What are some nice towns/cities around the Richmond, VA area?

Question

My husband and I may be relocating to the Richmond area in the near future. I have heard that not all parts of Richmond are very nice so I was wondering where are some nice communities in or around Richmond. Thanks!

Answer 1

I can not think of anything else to add to 12BNBDA's (#1) statement. She did a thorough job describing the area. Go ahead and give her the best answer. I will, however, attempt to expand on it slightly.

The Richmond Metro area consists of the City of Richmond, (NOT Richmond County!) Henrico County, and Chesterfield County. The extended Metro area also includes Hanover County, Goochland County, Charles City County, New Kent County, and Louisa County. Looking immediately south (just south of Chesterfield County) is the Petersburg Metro area/Tri Cities area, consisting of the City of Petersburg, The City of Hopewell, and the City of Colonial Heights. There are more "nice" parts of the area than "not nice" sections.

Don't buy or rent before you come down and look at the area. There are a lot of nice areas in the area. Most of the really dumpy areas are in the City of Richmond. However, some of the nicer areas are also in the City of Richmond. If you are looking at an area to rent for couples without children, look in the Shockoe Slip/Shockoe Bottom area. (Now being advertiesed as the Canal area.) The Fan and portions west within Richmond tend to be upper class and has some of the better city schools. South of the James River in Richmond is the Stoney Point Mall, and there are some really nice condo's to rent and to buy right there. I'm not too sure about the schools though.

If you move to the eastern portion of Henrico, you have some very inexpensive houses for sale in the Highland Springs area. Highland Springs was one of the first planned communities in the Richmond area. Yes, there are some old homes there. Just next to Highland springs is the Sandston area which is nicer. Further east is the Varina area. This area is still rather rural, but growing. There is a lack of supermarkets and gas stations in this area, but you can still get to one within 15 minutes.

The western portion of Henrico (which bends like a horse shoe around Richmond) consists of Glen Allen and Short Pump. Short Pump is one of the nicest areas, but it's also the most expensive. Too many houses, too many people. This area gets congested often. (One of the few places in Richmond with traffic congestion.)

While I am talking about traffic, I will bring up that the interstate through Richmond was part of the earliest Interstate System. So, you will see a few major ramps without an acceleration lane or an inadequate acceleration lane. This used to cause a lot of congestion at these choke points during rush hour. However, a lot of the worst parts of the interstate have been improved and brought up to (near) modern standards. You will still have traffic back ups on I-64 West coming off of I-95, and through the toll booth on the Powhite Parkway. Just remember that traffic is just slow. You will get through it in minutes, not hours. (Worst case scenario the traffic will make you 30 minutes late.)

I live in southside Richmond, almost on the Chesterfield County line. My home is over 50 years old with a classic design. It's very nice, but the electric is not up to modern code. (No grounding.) It is nice for me to live here now, but I don't want to raise children here. I don't like the schools in this area, they are very bad and the mindset of a lot of the children is poor.

Good luck and I hope that you enjoy Richmond!

Answer 2

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RE:
What are some nice towns/cities around the Richmond, VA area?
My husband and I may be relocating to the Richmond area in the near future. I have heard that not all parts of Richmond are very nice so I was wondering where are some nice communities in or around Richmond. Thanks!

Answer 3

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Ashland and Mechanicsville are both located in Hanover County. I watched Hanover go from a rural backwater to one of the top 20 richest counties in Virginia. As a volunteer EMT, I got to see them get their first 911 system and now their radio system is top notch. Hmm... When you say Ashland (The Center of the Universe) do you mean that you want to live in the Town of Ashland or in the area of it. Keep away from the apartments there, as there are a bunch of "roaches" in that area. But there are some nice housing areas there. Outside of the Town Limits itself gets very rural very quickly. Some places are very over priced due to the influx of McMansions in the 80's and 90's. (Back in the 90's, it was very weird to drive around and see a half million dollar home built next door to a hand build shack.) So, avoid the apartment areas in Ashland but otherwise that area is kind of nice. My wife and I looked at buying a house to the east of there, around Bumpass and Cuckoo. If you live north, south, or east of Ashland you will be headed to Glen Allen (Virginia Center Commons) for the big stores like Best Buy and Target. If you live west of Ashland (Towards Route 33) you will be heading to Short Pump for the big box stores. Otherwise there are a handful of grocery stores there and a Wal Mart. Mechanicsville has lost a lot of it's rural character and has become rather suburban. But on that note there are some good houses for rent there. It's grown up a lot with a bunch of big box stores right at I-295 and Route 360. There are grocery stores every few miles. If you head out further east out of Hanover then it gets very rural but there are few amenities. Personally, of the three I prefer Midlothian in Chesterfield County the best. (I'm biased, I live closer to that area now.) However, it's the more expensive of the three. On that note, if you keep on driving out to Amelia County, then you have a nice rural area. The further you get from Richmond, the more rural. Here's another option. The eastern portion of Henrico County is called Varina. Recently I've seen a lot of homes for rent in your price range. Poke around that area. Only one Food Lion in that area, and it's not very popular. But you can drive to the White Oak area and there are plenty of grocery stores and even a nice Shopping Center (Target, et al.) at Laburnam and I-64. Or you can take Route 5 into Shockoe Bottom (City of Richmond) and there is a nice grocery store there. Let me know if I can help you out some more. I'm local. I hope that this helped. Good luck!

Answer 4

The far West End is probably the most desirable location in Richmond, but it is definitely one of the most expensive. There is a lot to do in that area - a big open-air mall (Short Pump Town Center) with Macy's, Nordstrom, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrell, Urban Outfitters, and a nice combination of upscale (Nicole Miller, bebe, Apple computer store) and mid-scale (Abercrombie, Ann Taylor, Bath and Body Works) stores, as well as several restaurants (Cheesecake Factory, Copper Grill, Applebees, Maggiano's) and a comedy club. There are also lots of other stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's), a very nice movie theater, an ice skating arena, bowling alley, a YMCA, and tons of other places to shop and eat. The biggest neighborhoods in the area are Twin Hickory and Wyndham. Also has an excellent school system.

The next most popular area would probably be the southside (Chesterfield County - not within the city limits - see below) - also has lots of stuff to do, it's just a little more spread out. There is another open-air mall (Stony Point Fashion Park) that is smaller than Short Pump, but for the most part has more exclusive stores (Saks, Louis Vuitton, Betsey Johnson, Anthropologie). But there is plenty of Old Navy, Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Best Buy, etc. in Chesterfield. The biggest neighborhoods in Chesterfield are probably Woodlake, Brandermill, Hampton Park, and Deer Run. Chesterfield also has a good school system.

The Glen Allen area north of Richmond is nice (and where I live). It has recently experienced a growth spurt and has a fairly decent mall (with mostly "mall-type" stores - Macy's, Sears, JCPenney, Dillard's, Gap, Victoria's Secret, Kirkland's, etc.), Target, Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, Pier One, etc. Also has a nice movie theater and lots of places to eat (both fast food and sit-down). School system is good (same as West End - Henrico County).

Mechanicsville is east of Richmond (but not in the "east end" - see below), and is going through a development boom as well, with lots of new stores - Target, Old Navy, Marshall's, Home Depot. There is lots of new development in the housing end in Mechanicsville as well. Probably the most "established" neighborhood (but still nice) is King's Charter, but there is no lack of housing available. School system (Hanover County) is pretty good.

If you are more interested in living in the city, the Fan cannot be beaten. It is beautiful, with tree-lined streets, historic homes, shops, restaurants, and historic Monument Avenue. If you are looking to buy a house, it's pretty expensive - a lot of houses have been converted to apartments, and the ones that have not tend to be really expensive. But they sure are pretty, and it's nice to be able to walk to a shop or restaurant. The Fan tends to have a much younger population, because of its proximity to VCU, the bar scene, and the fact that so many buildings have been converted to apartments. RIchmond City schools are not that great; most Fan residents with school-age kids send them to private schools.

Steer clear of the east end of town and southeast and north within the city limits - there tends to be a little more criminal activity, not-so-great schools, and poorer neighborhoods.

If you're willing to drive a little (assuming work will be in Richmond), there is Ashland (about 15 minutes north of RIchmond). It is a very small town, but very quaint and very liveable, and it is close enough to Richmond that you can say you live in a small town but be really close to a city. There are also some new neighborhoods in New Kent County, which is about 20-30 minutes east, but there is not a lot to do out there.

Hope I was able to help! Feel free to message me if you have any more questions.

PS: I know of a great house for sale.