Moving to Richmond for work. Haven't had a chance to go up there before. Good place to be?

12/20/2008 5:05:53 PM

i hate Virginia and hopefully will be leaving it in 1-2 months

12/20/2008 5:07:08 PM

I lived there for a year and a half. It's about on par with Raleigh.

Places you'll end up knowing:

The Fan
Shockhoe Bottom
Short Pump

12/20/2008 5:11:27 PM

Where did you find a job up here? I think I might have to start looking soon if my place ends up shutting down

The Fan is a nice area if you want "downtown" living

12/20/2008 5:24:00 PM

i'd say it's dirtier than raleigh

but there's some cool areas

and add to the list above:
Carytown

12/20/2008 5:24:18 PM

my dad's restaurant is in richmond and it is delicious. su casa on broad st, fried chicken chimichangas ftw!

12/20/2008 5:33:23 PM

fried chicken chimichanges ftw indeed.

12/20/2008 5:46:28 PM

Quote :

"i'd say it's dirtier than raleigh but there's some cool areas"

agreed.

You might want to check out the Jewish Mother (Jew Mom for short). Shockhoe Bottom is turning around quite nicely. You're also only 2 1/2 hours away from DC.

12/20/2008 6:11:46 PM

^and the worst stretch of driving on the face of the planet

12/20/2008 6:15:57 PM

Tis true. But on a Saturday it doesn't get bad until you get up near Woodbridge.

12/20/2008 6:17:27 PM

when i go home to nc

i'll only ever go on holidays or the middle of the night

it's nice to blast through manassas with no traffic, even if it has to be at 3am

12/20/2008 6:18:53 PM

pee drankin

12/20/2008 6:25:57 PM

that have a ridiculously steep flyover interstate ramp

12/20/2008 6:35:12 PM

had an internship, lived there for a summer. It was awesome.

I lived in the fan.

12/20/2008 6:43:36 PM

^^^^ I've left DC at 2 in the afternoon on a Sunday and still hit standstill traffic on 95

12/20/2008 6:47:14 PM

Quote :

"i'd say it's dirtier than raleigh but there's some cool areas"

12/20/2008 7:37:34 PM

i enjoyed my time there

got the best dog ever from the richmond spca

and i swear she recognizes it when i drive through, it's weird

she'll sleep the whole way from delaware to nc, except once we hit the chamberlayne exit through chippenham, she's up and wants to stick her face out the window

it's weird

12/20/2008 7:39:44 PM

there's a couple of good threads on richmond here in chit chat...assuming they haven't been washed out yet.

12/20/2008 10:41:58 PM

sorry that was roanoke

[Edited on December 20, 2008 at 11:07 PM. Reason : ddd]

12/20/2008 11:07:33 PM

bump

6/22/2012 3:30:19 PM

Quote :

"i hate Virginia and hopefully will be leaving it in 1-2 months"

lol and I've been back in VA since January, but I like where I am this time near DC

6/22/2012 3:31:34 PM

I agree in that it's like raleigh, but somewhat more dirty. Carytown and Short Pump are cool. Good restaurants and clubs / bars. It's an up and coming area. RVA magazine is a good source for happenings in the area. It's sort of like IndyWeek, but more trendy/hipster.

6/22/2012 3:41:52 PM

gonna be up there this weekend and am looking for a good brunch place...thinking stella's

other suggestions?

6/22/2012 3:48:22 PM

Quote :

"It's about on par with Raleigh."

Eh, always felt like a more condensed Charlotte to me. Richmond is just really... dirty. Aesthetically and sanitation-wise. Yeah there's nice areas and some cool night-life (maybe stretching it), but it doesn't seem like the most enjoyable place to live.

6/22/2012 3:49:45 PM

My wife lived up there for a year before we were married and lived in Carytown and enjoyed it. While visiting her we went to the Byrd Theatre which was pretty cool. She also did brunches at a place called Godfrey's with her gay roommate. It was a drag brunch..lol

The Byrd Theatre was pretty nice and definitely a place to hit one night. They've got a Wurlitzer Organ that come out of the floor of the stage and plays before each movie. The theatre itself is beautiful.


http://byrdtheatre.com/

http://godfreysva.com/brunch

6/22/2012 4:01:35 PM

ba bump

looks like I'm moving up there next year. looking for places to live around short pump that aren't $texas

[Edited on November 13, 2012 at 8:04 PM. Reason : lol.. jtw208 = BlackJesus exposed?]

11/13/2012 8:01:05 PM

btt I'll be moving to the short pump area in may.

11/13/2012 8:02:50 PM

been up here in Midlothian since June. About to close on a house in a month in another part of Midlothian much closer to the City.

Short Pump is a pretty cool area, but really really congested.

Overall we're liking the RVA area a lot.

11/13/2012 8:15:27 PM

You know of any good apartment complexes in the area?

11/13/2012 8:31:51 PM

not specifically-- with a family and dogs we rented a house, but that area definitely has a lot of nice residential areas, the apartments i've driven by look nice. you might have better luck with recos on the city-data.com forums.

11/13/2012 8:39:28 PM

I love Richmond. I think it's a hella cool city.

My cousin lives there, runs the Billy Bread. He seems to like it a lot, too.

11/13/2012 8:57:33 PM

My sister lives there and likes it.

11/13/2012 10:17:25 PM

I think I've just been to crummy parts of Richmond.

It's on my list of "cities on my peripheral that I would move to if there was a good job in it."

11/13/2012 10:52:33 PM

I'll be honest, I wasn't excited about moving here initially.

After living here a few months, it's like a more urbanized version of the triangle. A lot of similarities to Durham, but with a bit more scale, history, and architecture.

Tons of great local restaurants.
Great museums, more and better than I would have expected for the size of the city
Food truck scene is a bit weak.
Good local beer scene, although I think the triangle has the edge (I took it for granted how great of a beer city/state RTP/NC is)
Tons of outdoor stuff to do here, really looking forward to exploring the river next spring/summer.
lower taxes
weak market for tech jobs other than being in IT for a company that isn't centered around technology-- in other words, pretty much no startups or tech companies with any real presence here.

[Edited on November 13, 2012 at 10:59 PM. Reason : .]

11/13/2012 10:57:46 PM

Quote :

"i enjoyed my time there got the best dog ever from the richmond spca and i swear she recognizes it when i drive through, it's weird"

I'm sure she does. It's the smell. That sticky James River smell.

11/13/2012 11:55:01 PM

my few visits were always left a good impression

if i were ever to move back to the Southeast, Richmond is at the top of my list (maybe after Asheville)

11/14/2012 3:59:14 AM

You should stay with the jefferson.

There is actually this really awesome hotel a block from the jefferson thats like less than a hampton where edgar allen poe apparently stayed. Its super baller- you get your own wing there

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

[Edited on November 14, 2012 at 8:50 AM. Reason : ]

11/14/2012 8:48:31 AM

Quote :

"I'll be honest, I wasn't excited about moving here initially. After living here a few months, it's like a more urbanized version of the triangle. A lot of similarities to Durham, but with a bit more scale, history, and architecture. Tons of great local restaurants. Great museums, more and better than I would have expected for the size of the city Food truck scene is a bit weak. Good local beer scene, although I think the triangle has the edge (I took it for granted how great of a beer city/state RTP/NC is) Tons of outdoor stuff to do here, really looking forward to exploring the river next spring/summer. lower taxes weak market for tech jobs other than being in IT for a company that isn't centered around technology-- in other words, pretty much no startups or tech companies with any real presence here."

i live in richmond now and this is a pretty spot on assessment.

11/14/2012 8:51:20 AM

The music scene there is also rad as shit

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

11/14/2012 8:53:39 AM

^ This is very true.

11/14/2012 10:41:55 AM

I've been in Richmond for about 1.5 months now, and my fiancee has been here since May. I actually really like it, at least so far. I'm living in the Museum District, which is basically a continuation of the Fan once you cross over S. Boulevard. Very walkable--we're about 15 minutes walk from Carytown, 5 minutes or so from the museums, and a lot of other neat stuff within an easy stroll. And the neighborhood itself is beautiful; most of the buildings in the area date from the early 20th century (my apartment building was built in 1925 and is one of the newer ones). Lots of bad parts of the city, but lots of good ones too if you know where to look--it's kind of like Durham in that respect.

+1 on BobbyDigital's analysis as well; I agree with all of his points.

11/14/2012 11:43:27 AM

^ How much is your rent?

11/14/2012 12:53:25 PM

^^^^

ah i forgot about that. The metal scene here is huge too.

^^

Yeah the Fan has a walkscore in the 90s i think. Love hanging out there. If it weren't for the schools, we'd probably live there.

11/14/2012 12:56:02 PM

its not that its huge its that the bands don't suck

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

[Edited on November 14, 2012 at 12:57 PM. Reason : i'm looking at you volume 11 backstage]

11/14/2012 12:56:41 PM

Quote :

"^ How much is your rent?"

$945/month. 2 bedroom, 1 bath, ~800 square foot apartment. Great location and it has some nice features (hardwood floors, some original trim/hardware, radiator heat so our electricity bill is super low in the winter) but I do wish it were bigger.

Quote :

"Yeah the Fan has a walkscore in the 90s i think. Love hanging out there. If it weren't for the schools, we'd probably live there."

If we stay in the area once Dawn finishes school, this would be the thing that might keep me from wanting to buy here. The schools are pretty bad from what I've heard.

11/14/2012 4:54:38 PM

Is there a part of Richmond that looks like Cary?

I am strongly against living in the city, or near the city.

11/19/2012 3:47:25 PM

um have you ever been to RVA?

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

11/19/2012 3:48:19 PM

yea once and I was in the hood.

11/19/2012 3:48:50 PM

Quote :

"Is there a part of Richmond that looks like Cary? I am strongly against living in the city, or near the city. "

You'd hate my neighborhood in that case. Sounds like you're a prime candidate for the Short Pump area, or perhaps some of the suburbs (Midlothian/Chesterfield/etc.)

Also do not make the mistake of thinking that Carytown is anything like Cary, LOL.

11/19/2012 5:11:19 PM

I live in glen allen side of richmond. We are looking to buy a house and are considering carytown area.

Couple of other things that weren't mentioned that I like:

-Richmond International Raceway (NASCAR track)
-Belle Isle
-The National
-Landmark
-Hollywood cemetery
-VCU basketball
-Legend brewery

[Edited on November 19, 2012 at 7:01 PM. Reason : more stuff]

11/19/2012 7:00:34 PM