Washington, DC vs. Richmond, VA
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6/16/2007
My job relocated to Richmond, VA this past Jan. from Washington, DC so here is my take on both places.
I moved to Washington, DC in 2001 after living in Florida for the first 23 years of my life. DC is really expensive and the traffic is extremely bad. Georgetown, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, Penn Quarter, and Old Town Alexandria offers many great restaurants and nightlife options. The museums and history of DC is also a major plus. But, the expenses of living inside the city and in a nice neighborhood make it difficult for someone making under $100,000 a year. I started off living with roommates near the Petworth subway station; however, that area was very dangerous and there was a lot of crime. I then rented an English basement apartment near Dupont Circle for $2,300 a month and spent 80% of my monthly earnings on living expenses. Finding a parking space was always an issue too. The public schools in DC are really bad and the roads are bad. It is a transiant city and it was hard to find any true Washingtonian, though my husband is from DC. Overall, DC is an ok city, but there is too much traffic, too much crime, too expensive, too many bums, and nightlife gets borning after a while. It is not a good place to raise a family unless you live in the VA or MD suburbs.
Richmond, VA has been a welcomed surpise. It is about an hour and a half drive, south of DC, along I-95 and I-64. My husband and I love it here. There is no traffic, we now have a nice home in a beautiful neighborhood with a backyard and it is easy to find parking spaces. Homes are way more affordable than in DC. Crime does not seem to be an issue. It seems like a great place to raise our family. There are tons of restaurants and things to do in places like the Fan, Carytown, downtown, Shockoe, the Museum District, and Oregon Hill and also in nearby Chesterfield, and Henrico. Richmond seems to have more family and kid theme events than DC and RVA seems to have more outdoor things to do than in DC. The Richmond parks are way better than those in DC and the people here are way nicer than in DC. If you are looking for a small town feel in a big city, and a nice place to raise a family and have kids, Richmond is way better than DC.
Melissa | Arlington, VA