Looking for some info about towns in the area (Chesapeake: real estate, rent)

[robr]

I'm 40, married with two toddlers. We currently rent on a seaside community in northern Massachusetts. The downtown has I guess what one might describe as a classic 'new england feel'. A main road, lots of small shops, bars and restaurants, minimal chain stores, parks, and lots of things to keep the kids and my stay at home wife busy during the week.

Today I was asked by my boss about the possibility of relocating to the Richmond area. My wife will NEVER EVER go for it in a million years, but I need to do the best I can to persuade her. Are there any communities like the one we currently live in (minus the seaside, but perhaps within reasonable driving distance to the ocean) that are within commute distance to Richmond? One good selling point I'm hoping is to be able to afford a house there. $125-$135/sq ft maybe? Here it's around $300-$400/ft. Good schools are obviously important too.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[richmondpics]

Other than Ashland, Richmond's suburbs probably don't offer this ideal town setting you're accustomed to seeing. How long of a commute would you tolerate? There are some towns closer to the water that could seem appealing.

[robr]

Originally Posted by richmondpics

Other than Ashland, Richmond's suburbs probably don't offer this ideal town setting you're accustomed to seeing. How long of a commute would you tolerate? There are some towns closer to the water that could seem appealing.

Thanks for the help. I could probably arrange to only be in the office a couple of days per week, if I can pull that off then I suppose 1.5-2hrs is doable if the location is right and I can afford a home with enough space for an office.

What's the deal with Ashland? Is there a reason you wouldn't suggest it or is it something I should look into?

[Ibginnie]

Oh there are many possibilities in the 1 - 2 hour range. For starters check out Williamsburg. You can find houses there that are in your price range.

Post on the Hampton Roads forum. There is a guy there, MrWilliamsburg, who is a real estate agent who is a great wealth of knowledge. He's not a PITA either. You ask he delivers and doesn't try to sell you. Scan that forum for info on areas east of Richmond. You might like what you find...your wife would to.

[robr]

thanks again for the info. i'd like to msg mrwilliamsburg directly but there's no such user registered on these forums (and the member search function is disabled). any idea what his exact nick is?

[Familyheart]

You can get a whole lot more "bang for your buck" here as far as buying a house goes. I would steer clear of living in the city itself if you have kids. It can be dangerous. Some nice areas to consider might be the west end or tuchahoe area. Actually, you should check out the west side of the city near Patterson Avenue. That area is very nice, family friendly and similar to where you live now. Older homes with lots of charm, lot's of quaint shops, entertainment and restaraunts.

[mrstewart]

Have you looked into Irvington in the Northern Neck of Virginia? Beautiful little town and some good private schools. I don't know anything about the public system down there. Good luck!

[SoLegitimange]

Dont let people make you believe Richmond is not a place to raise children. Sure, there are places that would not be ideal (Jackson Ward, VCU main campus) but thats not all the city is limited to.

Read through the Richmond City Wikipedia. Richmond, Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Its a great place for business, there are many highly esteemed public and private schools, and I see young couples around the city daily.

[EricD]

Ladysmith is nice. (The Ladysmith Village community to be exact) It's about 45 minutes north of downtown Richmond, right off of I-95. It's ideal for working from home, since there is digital cable/internet, and a lot of stuff right inside the community. From my house, I'm 1 block from the Library, 2 blocks from where the residents club is (going to be finished this summer), 1 block from the open-air amphitheater (They have concerts there during the summer), and a block from the dog park. There is also a play ground down the bike-path, but there's still a couple open lots down by the community playground.

Anyways, around the library they are going to build live/work shops... so you'll be able to walk to some of the shopping. There are larger stores planned, and some walk-able shopping is being built as well. It's a small town (around 3k people), but it's growing, and has just about anything you'd need right there.

You can get a 2100+ finished square foot house, with a full basement, and 2 car garage, for $249,900. (That's under $120/ft for the finished square feet) There are 2 medels of houses for $239,900. If you're looking for larget houses, you can build a home up to 7 or 8 bedrooms for the low $400's.

Taxes are low ($0.48/100 in value), and they are just putting the finishing touches on the new elementary school (over $20 million school), that's actually inside of the Ladysmith Village community.

It's exit 110 off of I-95, so if you're in the area, stop by. There are several different builders, all with medel homes to look through. there's also a community visitor's center, with general info about the community. Here's their website:
Ladysmith - a Newland Community

If you search this forum, you can find other posts about Ladysmith Village, as well as pictures. I moved there about a year and a half with my wife, and we love it.


Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.

[Easy Living]

It'll take about two and a half hours from the east end of Richmond to get to virginia beach. Be careful of buying a house in Williamsburg - Newport News area (~1 hour from the beach) as the school systems are not as good but there is private school options. This is also the case for areas inbetween Richmond and Williamsburg (ex. New Kent) with private school less of an option as they are further away. If being on the water (Chesapeake Bay) is important, look into Yorktown, which is ~ 1 hour to VA beach and ~ 1.5 hrs to Richmond with good public schools with some older shops.

For the old flair and less than 20 min commute, give Ashland a look.

For me, I prefer the far westend (Glen Allen) with the newer conveniences, short commutes, and excellent schools.

Good Luck