Anonymous wrote:The negatives are all subjective and I mean no disrespect to anyone from the area. These are my observations:
The majority of people who live here were born and raised here, went to a VA state college and moved back - same as their parents. I think that breeds a limited world view. There are a lot of older people (65 and up) who are very southern. They seem to be adapting to the influx of people from the North and West Coast, and they are very friendly, but you can't help but notice the stark differences.
There is big class divide. We live in an affluent area and it took me some time to find "real" people. Also, if you move to a suburb you have to actively seek out the rich cultural experiences that are the norm in a city like DC or SF.
There are a few good restaurants and an emerging culinary scene, but I have been largely unimpressed with the restaurants. You'll find every chain restaurant but no Thai food, mediocre Vietnamese, and Mexican food is joke. I wouldn't touch the sushi. Korean and Middle Eastern food are rare. Indian cuisine is here but not in abundance. The thing that surprises me is that some places will have 4-5 stars on yelp and then you eat there and its terrible. Regional cuisine seems to be the best bet.
Richmond is very conservative, especially coming from DC - which I thought was really conservative when I came from NYC. I don't feel like there is blatant intolerance, but this is not a "PC" place. Boys are boys and girls are girls. Parenting seems to be geared toward perpetuating gender norms. Boys are expected to be rowdy, throw things and play football. Girls should like pink and princesses and not want to play with boys "because they're too rough". It's been a shock for me and my very young daughter who is used to playing with boys and girls. I would say this is the biggest negative.
As a side note: We received a "how to stay safe with guns in the house" comic book at the local library during a children's workshop. Small things like this crop up where I say out loud, where the hell am I living?
All that being said, it is a very nice life. We have a beautiful home with low taxes in a great public school zone with extra money for all the enrichment activities we'd ever want our child to experience. We could never afford this in the NYC or DC area. We've been welcomed in the warmest ways despite my preconceived notions about being a non-white northern family living in South. We are healthier b/c there is more time to workout since there is no traffic and gym memberships are so inexpensive. I'd recommend Richmond to anyone who has an open mind and can see themselves slowing down in a small southern town. I've heard from a few people that the Richmond area is changing fast. I suspect in 5-7 years it will get younger and more diverse.
I'm the Richmond native from 9/26. I'm assuming, based on what this PP wrote, that she's located in the northern/western suburbs (Hanover County, Henrico County's West End/Short Pump areas are great options). Her description sounds pretty accurate to my recent experiences (although, I certainly wasn't raised to be a "pink princess" sort of girl). The dynamic down there has changed quite a bit over the years, and that's part of the reason I would consider moving back, if DH and I ever needed to make that decision.
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