Hating poe-dunk Iowa; looking to move to Richmond..difference between Richmond & Roanoke, VA? (Hampton: fit in, houses)

[Katmosphere]

Okay.. I was born & raised in Illinois, bordering Iowa. Recently, I was able to move to Colorado to be with my now fiance. Things in Colorado didn't work out, as the cost of living was too high, so we had to move back to MY hometown, and we're living in poe-dunk, middle-of-no-where IOWA. I hate this place and I miss my mountains!!

I'm really into dubstep music/music festivals/concerts; so I'm trying to find a good place for things of that nature. I've heard a lot of good things about the music scene in Richmond [lots of hippies & bassheads] and love the city-culture. But how far into the mountains is Richmond? I'd like some scenery!
Then I heard some things about Roanoke; that it's beautiful and that it's in a gorgeous valley surrounded by mountains. True?

What's the real difference between Richmond and Roanoke? Which is best for a music, nature, adventure, AND city lover, such as myself?

Thank you!

[Anders15]

Music scene? Culture? Mountains? ..Richmond? Sorry but you were SERIOUSLY misinformed!

[traveling_in_the_sun]

I'm not familiar with Roanoke, so I can't give an opinion on that, but I can tell you a little bit about Richmond.

Richmond isn't in the mountains. You can get to the mountains in about an hour though. I do believe Roanoke is right in the mountains. James River flows right through downtown. Look up pictures of Belle Isle. Its on the James River downtown and is a cool place to go to ride bikes, hike, hang out. There's a lot of huge rocks you'll find people hanging out on or swimming in the river. Richmond is a nice location. About an hour from the mountains, 2 hours from the beach, and 2 from DC.

As far as music, I would say it depends on the type of music you like. We don't get a lot of large mainstream/pop artists coming through. There are smaller venues though. The National is a popular one and so is the Canal Club. I love The National. A lot of my favorite bands play there. My understanding is that there's a large local music scene as well.

There is also a lot of culture in Richmond. I realize some people, like the commenter above, don't see this but I really don't understand how. Maybe its where they live in Richmond? I don't know. Maybe it's age. Anyway, its just like other mid size cities. I've met so many people from a variety of different cultures. Really to me the main difference in cultures is food. Maybe its because I love trying foods from other cultures. There's a large variety of restaurants and from spring through fall I'm convinced there's a food or wine festival every weekend! Some are just like the Watermelon festival, but I like going to some of the more cultural ones to try different types of food.

There's a lot of history too! I like just walking around downtown and looking at the old houses and museums. VCU is downtown too. It sounds like you would fit in well living around VCU/Fan District.

Do some research, look at different music venues, parks, websites about Richmond/Roanoke.

Good luck with the move and feel free to ask any more specific questions you might have.

[Katmosphere]

Well, now i'm quite confused!
When i lived in Colorado, i met a kid who was from Richmond; he claimed there were a lot of chill kids living there who are into good music. My idea of good music is EOTO, String Cheese Incident, Shpongle, Disco Biscuits, Phish, Moe, Bassnectar ;; all of which have played in both Richmond and Hampton. Hulaween is taking place in Hampton, VA this Halloween!

My main question is this; is Richmond a good place for young music-loving kids who like to have fun? Or should i look more toward Roanoke or Hampton? What is the difference between Richmond, Roanoke, and Hampton? Anything real major??
Could Richmond/Hampton/Roanoke compare to another City; such as Denver, Boulder, is it suburbia, city-life, middle-of-no-where, farm land, cutting-edge or poe-dunk?

Any answers/extra details would be SO helpful.. Thank you!

[Pruzhany]

Try Charlottesville. It seems to be in-line with what you are looking for.

[sinkfloridasink]

i'm from nebraska and moved to richmond for music/culture so we are sorta in the same boat...

the only thing you mentioned that is better than richmond in charlottesville or roanoke is the scenery. they are in the mountains, richmond is not. the mountains are really close, which is cool for me, but if you want to wake up every day and see 'em, you won't get that in richmond.

culture in richmond is great. you aren't gonna get much of that in charlottesville or roanoke.

the sort of music you are into is decent in richmond, non-existent in the other towns as far as i can tell. you also get a lot of these bands in norfolk and dc, both of which aren't too long of drives. a lot of richmond's music scene is local...check out former champions, they play somewhere here like every week and you'd probably like 'em: myspace.com/formerchampions

i think you'd like it here. there is a lot for young people to do. unless your sole hobby is outdoors stuff, none of the other towns are worth looking into.

[traveling_in_the_sun]

Here's a fun video about Richmond that you might find interesting. It gives you a small view into the city:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl3hbXRPOA0

[yurtmom]

I currently live in Roanoke,VA and the mountains are breathe taking. However, this not a music scene whatsoever. Folks grow up here, move away to have fun, and come back to raise a family. Few restaurants are open past 10:00pm and forget about trying to find anything open on Sunday. Beautiful, yes...culture, music and young scene...no.

[RVA-Jsn20]

It's true a lot of VCU kids like to listen to dubsteb and dress like hipsters. However it is a little premature for Richmond because we don't get bands that cities like DC, Atlanta, LA, NYC, SF, etc get.

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by traveling_in_the_sun

I'm not familiar with Roanoke, so I can't give an opinion on that, but I can tell you a little bit about Richmond.

Richmond isn't in the mountains. You can get to the mountains in about an hour though. I do believe Roanoke is right in the mountains. James River flows right through downtown. Look up pictures of Belle Isle. Its on the James River downtown and is a cool place to go to ride bikes, hike, hang out. There's a lot of huge rocks you'll find people hanging out on or swimming in the river. Richmond is a nice location. About an hour from the mountains, 2 hours from the beach, and 2 from DC.

As far as music, I would say it depends on the type of music you like. We don't get a lot of large mainstream/pop artists coming through. There are smaller venues though. The National is a popular one and so is the Canal Club. I love The National. A lot of my favorite bands play there. My understanding is that there's a large local music scene as well.

There is also a lot of culture in Richmond. I realize some people, like the commenter above, don't see this but I really don't understand how. Maybe its where they live in Richmond? I don't know. Maybe it's age. Anyway, its just like other mid size cities. I've met so many people from a variety of different cultures. Really to me the main difference in cultures is food. Maybe its because I love trying foods from other cultures. There's a large variety of restaurants and from spring through fall I'm convinced there's a food or wine festival every weekend! Some are just like the Watermelon festival, but I like going to some of the more cultural ones to try different types of food.

There's a lot of history too! I like just walking around downtown and looking at the old houses and museums. VCU is downtown too. It sounds like you would fit in well living around VCU/Fan District.

Do some research, look at different music venues, parks, websites about Richmond/Roanoke.

Good luck with the move and feel free to ask any more specific questions you might have.

This is pretty much right on if you live in, or frequent, the city. It has a lot to offer for a smaller to mid-sized city. Lots of great rowhouses, very walkable core, pretty good food scene (with lots of types of food), good amount of culture, etc.

The burbs are the burbs...mostly the same wherever you go (IMO).