Glenn Allen area? Moving from MA (Richmond, Woodbridge: real estate, rent, how much)

[NatickMom]

Hi,

My husband is interviewing for a job in Glenn Allen, VA. I have a bunch of questions and could use some encouragement. It's scary to think of relocating. I could definitely benefit from some Southern Hospitality!

Okay, here goes:

1. I have two baby boys (2 and 5 mo) and I am 36 years old. What towns should I look at for lots of mom activities and great schools to grow into?

2. I went to college in DC and have friends up there. Can you recommend an area that is a reasonable commute to Glenn Allen, yet reachable to DC?

3. If we are looking for a 3 bdrm, 2 bath, house is it crazy to think we can pay under 300K? (In MA we have 950 sq ft for over 300K)

Thanks for your help!

[average_joe]

Hi NatickMom,
I don't live in Richmond yet, but based on my readings here I would recommend Ashland. That seems to be close to Glen Allen, but north of the city so a drive to DC would be doable. My wife and I are also moving to this area. I am currently in Danvers, MA for some training and orientation with my new company and damn it sure is cold up here! I was born in Long Island, and raised in PA, but have lived the past 7 years in TX, so I guess I'm just not acclimated to the colder weather. Personally we are looking out in the Midlothian area, as that is were most of my colleagues live. I will be commuting to over by the airport. I hope that you find the help that you're looking for.
Joe

[WanderVA]

Pretty much every place in metro Richmond is accessible to DC - we are approx. 2 hours south of DC depending on traffic. Residential areas in and around Glen Allen should be accommodating to your family in terms of house size, price range, etc. (although housing prices are high here, they sound more reasonable than where you are currently!)

Glen Allen and Short Pump is a typical suburban area with lots of young families and I imagine plenty of 'mom' things to do.

Good luck!

[ddteti]

Hi,

I lived in Glen Allen for 3 years. I have a 5 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. We lived in a developement called Milbrooke. It is the best spot. Close to Short Pump Shopping Center which is a beautiful outdoor mall, however, every store you can think of is a short distance. The playgrounds around the area are awesome. THey have movie night throughout the summer at the playgrounds outdoors which is really fun. We were closed to Innsbrook which has concerts every wed night during the summer. Awesome bands-Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sugarland, Hootie & the Blowfish, Hall & Oates, tons more. I miss the area terribly and would stay in my house if I could. Oh, and the preschool we went to was the best!!!! It's not a bad ride to DC either. My family is in Pa and I was up there all the time. My house is awesome if your interested. If not, check out the area anyway.

[ClarkStreetKid]

Here you go for the 23060 zip. Cox between Broad and past Nuckols is Innsbrook's main drag.
Zillow - Real Estate Search Results

23060 - Prudential Slater James River REALTORS®

We've been raising our kids out here and the area is great. Good eateries, a comedy club and plenty of family things to do.

You may want to look at the area around Church and Pump. We lived there for awhile and it was real nice.

[EricD]

My wife and I live in Caroline County, which is just north of Ashland, on I-95. I have posted a lot in this forum about the community we're in, so I won't go into great detail. It's called Ladysmith Village. (You can search the forums for that, if you want even more info)

It's off exit 110, which is about 30 minutes to Richmond (I work in Innsbrook [Southern Glenn Allen], and it takes me 35 minutes to get to work on an average day) From here it's about a 1 hour drive to DC, assuming you're going the speed limit. If you speed the whole way it can be less, if you hit traffic, it can be more. I drove from Woodbridge to my home in about 35 minutes last night at around 7:30 pm.

Single Family homes start at $239,900, and go up from there. There are a few nice models that have a base price of $275k, and then you can add some options. (All so far are 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths with a 2 car garage) Houses go up to $500,000 in the community, so I find it nice being the less expencive home in a community with mostly more expencive ones.

The community is town style, with smaller lots, but lots of parks and community spaces to use. Where my wife and I are located is only a few blocks from a large playground, amphitheater, dog park, walking trails, county library, and soon... the community center, and a YMCA. There is even an Elementary school within the community. It is planned to open in January 2008. (It's almost done) It's state of the art, and holds about 900 students without trailers.

This area has tons of new families... I'd say about 7 babies were born this summer, and we only have about 140 homes right now. At build-out (in about 20 years) the community will have almost 3200 homes and several club houses. There is a golf course about 1 mile away, a beach about 25 minutes away (On Lake Anna - a huge lake), a large amusement/water park (King's Dominion) about 15 minutes away, and all the shopping you'd ever need near Fredericksburg (15-20 minutes north) or Ashland/Glenn Allen (15-20 minutes south). Currently less than 1/2 a mile from the community is a grocery store, BBQ place, Dominoes, Dollar General, haircutting place, drycleaners, nail place, subway, chinese place, and other stores. That shopping center will be expanding in the next year or two, to include a drug store, and other shops. About 1/2 a milt north that are building a large town-style shopping center, with brickfront stores, and places to eat. This whole area is expanding rappidly, but luckily the developers are putting a lot of money into infrastructure, schools and such. The population currently of Ladysmith (The whole area) is about 7k people. In 20 years it is projected to be about 30k people.

There are tons of activities for stay-at-home mom's... There is a whole callendar online of stuff to do. And it helps that the county library is only a couple blocks away... there's a lot going on there.

Check out the website, and ask if you have any more questions:

Ladysmith - a Newland Community

[Richmond Commuter]

Originally Posted by average_joe

Hi NatickMom,
I don't live in Richmond yet, but based on my readings here I would recommend Ashland. That seems to be close to Glen Allen, but north of the city so a drive to DC would be doable.

A drive from Ashland to D.C. would be easily an hour and a half - so yes, doable, but I wouldn't recommend it as a daily work commute. Coming back in the evening, it's traffic all the way down past Fredericksburg. Ashland is north of Richmond, but not really terribly far north. It's about 100 miles from Richmond to D.C. Ashland is maybe 80 miles to D.C. Pretty much anywhere in the Richmnond area is a doable drive to D.C. - but you'll find that it's that last 5 miles (in D.C. area) that takes half as long as it took you to go the first 90. Well, OK, that's a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Ladysmith is nice, Ashland area, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Mechanicsville - all of those general areas are nice.

[motherlove]

Glenn Allen is a good area,it is in Henrico co. and there is plenty to do in the area.There is a big mall right in the middle of the area.I live in Hanover Co.,Beaverdam(very rural) is the name of the place I live,lol.There is a town called Ashland,it is beautiful,its like 10-15 minutes away from Glenn Allen and like 45-1hr. away from D.C.It is a railroad town and it is beautiful! It is in Hanover Co.,and it has the Best schools,very little crime,and is a picture perfect, quaint,charming litle College (Randolph Macon)town. We have parades,fairs,and all sorts of activities.I would really look into the town of Ashland,I think you and your family would love it!It is cheaper than Glenn Allen and I think the average rent or house payment is around $600.00-900.00 dollars. I dont know how much 300k is,lol.Duh? Please let me know if you are interested and I can get the names of some realtors in town fior you.Good luck!Ashland va. is going to be the best place for you to live!

[docmommaCA]

Originally Posted by Richmond Commuter

Ashland is maybe 80 miles to D.C. Pretty much anywhere in the Richmnond area is a doable drive to D.C. - but you'll find that it's that last 5 miles (in D.C. area) that takes half as long as it took you to go the first 90. Well, OK, that's a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

We're debating a move to Ashland/Glen Allen, and wondering about the drive to see family in NY. Is there a way around DC that cuts off time? Or is it just in the timing of the drive (i.e. start driving at 3am to avoid traffic)? Does AMTRAK go to Richmond, or would you have to drive to DC to catch it?

[richmondpics]

Amtrak stops at two stations in Richmond: Staples Mill and Main Street Station.