford rent or rising property taxes. I worry about young people being unable to start their lives and families here. I am fortunate to have gainful employment, but it is challenging to break the barriers into homeownership.
I joined the Arlington for Everyone campaign because I wanted to help raise awareness about housing affordability challenges, lift up others’ stories, share mine, and learn more about long-term remediation efforts that might be possible. I also participate in the Livability 22202 initiative, a joint effort of three area civic associations to help develop better and more livable neighborhoods in Pentagon City and Crystal City. I am a new co-chair of the housing group.
Although I know the DC area is very transient, I hope that everyone who wants to stay in Arlington can stay, and I hope to make my home in Arlington in the years to come. I also want the County to be a leader in planning how we accommodate others who want to make this community their home and ensure that it is accessible not just to those who can pay top dollar to live here.
Written by Tarsi Dunlop for the Arlington For Everyone story series, which highlights the diversity of experiences in Arlington, Virginia.