if i lived in olney, MD:
should i say that i live CLOSE TO Washington DC
OR
should i say that i live ABOVE Washington DC
OR
should i say that i live NEXT TO Washington DC
I like the fist sentence. I live close to Washington DC.
Sara's right. :-)
If you live in Olney, MD, which is located in Montgomery County, you can say that you live close to or near Washington, D.C. Olney is about 20 miles north of the city, so it is accurate to describe your location as being close to Washington, D.C.
Saying that you live above Washington, D.C. might be a bit misleading since it can imply a higher geographic elevation, which is not the case in this context. Similarly, saying that you live next to Washington, D.C. could be ambiguous because it doesn't clearly convey the distance between the two places. It might suggest a closer proximity than what Olney actually is.
So, the most accurate and common way to describe your location would be to say that you live close to Washington, D.C.