Richmond/Chesterfield Questions. (Hampton, Petersburg: relocate, real estate, trip)

[movinonmymind]

Looking to relocate from South Florida to the Richmond/Chesterfield area. My husband is in commerical sales for heating/air conditioning. He is hesitant to move since he has spent 5 yrs. building a client base with his current company and there is such a building boom down here. However, we have to think about our family and South Florida is not the place for us. Any ideas of companies in the area where he may find a job???

We have two small children and are looking for a nice family area with great schools. Any input would be appreciated (i.e., names of elementary schools, zip codes to look into, etc.)

[LeavingMD?]

I can't offer any advice to your husband about jobs, but we too are looking to relocate to Chesterfield County. My husband is looking at leaving a 100% sales position that he has worked for 5 years to get his client base as well, but as you said... sometimes you have to think about your family and the best place to live. We have visited Midlothian twice and really liked it. We have been told that two of the best elementary schools are Grange Hall and Woolridge. I am sure there are some other good ones too. You should really check out greatschools.net. They have a lot of valuable information about test scores, etc. Cosby High just opened in Sept and our realtor recommended buying into a neighborhood that feeds into Cosby as it is very desirable now. There was much fighting about the boundaries when that high school was being built. You didn't mention whether you were looking to rent or buy or what your price range was, but we are looking in 23120, 23832 and 23112 for zipcodes. You should check out realtor.com to see what kind of house you can find in those zipcodes. You are a bit further than we are to come visit, but I definitely recommend coming to visit if you haven't had the opportunity. There is much development going on now and on Hull Street there is every chain store and restaurant you can imagine and even more coming. They even have a Cracker Barrell and those are usually only off interstates. We were very impressed with the neighborhood feel we got after driving around many neighborhoods. I have a college friend who moved to Wood Lake 5 years ago and loves it. Good luck.

[cookiedough]

We moved from Chesterfield County last April, where we had lived for nearly 5 years. The economy there seems to be healthy by all indications. Home prices were very reasonable (compared with the west). The schools in Chesterfield County are excellent, and they have several magnet schools for gifted/talented students. We found the people to be nice and were especially pleased with the diversity of the population and the way different races get along. We moved from the west where there was more racial tension and didn't know what to expect moving to Richmond. It was wonderful for our kids to have friends from different races and religions and think nothing of it. Try zip codes 23235, 23113, and surrounding areas. South of there is nice too, but stay north of Petersburg. Avoid Richmond city schools. Western Henrico County is nice (NOT Eastern) but much more expensive homes than Chesterfield. Climate is probably milder in summer than Florida, but still hot and humid to me. Winter varies from ice storms to 65 degree days, which is nice (no long cold spell). Spring and fall would definitely be my favorite seasons there. Every modern convenience and store chain available. Two hours from the beach, 1-1/2 hours to the "mountains," and two hours from a field trip to D.C.

[postparade]

If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations on subdivisions that would be helpful to me. I have looked up The Highlands, Hampton Park and Woodlake. Any feedback on those neighborhoods? I also have seen homes in Woodlake, Riverton and The Grove.

Any input on New Kent County? This may be an option for us.
Thanks for the help

[richmondpics]

I've heard almost only good things about all of the neighborhoods you've mentioned... Woodlake and Hampton Park probably have the most amenities, though I believe the Highlands has a golf course. The Grove is also a nice option.

[shellytc]

I just posted about a lot of the neighborhoods in the New Kent - Chestefield topic. Go check it out.

As for elementary schools. HP is districted for Spring Run right now but a new elementary is being built right behind HP, and will be the new elementary school for HP kids (as far as I know that hasn't changed). That will relieve the overcrowding at Spring Run. I believe the new elementary is schedule to open in the 2007 / 2008 school year, but check with your Real Estate Agent to make sure.

Shelly

[EricD]

You mentioned a building boom in Florida... well, just west of Woodlake, some developers are working on a over 5,000 home development called Magnolia Green. On top of that, north of the Woodlake area other developers are planning a 4500 home community called Roseland... Also, right now a lot of new homes are being built in Charter Collony, on the other side of 288 from where Roseland is going to be... These over 10,000 new homes will all need HVAC units.

And that's only 3 communities in the area... not counting other developments and older homes needing units replaced.

[jscm4dawson]

I live in 23235, the community name is Greenfield. This is an average-income neighborhood, I have lived here for 8 years, have greatneighbors and awesome schools. The elementary school is in the neighborhood~Greenfield Elementary, middle school is Robious Elementary, highschool is James River High School. I just read the post about Magnolia Green and that is going to be a HUGE community, almost like it's own little town! Brandermill and Woodlake are probably the nicest neighborhoods in Chesterfield County but very expensive and they definately do not have great schools.

[jhrichmond]

Not to put down either neighborhood, but Woodlake and Brandermill are very far from the nicest Neighborhoods in Chesterfield County, and also not expensive at all. Most houses in Brandermill are under $250,000 and Woodlake are under $350,000. Tarrington, Salisbury, The Highlands, Summer Lake, The Grove, Foxfield, Foxcroft, Founders Bridge, Rosemont, Charter Colony, Watermill, Edgewater at the Reservoir, and many others are much nicer than Brandermill or Woodlake. What price range are you looking for? I can give you some of the best neighborhoods to check out based on that.

[at0micfly]

Checkout Woodlake subdivision. Goes to either Cover Hill ELM, or Woolridge. From there Swift Creek, than onto the brand new Cosby High school. All Great schools