Just got the job, moving soon with family. Excited! (Virginia Beach: apartment, rentals)

[lwright84]

Hi all, I've been lurking here for quite awhile reading a ton of threads and trying to get as much info as possible. I recently received an offer and will be working in Glen Allen at the business park area near Lake Rooty around Nuckols Rd and I-295. So I'd really like to get some perspective on how things are looking in the next 6 months and going forward. First, some brief background:

We are a young family (wife and I in our late 20s, three kids ages 4-10), and we currently live in the DFW Metroplex where we have been pretty much our entire lives. My wife is a homemaker and currently homeschooling our oldest/youngest. We currently own a 4/2 1700 sq. ft home in a suburb between Dallas & Fort Worth, and I commute to the Downtown Dallas area for work every day (20 min in decent traffic conditions). We are eager to take advantage of this opportunity to leave our hometown and live somewhere that has more outdoor activities and a more active community in general. We are not health nuts, but we are sick of being so sedentary and not having many options nearby other than gyms and a few boring, crummy parks. Or having to drive across the Metroplex for events and happenings. I also have a passion for filmmaking and want to pursue it more (not really much up here save for corporate/commercial work).

Our main concern is being able to do and experience more as a family, and to be able to take advantage of a city-provided resources and events for their residents (festivals, workshops, kid's activities, cultural events, etc). We are interested in good schools as well, in case my wife decides to go back to work. We are not against living in another suburb, but are also prepared to downsize to be in an area that offers more stuff conveniently nearby. Obviously, like anyone with kids, safety is a concern as well. Oh, and we are not really into the bar/club scene (never have been). We'd much rather go see a movie, catch an art exhibit, or eat at a local hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I say this because I know Richmond has a few colleges and we'd prefer to live away from that type of "party" scene (if it exists, not sure it does).

Anyway, for those gracious enough to still be reading, thank you. I'd love to hear your recommendations. Especially if there are any up-and-coming areas of Richmond and the surrounding neighborhoods that you think would suit us well. From the research I've done, and the location of my office, it seems the best locations for us would be west of I-95/I-195 and North of the James. We will be renting, not purchasing, and we're looking to keep our rent under $1300 for a decent 3bd or 4bd/2ba townhome or apartment. I'd potentially be moving down pretty soon to begin work, with the family following a month or two later once the house sells, so this is happening pretty quickly to say the least!

Some additional questions, if you're feeling generous:

- Is there any public transportation that services the area I'd be working? I've never used it before, but would consider it especially if it helped us live in a nicer area.
- How is the bikeability in the area I'd be working? Another option I'd consider if it helped us.
- Are there any locations in the area I outlined (west of I-95/I-195 and North of the James) that we should outright avoid, for whatever reasons?
- Any recommendations for a good service to find a rental in the Richmond area while I'm still in Texas?
- Any temporary housing in the area? Decent cheap motels with weekly rates? Month-to-month leases?
- What are the best event calendars to follow for the city and surrounding neighborhoods?
- I know Virginia Beach is the closest beach, but also the most popular in the area. Are there any "hidden gem" beaches that are less touristy and crowded?
- What are the nearest quality areas of the Appalachians for hiking?
- What are the best cinemas in Richmond? Any that play indie films?
- What are the "creative" areas of the Richmond area? Areas where I'd be likely to interact with other aspiring filmmakers, etc?
- Any particularly great resources for families and children?


Thanks everyone, I appreciate your time.

[jkang]

Welcome to Richmond. I visited DFW once and was absolutely intimidated by its size. The airport alone is bigger than Richmond City proper. What blew my mind is that my cousin owned a 4000sf home in Plano which cost less than my 2000sf in Richmond's Near West End. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas.

Anyway, to answer your questions, as someone who lives pretty close to Innsbrook (a walk around Lake Rooty is fun!).

- Is there any public transportation that services the area I'd be working? I've never used it before, but would consider it especially if it helped us live in a nicer area.
The local bus company is GRTC. You can find schedules and maps on their website: GRTC TRANSIT SYSTEM
I have also heard of an Innsbrook shuttle, but don't know anything about it.

- How is the bikeability in the area I'd be working? Another option I'd consider if it helped us.
Oh gosh, I enjoy biking, and used to cycle to work before I moved to near Innsbrook. I wouldn't risk it. Too many people in SUVs texting on Nuckols Road.

- Are there any locations in the area I outlined (west of I-95/I-195 and North of the James) that we should outright avoid, for whatever reasons?
If I am picturing the map clearly, I think all of that area should be OK.

- What are the best event calendars to follow for the city and surrounding neighborhoods?
There are lots of local rags tailored towards different age demographics. Since you have kids, Parents might be handy
.
- I know Virginia Beach is the closest beach, but also the most popular in the area. Are there any "hidden gem" beaches that are less touristy and crowded?
Virginia Beach has a lot of smaller beaches, one right off the Hampton Roads Tunnel whose name I cannot think of. Plus the Eastern Shore, river beaches on Northern Neck. Even Texas Beach on the James. If you like jumping on rocks on the water, Pony Pasture and Belle Island on the James are 20 minutes from where you work.

- What are the nearest quality areas of the Appalachians for hiking?
I've always been partial to Humpback Rock near Afton.

- What are the best cinemas in Richmond? Any that play indie films?
Westhampton Theatre plays indies. Byrd has second runs. Plenty of huge multiplexes, but Bowtie Boulevard and Short Pump are pretty popular. Cinebistro has a sit-and-dine-and-watch paradigm, but I have never been there.

- What are the "creative" areas of the Richmond area? Areas where I'd be likely to interact with other aspiring filmmakers, etc?
Tons. I don't run in that crowd, but have friends that do, so I would have to ask them.

- Any particularly great resources for families and children?
I don't know of any centralized resources, everything for me is word of mouth.

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by lwright84

Our main concern is being able to do and experience more as a family, and to be able to take advantage of a city-provided resources and events for their residents (festivals, workshops, kid's activities, cultural events, etc). We are interested in good schools as well, in case my wife decides to go back to work. We are not against living in another suburb, but are also prepared to downsize to be in an area that offers more stuff conveniently nearby. Obviously, like anyone with kids, safety is a concern as well. Oh, and we are not really into the bar/club scene (never have been). We'd much rather go see a movie, catch an art exhibit, or eat at a local hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I say this because I know Richmond has a few colleges and we'd prefer to live away from that type of "party" scene (if it exists, not sure it does).

I get cognitive dissonance reading your 'wants'. You can't get metro living, good schools, and safety all in the same sentence, unless you are paying for private school. Public schools in Richmond generally have issues. If you ARE willing to pay for private, there are several city neighborhoods that probably meet your criteria.

The thing *most* people out of state do not seem to get is that Virginia has some odd annexation laws. Cities cannot annex county land to grow, so the land they have they have, is what they have. Thus, Richmond, city proper, is fairly small compared to Richmond, metro area. The surrounding counties (Henrico, north Chesterfield) are by any rational definition also part of the city, but they are a completely different beast in terms of school districts and governance. West Henrico and East Henrico are very different, with west Henrico being generally much more affluent.

West End (west Henrico) and Chesterfield have the best *public* schools in the area; Hanover has some good ones too. All are in reasonable driving distance of city events, which are inclusive of surrounding area residents.

[lwright84]

Originally Posted by jkang

Welcome to Richmond. I visited DFW once and was absolutely intimidated by its size. The airport alone is bigger than Richmond City proper. What blew my mind is that my cousin owned a 4000sf home in Plano which cost less than my 2000sf in Richmond's Near West End. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas.

Ya, in terms of square miles.. Richmond is 62.5 and Dallas is 385 (not including Fort Worth). Definitely looking forward to getting away from the endless sprawl and having to drive around for everything.

- Is there any public transportation that services the area I'd be working? I've never used it before, but would consider it especially if it helped us live in a nicer area.
The local bus company is GRTC. You can find schedules and maps on their website: GRTC TRANSIT SYSTEM
I have also heard of an Innsbrook shuttle, but don't know anything about it.

Great, I'll check it out. Thanks!

- I know Virginia Beach is the closest beach, but also the most popular in the area. Are there any "hidden gem" beaches that are less touristy and crowded?
Virginia Beach has a lot of smaller beaches, one right off the Hampton Roads Tunnel whose name I cannot think of. Plus the Eastern Shore, river beaches on Northern Neck. Even Texas Beach on the James. If you like jumping on rocks on the water, Pony Pasture and Belle Island on the James are 20 minutes from where you work.

Awesome, thanks. Is Sandbridge any good? I've seen that recommended as an alternative to VA Beach.

- What are the nearest quality areas of the Appalachians for hiking?
I've always been partial to Humpback Rock near Afton.

Never heard of it, thanks!

- What are the best cinemas in Richmond? Any that play indie films?
Westhampton Theatre plays indies. Byrd has second runs. Plenty of huge multiplexes, but Bowtie Boulevard and Short Pump are pretty popular. Cinebistro has a sit-and-dine-and-watch paradigm, but I have never been there.

Excellent info, thank you very much. We have Studio Movie Grill here, which we love, so I'm glad there's an alternative in Richmond!

- What are the "creative" areas of the Richmond area? Areas where I'd be likely to interact with other aspiring filmmakers, etc?
Tons. I don't run in that crowd, but have friends that do, so I would have to ask them.

If you don't mind, that would certainly be appreciated from one stranger to another.

Thanks for your response, I really appreciate it.

[lwright84]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTransplant

I get cognitive dissonance reading your 'wants'. You can't get metro living, good schools, and safety all in the same sentence, unless you are paying for private school. Public schools in Richmond generally have issues. If you ARE willing to pay for private, there are several city neighborhoods that probably meet your criteria.

Hah, understandable. I didn't mean to make it seem like we wanted the world without paying for it. The schools are of secondary importance currently, as my wife will continue to homeschool unless we deem it necessary for her to go back to work. We also understand that as much as we'd love to live the "metro-area" lifestyle, we simply cannot afford to in the areas we'd be interested in.

Essentially, just looking for a good safe area with some improved convenience and accessibility compared to a generic suburb.

West End (west Henrico) and Chesterfield have the best *public* schools in the area; Hanover has some good ones too. All are in reasonable driving distance of city events, which are inclusive of surrounding area residents.

I've heard that elsewhere too, glad to see it again. We've had some rentals show up on West & Central Henrico, as well as Tuckahoe. That whole area seems very desirable from what we know so far.

[ettagrl]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTransplant

I get cognitive dissonance reading your 'wants'. You can't get metro living, good schools, and safety all in the same sentence, unless you are paying for private school. Public schools in Richmond generally have issues. If you ARE willing to pay for private, there are several city neighborhoods that probably meet your criteria.

I respectfully disagree. There are some wonderful city grade schools such as Mary Munford and Fox ... both of these are in safe neighborhoods with housing within walking distance of shops and restaurants ...

[aimeeraja]

SilverCity RiverPort is a famous theater in Richmond which plays indies movies too,and for hidden beaches i recommend you to try Buckroe Beach.
GRTC is a local bus company and they have their route across the whole town or try to get help from local movers because they can tell you exact bus routes in Richmond.My Suggestion is to try to contact with Alpha Van Lines movers company because they can provide you information of every inch of Richmond.

[ettagrl]

Originally Posted by aimeeraja

SilverCity RiverPort is a famous theater in Richmond which plays indies movies too,and for hidden beaches i recommend you to try Buckroe Beach.
GRTC is a local bus company and they have their route across the whole town or try to get help from local movers because they can tell you exact bus routes in Richmond.My Suggestion is to try to contact with Alpha Van Lines movers company because they can provide you information of every inch of Richmond.

Are you sure you are posting in the right forum?! There is no SilverCity RiverPort in Richmond, Virginia. It's apparently, according to google, in Richmond, British Columbia?!

[ZUMAN]

lwright84, welcome to Richmond. I moved here from DFW (Arlington) myself in 2001, and while I miss much about Texas I have enjoyed living here and have no regrets. Good luck!