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Old 02-24-2012, 04:42 PM
 
8 posts, read 14,321 times
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I'm sure this question already exists somewhere here but I couldn't find it. Honestly I did give up after just a few pages. Anyway.... Husband was transferred to VA, family will be there in the next couple of months.

From what I've seen online.... You get more house for the money in the Richmond suburbs. BUT WOW....the mountain views in Charlottesville are awesome. I also love that small walkable town feeling. Never had that before. I'm from Ohio and we don't walk much...lol! I think Charlottesville would be awesome.

BUT with that being said....kids are 9 and 5... My concern is... Is there as much to do in Charlottesville for young kids? Not just museums, parks etc but extra curricular actives. My son plays everything and my daughter is in gymnastics and ice skating.

Also... I would be looking for some type of fitness center that has classes like spin or cardio combo type. I'm sure both areas have that but just throwing it out there.

Btw... We will most likely want new construction in the 400k price range. Any info would be great....thx!
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Old 02-25-2012, 06:56 AM
 
Location: Roanoke, VA
1,813 posts, read 4,200,130 times
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Where is your husband's job? Unless he likes a long commute, perhaps you should let his job determine where you live --- just a thought.

Both places have plenty of activities for children. My child plays on a house league at Main Street Arena. Richmond has three sheets of ice. If hockey is important, you should know that the long-term existence of an ice rink in C-Ville is not a sure thing.

If you live in Richmond, you would want to be in the suburbs. I believe -- from reading posts on this site -- that the city of Richmond schools do not have a good reputation.

Richmond has many YMCA locations. The YMCA in Charlottesville has no real facility. It is a program-based Y.

There is a lacrosse league in Charlottesville. But I suspect there is one in Richmond too. Charlottesville is beautiful, but if you are looking for lots of things to do for kids, I would think Richmond may have an edge there.
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Old 02-26-2012, 11:17 AM
 
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Charlottesville is so gorgeous! But I live in the Richmond area (Chesterfield County) and I have to say, there is tons for kids to do here. There are YMCAs all over the area and all have tons of varied sports offerings-and dance and swim too. We've been very happy with the Y. BUT...aside from the Y there are so many other recreational leagues to choose from too for all sports. The elementary schools have athletic associations as well.

My son is eight and taking ice hockey lessons in Richmond. There are two great skating rinks in the area. They offer hockey and figure skating lessons, even speed skating as well as public skate. My husband also plays on the adult men's hockey league.

Charlottesville is beautiful but I would be more inclined to live in Richmond and travel out there to visit. It is not far at all, an easy day trip on the weekend! I've done it many times. So, if you live in Richmond you'll still have easy access to Charlottesville to get your mountain fix.

Good luck deciding! I'm sure you can't go wrong either way.
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Old 02-27-2012, 06:58 PM
 
119 posts, read 272,233 times
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Cville!!!!!! Hands down!!! You're right, it is gorgeous. The pretty views, even driving to the grocery store, is so uplifting and really boosts your spirits. There is lots of cheap land just outside the city so you should be good there. And YES there is TONS to do for kids! Tons and tons, some weekends we don't know what to pick from! There is always something going on. Besides all of those extra neat things to do, we have plenty of sports, leagues, classes, whatever your child would want to do, they can do here and more! Plus the schools are good, the crime is low, and I love the artsy vibe here. I like being in a university town. I thought I heard Richmond was not a very nice place to live, and isn't the crime really high there?

Murder Rate in US Cities worst state city for shootings murders
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Old 02-28-2012, 08:07 PM
 
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Thanks TN Lily..... My husband's job will have him all over Virginia and W VA. He will work from home but needs to be fairly close to Richmond. If we choose Richmond it will definitely be the suburbs.

Lilac 28... We kind of said the same as you... Probably can't go wrong either way. The Y seems to be different depending on where you are. In some cities the Y is considered trashy. Where we live now it is a big part of the community and we use is constantly. Sooo.... I'm happy to hear it is nice in Richmond. And by the way... Chesterfield comes up A LOT on my home searches! Seems very nice. Thx!

KatieNK....lol.... I love that u love it sooo much! It really does look beautiful! Regarding Richmond... We wouldn't live IN the city. So hopefully the crime wouldn't be too bad. And the thought of being uplifted on my way to the grocery store could be a deciding factor....lol! We dont love where we live now that's for sure so either place will be an improvement.

Sooooo..... Thanks all of you.... We will be visiting BOTH places next week....cant wait!!! I will post a post visit update if anyone cares ; )
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Old 02-29-2012, 04:31 AM
 
Location: Roanoke, VA
1,813 posts, read 4,200,130 times
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SeeYaOhio, the YMCA of the Greater Richmond area is nice. It has 16 branch locations across the region from Petersburg to Ashland. If a Y is important, go to the Richmond region.
Welcome to the YMCA of Greater Richmond

The Charlottesville Y has no physical facility hence its status as a program based Y.

The city of Charlottesville has tried to lease land located in a park to the Y so it can build a facility. A group of for-profit gym owners, led mainly by ACAC's Phil Wendell (from what I gather in news reports) went to court to stop this deal. If you research online you can find many stories. The bottom line is that the for-profit gyms have put their profits ahead of the community. The argument is that the city should not be subsidizing their non-profit competition. I understand their arguments. But ACAC is an expensive facility to use.

Here is one news story:
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Charlottesvilleymca****nhold_128177523.html (broken link)

Here is an article from The Hook on this issue titled, "'One Man's Greed' VA Court Decision Blocks YMCA Construction."

'One man's greed' VA court decision blocks YMCA construction | The Hook - Charlottesville's weekly newspaper, news magazine

You really cannot go wrong with either location - the Richmond area or Charlottesville.
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Old 03-01-2012, 04:40 PM
 
61 posts, read 189,153 times
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Yes, please do update after you've visited Richmond and Charlottesville and tell us what you decide. Again, I'm sure you'll be happy either way! Don't worry too much about the crime in Richmond. That's more in the bad part of the city. Where we live in Chesterfield County is very nice, great schools ,etc... And yes, the YMCA here is wonderful. I know that in some states it has a not-great reputation but we do so much through the Y here and I really love it!

Good luck with your decision and welcome to Virginia!
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Old 04-02-2012, 06:01 PM
 
8 posts, read 14,321 times
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Ok.... We've made our decision. We are building a house in chesterfield county. We officially rented an apt today in the school district we will be moving to. My husband will be there next week and the kids and I will follow in a couple of weeks. Dumb question.... Why is my mailing address chesterfield, va when the city is midlothian? We never use county as mailing address in ohio.
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Old 07-14-2012, 01:55 PM
 
32 posts, read 137,570 times
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Default How is it?

We are considering the same two areas to relocate to. I just posted a long post questioning the same. I was wondering if you would mind posting an update on how you like the area since you have moved to Chesterfield County area? Thanks. Hope you are happy with your choice.
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Old 07-19-2012, 03:49 PM
 
939 posts, read 1,886,440 times
Reputation: 646
Honestly, not quite sure how anyone could choose Richmond (event a sterile area like Short Pump) over Charlottesville, especially if you have children..
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