Am I the only person who can not reccomind living in Richmond to ANYONE? (Hampton: upper-class, condo)

[richmondpics]

So smaller city X has less to do than bigger city Y? That seems to make pretty good sense to me.

[oleo]

Originally Posted by richmondpics

So smaller city X has less to do than bigger city Y? That seems to make pretty good sense to me.

Hey, you got it!

[540_804]

LOL...what a groundbreaking observation.

[CNI]

Wading back into this muck again...
Why people feel the need for the hyperbole I'll never understand.
IMO that's the problem.
It's one thing to say "Richmond is OK but it really could improve or be so much better if _____". Or Richmond is OK but _____ doesn't appeal to me personally.
It's a whole different thing to claim Richmond is the worst place in the state, region, nation, etc. When looking at statistics not much data would support that arguement. Not even the infamous homicide rate makes Richmond stand out as one of the worst - when comparing the Richmond metro to other metros (not comparing just the city to other metros).
I have not read many posts on this site where anyone is seriously claiming Richmond is the best place in any category.
However, there is just too much exaggeration of how bad Richmond actually is.
If any place I lived rubbed me that wrong then I'd do a whole lot more than just sit around on internet sites and complain about it.
And in researching other places to live it just might be discovered that some of the problems some think are unique to Richmond are universal problems for most cities.

[lindakl]

I lived in Richmond and I would never move back. I like other areas of Virginia though. I prefer either Northern Virginia or Tidewater. I also lived in Williamsburg. A friend of mine claims "Richmond is cursed". Although she is just kidding, she also moved away in order to leave an environment that is lacking that Southern Hospitality that Yankees have heard about but does not exist in Richmond.

I have lived in many cities and Richmond is one of my least favorites. If you want the South, NC is the place to go, especially The Triangle. Raleigh is a good choice and is also near the mountains and the beaches. Educational and health oppotunities are good. The quality of life is better than in Richmond.

Just my opinion.

lindakl

[ric75]

Different strokes for different folks. Many people in Richmond (myself included) usually get nauseous at the idea of visiting Northern Virginia. Traffic and suburban sprawl is all we see though obviously for many folks there is a draw there. Tidewater isn't much different. Sprawl-style development and worsening traffic. I hear a lot about Raleigh booming but isn't most stuff happening in the burbs like Cary? Anyways, can we just agree that there is no winning argument here and that every post made is just opinion? I'm tired of seeing one persons year old temper tantrum constantly at the top of the thread list. We can argue back and forth forever but likely won't be changing people's minds. Anyone second this motion?

[DKVA]

Originally Posted by ric75

Different strokes for different folks. Many people in Richmond (myself included) usually get nauseous at the idea of visiting Northern Virginia. Traffic and suburban sprawl is all we see though obviously for many folks there is a draw there. Tidewater isn't much different. Sprawl-style development and worsening traffic. I hear a lot about Raleigh booming but isn't most stuff happening in the burbs like Cary? Anyways, can we just agree that there is no winning argument here and that every post made is just opinion? I'm tired of seeing one persons year old temper tantrum constantly at the top of the thread list. We can argue back and forth forever but likely won't be changing people's minds. Anyone second this motion?

I totally agree.

I also think it may be an age thing. It is also dependent what people are used to or into.
We were relocated to Glen Allen in 2004 with older kids. We were again relocated to the midwest 10 /2008. Can't wait to come back as our kids are still there and we loved the area!

[sls76]

Originally Posted by ric75

Different strokes for different folks. Many people in Richmond (myself included) usually get nauseous at the idea of visiting Northern Virginia. Traffic and suburban sprawl is all we see though obviously for many folks there is a draw there. Tidewater isn't much different. Sprawl-style development and worsening traffic. I hear a lot about Raleigh booming but isn't most stuff happening in the burbs like Cary? Anyways, can we just agree that there is no winning argument here and that every post made is just opinion? I'm tired of seeing one persons year old temper tantrum constantly at the top of the thread list. We can argue back and forth forever but likely won't be changing people's minds. Anyone second this motion?

Great post. The growth in the Raleigh area is all over the area--you just hear the most about Cary. We moved back to Glen Allen from Cary last year. Cary is beautiful, but I'll take Glen Allen any day. The school system is Wake County (Raleigh/Cary) is a complete disaster (lots of bussing and constant reassignment because of growth and socio-economic balancing). We have some of the best schools in the state in this area, I don't have to deal with NoVa traffic, and generally I find the people here wonderful. Shopping is convenient with lots of choices. My main complaint about this area is IMO there isn't enough green space/parks and there's not much that can be done about that at this point.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

FYI.

I started a poll at the City vs City forum under the General US forum. 4 in "the cage" - Richmond vs the Triangle vs. Columbia vs. Augusta (battle of the Fall Line olde cities - LOL!). Go check it out.

[ramgrl]

I agree completely. I have lived here my entire life and even moving out to the rural areas, the Richmond area in general is awful now. 20 years ago it was much better than it is now and actually had things to do (like the Braves before we lost the team because Wilder is an idiot that shouldnt be allowed to run a dog kennel). you are completely right about race though. Other than VCU which is a huge melting pot, there is very little diversity within Richmond. 90% of the city is African American and all of the rich white people that work here live in counties like Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover and Powhatan or in secluded little gated communities far away from the crime and filth that Richmond has become. The students in Richmond schools are lucky to have books with the way the city is situated because there is very little real estate income since there are apartment buildings on every corner and most of them are subsidized. Its sad that the city is okay with just letting its youth waste away and wonder why the juvenile crime in Richmond is increasing at such an alarming rate.