The James River has made me want to move to Richmond (Tysons Corner: 2015, transfer)

[adriftinthebay]

Richmond jumped to #1 on my move-to list after realizing the James is a whitewater riving flowing right though downtown. I'm into paddlesports so this is a huge plus. In the next 8-12 months I am considering moving down. Currently I live and work in Tysons Corner area of Northern Virginia and can't stand it here at all or the high COL. Does anyone know if there are vanpools from RVA to Northern Virginia during the week and how long the commutes are? I would only be doing it 3 days a week while actively looking for work in Richmond. It might be too difficult securing a job beforehand given the distance.

[eandslee]

GRTC has van pools that go to the Pentagon every morning. I know because i have seen them. If you can get to the Pentagon, you can get just about anywhere in DC because you have the bus transfer station there and the Metro station. Good luck and I hope it works out for you!

[arton1]

HI adrift,

Would you mind please sharing with rest of us, what would you do on that river (ps. I am not from RVA...but would like to know). What can one do on a 'whitewater' type river in downtown, and also, why is that an advantage for instance over something like the Potomac that you have near you in DC? Thanks

[mpier015]

Originally Posted by arton1

HI adrift,

Would you mind please sharing with rest of us, what would you do on that river (ps. I am not from RVA...but would like to know). What can one do on a 'whitewater' type river in downtown, and also, why is that an advantage for instance over something like the Potomac that you have near you in DC? Thanks

The James River is the only river in the country that has class 4 rapids through an urban area, a downtown area at that. This classification of whitewater rapids allows for more advanced kayaking and other river recreation that is not possible in other environments.

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/a...ake-austin-tx/

https://www.visitrichmondva.com/thin...s/james-river/

[spencer114]

The river is really accessible. The Potomac is a bit harder to put in (you can walk into the James just about anywhere in the city). The Potomac is super nice too of course but driving to and parking at a place where it is accessible is a bit of a deterrent. And the tidal part of the river has a lot of commercial vessels on it which 1) takes away from the ambiance and 2) makes it a bit more treacherous. Where the Potomac has rapids, they are pretty dangerous. The James will entertain you and it isn’t likely to kill you.