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It's an exciting time to live in RVA! 

 
Richmond, Va. is just the right size - not too large and not too small.  This page has information about Richmond's neighborhoods and real estate zones. There are also lists of many things to do here in Richmond, Va. which include the City, the towns of Ashland and Bon Air and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Powhatan, Goochland and Hanover. 

 

The variety of what you can do here in

Richmond, Va. is really amazing!

 

RVA is fun, lively, clever and just right for you!

 

Check out this page if you're looking for:

  • historic Richmond, Va. neighborhoods
  • things to do in Richmond, Va. plus the surrounding counties 
  • blogs about all things sizzling in Richmond, Va. 
  • volunteer options
  • the arts world in Richmond, Va. is very lively 
  • unusual factoids about Richmond, Va. 
  • the written word & news about Richmond, Va. 
  • "big picture" metro groups
  • our real estate zones and links to the public schools for the City and counties - here's the scoop about Richmond, Va. and where you'll enjoy living. We've got a huge variety of styles, ages and architectural gems here in this river city!
  • Things to do with your Kids. 
  • Frommer's voted us a top location to visit, so check us out!

Just to sum up how much we do have, checkout this youtube about Richmond, Va.! 

Come on home, we've got a great City!

 

We also have an amazing array of blogs about all things Richmond. Check them out.

 
 
Our historic neighborhoods offer a wide range of architectural styles that range from turn-of-the-century Victorians and rowhouses to mid-century moderns to new contemporaries.  Many of them have their own web sites - some of which are below.
We love to have fun! The river entertains so many of us. We have a rowing club and if you have more interest, you can check out kayaking on the James as well as throughout the state.   Our Farmer's Markets, festivals and events, museums, sports and restaurants and signature dishes are all great options around Richmond. RVA is a wealth of opportunities.
 
Check out our BLOG for info about what is going one in and around RVA. 
 
Want to know what's hot and happening? Check out Marc Cheatham's blog.
 
But life is more than fun & games & blogs. Business and technology have a strong presence here. Our schools, places of worship, volunteer opportunities, and natural landscape lend themselves to gaining a deep connection to the area and the inhabitants who call this river city home.
 
Here are my favorite ways engage in Arts, Museums, Music & your mind 
 

~ and here -  in no special order - are some interesting

facts, fancies and interesting information ~

  • Crime is down in the City. We are looking at the least # of murders in 25 years, assaults with guns are down 35% and other major crimes are down 13%. Our rate of solving who did it is up to 74% (before 2005 we averaged 45% - 50%). Hooray!
  •  The State gives a no sales tax day at the beginning of the school year
  • check out Weird Virginia - a book about all sorts of strange things
  • Richmond Magazine - by subscription and on the newstand, Style Weekly, and Richmond Free Press (all free), give a great view of what's hot, hip, controversial and just plain interesting about the Richmond area. VCU's on-line journal, Blackbird, is chock full of thoughtful insights. 
  • The Richmond Times Dispatch's website is great for up to the minute news.
  • Style Weekly's site is irreverant and timely - and the ads are great!  
  • We're a City in transition with loads of buildings and developers who have the City in various states of change. Check out what's going on at Richmond City Watch.
  • You can also get a view of what happening - development wise by going to Venture Richmond. They are in the know about groups, businesses and cultural events.
  • Richmond has a history of looking out for those who are down on their luck. We have many local groups and charities who are ready with a helping hand. Some of the better known are... Caritas, Cross Over Ministries, Boys and Girls Clubs of Richmond, ChildFund, SCAN, Habitat for Humanity, Comfort Zone camp, our food bank, legal help with cancer issues - LINC,  Breast Cancer support, medical support for the un-employed, Meals on Wheels and lodging for families while in medical crises.
  • First Fridays and Fourth Fridays get us out and into our quirky to classic art galleries. It's a great way to meet, greet see and be seen. 

 

Moving to Richmond

Here Are Our Neighborhoods and Zones 

Welcome to Richmond !  We're a great city and we have a huge variety of home styles with prices and ages ranging from being built in the late 1800’s to brand new suburban neighborhoods.

We do our real estate by zones.  I’ve listed some of our more popular zones below with some brief comments about the types of houses you’ll find.

  

Zones 10, 20, 30, 60 = The City of Richmond proper

Zone 10

The primary neighborhoods of this zone are The Fan and the Museum District.  They are characterized by turn-of-the century row houses. We have several others of the same vintage.  They include Churchill, Jackson Ward and Oregon Hill.  We also have several areas that are urban and beginning to wake up from decades of neglect and dis-interest. The term for this trend is "New Urbanism" and it's characterized by lofts and condos in new high-rises, renovated older mansions or warehouses.  The three districts that encompass this for Richmond are the Monroe Ward, the River District and our own little "Soho" - Manchester (which is across the river and the site of the colonial village of Manchester ).  All of city neighborhoods are undergoing extensive renovations and re-vitalization and you can spend on the low end in the low - $ 200,000 range for a very small home or shell, up to and over a 1.5 million for a wonderfully renovated mansion or penthouse condo.  In general, it is very difficult to find a home in good condition for under $ 300,000, and it's very easy to pay in the $ 450,000 - $ 850,000 range for nice homes and condos in premier locations.
  

Zones 30 and 60

 
We also have other older neighborhoods that will give you more of a yard.  They were built in the early 1900's to 1940's. The primary ones are Ginter Park and Bellevue – or Northside (zone 30 and north of the Fan) and Westover Hills, Stratford Hills and Woodland Heights (zone 60 and south of the river).  The architecture of these neighborhoods runs the gamat from 2 bedroom bungalows  and four-squares to post WWII ranchers and tri-levels to large mansions. The average price range begins in the lower $ 200,000s for a 2 bedroom bungalow to over $ 1,000,000 for a beautifully renovated or new home.  If you happen to find a home in Westover Hills or Stratford Hills that is by the river, you could well pay over that million dollar mark!
  
 

Zone 20

 
The other city zone that is very popular is zone 20.  We call it the “Near West End”.  Located here are post WWII capes up to wonderful mansions by the river.  Most homes were built in the 1940’s – 1960’s. The capes, well maintained, but not necessarily recently renovated begin in the high- $200,000 range.  As you move closer to the private schools located in this zone (St. Catherine's and St. Christopher's), the homes become more interesting in architecture, are more renovated and begin in the lower
$ 400,000s for a smaller home (around 1800 sf). There are also extrememly large and gracious homes with traditional as well as unique architectural features. You would be looking at a price range beginning in the lower  $ 500,000s for the smaller of these homes.

The Richmond Public School system has neighborhood schools.  In addition, they offer the following opportunities: 

  • Holton, Fox & Mary Munford Elementary schools and Henderson Middle are Choice Schools
  • Henderson & Binford Middle schools and John Marshall High offer the IB program
  • Thomas Jefferson (TJ) and Maggie Walker’s Governors School offer International Study
  • Open High School offers self-directed study in the community  
  • Richmond Community High School offers a diverse study environment 

 

In general, Richmond City , like other metropolitan areas around the country,  has undergone  an extensive renaissance. We have a massive amount of renovation and development. Just like many metro areas, we are developing loft condos and apartments, our post WWI apartment buildings are being renovated into condos and we are expanding our residential develop downtown with new and retro-fitted high rises. Our downtown area is continuing to undergo a massive infusion of cash and major development projects are either underway or being planned. 

 

Counties North of the James River

 
The counties that surround the city north of the river are Henrico (zones 22, 34), Hanover (zones 44, 36) and Goochland (24)– all north of the James River . 

Henrico [hen-rye-coh] is your fairly typical suburb with homes from the late 1950’s through brand new construction. It is one of our fastest growing suburban areas – especially zone 34.  Broad Street is the boundary between zone 22 (south of Broad) and zone 34 (north of Broad). Henrico is very popular and typifies the suburban cul-de-sac lifestyle that is found on the outer edges of most metropolitan areas in the US .  The commute to downtown would probably be about 30 - 40 minutes. You can check out the public school system in Henrico here.

Hanover is a mix of rural (several acre plots with 1950’s ranchers to large new mansions on large acreage) and suburban developments which are controlled in specific sections of the county (mainly to the North and North East of downtown).  The county has done a fairly good job of controlling it's growth and it is very popular for those who want a sense of openess and yet still have a fairly easy commute to the conveniences and jobs of downtown and the closer suburbs. Ashland , the closest town to our north, and home to Randolph-Macon College , is located in Hanover . It has an historic core of large late 1800's homes, a charming shopping district and then homes built primarily in the 1950's - 1980's.  It's about 20 minutes from downtown. Here's your link to Hanover's school system. 

  
  

South of the James River

 

Chesterfield (with zones 64, 62 and 54 being the most popular)

 

Chesterfield 's zone 64 is probably the most popular zone. It is bounded by the James River, Midlothian Turnpike and Richmond 's zone 60. The homes here run from post-WWII suburbs to new construction that is large and of executive quality.  It is a very popular place to live and, with the opening of our newest bridge on Rt. 288, getting across the river to western Henrico is very easy.  It is difficult to find a home for under $ 200,000 and in the popular neighborhoods of Salisbury and Tarrington, you can easily pay in the upper $ 600,000  and up for large homes that are filled with many upscale features.  Zone 62 is south of Midlothian Turnpike and has homes that are in a slightly lower price range than zone 64.  It also includes the popular planned communities of Woodlake and Brandermill and on the southern boundary (Hull Street Rd.) it is undergoing tremendous growth.  South of Hull is zone 54 which tends to have homes with larger acerage and more of a commute to shopping and jobs. That being said, everything you could want exists on Hull Street Rd. and getting there from most of zone 54 is no more than a 15 - 20 minute trip. And check out the school system here.

  
  

Exurbia

  
Goochland and Powhatan are rural with large acreage requirements and few suburbs.  Their new construction tends to be very large homes on 10 or more acres. A commute from the far reaches of Goochland (north of the river) and Powhatan (south of the river) to downtown could be up to an hour.  You would get between the two counties by going over our newest bridge on Rt. 288. 
  
Both Powhatan and Goochland are undergoing tremendous growth (at least on a % basis) and the pressure to be less rural is very real. So far, they are holding the line fairly well. The schools in Goochland and Powhatan can be looked at here.

Counties East of Richmond

  
This area of metropolitan Richmond has been bypassed for centuries. It encompasses the historic route 5 which takes you past our colonial plantations to Williamsburg .  The county and schools of Charles Cityand it's close cousin New Kent county and it's schools are closest to Richmond . 
  
As Downtown develops, more interest is being turned to our eastern boundary and the purchase of the Curles Neck Farm (over 5000 acres) will probably provide the push that is needed for development to really take off. 

 It's a great time to live in Richmond, Va.! We'd love to have you visit, but even more, we hope you'll come to live and enjoy us!

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