Amazing... but can I raise farm animals in Richmond?? (Chester: low income, high crime)

[veganwriter]

(lol) I'm amazed at how much land you can buy INSIDE Richmond. (One to five acres seems like a lot of wonderful land to me.)

I'm a 58 year old boomer with dreams of raising some dogs, all my vegetables, some fruit trees, etc...

But with an acre or more, I'm wondering about the restrictions on chickens, turkeys ... even a pig and a few goats!

1.) Is it possible in some of the less restricted areas perhaps?

2.) Or would I have to buy in a rural area like Dinwiddie?

[ronyusa]

I am curious about the answers you get. I love farm animals and planning to buy my first house within a year. I might end up buying a small farm so I can raise some chickens/ducks and goats (and have my own shooting range in the backyard) if I can find one close enough to be within reasonable commute from my work Downtown.

[SparrowGirl]

Have you looked in Varina? All you do is drive 5-10 minutes east on Route 5 past Shockoe Bottom and it's a very rural feel. They are building a lot of homes there, but it seems like there is a good bit of acreage you could buy. And it is superclose to the city.

[richmondpics]

Do you mean inside the City Limits or inside the Richmond area (which would include Henrico, Hanover, and Chesterfield)?

[Charlesaf3]

You can get acreage inside the city limits, but it's tough, and you probably don't want to live there. Certainly you can get animal friendly acreage within a very short drive of the city easily - hanover, goochland, powhatan and Eastern henrico county (probably eastern and southern chesterfield too).

[veganwriter]

"You can get acreage inside the city limits, but it's tough, and you probably don't want to live there.

Yes ... I've seen some posted and I'm curious about the areas. The houses with acreage seem to be on the edge of ... someplace and the some of the homes look like they've been empty for a while. Others appear to be fixers that aren't in the best of shape.

So? May I ask you to be honest and candid about why people wouldn't want to live there? High crime? Drug areas? Taxes?

The thing I love about City-Data is it isn't about pulling one group of people down. It's about trading real and honest information.

[Charlesaf3]

perceived crime/low income areas. I can think of a couple of places that are actually fine, but the perception is there.

There are always tradeoffs. Desirable acreage in the city exists, but it is very very expensive by Richmond standards.

Flip side, acreage in the counties is incredibly close. Not urban, but not a hike either.

[veganwriter]

perceived crime/low income areas. I can think of a couple of places that are actually fine, but the perception is there.

Just that?
THANK YOU CHARLES. This is when the board is working well. Thank you for giving me a more honest reply.
That's fine with me. I don't give a hoot about "perception."
I'm black so it sounds like those areas are black too?

un ... not a problem. ((chuckle))
BUT ... I've seen YouTube videos of gangs in Richmond and I don't want to jump out of the fire and into the frying pan. As long as it's not across the street from a housing project and guns shots aren't being heard nightly and the area lacks home invasions, I'm fine.

If there's a bunch of low income people with land, and that's all, then I'm fine.
What concerns me is:

• Water (fresh or clean enough to be filtered)
  Soil (bad soil could take a long time to build up)
  Yearly Home taxes
  Zoning that allows me to raise my big dogs, a horse, and maybe some goats and chickens. (And maybe that pig too?)
  Internet Availability (I've heard that in areas like South Boston, it's hard to get internet connections)

Again, thanks Charles for your candor.

[jkang]

My understanding is that there are some places in the city where the soil has a lot of lead, that if you want to grow veggies there, it would be safer to use raised beds.

As for animals, I live in Henrico, and I have read that as long as you keep them 400' away from another property line, it is OK. Not sure about Richmond City...

[ronyusa]

What's the point of buying a farm so close to the city....aren't you trying to get AWAY from the city?

I have been looking at Powhatan and Goochland lately, especially about the prospect of buying a small farm. Does anyone know if you are allowed to have your own private shooting range in the backyard in Powhatan county if you have a large piece of land with enough space etc. to mitigage any safety concerns? Will be a while before I actually buy one but I am researching possibilities, thanks.