Moving to Hanover County, have many questions... (Richmond, Mechanicsville: real estate, apartments)

[Mafrida]

Good Evening All!

My husband and I are moving to the Hanover county region. I got a job as a public school teacher in the Mechanicsville area. I am currently searching for a place to live. I know that we really don't want to live in Richmond. We're moving from Madison, Wisconsin and are looking for something a little slower paced. So far, the Mechanicsville and Ashland areas have been recommended to us. We are looking for: safe neighborhoods, reasonal traffic (nothing too overwhelming), some selection in grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Although I'll be working in Mechanicsville, my husband is in buisness and will probably find employment inside Richmond, so something within a 30 min communte would be nice.

Does anyone have any information regaurding Mechanicsville and/or Ashland? Does anyone know of any other areas?

Thank you for your advice!

Mafrida

[richmondpics]

You'll probably get more feedback in the Richmond forum as most people consider the areas you're looking in to be "Richmond" (broadly).

[VA Yankee]

Hello! Welcome to Hanover! The entire county only has 1 incorporated town and thats Ashland I would say it's similar in size to Marinnette Wi but without the bars. Ashland and Mechanicsville are just references to areas in the County. Roughly anything east of 95 is considered Mechanicsville. You will be able to find anything from sub-divisions to country acreage and still be under 30 minutes to downtown richmond. Depending on the school your assigned to is a good starting point where to look at.

Online realestate sites should be able to give you an idea of the available housing. Mechanicsville and old Mechanicsville are considered to be along Rt360, there you'll find all the familiar big box storess and chaings. Additional large shopping areas are near where I95/I295 meet for the Area. Ashland does have a walmart along with other shopping locals.

Depeneding on the school and your husbands job location you might find areas of Henrico's West End or Glenn Allan to meet your needs.

Hope this helps.

[Mafrida]

Thank you for you advice!

I am going to visit in a few weeks and will be staying in the Glen Allen area.

Now... my father-in-law is really family with Virginia, and he was trying to explain the tax system. I understand that there are county and city income taxes. If I lived in Ashland but worked in Mechanicsville, would I be double taxed? Does anyone know the different tax rates? It might make a huge difference on the area we choose.

What are the utilities like? For a 1000 square feet apartment here, my electric/gas bill has been from $60 (in extremely mild months) to $140... I think our average bill is $100. So far, we are looking at town houses and apartments in the 850-900 square foot range.

How dog friendly do you feel the area is? Are there any dog parks in nice neighborhoods? What about other dog facilities?

If I get a chance tonight, I'll post in the Richmond forum too. Thank you again!

[EricD]

He was probably trying to explain town and county real estate taxes.

The only income taxes I pay are federal and state...

A town is an incorporated ares within a rural county. A city however, is basically the same as a county, exept more dence of a population.

If you live in a city or a county, you have to pay the real estate taxes through your mortgage usually. If you live in a TOWN, which is within a county, then you must pay the county real estate taxes, in addition to the town's real estate taxes.

But for that extra tax, you get extra services. Generally better funded fire/rescue, more parks and town festivals, trash pickup, and generally more services than you'd have if you live outside of the town.

Every county/city/town has a different tax, and they range from the upper $0.40 per $100 in value, up to over $1.00 per $100 in value.

I hope that helps some.

[Mafrida]

Thank you again Eric D! Yeah...that helps. From the way he was talking, I was afraid that the taxes were going to break us financially. But abou 4% doesn't seem as bad as what we were orginally thinking it could be.

[fairandsquare]

I know this is a few years old, but I felt I had to comment for anyone who comes upon this thread in the future.

Mechanicsville is very, very different in every way from Madison. For one thing, Mechanicsville is extremely conservative politically. If you like the Madison lifestyle (vegetarian restaurants, outdoorsy activities, liberal politics) you will probably not be very happy in Mechanicsville.

Ashland has nifty big Victorian-style houses and the slow pace you're looking for, but it's very isolated from just about everything except the freeway. If you want to shop at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, you'll be driving a good 30 minutes. Ashland has a cute little "main street" area, but this is surrounded by strip malls with Pizza Hut, Subway, Domino's, etc.

For anyone moving from Madison and looking for a somewhat familiar environment, I would recommend the Bellevue area of Richmond. The Fan is another great neighborhood, especially if you plan on renting an apartment (it's expensive to buy something there). Both of those neighborhoods are in the city of Richmond, so you do have to deal with some traffic, street parking, etc. Some crime of course because it's the city. Neither of those neighborhoods is great for a family with kids (schools beyond elementary are iffy), but for a childless couple or single person they are nice.

However, if you don't particularly like Madison and are looking for something completely different, Mechanicsville would work. It's essentially a suburb full of subdivisions and protestant churches. Read the Mechanicsville Local online to see what the place is all about. The letters to the editor will give you a good idea of the religious and political climate in Hanover.

Originally Posted by Mafrida

Good Evening All!

My husband and I are moving to the Hanover county region. I got a job as a public school teacher in the Mechanicsville area. I am currently searching for a place to live. I know that we really don't want to live in Richmond. We're moving from Madison, Wisconsin and are looking for something a little slower paced. So far, the Mechanicsville and Ashland areas have been recommended to us. We are looking for: safe neighborhoods, reasonal traffic (nothing too overwhelming), some selection in grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Although I'll be working in Mechanicsville, my husband is in buisness and will probably find employment inside Richmond, so something within a 30 min communte would be nice.

Does anyone have any information regaurding Mechanicsville and/or Ashland? Does anyone know of any other areas?

Thank you for your advice!

Mafrida