Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm looking for a place to settle down in the near future. I'm considering adding Richmond to my short list along with all the 2-3 million metros in the Midwest. How does Richmond compare to these places? Factors that are important to me:
General livability (crime, traffic, etc)
Affordability (looking to purchase a home in a place that isn't a combat zone within the 'core' city for 200k or less)
Walkability
Built form (is it compact and urban, or suburban and spread out?)
Employment opportunities
Climate (4 distinct seasons is best)
Neighborhoods
Recreational opportunities
Last edited by Taggerung; 06-01-2019 at 04:08 AM..
I personally like Richmond more than any mid-west city I've visited. I'll start with weather - it's definitely not as frigid and dreary in the winter as the midwest, but it is 4 distinct seasons. Summer has a couple humid months but that happens in the midwest as well.
This is the most walkable urban area I've lived in, but it's not cheap to live in the Fan, Museum District or Carytown for that price range, at least to purchase. I don't know what walkable areas you'll find for that range you quoted, it's been a hot market the last few years. All of the desired and safe areas that are walkable would probably be closer to 400k.
There is a compact and urban area within the city limits for the most part, after that it's suburbs in the counties. Traffic is generally fine compared to cities this size or larger. It's easy and safe to commute via bike if you're in a city neighborhood.
Lots of recreation on the James River or the trails that surround it, whether you're running, biking, or kayaking. A couple hours to the Blue Ridge mountains as well, or the beach. Richmond has some of the best breweries and restaurants I've been too. Some good wineries to find in rural VA as well.
I'm looking for a place to settle down in the near future. I'm considering adding Richmond to my short list along with all the 2-3 million metros in the Midwest. How does Richmond compare to these places? Factors that are important to me:
General livability (crime, traffic, etc)
Affordability (looking to purchase a home in a place that isn't a combat zone within the 'core' city for 200k or less)
Walkability
Built form (is it compact and urban, or suburban and spread out?)
Employment opportunities
Climate (4 distinct seasons is best)
Neighborhoods
Recreational opportunities
I just moved here recently after having lived in numerous larger cities including Chicago and when I lived there I was able to visit alot of the Midwest so I'll take a stab at it.
General livability (crime, traffic, etc) - It's very comfortable living here. I live out in Short Pump which is like a mini Tysons Corner or Bellevue in a sense but spend most of my time during the weekends in the city. I've yet to run into any issues regarding crime nor have heard of anyone else having problems. There was a double homicide just south of Forest Hill last week but people for the most part don't go that far south of the river. Traffic is very minimal here. At it's worst, it takes me about an additional 15 mins from the norm.
Affordability (looking to purchase a home in a place that isn't a combat zone within the 'core' city for 200k or less). - I've seen a few 1 bedrooms listed for under 200k but besides that within the "core", you're going to be looking at numbers higher then that. There are alot of newer homes being built here that I noticed were specifically for lower income individuals and families like in the Carver area (under 45k or something I believe). There are also homes that are not necessarily within the nice "core" but just outside for less and are not combat zones.
Walkability - You can easily walk from one end of the city to the other. Super walkable city!
Built form (is it compact and urban, or suburban and spread out?) - For the most part it's a single node city so the core is compact and urban and as you get away from that it starts to become more suburban.
Employment opportunities - I'm not too sure about this but I believe Richmond to be middle of the road on this one. The city does punch above it's belt when it comes to a presence of large corporate entities. You have alot of healthcare workers from what I've noticed and alot of my neighbors work at Carmax, Capital One, Altria and VCU.
Climate (4 distinct seasons is best) - The whole mid-atlantic is basically the best region to experience 4 distinct seasons with summers being hotter/winters being milder the further south and vice versa for the northern end.
Neighborhoods - Not sure what you mean but Richmond has some great neighborhoods such as Carytown, Scotts Addition, The Fan, Oregon Hill, Shockhoe Bottom..
Recreational opportunities - Another are the city excels in. Plenty of activities on the James River with kayaking, white water rafting, rock climbing etc. Lots of bikers here as well. You also have great hiking and wineries nearby in the Appalachians and awesome beaches in the Outer Banks. Besides that you have direct train connections to all of the NE cities via Amtrak. The food and brewery scene here is top notch as well although Virginia has this weird law with bars having to make a certain % of revenue from food so you don't have any standalone bars or clubs (at least from what I've seen).
Overall, it's a great town and I personally prefer it from most of the Midwestern cities I've been to minus Chicago of course.
I just moved here recently after having lived in numerous larger cities including Chicago and when I lived there I was able to visit alot of the Midwest so I'll take a stab at it.
General livability (crime, traffic, etc) - It's very comfortable living here. I live out in Short Pump which is like a mini Tysons Corner or Bellevue in a sense but spend most of my time during the weekends in the city. I've yet to run into any issues regarding crime nor have heard of anyone else having problems. There was a double homicide just south of Forest Hill last week but people for the most part don't go that far south of the river. Traffic is very minimal here. At it's worst, it takes me about an additional 15 mins from the norm.
Affordability (looking to purchase a home in a place that isn't a combat zone within the 'core' city for 200k or less). - I've seen a few 1 bedrooms listed for under 200k but besides that within the "core", you're going to be looking at numbers higher then that. There are alot of newer homes being built here that I noticed were specifically for lower income individuals and families like in the Carver area (under 45k or something I believe). There are also homes that are not necessarily within the nice "core" but just outside for less and are not combat zones.
Walkability - You can easily walk from one end of the city to the other. Super walkable city!
Built form (is it compact and urban, or suburban and spread out?) - For the most part it's a single node city so the core is compact and urban and as you get away from that it starts to become more suburban.
Employment opportunities - I'm not too sure about this but I believe Richmond to be middle of the road on this one. The city does punch above it's belt when it comes to a presence of large corporate entities. You have alot of healthcare workers from what I've noticed and alot of my neighbors work at Carmax, Capital One, Altria and VCU.
Climate (4 distinct seasons is best) - The whole mid-atlantic is basically the best region to experience 4 distinct seasons with summers being hotter/winters being milder the further south and vice versa for the northern end.
Neighborhoods - Not sure what you mean but Richmond has some great neighborhoods such as Carytown, Scotts Addition, The Fan, Oregon Hill, Shockhoe Bottom..
Recreational opportunities - Another are the city excels in. Plenty of activities on the James River with kayaking, white water rafting, rock climbing etc. Lots of bikers here as well. You also have great hiking and wineries nearby in the Appalachians and awesome beaches in the Outer Banks. Besides that you have direct train connections to all of the NE cities via Amtrak. The food and brewery scene here is top notch as well although Virginia has this weird law with bars having to make a certain % of revenue from food so you don't have any standalone bars or clubs (at least from what I've seen).
Overall, it's a great town and I personally prefer it from most of the Midwestern cities I've been to minus Chicago of course.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamecock2001
I personally like Richmond more than any mid-west city I've visited. I'll start with weather - it's definitely not as frigid and dreary in the winter as the midwest, but it is 4 distinct seasons. Summer has a couple humid months but that happens in the midwest as well.
This is the most walkable urban area I've lived in, but it's not cheap to live in the Fan, Museum District or Carytown for that price range, at least to purchase. I don't know what walkable areas you'll find for that range you quoted, it's been a hot market the last few years. All of the desired and safe areas that are walkable would probably be closer to 400k.
There is a compact and urban area within the city limits for the most part, after that it's suburbs in the counties. Traffic is generally fine compared to cities this size or larger. It's easy and safe to commute via bike if you're in a city neighborhood.
Lots of recreation on the James River or the trails that surround it, whether you're running, biking, or kayaking. A couple hours to the Blue Ridge mountains as well, or the beach. Richmond has some of the best breweries and restaurants I've been too. Some good wineries to find in rural VA as well.
Try visiting first!
Thanks. Richmond seems like a cool place, the thing that concerns me the most is affordability. All the 2-3 million Midwest metros seem to have much more affordable real estate, even fast growing Columbus. It seems like you can buy a home in a nice area of Indy or St Louis for around the same price as a bad area of Richmond.
Last edited by Taggerung; 06-05-2019 at 11:35 PM..
Thanks. Richmond seems like a cool place, the thing that concerns me the most is affordability. All the 2-3 million Midwest metros seem to have much more affordable real estate, even fast growing Columbus. It seems like you can buy a home in a nice area of Indy or St Louis for around the same price as a bad area of Richmond.
I think that is going to be the case for most east coast metros when comparing them to their Midwest counterparts, regardless of size. It seems that you can get a lot of bang for your buck out there.
Richmond is great. I'd say most will find it nicer than the midwest, but it's going to be more expensive too unless you are comparing to similar cities like Madison or Ann Arbor.
Why? The weather and the fact it's at the bottom of the NE corridor. Massive numbers of people moving to RVA from DC and north, and it's dirt cheap by comparison to those areas
I'm looking for a place to settle down in the near future. I'm considering adding Richmond to my short list along with all the 2-3 million metros in the Midwest. How does Richmond compare to these places? Factors that are important to me:
General livability (crime, traffic, etc)
Affordability (looking to purchase a home in a place that isn't a combat zone within the 'core' city for 200k or less)
Walkability
Built form (is it compact and urban, or suburban and spread out?)
Employment opportunities
Climate (4 distinct seasons is best)
Neighborhoods
Recreational opportunities
Crime is going to be worse in the Midwest, hands down. Traffic is going to be worse in Richmond. Midwest has great traffic, unless you're looking at Chicago.
Midwest is definitely going to be cheaper. A 2 - 3 million metro in the Midwest would include Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City (Missouri) and Detroit. Richmond will be similarly priced to all of those areas. There will be more expensive diggs in the downtown areas of those cities, but in general, Richmond will be more expensive.
Walkability will probably be the same. Midwest has great walkable cities. But Richmond has a lot of the same post-industrial feel due to the closed factories here so it also has the same walkability. How it compares I won't generalize; personally, there are no truly impressive downtown areas in the Midwest unless you're talking about Chicago. Posters can say what they will about it most downtowns in America are very similar. Only Chicago, NYC, LA (and that is like post 1980) and if you pull together Atlanta's urban neighborhoods maybe, maybe, you can count that, are worth discussion. DC is cool because you have density in so many areas, but it does not really feel like a downtown to me, because of the capital. I might also throw Philadelphia into that conversation.
Midwest is going to be more dense. You should really see the Midwest to check it out for yourself, (or see Richmond). That you're asking this suggests one or the other you haven't spent a lot of time in.
Employment opportunities I'd probably give to Richmond as well. But it can depend; Columbus and Indianapolis have great employment opportunities. A city like Cleveland or Detroit it is going to depend on several factors. The downtown of those cities is great, the rest of the city everyone has a different opinion.
Neighborhoods it is very difficult to generalize because most cities have some great neighborhoods regardless of where they are in this country. Suburban neighborhoods tend to be better than inner city neighborhoods in the Midwest, as a general rule, but again cities that have a healthy inner city that may not necessarily be the case.
Recreational opportunities I would think would be great both in the Midwest as well as in Richmond
Richmond is a great city, but it isn't inherently better or worse than similar cities in the Midwest. And I like both. If you like Richmond move there but don't do it because you would rather be in the Midwest and are thinking that Richmond is better is some way, because you're just setting yourself up to fail if that is the logic you're basing your decision on.
Someone mentioned pro sports. I honestly do not know why anyone would take that into consideration for some place to live. It isn't that big of a deal. The city I grew up in did not have professional sports but the second closest city did. The first closest city has the Football Hall of Fame, which is cool. I never saw a game in my life.
Only brought it up because it's something the midwest mids have that Rich doesn't. Makes no difference to me personally at all.
I'd also disagree the midwest will be more dense and walkable than Rich, perhaps with the exception of Cincinnati. Even then, the central core feels a lot emptier in many places.
It depends on what the OP wants. My money is that he's going to move to Richmond anyway. Biggest difference between Midwest and Richmond, if you're comparison is with similar MSA on each city you're looking at, is cultural. The Midwest is insular, segregated and at times misanthropic. I don't know where Richmond plays into that. If its anything like the rest of Virginia, it may be more integrated. There are things that bring people together; sports, work and other common interests. But Richmond may be friendlier, more inviting. Only thing I'm stating is that for the parameters the OP is speaking on walkability shouldn't be an issue. I grew up in a MSA of 700,000 and walkability was rarely an issue.
I'm looking for a place to settle down in the near future. I'm considering adding Richmond to my short list along with all the 2-3 million metros in the Midwest. How does Richmond compare to these places? Factors that are important to me:
General livability (crime, traffic, etc) Midwest
Affordability (looking to purchase a home in a place that isn't a combat zone within the 'core' city for 200k or less) Midwest
Walkability Midwest
Built form (is it compact and urban, or suburban and spread out?) Midwest
Employment opportunities Midwest
Climate (4 distinct seasons is best) Richmond
Neighborhoods Midwest
Recreational opportunities Richmond
Richmond comes in last compared to several of the cities in that size range, but with higher growth rates in some areas (Indianapolis and Minneapolis being the exceptions). It is interesting that Richmond continues to have high crime issues.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
