possible relocating to Richmond-which side of town ? (Hampton, Mechanicsville: transplants, homes)

[golden22]

We may be relocating in the next few months from Indiana to Richmond. I am doing all the research that I can to find any info about the area. My concerns would be my family... young children (preschool-all the way to Middle School), and my husband's commute to downtown Richmond.

I've read here where Chesterfield is a preferred area. We could spend no more than $300k.

If you can suggest any great areas for transplants, with either a suburb name or zip code so that I could search Realtor.com, that would be great!

Thanks so much!

[richmondpics]

How far of a commute will your husband tolerate?

[golden22]

I may be grasping here because I do not know the normal commute time in that area, but I would say maximum of 30 min is about all he could take. He use to have an hour each way living on the northside of Indianapolis (It just about did him in-he hates to drive)...

After a transfer to a smaller town, it is now down to 15 min=so he has it made here (as far as a commute goes)

Is 30 minutes out of reach?

[richmondpics]

I think he could definitely find a commute of 30 minutes or less to downtown. I'd say to look in Western Henrico, Chesterfield, and perhaps Hanover. All (in general) have very good schools. Chesterfield has some nice areas, but the commute to downtown will likely include Powhite Pkwy and the Downtown Expressway which means tolls (I do it every day and don't think it's that big of a deal especially with SmartTag, but everyone is different). Western Henrico tends to be pricier than Chesterfield. Hanover is just north of Henrico.

Try checking out homes in Areas: 64, 62, 22, 34, and 44
http://www.richmond.com/realestate/index.aspx (broken link)

[golden22]

Thank you so much for all of this info..!! I have my work cut out for sure !

[Pogo1288]

Eastern Hanover is about 11 miles from downtown. Try searching for the town of Mechanicsville. Hanover schools are nationally recognized as "blue ribbon" schools. Many of the conveniences of urban living are also available..i.e. box stores (Target, Walmart,Best Buy), restaurants, but also community standards such as Italian Kitchen, Calabash (seafood), Ukrops grocery, etc.

[MisnSoFL]

Chesterfield. I would recommend choosing a place with a community association because they tend to have more transplants and friendly people (such as Woodlake or Brandermill communities). The schools in that area are very good, too.

Source: I am a transplant.

[onevthoki]

MisnSoFl - How bad is the rush hour traffic getting to and from Rt. 288 if you live down 360, say in Woodlake, Hampton Park, etc? And did I hear the road is going to again be expanded to six lanes past Woodlake?

[jhrichmond]

Traffic is bad in that area. The worst part is that beginning around 4, the off ramp from 288 onto Hull going west gets backed up, and by 5 or 5:30, You will have to wait in traffic for 15-20 minutes just to get through the first light. Hint: Take the Old Hundred exit to Woolridge and turn left to get to Woodlake or Hampton Park the back way.

[niklex]

I second the recommendation to consider Hanover. Many people don't realize that Hanover is BOTH north and east of the city, and eastern Hanover is incredibly close to downtown. We currently live in Mechanicsville about 11 miles from downtown in a nice subdivision full of families served by a great school system. My commute to Main Street takes no more than 20 minutes. In our area, there aren't a ton of transplants which is both good and bad. Further north in Mechanicsville, in neighborhoods such as King's Charter, Milestone, Foxhead, Chickahominy Oaks, etc. you may find more transplants.

We are considering a move to a more northern area because we prefer the newer school district (Hanover High) even though almost all the schools in Hanover are blue ribbon schools. (Check out GreatSchools.net to see the data and do comparisons). Our local high school, Lee Davis, is far past its prime to hear the locals talk about it.

One thing we prefer about Hanover is that there are plenty of quiet areas to live that are still convenient to the restaurants and stores. Development is increasing, though, as the contractors are spreading over our way from Henrico, Chesterfield, and Midlothian which are far more commercial IMHO.