Good advice re: Richmond
Here's a testimonial for Richmond and for great advice received from Fodorites about 15 months ago!
I used this site to gain insight on neighborhoods, went by it, and I am a happy resident of Midlothian. I live in a new development called The Grove
near Midlothian Turnpike and Woolridge
(that's next to the YMCA mentioned, btw). The opening of I-288 enables you to live south of the James River (west side) and be at Short Pump/West End areas in 10-20 minutes.
I'm from Orange Co/CA, transferred to Atlanta, now here. I'm here to say, the people in general are the most polite, friendly souls I've ever encountered. My Chicagoan husband (who works in Hopewell - we had to be south of the river) has lived a dozen places, and he agrees. Crime is very low in this area, schools are top rated, traffic's a breeze compared to Atlanta. And a lot of bang for your real estate buck! Love it. Welcome to Richmond. Maybe we could have a VA gtg for Fodorites sometime soon....

I am a "born native" of the Greater Richmond Area. The suburbs are definitely much more pleasant for the family life. We live in Midlothian (zip code 23112, Woodlake, Hampton Park, Fox Croft area). Three of our four children attend Clover Hill Elementary School. I love the area and the neighborhood of Woodlake. I am a graduate of Chesterfield County Public Schools and Virginia Commonwealth University. I absolutely love Richmond, Virginia. I am afraid to say, the closer you reside to the county/city line, the worst your educational experience may be. The Monument District of the city is a fantastic place to live if you can afford private school for the children. Saint Gertrude and Saint Benedictine are only two of the many great private schools available. I love Richmond and cannot imagine raising a family anywhere else. Good luck to you!

Wow, I feel very lucky to have found this web site. My husband and I just got an offer to relocate to Richmond, and by reading all the postings, I feel much more confident about the move. We currently live in San Diego, CA and have 2 children. Our 5-year old goes to Kindergarten and our other daughter just turned 1. We are definitely going to look for a house in Midlothian, and girlonthego I will follow your advice to look in the Weaver/Robious areas. I have a few questions though: 1. Do you know a good, reliable and knowledgable real estate agent? Preferably someone that is very familiar with the Midlothian area. 2.We are considering renting for a few months until we find a house we truly like. Do you know of any apartment complexes or houses for rent? I looked on apartents.com and found the Hunter Chase Apartments locaated on Huntmaster Drive. Is it a safe place to be in? 3.How big a city is Midlothian? 4.Girlonthego, you mentioned Salisbury as being a great area. Is it a community, a city, or a street? Where on the internet can I find more info about this?
Anyway, I appreciate all the help possible. We are really looking forward to moving, especially to having seasons. We are kind of tired to spend the holidays in shorts and sandals! (and I am barely exagerating) We want to cuddle by the chemney and drink a hot chocolate while it's cold outside!! But most of all, I hear so many nice things about people in VA, that they are so nice and friendly, and this is definitely a plus!

I live in Wellington Farms, a subdivision in Chester (Chesterfield). The original areas that you mentioned...Chesdin Landing, Woodland Pond and the Highlands are excellent areas. I have lived in Chester for 15 years and grew up in Midlothian. The schools in this area are very good, especially Ecoff. I am a CCPS teacher. Come and check it out!

Saholy - Welcome to Richmond! We live in Hanover County and wanted to let you know what wonderful schools and neighborhoods we have here. Hanover (http://www.co.hanover.va.us/)is NE and NW of Richmond. It seems that most people who have responded to this post thus far either have lived or currently live on the Southside of Richmond. My husband works on the southside, but we have lived in Hanover for more than 10 years. It is not too bad of a commute for my husband. Our children are 8,6 and 1. They attend Hanover public schools and we have been very pleased with the results. There are also several wonderful neighborhoods up here (both new construction and resale). If you are looking for an agent in this area, I would recommend Patty and Tripp Hogg (www.trippandpatty.com). They live in Hanover and know the area intimately. Good luck and welcome to Virginia!

Saholy: I am glad I checked Fodors today! Yes I do know of a great realtor. Her name is Linda Moody (804-794-4531)office number, and she is with Napier Realtors in Midlothian. Her cell number is 804-937-5558.
I am biased to Midlothian because I have lived here for the last 8 years and have had a great experience. The zip code 23113 is the highest income per household in the entire Richmond area. (I got that from a magazine). It has grown greatly in the past 8 years. The schools are tops. Salisbury is a development(rather larger area). There is a country club if you want one. Their school system is Weaver Elementary, Midlothian Middle and Midlothian High School. These three are the best in the county. Robious Elementary, Robious Middle and James River High are also excellent. You can tell your realtor, you would like to see homes in the Robious Rd area. There are new and older homes in Salisbury/Rosemont developments. Most have an acre of land and sit back from the road. Here is a list of developments to look at: Salisbury, Rosemont(newer), Founders Bridge(new), Tarrington (new), Powderham, Roxshire, Walton Park, the Grove(newer). These all are in the area. Some go to Robious schools, and some go to Midlothian schools.
The people are very friendly here. The public schools are good. The Blue Ridge Mountains are about an hour and a half west. The ocean is an hour and a half east. Williamsburg is an hour east. If you have any questions, please call my friend Linda Moody. She has lived here for over 15 years. She is originally from NJ. Good luck!!

Sorry I did not read everything you wrote. I don't know where Hunter Chase Apts are. They could be really close. I am not familiar with apartments. Midlothian has three zip codes and is spread out. Salisbury is a neighborhood and if you go to realtor.com and type in 23113, it will say Salisbury in the listing. Homes in the area cost from low 300's to a million + depending on where and how big and how old. Prices have gone up quite a bit over the years. Are you coming to visit the area? If so, arrange to view the elementary schools to see what they are like. The public schools are large. Weaver has about 800 kids in K-5. My children go to Midlothian Middle and there are about 1500 in 6-8th grades. My kids are fine with the large enviroment. The classroom size average is 25. Some are smaller and some can be larger(in the middle schools). Go to Chesterfield County Schools and you can get test scores on the school. VA has a SOL or Standards of Learning tests that start in third grade. They make sure all the kids are at a certain level. The schools I gave you score the highest.
Good luck and let me know how it is going!

wingding5 and girlonthego - thank you for all the valuable information! Moving is a scary thing, and I am glad to have found you! Today my husband signed his offer, so now it is official, and the reality has hit me! I already called a real estate agent, Dianne Long, who is also with Napier Era. She seems very knowledgable about the area, and very nice too. She was telling me that Midlothian was voted 37th safest city in the US. My husband and I will take a trip to Richmond in early December in order to get familiar with the area, the schools and decide whether we want to rent or buy immediately. How do the newer homes compare to older ones? Are the newer ones usually well built? I looked on realtor.com, but it is hard to fully appreciate the homes. The pictures are either too dark or I don't know what they look like inside. Or, they look beautiful outside, but what were they thinking on the inside!
Well that's it for tonight, and thank you again for all your help.

By the way, I called Bettie Weaver and Robious Elementary, and there are no apartment complexes in their areas... too bad! Is Watkins a good school?

There is a an apartment complex in the Robious elementary district. I have to drive by it to see the name of it. I think they are townhomes. Maybe they aren't rented.
No, there are no apartment complexes for Weaver. Maybe Dianne Long can find you a house to rent. Dianne Long has a good reputation.
The older homes have larger lots. Some have been remolded and are very nice. They are mostly colonials and are quite a good size.
I need to go cook the turkey. I will try to write again this weekend.

This may sound like an odd suggestion, but if you are interested in finding out what the residents of a specific area of Richmond are like, go to one of the local Ukrop's grocery stores, buy a cup of coffee or a coke (most have a small cafe area), sit and do a little people watching. The early morning will show you the retirees, the afternoon will show you the soccer moms, and post 5 o'clock will show you the professional residents of that area. It's also very easy to strike up a conversation with strangers (Ukrop's is like a second home to some) and if you let them know you are interested in the area, they will more than likely flood you with first hand info.

Woodlake looks like a beautiful area! I love the community feel, the lake and all the kid-firendly amenities. I am assuming that most elementary schools are great in Midlothian. Is Clover Hills a reputable one?
Anyway, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving

I've been in Richmond now for 6 months, and am glad we made the move. We bought a house in the city, and I'm so glad we made that decision.

Chesterfield is the least expensive area, but there also is a fair amount of traffic, at least for Richmond, and there just seem to be an awful lot of strip malls around. That's not to say there aren't any in the Far West End (Henrico County), but if we didn't live in the Near West End, I'd live in the Far West End.

We're close to what I've been told is the best elementary school in the city, Mary Munford, and about the same distance to several Catholic schools, which are only about $3,000 a year. Not sure how much the high schools are.

We can walk to shopping and non-chain restaurants and a small movie theatre. The big box stores and some malls are with a 15 minute drive.

There are a ton of things to do with children in Richmond. There are playgroups everywhere, Stroller Strides (an exercise group for moms with babies still in strollers--www.strollerstrides.com), About Town Moms (a company that does cultural tours of Richmond specifically aimed at parents and small children--www.abouttownmoms.com), one of the best children's museums in the country, a children's farm at Maymount Park, tons of playgrounds and parks, and just a lot of different events and such. We have too much to do, actually.

But we're going to be moving out of the area in the spring because of a job opportunity, so if anyone is looking for a beautiful house in the city of Richmond, please let me know! We picked this house to grow old in, and I hate to leave it so soon.

Mary Mumford is the best public elementary in the CITY, but you must go to private school from there. I agree that the area of the near west end is very nice. The Far West end (Henrico) has more traffic than any other area of Richmond. It is mega crowds!
Chesterfield has always been a better deal because you get more land for your money. That is changing as it is becoming just as pricey as anywhere else in Richmond. Like I said before, 23113 which is Midlothian has the highest income per household in the entire Richmond area. (This drives the West End nuts!)
Anyway, the area of Woodlake is nice, but the shopping around there is very crowded and busy. The schools are the most crowded in the county. Clover Hill High School is packed. They are building a brand new high school (Cosby High school) which will be ready in the fall of 2006. This will relieve this high school.

Sorry, I hit post before I was done. I am not particularly familiar with the schools around the county except for the ones nearby. The Clover Hill High School has the Math and Science Center in it and is therefore a very desirable high school. The area of Woodlake has all size homes. Some very large, and some smaller. The highway 360 is almost impossible on a Saturday because of shoppers. I guess traffic is growing everywhere around here. You really need to come here and spend a few days touring the area. I chose my area because it reminded me of the area I grew up in. I chose the best public school district and only looked at houses in that district. This narrowed down my choices. If you don't like Dianne Long, let me know, my best friend is a realtor and she is a go-getter!

One more thing, Chesterfield and the Far West end have all of the transferees. The near west end is mostly Richmond born and raised. Not to say that you would have no transferees in the near west end (I believe Ann41 is one of them), but it is more common in Chesterfield and Henrico counties. When I moved in, I found a lot of friends from all over the country. We all needed each other for emergency person at school to just needing friends. I grew up in NJ and when I lived there, I didn't need to leave my circle of friends and family that I grew up with. Moving out of state, you will need to make friends and you won't have Grandma to watch the kids. So, living in an area where you will need your neighbor and vice-versa is important.
That is all for me unless you have more questions!! Good luck!

Thank you girlonthego. We are going to rent for a few months so we can become familiar with the area and choose a home we really like. In any case, you convinced me about Midlothian, and many people live there, apparently! I will keep you updated. Take care.

While the people on my street are mostly native Richmonds, in the larger neighborhood, there are many transplants. Many, many young families.

And you don't have to go to private school from Munford. The junior high/middle school is also good, and while the local high school isn't, kids in the city have a lot of options. There is a good public magnet high school in the city, and kids can also go to any of the magnet high schools in the suburbs.

And prices have shot up so much in the suburbs, Chesterfield included, that it's about the same price to live in the city, close to everything. We drove out to a friend's house in Chesterfield over the weekend, and we were out in the middle of nowhere! Beautiful house in a really nice development, but for $450,000 in Richmond, I'd want to be near civilization.

Hello,

Thanks for all the local info. It has been really useful for us moving to the Richmond area.

We are looking to buy a house in the northern part of the Chesterfield county and high schools is a major criterion.

Looking at the CCPS website, James River High seems the most attractive. It is a (recent) Blue Ribbon school, it is built for 2000 students with enrolment of about 1800 (if I'm not mistaken), beautifully situated. Average SAT scores are significantly higher than the county average. It seems a no brainer to shoot for James River High. Is this correct? Is there anything I'm missing? Any "insider info" would be greatly appreciated!

Does it make sense to narrow the house search to JRH attendance area? Monacan doesn't seems that great. Isn't Midlothian really crowded? Their IB program seems to be really good, but for that you can live anywhere in the northern part of C Co.

For those who are moving to the area, having lived south of the river for 6 months now, I have to say that Chesterfield County is really nice if you like peace and quiet. Next to Chestrfld, Henrico seems crowded and is not very tidy-looking. There is lots of undeveloped forested areas around. I guess because of all the little creeks and bluffs, it is going to stay like that.

Thank you!

generic:
Welcome to the area!! James River is an excellent high school. Midlothian High is also excellent. I believe Midlo ranks higher than JR, but believe me JR is a very good school. You can't go wrong with either. The schools all have specialty programs. Midlo's IB is very difficult and I would not recommend it. I have friends whose children have gone through it only to say it was college in high school. Very high stress. James River has the Leadership Program, but it is not accredited by the state. My recommendation would be to pick one of the schools and take a college prep program. Both schools are competitive acedemically. Monacan is not rated as high. You will do better with the other two. Both Midlo and James River are crowded. I think every school in Chesterfield County is crowded!
Good luck in your search. You have chosen a very nice area to live in. If you need a good realtor, let me know. One of my best friends is one.
Good luck.

Well, we are officially moving to Richmond on February 4! We've decided to take it easy in our home search, and live in an apartment until the end of the school year. We'll be enrolling our daughter at Clover Hill Elementary. We can't wait to start our new life!

Saholy, Welcome and I hope like living here.
You are probably doing the right thing. We lucked out by moving into a great area with great schools. Good luck in your search!

saholy--good luck with your move. Hope you love Richmond like I do. It's a great place to raise a family.

Don't miss out on all the city has to offer. My husband and I realized the other day we hadn't been to a new restaurant in 5 months! So we hit Ribs, Rolls and Cheesecake on Broad Street near downtown. It was fabulous. Not the most beautiful place, but the food was fantastic.

There's also Carytown to explore, the Fan, the Museum District--the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is excellent (and stroller friendly), and I already mentioned the Children's Museum on Broad Street in an earlier post. Marymount Park is a great place to hang out with kids--lots of grounds to walk or play on, a Children's Farm, and a nature center.

I think I drove by Clover Hill Elementary today on my way to my daughter's preschool, so you're only about 20 minutes from the city.

What a great thread! I'm thinking of moving to Richmond, too, but my situation is different -- no kids, for one thing, which simplifies things. I'd be working at VCU (near Monroe Park) and would like to rent someplace for a year or so to get the lay of the land. Any ideas for affordable apartments or houses not far from that campus? The Fan looks nice -- I love to walk, enjoy nice little diners, shops, etc. -- but I wonder if it might be too noisy, or dicey at night. And by the way, how easy is it to get high-speed Internet access in Richmond? Many thanks for any help.

Cuttle

Hi Cuttle,
I am not single and so I do not know what areas are good and safe for singles. I do know the Fan is popular and has some cute restaurants. I can say they have had problems with cars being broken into. I am not sure about the safety of living alone there.

Yes we do have high speed internet access and most areas are served by Comcast. At least Chesterfield county is. I am sure the rest of the area is also. I believe DSL through Verizon is another option available in the area.

Hopefully, by me topping this thread, you will get more responses regarding the VCU area and the Fan.

Cuttle--We have broadband through the cable company, and we're about to go wireless with them. Verizon also has DSL, as I think someone else said.

Can't really help you with the Fan. With a relatively new baby, we haven't really spent much time there at night. Sorry.

But a friend rented a small house down the street from us (his house would be roughly 1.5 miles west of Carytown), 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, big yard, for $850 a month. I would assume that the Fan's more expensive.

What a great post for anyone moving to the Richmond area. It certainly has put my mind at ease. We are contemplating a move from Massachusetts to the Richmond area (husband’s job), but are wary because we enjoy Massachusetts so much. I’ve read through all the posts and it sounds like the Midlothian school district would be our top choice since we have children in elementary school. I’d like to get more information on the different neighborhoods in the Midlothian school district (Weaver elem., Midlothian middle and high). I know eventually a realtor would be answering our questions, but I’d like to get input from people who aren’t getting a commission:)
Our ideal neighborhood would be: “dog-loving, outdoor-enthusiast (cycling, tennis, walking, hiking), older homes with character, lots of trees, good community feel, good age mix of neighbors (grandma/grandpa types mixed in with families and young singles). A neighborhood where you don’t frequently rely on a car to get places would be great, but that may not be possible. The community or neighborhood is more important to us than the physical structure of a house. We have lived all over the US prior to having school-age children, and that makes this move a much more difficult decision. Our children are also fairly shy, so I’m very nervous about pulling them out of their comfort zone. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Kathysa:
Welcome to Richmond. I think you would be very happy moving to Salisbury. It is a large development in the school district you want.(Weaver Midlo, Midlo). It has mostly older homes and some new ones. It has a vast majority of ages. It has a country club if you are interested. It has trees and some rolling hills. Most lots are about an acre in size. Prices vary starting in the 300's to a million. You can't walk to stores although they are building a small shopping area in the middle. This is a very family friendly area. If you need a realtor, my best friend is one :) So, I will pass her name along if you want it. We moved here from NJ about 8 years ago. My oldest started Kindergarten and my youngest was in preschool. We have really liked it here. You won't get that much snow here. More ice. But when we get snow, be prepared for total shutdown! It is funny. A couple of inches closes all the schools. IT is fun for the kids though and everything generally melts quickly. Summers are humid. That was a big adjustment for me. It gets hot. Fall is the best season here because it lasts the longest. We have fall till Christmas and then it gets cold. Spring is pretty and there are many garden clubs if you like that. This area is steeped in history. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks. I've been checking out homes on realtor.com to get an idea of what's around, so I'll look at the Salisbury area. I'd be glad to have your friend's name since at some point, if we decide to proceed, we'll need a good realtor. I am nervous about moving the kids. Thanks for the advice and help.

Her name is Linda Moody and she is with Napier Realtors. Her number is office:804-794-4531 or cell 804 937-5558.
If you are looking in realtor.com look for zip code 23113. You can subscribe to Homes and Land. In the magzine, look for area 64. Good luck and feel free to ask questions.

Thanks for the info. Is Homes and Land a local magazine? I was thinking of ordering a local paper for a few weeks to get a feel for the area. I think the paper I saw online is the Richmond Times, but am not sure.

Hi Kathy,
First Linda's email is [email protected], she also has a website www.lindmoodyhomes.com
If you want, you can post your email and I can give it to her or you can email her and give her your info and she can send you stuff on the area.
Richmond Times is a local paper. Homes and Land is something I think you can order for areas all over the country. If you contact Linda and give her your price range and school district, she can send you all that's for sale so you can get an idea what's out there. Richmond is a small city with a lot of history, but it is small. You can't compare it with Boston. It is not even close. The suburb of Midlothian is very nice. It is still a small town area but growing rapidly. The schools are big and overcrowded, but the area just took out a huge bond to build new schools. My kids went to Bettie Weaver school. It is big, but it never felt that way. They both did very well there and liked school. It is a high achieving public school and ranked in the top 5 in the state when we were there.
Good luck!

Thanks for all the information. I've written everything down, but it may be another 2 months before we make a decision. We definitely like the small-town feel, but like the proximity to a larger city (DC). Midlothian sounds very much like the town we're in, and again, it's the schools I'm most nervous about. You've put my mind at ease. I also found the homes and land website, which is helpful.
Thanks.

We bought our house! Yeah! After looking for a few months, I started getting worried that I wouldn't find the house/neighborhood of my dreams. We looked on the West End, but I didn't like the fact that most new neighborhoods don't have trees. I think that if you want to live in Richmond, you have to have trees. They are beautiful, and now that it is spring, they are blossoming and it is gorgeous. Finally, we went to Riverton, which is in the Bettie Weaver Elementary School district (in Salisbury), and fell in love with it. The area is gorgeous, there is a great park at walking distance, it is extremely family oriented, and there are beautiful trees! Thank you girlonthego for all your insightful messages, you are the one who pushed me to look in that area. Kathysa, I also recently moved from San Diego with my family (I have 2 young daughters), and the move went really well. The children have the capacity to adapt pretty quickly to their new environment. My neighbor was telling me that Richmond is a wonderful city to raise children, and I definitely agree. Good luck with everything.

Hey Riverton is great!! We went to Bettie Weaver and I am sure your kids love it! It is a big school, but it never felt that way.
Congrats! and welcome to the area!

saholy, welcome to Richmond, as I'm moving away! It is a great place for kids.

Although I've lived here for almost a year, I haven't heard of Riverton. Maybe it's near here, as we actually have far too many trees in our neighborhood (too many pine needles and falling branches during storms).

We are moving to the West End/Short Pump area in mid-July. I'd really appreciate any preschool recommendations that anyone has. Thanks so much!

Dear gprice,

All Saints Episcopal Preschool is a very nice one. It's located on River Rd/Parham Rd. Google them for more info.


Dear Kathysa,

Just to let you know, at least in my opinion, you will not find a "good community feel" in Chesterfield County neighborhoods. Having lived here for a year now, this area is more of a bedroom community. Big houses, trees, yes. But people actually walking around and doing something as a community, it'd be very hard to find. People seem here to be working long hours and not having time for anything else. Or if they do they must be watching tv or spending time at the mall, or I don't know what, but the neighborhood community feeling does not really exist.

I've been told that the West End is a little better. Somehow, when you talk to a West Ender about the South Side (Chesterfield), they will just nod and say "Well, you know how it is..."

generic:
Did you buy a house yet? Some communities are keep to themselves type of areas. You must join something to get to know people. Especially with high school age kids. I am sorry you feel the area unfriendly. I guess it depends where you land. My neighborhood is keep to themselves. It is quiet and has been since we moved in. But, when we moved here our kids were preschool and kindergarten. I met lots of moms that way. My friends are scattered around in nearby neighborhoods and we don't live in the same subdivisions.The schools are large and so your kids friends will live some miles away. I have found that now that we are in middle school. I have always found that the near west end is for the Richmonders. Not as true today as when we moved in. The far west end is just like Chesterfield only busier. There are more stores and neighborhoods have less land per home.
I hope you find your community feel.

Dear girlonthego,

Your experience seems similar to mine. Kathysa mentioned "the community feel" as something that was important to her in making her location decision. All I wanted was to share with her that this is going to be hard to find around here. We moved here from MN and there is something different about how people interact here and there. I talked to a fellow from Alabama not long ago and he said that this was not "a Southern thing." According to him, the down South is very open and friendly. It is only the upper South (VA, NC, especially Northern VA) that is like that. I guess in MN the harsh winters unite. Once you've been through a few April blizzards, you are a Minnesotan. Here, to become a Virginian, you have to grow up here. Just sharing some thoughts...