possibly relocating to Richmond
 

My husband and I will most likely be moving to the Richmond area soon. We currently are in Minnesota. We've looked into the Highlands, Chesdin Landing, Woodland Pond developments. We love the homes and the locations, but when viewing the public school scores on-line...I'm not sure I like what I see. Can anyone give some info on all levels? We have children who would be attending elementary, middle and high school. Also any other helpful tips would be very welcomed! Thanks to all who can help!

I don't know a lot about the school situation, only second hand information from a couple friends who grew up there. Based on what they've told me the only "good" public schools in Richmond aren't in Richmond-they're out in the burbs. One friend came out unscathed, goes to a good college, will likely graduate Phi Beta Kappa, but she has some real horror stories. The other has taken a few years to get his life on track, but will do well in the end.

I live in Midlothian, a suburb of richmond. We have wonderful public schools here!!! Look at the Bettie Weaver Elementary school district, Midlothian Middle and Midlothian High School. These are top schools. James River High is also an excellent and newer school. The subdivisions you are talking about are not in the greatest districts. Ask a realtor to view homes in Salisbury, Rosemont for the Weaver-Midlo-Midlo track. Powderham,Charter Woods,Roxshire, Founders Bridge, Tarrington, River Downs, and Riverton for the Weaver or Robious Elementary, Robious Middle, James River High. All of these areas are located in the Robious Rd area. These are great schools and my kids are attending them. Please ask questions if you want. I came from NJ and blindly bought. We based our neighborhood on the SOL scores. You will find that these schools are the highest in the county. They are currently crowded, but very good schools. This area is also a very nice area to live in. You are close enough to everything, and yet it seems country like. We also have a wonderful grocery chain called Ukrops. They pack you, load you and bring it to your car. No tipping allowed. It is a very nice shopping experience.
The West end of Richmond is a more crowded area to live and is very much a Richmond native area. We live on Southside, but not as far south as you are looking. Ask away.

Anyone have anything else to add? My wife and I also are considering a relocation to Richmond from Northern Virginia. Although I love the housing prices down there, I'm still apprehensive. I'm definitely a Northerner, and my wife's from Ireland, so we're just wondering about the "southern" way of life.

We'll have a new baby, so good schools are important. But because housing is so cheap compared to the DC area, we're considering private schools.

Anyway, my wife's job would be on the southside of Richmond. Seems to be between Powhite Parkway and Chippenham Highway, south of Chippenham Medical Center. I want her to be able to get to and from the office within a maximum of 20 minutes.

So can anyone suggest a wonderland where my wife would have a great commute, there are great schools, and parks/trails, coffee shops/restaurants to walk to? I'll be a stay-at-home dad (another benefit of moving from a high cost area), so I don't want to be isolated.

We'd like to find something under $400k, but can go up to $600k for the right location/house.

My wife has been asking people at the office where she has the offer, but they've all been positive about EVERYTHING because they're really trying to convince her to take the job. We'd like to know the good and the bad so we can make an informed decision. No one there also seems to take seriously the fact that we want to be near things, and not just stuck out in the suburbs where you have to drive to EVERYTHING. So any help would get greatly appreciated.

I can't tell you about neighborhoods because I lived in town on Monument Avenue but as far as the climate, Richmond is one of those cities that is northern and very southern at the same time.

It will not be a big culture shock like a smaller southern city would be.

Do your research carefully, connemara. A survey came out yesterday of the safest and most dangerous cities in the country. Richmond was cited as the 9th most dangerous city.

Richmond city has some bad neighborhoods. I have lived here 7 years and have never been to those neighborhoods. Just like I lived twenty minutes to Newark all my life and never went there once. I would look in the Midlothian area. It is southside. Our public elementary school was ranked in the top five in the state. We have the highest SOL scores in the county. (State testing is the SOL) I would ask your realtor to show you homes in the Salisbury area. Homes range from about 300 to 1 million. The newer the home, the pricier. The older homes were built in the 70's and 80's. Ask for the Weaver Elementary/Midlothian Middle/Midlothian High district. Another good district would be Robious Elementary/Robious Middle/James River High. These are excellent public schools. It would also be a short commute for your wife. I live in this area and would highly recommend it. Richmond city has it's nice streets and it's not so nice streets. Just like DC. Any more questions? Please feel free to ask.

Just a couple of more things. There are excellent private schools also. The public schools are so good because most people attend public. There is great support for the public schools. The above posters are correct in be careful where you buy. (Do not buy in the city of Richmond.) Some neighborhoods to ask a realtor to show you are: Salisbury, Powderham, Glamorgan, Charter Woods, James River West. Some newer neighborhoods are Tarrington, Founders Bridge and Rosemont. They are located in the 23113 zip code if you want to check prices on Realtor.com. These are all nice, upscale neighborhoods with good schools. If you want restaurants and stores to walk to, you will have to live in the city area. I wouldn't buy there. (Very Richmondy-You would be a northerner coming from DC) Living in Midlothian, you will live with everyone from someplace else and some locals. We are from Jersey and feel at home. There is a neat part of town called Carytown which is artsy, with restaurants, shops. But I wouldn't live there. Hope this helps.

Connemara - If you tell us what part of Richmond you will be working in, it might be easier to help.

Rightted - as Girlonthego has mentioned, the Midlothian area would be a good area for your work location. But, since you are looking for a neighborhood where you can actually walk somewhere, you might want to consider the Fan or near West End area.

I'm putting my vote in for the West End. It's just north of the James River (the midlothian area that people are talking about is south of the river), and has some wonderful older neighborhoods and great schools.

If you like older houses, check out Westham -- it's just across the street from University of Richmond and is in one of the best school districts in the area (Tuckahoe Elm, Tuckahoe Middle, Freeman High). This area is also adjacent to the city, so it's convenient to downtown, but very safe.

Also in the far west end are some newer developments -- Wyndham and Twin Hickory are two to consider.

Well, I appear to be joining the crowd moving to Richmond.

My husband's office will be moving north of the city, but is currently SE of the city. We were thinking about the West End, and other areas NW of the city. Can anyone else expand on Amy's suggestions?

Amy's suggestion on the area near the University is great if you are a native Richmonder. That area is pretty and old,and very Richmond. The far west end Wyndam, etc is great for newer homes and for the out of towner. Midlothian has many new neighborhoods also. It has great schools and is a nice area. 288 is a highway that has joined the Midlothian area with the west end and you can be north of Richmond in 10 minutes. Look into the zip code 23113. This area has the highest rated school systems and the nicest homes. Welcome to the area! Both the west end and the midlothian area are the best areas to live. I am not sure where you are relocating from Ann. We came from the north and we feel right at home in Richmond. The area around the University would probably not accept the Yankee neighbor as well. Southerners can be very cordial, but it doesn't mean they want to be friends.

I grew up in Brandermill (a sub in Midlothian) and now live in the fan (what you would call downtown) I think that you should definitly go where your heart takes you, but I WOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES rule downtown (meaning the fan and surrounding areas) out. I know every inch of this city like the back of my hand, and though there is some crime in the city, you really have to seek out those areas. The fan is a magical place. Schools are not great, but if you can afford private you will be close to the best schools in the city. The culture within the city is fabulous. It is right on the river... great resturaunts, great people, great history. The homes are fabulous. Beautiful parks nearby.
As you can probably tell, I do not like the monotony of suburb living. It does have some pros, but nothing can compare to the fan area.
Westover Hills is right over the river and a great area too. Lots of families, beautiful homes... during the summer you see families gathering for cookouts and they close off the streets. All in front of the most gorgeous backdrop that the city affords. I have known several people that have grown up in the burbs and several that have grown up in the city. Everyone that grew up in the city appreciates and loves it... the majority from the burbs resented it and found the boringness of life comforted by the upper white crust past time of choice, drugs.
As far as traffic goes, there is no real traffic... not as compared to other areas. If you live in the city, you will never find traffic, because you will always be going against it.
I hope that this was helpful

Wow, all the Richmondites here. I guess I need to take up for the west end. But my response is really geared to the mentioning that Richmond is a dangerous city....Yes it gets that rating from danger in the "hood", but all these folks writing in here make good points about the suburbs, which do have very nice neighborhoods, I would stay away from the city, and concentrate on the Midlothian area and of course, the Short Pump area, Wyndham area, U of R area

I, too, live in the Midlothian area and have taught in Chesterfield County schools for 20+ years. Both of my kids are products of CCPS and we have been very pleased with their educations. girlonthego, small world ! :) All of these suggestions are great thus far. I will add my two cents worth.

The area's county public schools all would be a better choice than in the city IMHO. Hanover County is also an option for connemara. They are very a progressive school system and have a great reputation among educators. In Chesterfield we are all biased to certain areas. The Stonehenge, Smoketree, Ashley Woods areas feed into some very nice schools- W. W. Gordon, Midlo Middle. Gordon's test scores rank along with Weaver's, but please don't let that factor be the only one in the choice of the schools. If you could possibly visit a few of the elementary schools prior to your decision in order to get a feeling for the administration and/or the school itself, that would be helpful. In Chesterfield, the high schools also offer site-based specialty schools for kids who are inclined to pursue a particular area, i.e. the humanities, IB, leadership, etc. All 8th graders can apply. See the school system's website for more information on it.

The subdivisions you looked into all are very nice and I think feed into Gates Elementary and Chester Middle. Matoaca HS was built just last year and is beautiful with state of the art technology and classrooms.

Please don't base your opinion solely on scores- it is the child, parent, teacher triangle that will determine your kids' educational success no matter what school they are in! (I will get off my soap box now! :))

KandK'smom>another midlothian poster!!I agree with the area of Smoketree and Stonehenge as very nice also. Chesterfield county in general has great schools. I am more familiar with my elementary school. We moved here blindly and we picked our area to buy in based on school test scores. In NJ, we did not do this and bought a house in a terrible school district (didn't have kids then). I agree it is not all about test scores, but it will gear you towards a nice area in a town. If the scores are on the high side, you will have a good school district and therefore good neighborhoods. Some of my daughter's best buddies in middle school came from Gordon...Such a small world!

thanks to all who have posted great info. I know I wrote my 1st message months ago, but now it seems like things are quickly going into motion. I Will most likely be making another trip to look for houses. After my last trip, and doing lots of internet surfing, I am leaning towards Hampton Park. It seems to be very welcoming for kids of all ages. I have two 13 year olds and a 10 year old. The school reports and scores look very good. Did not really look at homes in the Midlothian area last time, but would like to put it on my list. Can you name developments that you know of that are vey family friendly? Some just seem so much more so than others, and if I can eliminate the bad ones, I would. SOme areas we looked at, we never saw any kids outside, no basketball hoops, no bikes. It was strange. I welcome all comments and thank those who have replied thus far. PS. My husband will be working closer to River's Bend than Hampton Park,,,, anyone up for debating the two?

Should Have mentioned that my husband prefers the feel and closeness to work of River's Bend. I prefer the family feeling of Hampton Park. We are already having our "debates" among the two. Insider info would definetly weigh in! THANKS!

topping for connemara :)>-

what does "Topping for " mean?

Topping means it brings it back up to the top 50.
I don't live in Hampton Park area, but there is a lot of traffic on Hull St. these days. There are lots of new stores and a great big movie theater there. I have seen Hampton Park, but I have never seen River's Bend.
Other neighborhoods that you may want to check out in that area is Woodlake, (schools are good there), Walton Park/Walton Lake. I have a friend there and she likes the community and the schools are good. Newer neighborhoods are the Grove, Charter Colony. These are also attached to some good school systems. I live more in the northern end of Midlothian and it seems that you are looking more south. It is a great area and growing like weeds!!! We are enjoying raising our family here. You may not see a ton of kids out when it is very hot and humid. (We found this). I would try and find a community that has a pool. This will be a great place for your kids to meet other kids in the neighborhood. I think Hampton Park has one of those. What is the school district for the Hampton Park development? Go to Chesterfield county schools and you can find out tons of info on the schools.

Thanx Girlonthego! I have done lots of homework on the schools, as far as, test scores go. I keep hearing about Midlothian. Where is that near exactly? Im getting familar with the southern suburbs, but not with Midlothian. Is that near the University of Richmond? The schools for Hampton Park are Spring Run, Swift Creek and Clover Hill. I'll have to look into Walton Park/lake. We looked at The Grove and that was one of the areas that I was not impressed with. Im sure people who live there like it, but it wasn't for me. I also see that lots of moms home school. Is that really popular there? Back to Midlothian. Are there lots of shopping areas there? That definetly is a draw for me since I don't want to have to drive forever to stores and Malls. I know the Hampton area offers much more of it than the River's Bend area. My husband works about 10 minutes from there, but is willing to drive a bit. Just read one of your previous postings and will check out the 23313 area on the real estate listings. Thanks for the info.

23113 is the zip! There are many nice neighborhoods,some new some old by me. New ones are Founders Bridge, Tarrington, and Rosemont. These are all pretty high priced. The homes are large. The homes in the Salisbury/Roxshire area are older,but very nice and have larger lots than the newer homes. These homes are about 25 years old. The majority of the children go to public school in my area. That is why the schools are very good. There are private schools around and we have several home-school families in my area. It is popular in VA if you are interested in that. But, the public schools have a great support system with many of the nicest neighborhoods, all sending the kids to public school. Mine go to public school. I can't remember what I wrote back awhile ago. I know I posted to you several months ago. So some of this I may be repeating myself. About the Hampton Park schools, I don't know the elementary very well. The middle school is good, and the high school has the Math and science center located in it. (Big draw for the school). The schools are very crowded all over the county with Clover hill High being one of the most crowded high schools. They just passed a bond referendum for 250 million dollars going towards schools, parks and roads, with the majority of it being spent on schools.)This will supposedly not raise taxes. I don't know how old your children are. If they are young, than you will get some of the benefits. If you move to the Hull St area, (Hampton Park area)than you will see more relief in the crowding. I believe that area is slated for a new highschool by 2010-12. The northern end of the county(where I live) will not see as much relief. By the time all of these things get built, my kids will be going off to college! So, the schools are crowded, but there is a high level of expectation from the students. The SOL or standards of learning tests are virginia state tests. They rank the schools. If you go the website for chesterfield county, you can get the scores for the different schools. Chesterfield has pretty good public schools. This area of Midlothian is located just south of the James River. North of the James and West of the city is called the West End. The near west end (closer to the city and the University of Richmond area)is very Richmond. You would be an outsider there. It is very old Richmond. The far west end has newer neighborhoods with more transferees. It is also more crowded and congested.
The Midlothian area has many transferees also and has stores and malls all within a few minutes drive. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask away. Hopefully I can help.

Sorry, I have just read back over my old posts and it seems that I have repeated myself numerous times. There are many nice areas. Look up all of the neighborhood names that I have given you. The schools that I have listed are probably on the top end. The neighborhood of Walton park (23114)has a variety of price ranges and a local pool. I hated the Grove also. I wasn't sure if you were just looking for new. There isn't a tree left in that neighborhood! Yuck. Anyway ask as many questions as you can, and hopefully I have heard of the place.

Once again thanks Girlonthego for the info. A few more questions if you don't mind. You mentioned about the math/science program at one of the high school. Do all high schools offer a specialty? Do you need to apply to go there? Do many kids take advantage of these programs, or do they mostly attend their neighborhood schools? If they choose to go out of their boundaries do they get to take a bus? I have two who will be in 8th grade next year, so HS is just around the corner. Also, regarding Salisbury, do you know if the development has a pool or golf course? If you have info that would be great! Im sure I'll think of more questions, but for now ..........that's all! Again, Thanks!

First, Salisbury has a country club that you can join with golf, tennis and pool. It is a very nice social club. We do not belong, but I have been to events there. This is a very nice community with most homes having an acre lot. The homes range in prices all over, but there is a probably a minimum of about 300,000. Don't trust me on that I am not a realtor!
All the high schools offer specialty centers. You can apply to go to any of them in the county. The programs are selective and there is a bus that will pick you up at a certain place for transportation. You may have to drive a mile or two for a central bus stop. The clover hill high has math and science. The midlothian high(which serves Salisbury) has the international baccalaurate(spell?)I hear this is a tough course. James River High has the leadership program. And Monocan High has a humanities program. There are other high schools, but these are the ones that I know. You can live anywhere in the county and apply, interview and take a test. These schools also offer the basic college prep for the rest of the community. There is a tech center high school somewhere in the county for the kids who probably know they won't go to college. There is also a Governors School which is for the gifted. You can take the test to get in. It serves all of Richmond area and is very selective taking so many from each county to fill the few seats. There may or may not be bussing for this.This school is located downtown. If any of your children are gifted, there is a school based gifted and a center based gifted for elementary and middle school ages. There is bussing for this closer to home. Salisbury and it's surrounding communities are very nice. There is no community pool in this neighborhood. This for the most part a neighborhood that was built in the 70's and 80's. The homes are mostly colonials and are very nice. The people are from all over and are pretty friendly. Ilive in the area so I can recommend it.
any more questions??

Thanks for the great info. I finally figured out exactly where Midlotian and Salsibury are today. Im thinking they are probably too far out from where my husband works, but will still check it out. Thank you so much for the school info. I appreciate your time and will let you know if I have anymore questions.

Your welcome. Your husband can get anywhere in Richmond in a few minutes. There is a new highway 288 that runs from the bottom of chesterfield county around the western part to the top and you cross the bridge and you are on the west end of town! If you live in Midlothian and he works the southern end that is really not that far.Good luck in your search and please post back as to where you pick!! I am dying to know!

We're now seriously considering living in the city. The thought of being marooned in the suburbs scares me to death. Most of the houses we're considering are in the Munford school area, which people now seem to think is good, after telling us that all of the Richmond city schools are horrific. Any thoughts? And even if there aren't any good city public schools, the private schools in Richmond don't seem to be that expensive.

Hi Ann and welcome to Richmond also! The Mary Mumford Elementary has a decent reputation, but I understand most than send their kids to private middle/high school. You are looking in the Windsor farms area near Carytown? The homes are older and very charming there. My daughter had her 6th grade cotillion in that neighborhood at the Tuckahoe Womans Club. Most of the people that locate there are from the Richmond area. Carytown is a cute area with some neat restaurants. Private schools are priced at all levels. Nearby is St. Catherine's an all girls private school. This is not a cheap one. There is also St. Christophers for boys. Collegiate has a great reputation. There is St. Bridget's catholic school till 8th grade.(That would be a cheaper private school). There are a bunch of private schools some are cheaper than others.Many are located near the area you are looking to move into. It is hard to jump in from the public schools at the 6th grade level. They only have a few slots for kids. You may want to jump in earlier. Like I said before, many of the people that live there are native Richmonders. They are not fond of outsiders especially new yorkers. There I said it! I have been struggling as to how to say it, but I think it is best to be blunt. There is a superficial friendliness that they will show you because southerners are always gracious, BUT they will most likely not be your friends. (This is just my observed opinion)Most out of towners move to the far west end or to the south side (midlothian). These are the places where everyone is from someplace else!

We to have just moved to the Richmond area as well and are building a house in Chesdin Landing (one of the developments you mention). This place is very nice and the people could not be nicer. My wife and I have not run into any false "niceness" that we know of but as they stated Chesdin is on the southside. St.Edwards is a great scholl and Bendectine (from my research) looks excellent.

We to have just moved to the Richmond area and are in the process of building a house in Chesdin Landing (one of the developments you mention). This place is very nicefor the money and the people could not be nicer. My wife and I have not run into any false "niceness" that we know of but as they stated Chesdin is on the southside. St.Edwards is a great scholl and Bendectine (from my research) looks excellent.

Thanks for the comments! It is so great to hear of all these "transferites" who are finding all the changes in their lives positive. This website has given me so much info (even though it's suppose to be for travel). My family has been through moves to other cities before, but we never had the chance to hear from people like this. Computers are a wonderful thing!

Thanks, girlonthego. The whole cotillion thing is freaking me out a bit. Do they hate people from Washington, DC, too?? Not just New Yorkers? :).

No Ann they do not hate Washington DC-ites! Nor do they hate Yankees, but there is a definite North/South thing with the true Richmonders. My daughter wasn't crazy about cotillion, but it is actually a very nice thing. I did this growing up in NJ on a much smaller scale! It is just ballroom dancing with some manners thrown in for good measure. The difference between doing it in NJ and here is the size of the group. My sixth grader had about 200 kids in her cotillion group. It is just assumed that they all do it in sixth grade. Most parents sign up the kids and thats that. My daughter loved going out afterwards for french fries and ice cream with all the girls. That being said, you will like Richmond. It is a small town and you can still get a nice house for your money. I would recommend the west end or southside for the best public schools. (I am partial to southside because that is where we are located!) If you don't mind paying for private, I think Collegiate has an excellent reputation and it goes till 12th grade. I believe they seperate the boys and girls in middle school too. (A good idea if you ask me!)
Have fun looking around and if you have any more questions, please post!

I moved down from the D.C. area 22 years ago, a job opportunity that I accepted reluctantly since I loved my hometown so.
To anyone: Do make the move - it's a great place to be. Great history (more often revolutionary than civil war), great restaurants, 2 hours to beach, mountains, or d.c. My husband likes to tell people it's D.C. of 25 or 30 years ago. So much to do, terrific seasons, far fewer hassles and lovely house values compared to bigger cities. WE live within the city limits altho south of the river, and we can be anywhere within about 22 minutes. Wonderful! My (small) firm hired 2 fellows 2 years ago, one couple from Minneapolis & Boston, one from Maryland. Both sets (one with children, one without) love it here, and have never felt "avoided" by old line Richmonders. If you look at the growth patterns of Chesterfield & Henrico and other counties, count up the number of large firms, you start to realize just how much the "from elsewhere" population is growing! I would say anyone'd only feel excluded if they tried to join one particular country club, or possibly by neighbors in just a few small neighborhoods.

I'd give a plug: don't avoid at least looking at homes in the various areas of the city, versus the counties. We love it here on several acres within Richmond, although we do use private school for our daughter (Collegiate has been a happy choice for us, but the possibilities for private schools are decently large and growing.) Also, while in Richmond the private school prices seem high, it's like housing: homes and private schools are so much higher elsewhere, transplants can feel they're getting a real break. Our daughter did Cotillion 6th grade thru 8th - dont' be put off by the name, it's just a great socializing kind of thing, a little bit of dancing, then off to a restaurant with (same sex) friends. it's been going on for decades, so just a lovely soft tradition.

I would say that I would personally go berserk living out as far as Woodlake (even Brandermill) and both have huge traffic issues. And Wyndham (please don't take offense) is just too cookie cutter, small yard, garage doors facing front to make me happy. Okay, that's offensive....but too true to erase. I think housing prices in the city are a bit penalized by the lack of good public schools all the way through, so if you can consider private schools, from our experience you save money on the house and really gain in proximity to all the wonderful spots in the center of town, while getting that "neighbors from everywhere" benefit.

my message would be: use a realtor who's willing to take the time to really explore multiple areas of this wonderfully historic city. (can you ask a realtor to tell you the percentage of homes they or their partners have sold in different areas???)

I moved from ND to the Norfolk area about 4 years ago. You will love the weather. But be warned, two snowflakes will shut down most of the city. It is actually pretty amusing. Good luck with your move.

Thanks to the previous posters! I keep checking to see if any new info has been posted. This whole relocation thing is taking so long. I am looking forward to bringing my kids out in a couple of weeks, and will definetly be putting all of your advice to use. Thanks again!

Jo Ann-thanks for all of the great info. We're really leaning toward living in the city, so your comments made me feel much better about that. If only all of the city houses had garages...