Richmond is Lovely City, Crime and Traffic are not
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6/15/2007
Look, I have lived here since graduating from college in 97 and I must say that Richmond is lovely and a terrific city. Since I have been here, almost 85% of all violent crime has happened in or near the public housing complexes within the city. There has not be a single act of violent crime in my neighborhood since I moved here, but there have been about seven total burglaries that I know of in my neighborhood, which can be expected in any city. If you look at the crime numbers this year to through June 15, 2007, citywide, violent crime is down 68% as compared to this time last year and crime overall is down 49%. Every city has its high crime pockets, but it seems as if Mayor Wilder has made many great strides at keeping his promise to reduce crime citywide.
The roads are not in horrible shape. Many of the roads in the historical areas of Richmond are paved with either stone or brick. There will never be changes to those roads. Also, traffic on 95 is not horrible. The only time it backs up is during a major accident or when there is road construction. If want to consider a 5 minute delay during rush hour horrible, then it is what it is. The construction on the 95 and 64 merge is not ridiculous, as stated, by another poster, they are making significant improvements to the road and merge.
People in Richmond are nice and my family and I have never ran into any problems. Overall Richmond is a lovely city, historic, and experiencing a boom and renaissance after years of crime and decay. New office towers and condos are being constructed downtown, Shockoe is becoming safer with improvements, renovations, and the construction of condos, lofts, and apartments in that area and it has become Richmond's fastest growing and a popular area for young professionals, college grads, and college students. Several large companies have relocated to the city and Richmond in a great location to other cities and it is easy to get to the airport, only minutes from downtown Richmond, and it is growing which I would say is a plus.
Jennifer | Washington, DC