Richmond suburbs and Philly suburbs

[Anonymous]

We have the option of moving to Richmond or Philly for work. We prefer suburbs to city. Don’t know the areas at all. We are looking for good schools (especially good with a child who is in special Ed classes), sidewalks, community pools, liberal politics, low crime, and more affordable housing. Think Silver Spring as opposed to Bethesda if we were moving to a DC suburb. Where should we be looking near both Richmond and Philly? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I can’t speak with any specifics.

All I can say is that when we did college tours and looked at haverford,etc. that I very much liked the main line suburbs. Very nice housing stock.

I thought it looked like a great place to raise a family.

Unfortunately that is all I can add.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Which rolls off your tongue better: y’all or youse?

[Anonymous]

I lived in West Chester (which is farther out than what you’re likely looking for) and while there were aspects of it that I liked, it was not particularly walkable and the housing stock was hideous.

[Anonymous]

Richmond suburbs are likely to be less expensive, less crowded, and to contain w wider selection of relatively newer housing options. A short drive out of the suburbs are you're in countryside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which rolls off your tongue better: y’all or youse?

Haha. Definitely y’all but I also want liberal. So I don’t know whether the Richmond suburbs are out?

[Anonymous]

Richmond: cheaper, more conservative, more of a "growth" city, better outdoor things to do

Philly: pricier but less than dc/nyc/boston, more liberal, much more typical city things to do

Caveat: I lived in Philly for 6 years and would move back in a second if work made it possible. Check out the main line based on what you say you're looking for.
Been to Richmond several times and think it's a great place, but muuuuch smaller and feels a touch provincial compared with Philly--nothing wrong with that, just depends on what you're looking for.

[Anonymous]

Richmond’s northern suburbs are more likely to sway liberal- Henrico County has some nice neighborhoods. They also cost more. The southern suburbs are more of a toss up. Lots of more affordable new builds in Chesterfield that have a good mix of political leanings, but the county still has a large rural constituency. I know a not more about Midlothian/Chesterfield than I do the north side like Glen Allen. Friends and family who live down there are mostly liberal or moderate, but care more about escaping the rat race of DC than anything else. They are very happy there and say their quality of life overall is higher than when they lived here.

[Anonymous]

There are actually some nice, more suburban-like neighborhoods in the city of Richmond itself. My sister lives in Westover Hills right across the river from downtown / Carytown. They can easily walk/bike to tons of stuff, but their neighborhood is mostly SFHs (it actually has a similar to feel to some upper NW neighborhoods).

[Anonymous]

And obviously the city itself is quite liberal (on par with DC and the inner burbs)

[Anonymous]

Can’t speak to Richmond but Philly’s suburbs are full on limousine liberal—extremely unequal town-based school districts and little affordable housing.

[Anonymous]

Check out Philly suburbs in NJ: Haddonfield, Cherry Hill

[Anonymous]

Where are you from OP? If you’re more of a Northeast person (like MoCo or north) you’d probably like the Philly suburbs better. If you’re from VA and like a more Southern vibe you’d probably prefer Richmond. There are nice communities with liberal politics in both places but the overall feel will be different. I grew up about an hour from Philly, and Richmond suburbs would be too southern for me. My SIL and family have lived in Henrico County for years and some friends have moved to Chesterfield County so I’m pretty familiar with it. I feel like Philly suburbs and culture are more “my people” due to my upbringing. Richmond area will have more people from parts of the South as compared to Philly. One is not better or worse than the other, just different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which rolls off your tongue better: y’all or youse?

Haha. Definitely y’all but I also want liberal. So I don’t know whether the Richmond suburbs are out?

If you want liberal in RVA I recommend western Henrico. I’m from Richmond and my extended family still lives there. The further west more liberal.

As for Philly the Main Line area is great. But there are definitely hot pockets of red around Philly, so do your research if this is important to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are actually some nice, more suburban-like neighborhoods in the city of Richmond itself. My sister lives in Westover Hills right across the river from downtown / Carytown. They can easily walk/bike to tons of stuff, but their neighborhood is mostly SFHs (it actually has a similar to feel to some upper NW neighborhoods).

But the public schools are terrible.