Small town near Richmond?

[goldenage1]

"I have heard a little of Hopewell and Ashland, but do not know much about these towns..."

When I was there, Hopewell's main industry was a chemical plant. The air smelled bad and the town was shabby. I would not recommend living there at all.

If the person in the financial field is still looking, the jobs center on the west end of Richmond. The suburbs like Glen Allen and westward were very nice. I don't know of any small-town Main Street charm however. It's more like strip malls and fast food.

Naomi

[FL Beaches]

We lived in Boca Raton 15 years and moved to VA 5 years ago. Someone who lives in Richmond told me back then that the farther west you go in Richmond, the better. IE, don't live on the east side. Hmmmmmm. I try to not visit the east side too often. We were out in the Short Pump area (west side) last weekend. It was gorgeous! Glen Allen is a beautiful town from what we've seen of it. I'm ready to pack my bags and move there! Midlothian is another area we like, but it falls into third place at this point.

From FL we moved to SE VA. Let's just say I'm ready to move west! The Catholic grade school darling son was in while in FL was top notch! When we transferred him to the Catholic school here, it was a huge disappointment. It's like they are stuck in the 1950s. I hope the schools in the Richmond area are better than the ones here.

Good luck!

[FL Beaches]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

"I have heard a little of Hopewell and Ashland, but do not know much about these towns..."

When I was there, Hopewell's main industry was a chemical plant. The air smelled bad and the town was shabby. I would not recommend living there at all.

If the person in the financial field is still looking, the jobs center on the west end of Richmond. The suburbs like Glen Allen and westward were very nice. I don't know of any small-town Main Street charm however. It's more like strip malls and fast food.

Naomi

We've visited Hopewell and Ashland. Hopewell only once. I wouldn't go back after being there! From what we've seen it's really run down.

We've been to Ashland a few times. They have a nice "Main Street" area that seems to also be historic. But there are parts of that town that I was uncomfortable in. I could be wrong, but that was my feeling.

P.S. Geocaching takes us all over the place!

[jmoxley]

I have lived in Hopewell since 1995. My son was in the 3rd grade and went to DuPont Elementary. The elementary school was good, but we did not like the middle school, Carter G. Woodson, that he went to. Hopewell High School in my opinion is no worse or better than any other in this area. There is a small christian school, West End Christian School, in Hopewell and my son's girlfriend went to school there and she really liked it. I tried to make my son go there during middle school but he wouldn't have it.

Prior to living in Hopewell, I lived in Walthall Mill, which backs up to Enon. Enon is located between Chester and Hopewell on Rt. 10. It is close to I-95 or I-295. I really, really liked it there and highly recommend it.

I work in Richmond and prefer to take the back roads (hate the traffic on I-95), so I get on I-295, get off at the Varina (Rt. 5) exit and follow that two lane road into downtown Richmond and it turns into Main St. Best commute ever. From Hopewell, it takes me 35 minutes to get to work.

Where I live in Hopewell is in the best part of town off of River Road. It is close to a prison though, but there has never been any problems with that. We are 10 mintutes from SouthPark Mall (JC Penney's, Dilliards, Macy's, and the Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart or K-Mart) as well as 5 minutes from Lowe's. They are really building up in that area due to an influx of military coming into Ft. Lee. We have everything we need and a small town feel.

Hopewell is an older city and there are a lot of rental properties, which can make the area undesirable to many. We are an independent city surrounded by Chesterfield County and Prince George County. The community has served me well, great Catholic Church, 5 minutes from one side of Hopewell to the other, and there isn't a place you can go that you won't know someone (usually through your kids - lol). My son is grown and I am hoping to relocate to Austin, Texas.

I travel through Varina everyday and it seems to be a very nice place, however, I have heard that the schools are very crowded. It is only minutes from downtown Richmond. I also believe the property taxes are much higher in Varina.

I think if I had to choose again, I'd build out in Prince George County and travel another 15 or so minutes to work.

Depending on your budget, you could live in River's Bend or Walthall Mill or Walthall Creek, which is where I recommend living. I prefer Walthall Mill because it is a little older and has nice hills and trees. Walthall Creek has a community pool for the residents (pay dues to attend), which may be good for your children and is newer than Walthall Mill. They also have Margaritte school, which I think is an elementary school and it's fairly new, very nice.

River's Bend is part of a golf community and on the higher end of the real estate market. Enon also has an elementary school but after that the children go to middle and high schools in Chester. My son went to Enon Elem. before we moved to Hopewell and he really liked it and thrived there. Walthall Creek and Walthall Mill actually have a Colonial Heights zip code, but really aren't in the city at all. All these areas I've mentioned are so very close to each other, it's hard to tell where one ends and the other starts.

These areas are worth checking out. They offer a small town feel, near everything you need for shopping (U'Krops or Food Lion grocery stores, and Kroger in Chester). Your commute time from these places would be slightly shorter than the 35 mintues it takes me to get to Richmond.
Or you could live in Chester. Chester is off of Rt. 10, they have a Wal-Mart and Kroger and Kohl's. Either way the tri-cities is very nice, just stay away from Petersburg. There is not much crime in Hopewell, Colonial Heights, Enon or Chester, despite what someone else has said. Crime in these areas is most definitely drug related and that is every where in the USA any more.

If you choose the tri-cities, you are closer taking the back roads to Williamsburg, Hampton and Virginia Beach. There is Bush Garden's Theme Park and Water Country USA in Williamsburg.

I hope this helps.