Moving to Richmond (Petersburg, Chester, Colonial Heights: renting, crime, houses)

[vegmommy]

My family may be moving to Richmond at the end of the summer. My husband will be working at Ft Lee to so commute distance is important.
Here are my questions. Are there any rural (not sub division) areas around Richmond with a decent commute to Ft Lee? The other kind of neighborhood that appeals to us is a walking community. We would love being able to walk to restaurants, museums, parks etc. We will probably be renting initially unless buying just makes much more sense. Thanks for you ideas.

[onevthoki]

Hi Vegmommy and welcome to the Forum!

You may want to give us an idea of what you mean by "decent". My husband is at Fort Lee and he has about a 15 mile commute.

For rural areas, you might want to look at Prince George and Dinwiddie counties. Some areas of those counties might be further than you want for commuting distance, but others are just a hop, skip and a jump! There are also still some rural-feel areas in Chesterfield, but you're going to pay a pretty penny for land there.

As to the more urban feel with parks and museums, you may like Petersburg. It is mdefinitely "up and coming". The Fan and useum district in Richmond are more established, but they will give your husband a longer commute.

Hope this helps!

[NativeVA]

I am a police officer in the City of Richmond... The city is a great place to visit, work, and play but YOU DONT WANT TO LIVE IN THE CITY especially if you have children. high schools and now some middle schools are ran by GANG Members and not administration. West end ( Henrico county ) is the nicest and safest area to live close to the city. Hanover County and especially New Kent county are the safest but 20 miles away or so..East End henrico connects to east end Richmond and unless you like drug dealers and like hearing gunshots stay away.

Im a cop and wont live in the city....plus taxes are higher in the city than anywhere else....you will find lots of nice places in the west end...good luck in your search

[vegmommy]

Native Va what is your opinion of Petersburg?
Onevthoki we are hoping for a 15 min commute but for a better quality of life my husband will doo up to half an hour.

[NativeVA]

Sorry to say but Petersburg is worse than Richmond...Look into Goochland or Powhatan counties..these are rural areas with great schools and closer to Ft Lee.

[onevthoki]

Native, Powhatan and Goochland will be at least an hour commute.

Vegmommy, check out Chesterfield County. The eastern portion (Chester/Enon) has some great neighborhoods and very convienient access to I95 and I295 (on at Exit 15 and off at Exit 9 to get to Ft. Lee) and also Rt. 288.

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by NativeVA

I am a police officer in the City of Richmond... The city is a great place to visit, work, and play but YOU DONT WANT TO LIVE IN THE CITY especially if you have children. high schools and now some middle schools are ran by GANG Members and not administration. West end ( Henrico county ) is the nicest and safest area to live close to the city. Hanover County and especially New Kent county are the safest but 20 miles away or so..East End henrico connects to east end Richmond and unless you like drug dealers and like hearing gunshots stay away.

Im a cop and wont live in the city....plus taxes are higher in the city than anywhere else....you will find lots of nice places in the west end...good luck in your search

My brother goes to a city school and he may not have to pay a dime for college because of all the programs he was able to get into. It all depends on the student. Sure there may be gangs there but you don't have to talk to them or be around them. He's gone to many out of state trips, weekend trips and lots of other stuff and this is just in high school!

Now you say Henrico is better. I have to disagree. My time at Varina and John Rolfe was hell. on. earth. The administration is a joke. They ALWAYS lose your records. From medical to academics. Two years in a row I had my counselor, Mr Heath, ask me "So what classes are you taking" after he had signed for them the year before. I've had to run track because I they lost my Asthma records. Take a day off to go to the hospital because of it and when you call in they still mark you as absent even with the note. This has happened to people I know and people I don't know. Go on there on any given day and the Guidance will be packed with upset parents.

There were several times when I was there that police chases would cause the school to go onto lockdown (the school is setup like a campus) so I don't see how that can be considered ANY safer. Most of the time when people say Henrico and such is better they are usually parents. That area has changed so much since then (due to Highland Springs increasing crime spreading into Heckler Village and Varina area) as a former recent student it is amusing how oblivious the usually 30+ year olds are.

The city school my brother goes to does not have the K9 unit sniffing the students in the morning as they walk down the pathways for illegal objects like at Varina and I'm sure by now Highland Springs. Our community also has not had any where near the amount of break ins or drive bys as Henrico has had this year. I also would thing it would be less diverse if you move that far out.. if you know what I mean.

By the way if you are wondering why I am only ranting at Varina I've been to Highland Springs as well which iMO is the better of the two if you must attend.

[vman650]

Try Colonial Heights.

[AllTheWayToMemphis]

Ron -

What neighborhood are you in and which school does your brother attend? TJ?

[urbanqueen]

I have lived in Richmond for 7 years. I live in Chester, outside of Richmond., in one of the surrounding counties. Chester has the best schools. Henrico has had a few shootings and deaths. Richmond, is a very nice place to raise kids. The people are different hear. It's much easier in va, to do anything. They have wonderful programs for education for self and kids. I started my own business here, but moving back to Md. to buy houses