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Unfortunately I am not able to help you change your view of Richmond. I was born and raised in Richmond and have since lived in N.C., Upstate N.Y. and the metro Milwaukee Wisconsin area where I have lived for the past 15 years. I left Richmond as a young adult in the mid 70's.
My memories of growing up in Richmond include one of the prettiest downtown areas of any city I have ever seen. Two bustling department stores on Broad Street were the envy of even major cities. A sparkling coliseum housed hockey and concerts in a beautiful brick and bronze building while Monument avenue was the classiest street in the country or close to it. Hope appeared in the Churchill area with establishments like the Tobacco Company and other Shockoe places. There was a balance between the city and its suburbs in value and beauty. Not so today.
Today, sadly, the downtown area of Richmond is a mere shell of its former self. The pride of its amazing historical significance to, not only the south, but to the whole country is sadly absent. I took a friend from the midwest on a tour of the city last week and it was embarrasing and depressing to say the least. While the suburbs are attractive, that is not unusual. Most large city suburbs are attractive. But the cultural center of a city is its downtown area and Richmond's, in my opinion, is a disaster. Where are the new towering glass and steel buildings with beautiful walkways to wonderful shops and restaurants and centers of all cultures and diversities? Where is the celebration of its glorious history and historical rebirth of its vintage streets and buildings? Even monument avenue has bare spots and weeds in its grass medians. The recent investment of massive funds to restore the Capitol seems a bit ironic since, in its pre restoration state, it was better looking than much of what I see around that area. I hear people say the city is this way because the people in the suburbs don't care about the city itself and the political machinery in the city is out of touch and uses poor judgement in its priorities.
In the humble opinion of one who used to live here (career moves took me away), I think, all people of the metro area of Richmond are missing the opportunity to be a part of what could be one of the greatest cities in the country. Richmond should stop apologizing for its past and rejoice in its proud history and positive connection to this country's recognition of the importance of individual freedom, unity and strength of the union. Its people across the metro area should stop thinking of Richmond as a city of suburbs with an old outdated and impossible to fix downtown, that is ok to ignore. It can never reach its potential that way and their lives will never be as rich as they could be. Richmond needs to make big changes indicative of big thinking. Richmond is a city that has helped shape America.
S.G.
Unfortunately I am not able to help you change your view of Richmond. I was born and raised in Richmond and have since lived in N.C., Upstate N.Y. and the metro Milwaukee Wisconsin area where I have lived for the past 15 years. I left Richmond as a young adult in the mid 70's.
My memories of growing up in Richmond include one of the prettiest downtown areas of any city I have ever seen. Two bustling department stores on Broad Street were the envy of even major cities. A sparkling coliseum housed hockey and concerts in a beautiful brick and bronze building while Monument avenue was the classiest street in the country or close to it. Hope appeared in the Churchill area with establishments like the Tobacco Company and other Shockoe places. There was a balance between the city and its suburbs in value and beauty. Not so today.
Today, sadly, the downtown area of Richmond is a mere shell of its former self. The pride of its amazing historical significance to, not only the south, but to the whole country is sadly absent. I took a friend from the midwest on a tour of the city last week and it was embarrasing and depressing to say the least. While the suburbs are attractive, that is not unusual. Most large city suburbs are attractive. But the cultural center of a city is its downtown area and Richmond's, in my opinion, is a disaster. Where are the new towering glass and steel buildings with beautiful walkways to wonderful shops and restaurants and centers of all cultures and diversities? Where is the celebration of its glorious history and historical rebirth of its vintage streets and buildings? Even monument avenue has bare spots and weeds in its grass medians. The recent investment of massive funds to restore the Capitol seems a bit ironic since, in its pre restoration state, it was better looking than much of what I see around that area. I hear people say the city is this way because the people in the suburbs don't care about the city itself and the political machinery in the city is out of touch and uses poor judgement in its priorities.
In the humble opinion of one who used to live here (career moves took me away), I think, all people of the metro area of Richmond are missing the opportunity to be a part of what could be one of the greatest cities in the country. Richmond should stop apologizing for its past and rejoice in its proud history and positive connection to this country's recognition of the importance of individual freedom, unity and strength of the union. Its people across the metro area should stop thinking of Richmond as a city of suburbs with an old outdated and impossible to fix downtown, that is ok to ignore. It can never reach its potential that way and their lives will never be as rich as they could be. Richmond needs to make big changes indicative of big thinking. Richmond is a city that has helped shape America.
S.G.
A disaster? I think Richmond is looking a lot better than it did ten years ago.
VCU is expanding and they have more going on Broad St. Richmond is far from diaster, its really being renovated and fixed up nice. In 70s Richmond was the worst. My great grandmother talked about how horrible it was and VCU was really awful and she called it Via Cong U. People were fleeing the Fan and it was in horrible shape.
Now The Fan looks pristine and fresh and more people are living there young and old.
Look at these pics of Richmond and then tell me its bad
You keep bragging about the Fan, when the reality is that a very small percentage of people who call Richmond home live in the Fan. I've lived here for a year and have yet to see this place called the Fan....partly because whenever I mention to co-workers that I'm going to venture downtown, the advice I get is....be careful and make sure you know where you're going because there are alot of bad areas....so I just haven't gone.
I think the above poster S.G. hit the nail on the head. The future of Richmond will be defined by the suburbs, not the city.
While I don't agree with everything that was said, that was a great post by s.g.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wanderlost
I think the above poster S.G. hit the nail on the head. The future of Richmond will be defined by the suburbs, not the city.
I disagree. IMO, no city should be defined by its suburbs. Every city is unique in its own great ways. Every city's suburbs are not. Someone could be taken to Short Pump, blindfolded, and plopped in suburban Atlanta, or Charlotte, or DC, or Raleigh, etc and not notice any differences at all. Not to mention the poor land use and lack of sustainability. I'd like to see Richmond's future defined by visionary leadership that looks regionally instead of inward at their own small pie of the region. Downtown will remain the core and always have significance. Someone really can't make comments about a place if they've never been there.
The Fan is west of downtown and I really am surprised you haven't at least driven through after a trip to Carytown or something. If all you've done is sit in the suburbs, well you're probably not going to be happy in Richmond. I couldn't be content like that in any suburb in any city. It's one of the largest intact Victorian era (though not just Victorian architecture... all kinds really) neighborhoods in the country.
Often Downtown Richmond's greatest critics are longtime Richmonders. They remember the crime issues of the 80s which hit many cities across the country and their perception of downtown has not changed. They romanticize of the days when Broad Street was the bustling retail corridor of Virginia, and Miller and Rhoads and Thalhimer's anchored it all. It must've been great to have lunch in the Tea Room at Miller and Rhoads as runway models strutted by the latest fashions on the catwalk. However, many fail to realize it was their own doing, fleeing the city like it was the plague once segregation ceased, that slowly killed the once grand retail promenade along Broad Street. The stores followed the people to the suburbs, and aside from Christmas shopping, people no longer had a reason for the downtown stores as the city continued to decline. The low-point was probably the early 90's.
The downtown of today is worse in some ways and much better in others compared to the thriving, romanticized downtown of yesteryear. First, I will agree that proper retail is still lacking downtown. Broad Street is slowly revitalizing with fantastic restaurants, art galleries, and major projects like the Miller and Rhoads conversion to a Hilton with condos, the Richmond Center Stage project, the new Federal Courthouse, revitalization of the National Theater into a modern concert venue venue. etc.. Still, Broad Street is undeniably gritty and there's a lot of missing "teeth" that need to be filled in.
That said, the Central Business District is doing very well. I LOVE working down there. Walking along Main Street at lunch time with crowded sidewalks, street vendors, and restaurants and cafes everywhere is such a nice experience.
The biggest difference with the Richmond of today is that we finally realized that the River is one of the city's greatest assets. The Canal Walk, Brown's Island, and Belle Isle are great. 30 years ago, it was all industrial wasteland.
Downtown's Shockoe Slip area is always enjoyable, with its cobblestone streets and abundance of small shops and tons of restaurants of all kinds... not to mention Toad's Place which hosts some pretty good bands.
There's also Shockoe Bottom, which is more like an Adams Morgan section of town... a little gritty but with great restaurants, shops, and bars plus the Farmer's Market. Along Tobacco Row, what was once dirty tobacco warehouses has become a beautiful set of loft style apartments buildings with retail and great restaurants... even the Virginia Holocaust Museum.
Is downtown perfect? Nope, far from it. Monroe Ward needs more infill projects, Broad Street needs Douglas Development to develop its vast empire of newly assembled properties and all around it could use more street level interaction. But, it's still one of my favorite places in all of Richmond... and I've never once felt threatened, morning, noon, or night.
I agree that no city should be defined by its suburbs, however, all you have to do is drive around the West End and see all the construction and development going on.....this is where the newcomers are flocking to.
I also think that the small section of the city known as The Fan doesn't define Richmond either....nice as it may be.
No city is all bad or all good. I think Richmond has the potential to develop its strengths and become a thriving city....but as the above poster stated, that is not what he has seen happening in the time since he left.
I'm not a bitter person, and I want to like Richmond...but give me something to like other than pictures of historic homes and tree lined streets.
I agree that no city should be defined by its suburbs, however, all you have to do is drive around the West End and see all the construction and development going on.....this is where the newcomers are flocking to.
To be fair, there are billions of dollars worth of investment in construction, new development, and adaptive re-use occurring downtown.
Unfortunately I am not able to help you change your view of Richmond. I was born and raised in Richmond and have since lived in N.C., Upstate N.Y. and the metro Milwaukee Wisconsin area where I have lived for the past 15 years. I left Richmond as a young adult in the mid 70's.
My memories of growing up in Richmond include one of the prettiest downtown areas of any city I have ever seen. Two bustling department stores on Broad Street were the envy of even major cities. A sparkling coliseum housed hockey and concerts in a beautiful brick and bronze building while Monument avenue was the classiest street in the country or close to it. Hope appeared in the Churchill area with establishments like the Tobacco Company and other Shockoe places. There was a balance between the city and its suburbs in value and beauty. Not so today.
Today, sadly, the downtown area of Richmond is a mere shell of its former self. The pride of its amazing historical significance to, not only the south, but to the whole country is sadly absent. I took a friend from the midwest on a tour of the city last week and it was embarrasing and depressing to say the least. While the suburbs are attractive, that is not unusual. Most large city suburbs are attractive. But the cultural center of a city is its downtown area and Richmond's, in my opinion, is a disaster. Where are the new towering glass and steel buildings with beautiful walkways to wonderful shops and restaurants and centers of all cultures and diversities? Where is the celebration of its glorious history and historical rebirth of its vintage streets and buildings? Even monument avenue has bare spots and weeds in its grass medians. The recent investment of massive funds to restore the Capitol seems a bit ironic since, in its pre restoration state, it was better looking than much of what I see around that area. I hear people say the city is this way because the people in the suburbs don't care about the city itself and the political machinery in the city is out of touch and uses poor judgement in its priorities.
In the humble opinion of one who used to live here (career moves took me away), I think, all people of the metro area of Richmond are missing the opportunity to be a part of what could be one of the greatest cities in the country. Richmond should stop apologizing for its past and rejoice in its proud history and positive connection to this country's recognition of the importance of individual freedom, unity and strength of the union. Its people across the metro area should stop thinking of Richmond as a city of suburbs with an old outdated and impossible to fix downtown, that is ok to ignore. It can never reach its potential that way and their lives will never be as rich as they could be. Richmond needs to make big changes indicative of big thinking. Richmond is a city that has helped shape America.
S.G.
That was spot on!!!! People on this site are not going to agree with you, primarily because they haven't been anywhere else. I am here to say you know what you are talking about......100%. Downtown is a disaster, and it may take one to fix it.
That was spot on!!!! People on this site are not going to agree with you, primarily because they haven't been anywhere else. I am here to say you know what you are talking about......100%. Downtown is a disaster, and it may take one to fix it.
It was not spot on. It was a load of horsepucky.
Has anyone posting here even been Downtown? I live in the Fan.
I go there all the time. Its far from slums that everyone here keeps talking about.
Try walking around Capital Square some time or Shockoe Slip. Those areas are really pristine and nice looking !
Has anyone posting here even been Downtown? I live in the Fan.
I go there all the time. Its far from slums that everyone here keeps talking about.
Try walking around Capital Square some time or Shockoe Slip. Those areas are really pristine and nice looking !
I am in downtown everyday, I live in the fan, and this area is in need of some help! Maybe one day they will stop converting everything from old warehouses and even churches to condos, and start to show some newness for a change. I know you all will dislike this but...Richmond could take some lessons from Charlotte. Just came back from there this weekend, what a clean, beautiful Uptown Area, and a bunch of new buildings all over the city. Richmond city council needs to plan a field trip there and take notes. Alot of them!
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An original son of Richmond
Maybe one day they will stop converting everything from old warehouses and even churches to condos, and start to show some newness for a change. I know you all will dislike this but...Richmond could take some lessons from Charlotte. Just came back from there this weekend, what a clean, beautiful Uptown Area, and a bunch of new buildings all over the city. Richmond city council needs to plan a field trip there and take notes. Alot of them! 
