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Old 05-08-2013, 01:05 AM
 
Location: Macao
16,284 posts, read 42,959,106 times
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I realize they are two very different places. However, you all know I'm a big fan of Pittsburgh, and as many other cities out that that might have their similaries (Cincinnati, Baltimore, Louisville, Cleveland, etc.) The common theme is that they all have some nice density to them, things are more neighborhood-oriented, more walkable, more pre-auto era built.

While, I undisputedly prefer Pittsburgh compared to all of those, another city recently came on my radar. Richmond Virginia. I guess I just hadn't looked that seriously into it before, but they have some beautiful density in an area called 'The Fan' and 'Careytown', and people seem to be taking care of it, and building it up, and prices I believe are still relatively affordable (compared to other cities with similar neighborhoods).

In short, thought I'd start a thread and see who in Pittsburgh has been to Richmond Virginia...and if you looked that city, and thought of it as having some of the same desireable characteristics of Pittsburgh, or if it just seemed too completely and totally different.

Richmond is definitely a smaller city compared to Pittsburgh, lacking many of the larger city amenities of Pittsburgh. But the historic value of Richmond combined with the very pre-auto built architecture of Richmond certainly stuck out to me.

So, Pittsburghers, what do you think of Richmond, Virginia...positive or negative?
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Old 05-08-2013, 01:37 AM
 
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pittsburgh is by far more safe than richmond,va (i'm from from northern va). The number of safe areas in richmond are a bit less than pittsburgh. i remember visiting friends at vcu when i heard gun shots very close by.

i never felt unsafe in pittsburgh(ok maybe when i got lost in wilkinsburg at night). i dont know pittsburgh that well but i can assure you it'll be a lot safer than richmond. the only benefit would be you have to deal with less snow, a humid summer
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Old 05-08-2013, 07:24 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,604 posts, read 77,242,002 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BarqCider View Post
pittsburgh is by far more safe than richmond,va (i'm from from northern va). The number of safe areas in richmond are a bit less than pittsburgh. i remember visiting friends at vcu when i heard gun shots very close by.

i never felt unsafe in pittsburgh(ok maybe when i got lost in wilkinsburg at night). i dont know pittsburgh that well but i can assure you it'll be a lot safer than richmond. the only benefit would be you have to deal with less snow, a humid summer
^ I also moved here from Northern Virginia and agree with this sentiment. I visited Richmond just once, and while I loved "The Fan" and the overall historic character of much of the city I would never want to live there.
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Old 05-08-2013, 08:01 AM
 
Location: Macao
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Originally Posted by SteelCityRising View Post
^ I also moved here from Northern Virginia and agree with this sentiment. I visited Richmond just once, and while I loved "The Fan" and the overall historic character of much of the city I would never want to live there.
I always enjoy hearing your viewpoint though...and would love to hear a more elaborate response on that. Even if you lived within "The Fan", with all that gorgeous architecture, walkability, and access to so much on foot...even with all that, you still wouldnt' want to live in Richmond?

Mostly because of the crime factors? Does it seem to creep into The Fan as well? Or just something else about the city in general that just didn't quite feel right? Some other attributes or factors that just make the city less desireable in some way?

(I felt that way when I visited Baltimore, loved the attributes of any city like that, on paper and on google maps, but quickly felt that Baltimore wasn't a city I'd want to live in once I actually visited personally).
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Old 05-08-2013, 09:08 AM
 
Location: Virginia
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Originally Posted by Tiger Beer View Post

Mostly because of the crime factors? Does it seem to creep into The Fan as well?
Crime not only creeps into the Fan, that's where most of the crime is. Other parts of the city are actually quite safe, but the Fan is not.

Some parts of Richmond will make you think of the cliches of "being southern." Maybe more so than most other cities in the south--for many people there's a desire to stand out from northern VA, and they play up the southern bit accordingly. And the city has a "southern heritage" that they take pride in. Some people like that southern feel, others not so much. Your mileage may vary. If you're into civil war history you'll love it there.

Richmond is closer to a major metropolitan area, and it's common for people to go back and forth (some even2-3 times a month for things like meetings). Many people have 2 homes and regularly live in both DC metro area and Richmond. Richmond has more businesses that service federal contracts, and more people who travel worldwide all the time as part of their work. People in Richmond are more likely to live in numerous parts of the city, and to have lived in other cities across the US. This is a different feeling than Pittsburgh, which is somewhat far from other major cities and has many residents who live in the same neighborhood all their lives without venturing far from them. I'm not quite sure how to phrase it--the closest I can come to right now is Pittsburghians have a more "rooted" feeling, Richmonders move around more.

Pittsburgh's hills are prettier than Richmond's but I think Richmond's rivers are prettier than Pittsburgh's. Kayaking is better in VA, hiking is better in PA. Richmond gets hot in the summer, Pittsburgh gets dreary in the winter.

If you're interested in that part of VA and want older, interesting towns I'd check out places like Gloucester or Matthews. Maybe not as dense as you'd like, but definitely interesting & historic towns. Not much employment, though. And, to be honest, I don't think that part of VA is what you're seeking--not a lot of young people, and not quite the vibe that fits with your personality.

Last edited by Caladium; 05-08-2013 at 09:30 AM..
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Old 05-08-2013, 09:45 AM
 
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Looking at Google Maps, it appears that Richmond doesn't really embrace the James River. Despite the fact that it cuts right through the city, the James River is not integrated with Richmond so Richmond doesn't have as close of an identity with the river like Pittsburgh has. Pittsburgh's very identity is closely tied to its rivers.
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Old 05-08-2013, 09:54 AM
 
Location: Macao
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium View Post
Crime not only creeps into the Fan, that's where most of the crime is. Other parts of the city are actually quite safe, but the Fan is not.
That's not good. However, it seems inevitable, as it does seem like a lot of college kids and hipsters and others who'd have stuff to steal from. So, I can see why criminals would want to target the area. Since that's the area I was most interested in, that would defeat the purpose of Richmond altogether. If that's true and confirmed with others as well.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium View Post
Some parts of Richmond will make you think of the cliches of "being southern." Maybe more so than most other cities in the south--for many people there's a desire to stand out from northern VA, and they play up the southern bit accordingly. And the city has a "southern heritage" that they take pride in. Some people like that southern feel, others not so much. Your mileage may vary. If you're into civil war history you'll love it there.
I'm generally not a fan of the 'South' or the sprawl or their cities, generally. But, Richmond seems to be built a lot more Northern cities, which I like a lot. It also seems more Democrat/Left-leaning, which I also like. Civil War never interested me though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium View Post
Richmond is closer to a major metropolitan area, and it's common for people to go back and forth (some even2-3 times a month for things like meetings). Many people have 2 homes and regularly live in both DC metro area and Richmond. Richmond has more businesses that service federal contracts, and more people who travel worldwide all the time as part of their work. People in Richmond are more likely to live in numerous parts of the city, and to have lived in other cities across the US.
Now that's interesting!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium View Post
Pittsburgh's hills are prettier than Richmond's but I think Richmond's rivers are prettier than Pittsburgh's. Kayaking is better in VA, hiking is better in PA. Richmond gets hot in the summer, Pittsburgh gets dreary in the winter.
I absolutely love Pittsburgh's hills. Kayaking is something I've never done, but would love to try though. Seems like Pittsburgh probably has it too though?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium View Post
If you're interested in that part of VA and want older, interesting towns I'd check out places like Gloucester or Matthews. Maybe not as dense as you'd like, but definitely interesting & historic towns. Not much employment, though. And, to be honest, I don't think that part of VA is what you're seeking--not a lot of young people, and not quite the vibe that fits with your personality.
The fact I've never heard of those towns, I'd imagine they are probably way too small for me. I think I'd like Staunton though. I also visited and liked Fredericksburg and, surprisingly, even Manassas. For some reason, I had low expectations for Manassas.

Pittsburgh is still the best though! But, Virginia/Pennsylvania/Maryland are all three states that have plenty of cities that I like, or think I'd like.
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Old 05-08-2013, 11:21 AM
 
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The Fan District is fabulous, it's one of America's great urban neighborhoods. Church Hill is not as gentrified, but has many beautiful old houses. The closest large city to both is DC, but Richmond is 100 miles away, vs 240 for Pittsburgh. Of course Pittsburgh is quite a bit larger than Richmond, so some of the things Richmonders have to go to DC for, Pittsburghers can get at home. Truthfully, Richmond is hard to beat for a city down south. It's not quite as charming as Savannah and Charleston, but is far larger than either, and while it has crime issues, it's not on the same planet with crime ridden New Orleans. Louisville's a pretty nice place, but it's more of a South/Midwest mix, as opposed to the others, which are purely Southern.
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Old 05-08-2013, 11:58 AM
 
1,183 posts, read 2,134,189 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MathmanMathman View Post
Looking at Google Maps, it appears that Richmond doesn't really embrace the James River. Despite the fact that it cuts right through the city, the James River is not integrated with Richmond so Richmond doesn't have as close of an identity with the river like Pittsburgh has. Pittsburgh's very identity is closely tied to its rivers.
I visited a friend in Richmond about a year ago, and I would say that the opposite is true -- they have tons of public resources along the rivers in a way that Pittsburgh is only beginning to... trails, parks, rafting, etc. We spent the majority of our time in Richmond in and around the river. It's possible that I'm jaded by being a native, but I literally can't remember the last time I, or most people I know, spent any significant time in or around the Mon, the Al, or the O.
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Old 05-08-2013, 12:00 PM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,950,414 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Herodotus View Post
The Fan District is fabulous, it's one of America's great urban neighborhoods. Church Hill is not as gentrified, but has many beautiful old houses. The closest large city to both is DC, but Richmond is 100 miles away, vs 240 for Pittsburgh. Of course Pittsburgh is quite a bit larger than Richmond, so some of the things Richmonders have to go to DC for, Pittsburghers can get at home. Truthfully, Richmond is hard to beat for a city down south. It's not quite as charming as Savannah and Charleston, but is far larger than either, and while it has crime issues, it's not on the same planet with crime ridden New Orleans. Louisville's a pretty nice place, but it's more of a South/Midwest mix, as opposed to the others, which are purely Southern.
Totally agree that the Fan is fabulous, even though it does have a lot of crime. If there was one place in VA that would appeal to you, Tiger Beer, that would be the place. It's got great architecture, interesting eclectic shops, funky little restaurants, etc. Perfect for college kids and young singles--although to be honest every young single I know who has moved there moved away after a year or two due to the crime. Probably not a good place for a family, especially with very young children.

Agreed that Gloucester, etc are not nearly urban enough for you. You might enjoy visiting them but I think you'd really be happier in a major city. Even Staunton might be too small for you (although Staunton is a truly cool little town, IMO). Charlottesville, like most of VA, isn't gritty enough. Virginia, in general, isn't quite the right fit for you (IMO). Pittsburgh is where I could see you being the happiest.
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