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I think if you compare Foxhall or Wellesley to Wyndham, there's not a huge difference. Demographics are similar. There are more older neighborhoods south of Broad with more modest homes which keeps down the snobiness factor to some extent in those neighborhoods. IMO it won't matter much which side of Broad Street you live on if you're buying a $500,000 house.
Yes, I would agree with this, although Wellesley has quite a wide variety of home sizes (Foxhall not so much). There is definitely no magical dividing line at Broad, it's just that there is a wider variety of home age, size, and price south of Broad, which seems to lessen the competitive atmosphere a bit. Because of the wider variety of homes, the schools are not quite as homogenous in terms of socioeconomics. I agree that the more affluent neighborhoods likely have the same feel, and I would think that would be true whether in Henrico, Chesterfield, etc., though I don't know from personal experience.
I will start off by saying I'm not a mom but I do have a much younger brother that goes to a good school.
I'd say to look into the Glen Allen area near Staples Mill road. There are some nice houses there. I think the lots are smaller but they are really accessible areas that feed into good schools and have a great neighborhood mentality. I have friends that live in the area that love their neighborhood and are close with their neighbors. My in-laws neighborhood always has kids playing outside. My parents (Henrico near Hanover) neighborhood also has kids playing outside and they always have neighborhood parties.
Also, Hanover/Mechanicsville area is really growing. A friend of mine bought a house in Rutland and they love it. Very neighborhood oriented with kids playing outside and less expensive than other areas.
Yes, I would agree with this, although Wellesley has quite a wide variety of home sizes (Foxhall not so much). There is definitely no magical dividing line at Broad, it's just that there is a wider variety of home age, size, and price south of Broad, which seems to lessen the competitive atmosphere a bit. Because of the wider variety of homes, the schools are not quite as homogenous in terms of socioeconomics. I agree that the more affluent neighborhoods likely have the same feel, and I would think that would be true whether in Henrico, Chesterfield, etc., though I don't know from personal experience.
Wyndham and Twin Hickory are very similar to Wellesley in terms of having a very wide variety of housing. Other than these two neighborhoods, though, most of my side of Broad is new/big houses.
Sawyersmom's recommendation is a really good one. That's a nice part of Henrico with very good schools and a little less of a snob factor.
You are all fan-tas-tic! I have a long list of neighborhoods to start with, and even areas that I really haven't given much thought to, so THANK YOU! 450k would be MAX... We really, really do not want to spend more than that, and that would have to be as close to everything we want as it gets. That may sound a bit unrealistic, but this is a want move not a need move and we can give and take on things here and there to make it as good of a fit as we can find. We are moving from a big house that we absolutely do not need in a neighborhood that is all the things we do not want.
I do agree though that once you hit that 500k+ area, the chances of landing in the middle of snobsville get higher. We currently live in exactly that! Houses start in the 500k's, a whole lot of the development is older retired people who's children have moved out (which means less kids to play with), an insane HOA and to boot it's in a private golf club community that is a SHOW (members are only friendly with members, etc)!
Here are some other neighborhoods from a very random list I made prior to posting here if anyone knows about them:
Queensmill
Four Seasons
Walton Park
The Grove
Rosemont
Otterdale
Lenox Forest
The Woods at Summerford
And if you have favorite things to do with your family, I'd love to make a bucket list of things to do when we come house hunt. I guess I feel if we want to see how the locals live, we have to go where the locals go - groceries, malls, parks, movies, restaurants, etc. Our last trip down we hit Carytown Burgers which was so fun and great burgers. The food was good but I was so excited to have complete strangers say hi and tell us to have a great weekend when they passed on their way out. THAT's the kind of stuff I have really missed being here - nice people who don't mind holding a door, saying hello or waving to a stranger.
You are all fan-tas-tic! I have a long list of neighborhoods to start with, and even areas that I really haven't given much thought to, so THANK YOU! 450k would be MAX... We really, really do not want to spend more than that, and that would have to be as close to everything we want as it gets. That may sound a bit unrealistic, but this is a want move not a need move and we can give and take on things here and there to make it as good of a fit as we can find. We are moving from a big house that we absolutely do not need in a neighborhood that is all the things we do not want.
I do agree though that once you hit that 500k+ area, the chances of landing in the middle of snobsville get higher. We currently live in exactly that! Houses start in the 500k's, a whole lot of the development is older retired people who's children have moved out (which means less kids to play with), an insane HOA and to boot it's in a private golf club community that is a SHOW (members are only friendly with members, etc)!
Here are some other neighborhoods from a very random list I made prior to posting here if anyone knows about them:
Queensmill
Four Seasons
Walton Park
The Grove
Rosemont
Otterdale
Lenox Forest
The Woods at Summerford
And if you have favorite things to do with your family, I'd love to make a bucket list of things to do when we come house hunt. I guess I feel if we want to see how the locals live, we have to go where the locals go - groceries, malls, parks, movies, restaurants, etc. Our last trip down we hit Carytown Burgers which was so fun and great burgers. The food was good but I was so excited to have complete strangers say hi and tell us to have a great weekend when they passed on their way out. THAT's the kind of stuff I have really missed being here - nice people who don't mind holding a door, saying hello or waving to a stranger.
I would eliminate Rosemont based on your price point and what you're looking for. It's nice but not sure you will get what you want there.
We spent last weekend driving all over again, from Chesterfield to Short Pump, Powhatan to New Kent... a loft of miles to get a basic feel for the areas again! We liked Salisbury with the larger lot sizes and different houses. Tarrington was very nice but was too PUD for us with smaller lots. Brandy Oaks was also nice but we noticed that there are no sidewalks or street lights in a development which are a couple of those random things we would want if we jump back into a subdivision. We spent a lot of time in The Highlands which we actually loved until we noticed a huge hill with seagulls flying all around... Beautiful homes, 2 acre lots, fabulous community all backed up to a huge landfill. I'm guessing that in the peak of summer when the wind is just right that community can't smell great. WHY? Oh, it was so close!! And they're still building there... do people not care about that? Does it not bring their property values down? I look at that like backing to a huge power line... it's not going anywhere any time soon!
I almost died when we stayed the night up by Short Pump. Oh how I have missed a great mall that isn't an hours drive away! AND a Wegmans and Cabellas is going in!! I've read a lot about Glen Allen and the Welesly area. It sounds like Welesly has a tendency to be super competitive and quite snobby? As a lot of you have mentioned the schools are great out there for the most part and now this part of town is also on our radar. Obviously harder to find bigger lots for the money around there.
So all of this took us out to Goochland. Because we haven't found a neighborhood yet that gives us that OH this is it feeling (if that exists) what's the story with Goochland and Powhatan for that matter? We'd love to have the land, but the school info is really confusing. Most people in both areas go private? Are the public schools really that bad? Powhatan seems to be coming around and the newer elementary school seems to be doing well! The state SOL scores aren't terrible but are not Henrico or Chesterfield by a stretch. Is it just because there are so few schools to compare? Are they behind the times as far as equipment etc., because they are more rural? (No smartboards, etc.? - Not that that matters a ton, but just a random question) I don't necessarily believe test scores are the complete reflection of a school. I'm loving their student/teacher ratios.
I wouldn't mind a 20(ish) minute drive to Short Pump because I'm not a mall rat, but I would love to be close due to the fact that everything seems to be all in one place there! All in all we really do love the whole area. The "traffic" is such a breath of fresh air, there is so much around in a short drive, and many ways to get to everything!
I would add Roseland/Hallsey and maybe Summerlake to your list of areas to check out. Fairly close to shopping, especially the new Westchester Commons shopping area, great schools, neighborhood amenities, etc. They may not have the lot sizes you want, but I think you will find the community feel/kids playing outside and lack of snobbiness you are hoping to find.
I have a friend in Powhatan, and she really likes it there. Her daughter came up through the Powhatan schools and has done really well, with multiple college admissions offers, and is now thriving in college with a great GPA. They do have a slow growth policy and do not want a large retail presence, preferring to keep the rural feel. That is great for the most part, but it is a bit of a drive whenever my friend wants to "come to town" as she calls it. With the homes so spread out, though, there aren't too many kids just playing outside. My friend's daughter had plenty of friends through school, but she always had to drive her to someone's house, not so much just go outside and find a lot of kids to play with.
Last edited by rustynails; 02-27-2015 at 07:44 AM..
I would add Roseland/Hallsey and maybe Summerlake to your list of areas to check out. Fairly close to shopping, especially the new Westchester Commons shopping area, great schools, neighborhood amenities, etc. They may not have the lot sizes you want, but I think you will find the community feel/kids playing outside and lack of snobbiness you are hoping to find.
I have a friend in Powhatan, and she really likes it there. Her daughter came up through the Powhatan schools and has done really well, with multiple college admissions offers, and is now thriving in college with a great GPA. They do have a slow growth policy and do not want a large retail presence, preferring to keep the rural feel. That is great for the most part, but it is a bit of a drive whenever my friend wants to "come to town" as she calls it. With the homes so spread out, though, there aren't too many kids just playing outside. My friend's daughter had plenty of friends through school, but she always had to drive her to someone's house, not so much just go outside and find a lot of kids to play with.
Thank you, rustynails! Hallsley looks amazing! We will have to check it out, although it would be at the top of our price point. What a pretty development! Your friend's situation is exactly what we waffle between... sense of community, conveniences, amenities like a neighborhood pool, and friends for the kids to play with so close by or the space and privacy of being in a more rural area where they can do more outdoorsy stuff. Do you happen to live in Hallsley? After living in a development where you can't even plant a garden or have a bird feeder without HOA approval we are just gun shy on developments but I do think it would probably be the easiest way for our boys to meet new friends before school started!
Mechanicsville is not that far from anything (except south of the Richmond). North of the river you can get to Short Pump/West End within 20 minutes.
Thats really good to know, thank you delicateflowers! I will have to take a look!
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Last weekend
We liked Salisbury with the larger lot sizes and different houses. Tarrington was very nice but was too PUD for us with smaller lots. Brandy Oaks was also nice but we noticed that there are no sidewalks or street lights in a development which are a couple of those random things we would want if we jump back into a subdivision. We spent a lot of time in The Highlands which we actually loved until we noticed a huge hill with seagulls flying all around... Beautiful homes, 2 acre lots, fabulous community all backed up to a huge landfill. I'm guessing that in the peak of summer when the wind is just right that community can't smell great. WHY? Oh, it was so close!! And they're still building there... do people not care about that? Does it not bring their property values down? I look at that like backing to a huge power line... it's not going anywhere any time soon!
