Ping: FOFC Richmond VA Contingent, KC Group, and Cross Country Movers

[sterlingice]

Is there a Richmond, VA contingent?

It looks like I'll be moving from Lawrence, KS to Richmond, VA here at the end of August. I guess the question is- what do I need to know about the area, in general, for living there?

I'm a little scared about the whole "South" thing since I hail from good ol' Texas and have spent the last 11 years in Kansas which is the nice, pleasant midwest. So anyone wanting to reassure me on moving to the south is welcome

More specific, my wife and I are flying out there in a couple of weekends to go apartment hunting. We're at the point in our life that we were looking to get a house but moving across the country to an unfamiliar place has put that on hold and we're looking to snag a 3 bedroom apartment/house/whatever for a year or so. She's taking her job with her and working from home so having extra space for that is a must. Since she's working from home, we're looking to live up where I will be working which is the northwest side of the city to minimize my commute. Are there parts of town we should avoid? Or parts to recommend, even a particular complex or five we should check out?

Moving

Then comes the fun part. The moving part. We've never done the cross country move. I've lived in the same college-level apartment for 8 years now. It's small, cramped, and filled to the brim with stuff. I've been trying to get rid of anything I can part with but we're still going to have a lot of boxes of books, pictures, media, etc, even if we move no furniture.

We're not rich by any stretch so we need to be economical about this. We're toying with decisions like "Is it worth it to get the extra space to move an oldish and ugly but in good shape sofa and loveseat or is it cheaper to buy a new one with the limited funds we have"? We're getting a new bed for sure but that's because we sleep on a futon now. But is it worth it to bring the futon since we'll probably have a spare bedroom that will need some sort of furniture like that. So there's the mentality we're sitting in. What are thoughts about moving furniture? Are we completely missing the bus or what first time traveling pitfalls might we be falling into?

Also, what about movers vs doing it ourself with something like UHaul? Has someone done it both ways and can point out the plusses and minuses of both?

Cars
Lastly, we have a fairly potential issue with cars. My wife and I both have personal vehicles which are paid off. Hers is a 5ish year old PT Cruiser with low miles while mine is a 2005 Corolla with very high miles. I had to use the Corolla for work and it went from around 20K miles when I bought it to 60K miles in less than a year. However, it's sat in a parking space, collecting maybe 100 miles since that. So, rather than being a 2 year old car with 60K miles, it's an almost 4 year old car with 60K miles and if I hold onto it another year, it will look like normal mileage (5/60). Problem- we're going to have to drive something to move all of our stuff. Also, I have a work vehicle (Ford Escape) that I have to take with me.

Now, everyone we talk to says "sell one of your cars" but I think that's because it's the easy answer rather than thinking things out. It's a much greater financial hit to sell that. Yes, it costs a couple hundred dollars to take a Corolla from Kansas to Richmond, but I'm going to get completely hosed if I try to sell it. Then again, I think I keep asking people who have cars that cost less than $5K or none at all whereas this cost $15K, blue books at $11K, and trades at $9K.

We have a friend who is willing to drive out there with us, provided we get him a plane ticket back to Kansas, since he wants to visit a friend out in Baltimore and Baltimore to KC on Southwest is only $100. But that still leaves 3 people, 4 vehicles, if we rent something to drive. Any thoughts?

SI

[NoMyths]

I'm in Richmond several times a year as I have several friends who teach at VCU and other schools up there. One significant concern is the amount of crime, especially in certain areas of the city. I'd look into the crime rates in your intended neck of the woods and plan accordingly in terms of personal and property security -- for example, a good friend of mine living in a not-bad part of town (still part of the Fan) was home when a crackhead burst into his downstairs neighbors' apartment and threatened them with a gun while he robbed them.

Coincidentally, I used to live near Lawrence as well, and it's a significantly more 'friendly' city than Richmond in my experience. However, there are many more cultural sites and aesthetic beauty -- Hollywood Cemetary is very neat, as is the Museum of the Confederacy. Belle Isle is a beautiful spot too (with a dark history, but that's now past). There are a lot of cultural events, and you'll be near enough to the Shenandoah Valley for trips if you like outdoor activities -- the SV is lovely, and you can hike parts of the Appalachian Trail.

So in terms of specific advice, check out apartments in the Fan in neighborhoods with lower crime rates than surrounding ones. You'll pay more, but the security is worth it. In terms of your vehicles, my friends tend to walk most everywhere they need to go, so check to see if you may be able to do so as well -- if you can, it would be great to get rid of a car (parking can be very congested in some areas).

[sterlingice]

In terms of where I will be, it looks like a much less densely populated part of the city. Were I'll be working is towards I-95 and some street named Parham Rd, up in the north central part of Richmond. A lot of the apartments we were looking at online were in the Glen Allen area as well as out north and west of the city since those are closest and reasonable for price and size.

SI

[wade moore]

I think there may be one regular poster in Richmond (can't remember who), but other than that I'm probably the closest you have.

I live about 40 miles east of Richmond. I don't know a TON about the area like I would if you were coming this way, but I do go there on occassion.

I can try to get some more specifics from you, but...

There are definitely areas of Richmond to avoid. Richmond around 5-15 years ago experienced a pretty heavy white-flight out of the city and even out of the suburbs in some ways.

So, there are definitely some bad parts of Richmond.

But in the last 5 years they've really started a renovation of the downtown and it has had a relatively positive side effect. Starting to get some quality places in the city and in turn a lot of nice suburban areas are cropping up. And, to your benefit, the cost of living is still relatively low compared to surrounding metro areas (Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads).

The Northwest area of Richmond has some of the nicest suburbs. I think you'd be well off looking down 64 west from the actual city itself. I don't know how far you're willing to be from your work (or where exactly your work will be), but you should be able to stay within 10-15 miles of the city itself and still do very well.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

In terms of where I will be, it looks like a much less densely populated part of the city. Were I'll be working is towards I-95 and some street named Parham Rd, up in the north central part of Richmond. A lot of the apartments we were looking at online were in the Glen Allen area as well as out north and west of the city since those are closest and reasonable for price and size.

SI

If you're looking at Glen Allen, etc then the stuff NM mentions doesn't necessarily apply. He is very much correct, but that's if you want to live in the city rather than the suburbs.

[NoMyths]

Originally Posted by wade moore

If you're looking at Glen Allen, etc then the stuff NM mentions doesn't necessarily apply. He is very much correct, but that's if you want to live in the city rather than the suburbs.

+1

Looks like you'll be farther out than the area I was mentioning, and demographically it looks like the house values are high enough that it should be more crime-resistant.

[wade moore]

Yeah... and, just to be fair, as far as cities go I think Richmond is a lesser known city that really does have a pretty dark side. Crime rate is quite high in certain areas and you should learn what areas they are so that you can stay away - but really generally you wouldn't have any reason to be in those areas.

[Toddzilla]

I was raised just south of Richmond in Midlothan and my mom still lives in Richmond. It's a pretty good place to live, but to be honest, doesn't have much going for it. Case in point, the Braves just pulled the Triple-A Richmond Braves out of town, so they're not even a minor league city anymore.

I think the crime peoblems have been overstated, as they were very very bad in the 80s, got somewhat better in the 90s, and isn't a Detroit or DC by any means. That said, there are places to should avoid as in any city.

As for the moving part, having done it a million times, here are my suggestions:

Furniture: Keep what makes you feel comfortable - you are going to want something familiar with you in your new place. However, it is also an opportunity to get new stuff to replace the items in your house you were thinking of doing so. Want a new couch or entertainment center? Leave the old ones behind and get something cool.

Moving: Hire a reputable company and *research them* to make sure they are legitimate and quality. Can't stress that enough. Also, get them to do all the work - moving your stuff out of the old place and into the new one. Hire the muscle and order them around.

Cars: This is 2008, you're going to need a car, period. If you have to drive to work, your wife will need a car, too. Don't be silly, walking to the grocery store gets old the 10 minutes after you start schlepping the groceries home.

And hey, you're only 90 minutes from DC, so if you ever make it up to northern Virginia, look me up.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

I was raised just south of Richmond in Midlothan and my mom still lives in Richmond. It's a pretty good place to live, but to be honest, doesn't have much going for it. Case in point, the Braves just pulled the Triple-A Richmond Braves out of town, so they're not even a minor league city anymore.

I think the crime peoblems have been overstated, as they were very very bad in the 80s, got somewhat better in the 90s, and isn't a Detroit or DC by any means. That said, there are places to should avoid as in any city.

Yeah - that's part of what I was trying to get at with the improvements in the last 5 years or so. But certainly there are still some very bad areas, but some nice ones as well.