Relocation to Petersburg (demographics, working, Americans)

[CrownHites]

My husband and I have an appointment to look at homes in the Walnut Hill community. We currently live in NYC and are retiring soon. After reading all of your comments about the area, we are seriously rethinking our visit and the possibility of making this the place to spend our golden years. We want safety, peace and quiet. This place sounds like the wild west!!!

[richmondpics]

I'm all for Petersburg improving and growing, and I think the city has a ton of potential to become a really neat place to live (Old Towne is great!), but your comparison of it with Richmond has me scratching my head...

[MaryBB]

Originally Posted by CrownHites

My husband and I have an appointment to look at homes in the Walnut Hill community. We currently live in NYC and are retiring soon. After reading all of your comments about the area, we are seriously rethinking our visit and the possibility of making this the place to spend our golden years. We want safety, peace and quiet. This place sounds like the wild west!!!

I would never say it's the wild west- but in surrounding areas there is extreme poverty and all that goes with it. I live on a beautiful street with knockout, older houses and quite a few retired people have moved in and are digging in and putting a lot into their houses. I & many in the neighborhood go for walks and feel safe and enjoy the scenery. But to go a few more blocks out on the periphery I might not feel so safe. I think many cities are this way though.

[CrownHites]

Originally Posted by CrownHites

My husband and I have an appointment to look at homes in the Walnut Hill community. We currently live in NYC and are retiring soon. After reading all of your comments about the area, we are seriously rethinking our visit and the possibility of making this the place to spend our golden years. We want safety, peace and quiet. This place sounds like the wild west!!!

Well...We decided to keep our appointment. Really loved the older brick homes in the Walnut Hill area. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find just what we were looking for. Will continue to learn more about the area and hopefully find that "just right" home.

[TN Lily]

I have a son who has accepted employment in Petersburg. This is his first "real job" after graduating from college. Looking online at apartments, I found a complex at 801 Hinton Avenue. The building was formerly the Federal Cigar Company Building. Is this in Walnut Hill? Comments on this area? The apartments look lovely.

It sounds like areas of Petersburg are quite lovely, but other areas have the issues that plague depressed cities. Any suggestions on where he should look for an apartment that will have a relatively easy commute into Petersburg his he gets an apartment elsewhere?

Thanks in advance for advice.

[MaryBB]

Originally Posted by TN Lily

I have a son who has accepted employment in Petersburg. This is his first "real job" after graduating from college. Looking online at apartments, I found a complex at 801 Hinton Avenue. The building was formerly the Federal Cigar Company Building. Is this in Walnut Hill? Comments on this area? The apartments look lovely.

It sounds like areas of Petersburg are quite lovely, but other areas have the issues that plague depressed cities. Any suggestions on where he should look for an apartment that will have a relatively easy commute into Petersburg his he gets an apartment elsewhere?

Thanks in advance for advice.

No Hinton isn't Walnut Hill but it's not really a big town so if he were to live there he would have probably barely a 10-15 min drive. I'll look for that address online- there are some renovated into housing factories that really look nice. Let me know if you wonder about anything else!

[Da Venere]

Hello to anyone who can offer any information to me. I will be relocating to the Petersburg area for a job I will be taking at Fort Lee and I will be coming from a very safe, almost boring, town!

I am unsure of where I should look to find safe and affordable neighborhoods to live. For my first couple of months, I will be living alone with my dog (I am a woman) until my fiancée joins me. Suffice it to say, I will have my canine companion to watch over me but I still want to live in an area that I will feel safe.

Can anyone offer any ideas of some ideal parts of Petersburg, Hopewell and/or Colonial Heights that I should be targeting?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

[polishpotterygal]

I can recommend Old Towne Petersburg. This is the renovated (mostly) historic shopping, dining, entertainment district. There are several cool developments in old warehouse buildings, South Street Lofts, Dunlop Street Lofts, Mayton Transfer Lofts. Rents range around $800 on average, I think. These are nice places, close to everything in Old Towne. You can put any of the Loft names in google and find the websites. We live in OT and also have a store. Great community, very safe, good neighbors. We are also close to Ft Lee (less than 5 miles), Richmond (21 miles), Nags Head (2 1/2 hrs), VA Beach (2 hrs), Williamsburg (1 hr).

[kevinm]

Originally Posted by Coumpare151v

I have lived in both Richmond and Petersburg. IMO Richmond is in far worse state as a city because it doesn't have much coming along in the coming years, where as Petersburg can only climb up. If I was an investor I'd be putting my money in the tri-cities. With the expansion of Fort Lee the local economy is set to be pumped full of money. Education hubs such as VSU, Richard Bland College, and John Tyler Community College serve well. Growth of the Arts and Culture in Old Towne, a major railroad hub set to be developed over the next ten years between Tidewater and Richmond/DC. The Appomattox River is set to be dredged in the coming years, the Feds are dumping money in the area because of the DOD presence, and the State is also supporting growth in Petersburg. As with all rehab, its a process, it does not occur overnight; however, if you are a wise shoppper, you can find nice affordable and safe living in the local area. Feel free to ask me anything about the area.

Petersburg voted 97% for Obama. With those demographics we aren't talking about decent hard working Americans. Either the city is VERY LIBERAL or very dependent or "government help".

[wilkinson1947]

Try Dunlop Street Lofts on Dunlop Street. About 300 Dunlop. It's brand new, controlled access parking and building, and lots of nice tenants.