Chesterfield/Henrico Area for Retirement? (Richmond, Charlottesville: apartment, townhomes, live)

[macalan]

Have heard good things about this area, mostly from people with kids though. So wondering who it would be for retirement.

1) Are there any good hospitals in the area for emergency situations? How far is the nearest major hospital (for serious things like cancer, heart problems, etc.)? I guess is a really serious situation Charlottesville would be the best bet? How far is that (driving time)?

2) Is there a good 24hr Vet in the area? We'd want to be no more than 30 min drive away. Is the area generally "dog-friendly" (natural dog food stores, good vets, etc.)? We're spoiled here. There's a great 24 ER Vet 15 min from us. They saved our dog - great surgeon, neurologist, hyperbaric chamber, etc.

3) Are there any developments that have smaller (1,500 sf), single story homes or townhomes that have main floor bedroom with a garage possibly (that's a wish, not a necessity)? We'd also consider a nice upscale apartment community with lots of amenities (pool, fitness center, etc.) near shopping. We're partial to developments with sidewalks for walking our dog.

4) Is the area mostly families, or do people retire to this area also?

We'd be looking for an amenity-rich community, not necessarily a 55+ community, though we wouldn't rule that out. We love large master-planned communities with paved walking trails, a variety of housing, pool, tennis, fitness center. We'd love a community that has some retail mixed in but don't know how common that is in VA.

How are the services in the area, fire, police, EMS? Where we live now they are stretched thin and because it's county based it can be a LONG wait for help.

We'd like to be within a 20 min drive from shopping. Right now our frequented places are Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Walmart, Lowes/Home Depot, an independent natural dog store, Home Goods, Barnes and Noble, Talbots, CVS, LensCrafters, Costco, Marshalls. We're really not big shoppers, and don't really care about "high-end" shopping like Saks or Nordstrum. Some kind of department store nearby would be nice though for those things that only department stores seem to carry (perfume, underwear, coats, etc.). Right now we have Belk, and between that, Talbots and Marshalls, that works.

Other than that, our frequented spots include Planet Fitness, our local library, and a handful of good independent (non-chain) restaurants.

We'd also like to be within an hour's drive of Richmond to take advantage of what is there on occasion.

Can anyone mention a few towns/developments to check out? Thank you!

[VA Yankee]

Let me provide you some answers to your questions:

Chesterfield & Henrico are two complete and different counties my answers are going to be based on the West End of Henrico.

1) Forget Charlottesville they come here, I have 4 hospitals within 20 minutes to me (VCU, St Marys, and 2 Henrico Doctors). VCU is the largest and has both cardiac and cancer centers along with every other specialty that you can think of. St Mary's is also full service and highly regarded in the region. Henrico Doctor's are good Hospitals with one of them being a top Orthopedic Hospital in the region.

2) We have a 24 hour vet should and unforseen emergency come up, in fact there are 3 depending where you are.

3) All housing models being build with plenty of Town House Communities mixed in just go online and look. We also have
55+ communities such as Crossridge which has multiple housing options.

4) Shopping is the last thing you will be short of we have every store you mentioned and then some. We have Costco,
Sam's Club and BJ's for your bulk shopping pleasure as well as Lowes and Home Depot. Multiple gyms including
Planet Fitness, Crunch, ACAC, Golds and American Family Fitness.

Were a developed county although there are still large rural tracks in the east end, look online at Henrico.us for county information. You can also look at Google maps to see all the shopping and stores in Henrico's West End.

Good Luck

[joe5]

Originally Posted by macalan

Have heard good things about this area, mostly from people with kids though. So wondering who it would be for retirement.

First off there is no such thing as "the Henrico area." Look at it on a map and you'll see why. It's spread out over a considerable area, includes areas which are significantly different from each other.

1) Are there any good hospitals in the area for emergency situations? How far is the nearest major hospital (for serious things like cancer, heart problems, etc.)? I guess is a really serious situation Charlottesville would be the best bet? How far is that (driving time)?

Look up Richmond to Charlottesville on a map for your answer. No, it wouldn't be a best bet for a serious situation. St Marys is generally good (except for hospice, which is horrific).

2) Is there a good 24hr Vet in the area?

I can't speak to all the specific vets, but as for emergency centers, absolutely and positively NOT. I would esp avoid Dogwood.

3) Can't speak to this.

4) Is the area mostly families, or do people retire to this area also?

"Yes." It's not overtly one or the other.