Found job in downtown financial area. Best place to live in suburbs? (Richmond: 2010, new home)

[rhinaculas]

Here is hoping that someone can help me get started on my move to the Richmond area. My wife and i are starting jobs at the MCV campus in July 2010. We have a 2 yr old and plan to live in the suburbs with a commute of up to 30 mins. We are planning to buy a home with a budget of around $400,000. Someone told me that the Glenn Allen area was probably the best choice. It would be wonderful if people would give me some good advise. Thank you.

[richmondpics]

Glen Allen and Midlothian are good options. Bon Air is worth a look as well. Really depends on what you're looking for.

[sls76]

Originally Posted by richmondpics

Glen Allen and Midlothian are good options. Bon Air is worth a look as well. Really depends on what you're looking for.

Agreed. I love Bon Air and would seriously look there except my daughter started elementary school last year and I don't want to move her. We live in Glen Allen. Our schools are excellent (our elementary is ranked #5 of about 1100 in the state). Shopping is very convenient. The main drawback for me is that I grew up in an area where houses sat on 2 acres of land. It's hard to get over 0.3 acres in Glen Allen. Also, I hate vinyl and hardboard siding (my preference is brick/stone or hardiplank) and that's hard to avoid in this area. Lots of cookie cutter subdivisions. I'm dealing with these dislikes as we've decided to prioritize the quality of the schools our children attend. Midlothian also has some great options, but I'll leave that to others.

[PickPatrick]

I would add close in Hanover, ATLEE to that mix. You have many options!!

[ellieb128]

You have a lot of good options in Midlothian and it is very convenient to both the west end and downtown. You get a little more house than Glen Allen and quite often a lot more land. Around me 1 acre lots are the norm. Zip Codes 23113 and 23114 would be good places to look or schools that feed into James River and Midlothian High Schools. One nice thing about the Richmond area is that you really do have a lot of good choices. Are you looking for a newer/new home or an older more established area?

[rhinaculas]

This is very good information and should help me get started. I am planning on doing a lot of leg work and making several visits. I do have about 8 months which seems to be enough time (i hope!). We are looking for a new/newer home and Midlothian sounds like a good option too.

[onevthoki]

I am going to chime in here and put in a plug for the Chester area of Chesterfield County. You can easily hop on I95 to get to downtown (about 22 miles to the MCV exit - 74C) and there are no tolls!

[parkrva]

Don't cross the river. Southside is a silly place.

Why not look in the Short Pump area? A great burgeoning center surrounded by a plethora of suburbs tucked away like sleepy little hamlets. Also, good schools.

[moedog2]

Originally Posted by onevthoki

I am going to chime in here and put in a plug for the Chester area of Chesterfield County. You can easily hop on I95 to get to downtown (about 22 miles to the MCV exit - 74C) and there are no tolls!

It's only 13 miles from Chester to the MCV exit, but I-95 really can back up during rush hour. Even so, Chester is a cool choice--more diverse and down to earth than West End and Midlothian, and lots of housing choices.

[coriander2]

Glen Allen is Good (just made #94 of top 100 places to live, down from #66 in 2007): Best Places to Live 2009 - Top 100: City details: Glen Allen, VA - from MONEY Magazine

Midlothian is also an excellent choice, and might offer more of a suburban feel compared to Glen Allen. It was #99 of the top 100 places to live in 2008: Best places to live 2008 - Top 100 City details: Midlothian, VA - from MONEY Magazine
The 23114 zip code area would make your commute slightly easier than 23112, but both are good. Also, both of those zip codes have well-established communities (20yrs), and also have some of the best new home neighborhoods in your price range, too. Neighborhoods in these zips have great family/community friendly settings with decently-sized lots. And, Chesterfield County (where Midlothian is located) has excellent public schools.

Bon Air is ok, and conveniently located, but most of the homes probably are below your price range... mostly because they're older homes.