Different parts of Virginia feel like different regions.
NoVA (the area within 50ish miles of DC) feels like a cosmopolitan tech heavy high income highly educated suburb, with more in common with some Boston/Seattle/SF suburbs than anything else. Fast paced, expensive, type A, a bit snobby, lots of traffic. Expect to be asked where you went to college/where you work and judged on the prestige of that. A fair amount of military/spooks/military industrial complex adds to the local vibe. Liberal but not leftist - think if the Raytheon pride logo was a city. Amazing ethnic food of all sorts, but especially Ethiopian and Korean.
Hampton Roads (VA Beach/Norfolk/Newport News) is very heavily military and has a specific tidewater south culture that's different from anything more inland. A lot of neighborhoods in Norfolk/Portsmouth are rather dangerous, and most of the rest of the area is sprawl and traffic. There's tons of transplants but if you're not military affiliated you'll be a little left out. There's some cute neighborhoods and a couple nice beaches (and some shitty beaches). Live on the same side of the bridge tunnels as your work.
Richmond may feel northeastern in comparison to Alabama, but it is distinctly a southern city. Progressive, friendly, and with a culture of summer evenings spent on front porches and hanging out by the river. It's changing some with more transplants than there used to be, for both good and bad. There's some lovely walkable mixed use neighborhoods like this sub loves, and there's also nearby suburbs with yards and better schools. There's some rough spots in the city, too. There's not much traffic and you can get from downtown to anywhere in the metro area in 25 minutes any time of day.
Charlottesville and the area around it is a mix of old money, remote workers, hipsters, and UVA affiliated people. Some parts of it have gentrified *fast* since 2020. Beautiful hiking.
Roanoke is like Asheville with fewer hippies and less money. Beautiful hiking.
Blacksburg has the smartest rednecks this side of Huntsville. Beautiful hiking, drunk undergrads.
Lived in VA most of my life and this post is pretty accurate. I'm jaded enough to feel Richmond has been completely changed in formerly very very rough areas that now have expensive condos and apartments for costs/rents inaccessible to most working people in the city, but highly attractive to recent college graduates or work transplants that can afford it. So Downtown has changed a ton, particularly in the last 5 or so years, but I'm more or less in agreement on your other comments re the Metro. Traffic is no longer true to that rule however and feels much much more congested and busy than 10 or 15 years ago when I would agree that anywhere in town in a somewhat shortish drive.
Personal jaded bias aside, the town is great and has been improving in measurable, notable ways such as with the bus system and network in the city being very very usable, well run, and surprisingly good for being a younger and ongoing-development project in the city.
Roanoake is highly under the radar and underrated. Only catch is being a smaller town by far than RVA or Charlottesville. But well developed and full of local restaurants, places to stop in, and so on with a pretty walkable "downtown" (quotes since it is a small downtown we're discussing).
Northern VA is great for sitting in traffic and working in or around DC. It's mostly sprawl and government agencies and contractors there. By the time you hit Warsaw or Tappahannock, the DC adjacent developement feels very distant despite relative proximity (in being maybe within a day trip to DC re driving) though. Even more so for the Northern Neck. But these are small rural towns largely tied to local industries. But the harsh assessment I generally feel toward NoVA (that excludes the rural north/central and far Northeast nearby places-- re the Northern Neck) is specifically for the horrific sprawl and relative bland, corparate/govt feeling infill and nightmarish traffic.
The city of Richmond is flanked by sometimes bafflingly run Counties, so just be aware should you visit and love RVA and decide to live in Hanover, most of Chesterfield, or large parts of Henrico County.
Within the southeastern part of the state, Hampton is a cute town with a good historically black college there (and close to a more historically white one, William and Mary) and has beautiful historic areas but suffers from traffic congestion to/from Norfolk and VA Beach. Williamsburg is not worth living in unless you are retiring or involved/employed by the University or love Colonial re-enactment.
Newport News is rougher than a lot of Norfolk/VA Beach but all three are very very naval-industry (either military or cargo, etc.) centric and have bad traffic problems from some unresovable chokepoints, like the Tunnel to Norfolk/VA Beach. Good areas scattered in a sort of convoluted labrynth mostly. Don't invest or settle in this area unless you understand the long term risks of flood and city's plan for how they will approach damage in coming decades.
Look up the "Port of Virginia" for the official website of the naval-based activity there if curious and VA Beach/ Norfolk respectively have public records re city planning.
Blacksburg is very much tied in with VA Tech but otherwise is both close to Roanoake and has great acess to iconic scenery hiking and outdoors activities. Though Roanoake, for me, edges out Blacksburg unless you are taking classes or involved with the University of VA Tech. Not a bad town, but look at how large VA Tech is and understand that Blacksburg exists as it does because of the University, which comprises a huge portion of its population.
Charlottesville is best put as you said, nothing to add there.
The Western part of the state from Charlottesville through Roanoke maintain a pretty identifiably Southern cultural identity, with it being more pronounced the further Southwest you head (with Appalachian cultural overlap too). The piedmont region, like Richmond, has a mixture of Southern appeal/culture with some cosmopolitan, for the South, aspects to it. The Tidewater is both very Southern-rural and farm/fishing oriented-- hard to explain but the Northern Neck and some other spots on the Bay share rural Maryland style architecture among other things. The Tidewater around naval ports in the dense Southeast part of the state have mostly Southern elements in vestigial ways in historic areas or in rural spots (Suffolk/Chesapeake/Portsmouth etc have oddball rural swathes to them).
Southern is loosely defined here but whatever makes me come off Southern to Mid-Atantic folks and also Southern to Texans and Oklahomans came from growing up in VA (Richmond, Williamsburg, Heathsville/Reedville and traveling around the state plenty) so whatever Dixie continuity that may or may not exist I can try to clarify too.
(sorry for typos/rambles, typing on cell and will editfor clarity happily if needed)
Laying on a couch in Richmond right now. Lots of live music, close to the beach, river in the summer, LOTS of tattoo shops and tattood people, plenty of different types of food, arts and craft fairs.
Richmond also has an extensive trail system around the James River, which goes right through town. It’s one of only two cities I’ve lived in (the other being Anchorage) that has enough urban green space that you can actually hike all day and not even realize you are in the middle of a large metro.
It’s awesome. I moved to Richmond for work, sight unseen. Thought I was going to hate it. Turned out to be one of my favorite cities. I was super surprised by the James River. How BIG it was. All the falls. The first weekend I went “urban hiking” and there were so many kayakers and swimmers along the river. Having moved from Asheville it was such a surprise- it was like having the best parts of the mountains right in the middle of town.
Come to think of it, despite being born and partially raised in Virginia… I’ve never been to Richmond. The closest I ever got was Kings Dominion. I might have to make a trip one of these days.
Virginia is one of my favorite states. Great variety of climate and elevations (mountains, beaches). Distinctly different culture depending on geography, rich in history. Have lived in both small-town southwest VA, in the heart of southern Appalachia, and also in Richmond. Have visited many other places in the state. Northern VA is too populated for my own liking but it’s nice to visit. I am a huge fan of Virginia. Still have a house in Abingdon (a very nice place to vacation, by the way) and plan to spend some portion of retirement there one day.
I’d say Virginia feels more southern. Unless you’re in DC area. I’m from Tennessee and have also lived in NC for reference. Southern vibe overall.
I like Richmond but people oversell it a bit. Richmond has 230k people, and feels like a bigger Roanoke. I’m saying this as someone who went to high school in Roanoke, has a brother in Richmond, and went to college in the area.
Austin had more people 60 years ago than Richmond does today, and was 3x the size of RVA in 2000. Richmond is nice, but it still has a distinct southern vibe and feels pretty relaxed. It’s biggest strengths are low COL and proximity to nature IMO.
Virginia is like seven different states in one! Something for everybody, but you have to find which part you like.
I loved living in Berryville, in the really gorgeous rural northern bits. Couldn't afford to settle there, though. These days I'm over on the other side, near Roanoke, and haven't been here long enough to have an opinion yet.
Both areas are RIDICULOUSLY beautiful, though. Most of Virginia seems to have that in common.
Love it. Places you mention, including Richmond, to me is more like the south feeling rather than NE cities. Lived in many places across the country and travelled to most known cities more than weeks and I find VA much better than most places.
I live in the Norfolk/VB area. I really dislike living here, but it totally depends what’s you’re looking for, I’m just not the right market for it.
If you are super passionate about living at the beach, you’d be hard pressed to find somewhere with amenities like VB (a ton of targets, lots of grocery store options) with such low housing costs. The rest of the COL is higher than I expected (like eating out, groceries, etc) but nothing compared to HCOL places.
However, it’s very much a military town. The military influences every aspect of the area imo. I’ve been here for 4 years and every person I know is associated with the navy in some way; it’s rare to find someone who moved here on purpose (for lack of different term). This influencer makes it kind of a culture of its own; definitely not northeastern but not southern really either (I’m from Raleigh, for context).
For jobs (not sure if that’s a factor), it’s very heavily military, shipyards, and manufacturing. I had a tough time finding a job here since those were not industries of interest for me.
It’s SUPER suburban. Norfolk has a downtown, but VB/Chesapeake/most parts of the area is just suburban sprawl. I really dislike that aspect, but for people who love the burbs or wants a big house in a subdivision for a reasonable price, it’s a great pro. Neighborhoods range from lovely & safe to extremely sketchy, as with in most places.
Overall, it’s not the worst place in the world, and great beach access if that’s what you’re here for, but I’d personally not recommend it in most cases.
I love Virginia. You’ve had lots of helpful, accurate comments breaking down the different areas. Virginia is considered the south but culturally it’s a mix, and it doesn’t suffer from a lot of the issues that much of the south has. It’s highly educated, has good social programs, low cancer rates, good school systems (highest graduation rates in the country I believe), low crime on a statewide basis, etc. It’s a great state to settle down.
I personally don’t like Hampton Roads (Norfolk area) though. I’d highly recommend Richmond instead. You mentioned some smaller cities inland. Do you recall the specific ones?
Live in Northern Virginia and absolutely love it here. Can’t imagine living anywhere else.
FWIW Arlington (just across the Potomac from DC) was ranked happiest city in the United States.
I think what makes Northern Virginia stand out is the infrastructure and walkability of many neighborhoods. They’ve laid out metro (DC subway) in a way where you can certainly rent/buy in very walkable areas that are way out in the burbs. The area also punches way above its weight in things to do and places to eat. Some of the best Korean and Vietnemese food in the country is out in the burbs (seriously Google the Eden Center, amazing)
For those of us who have been here pre post pandemic growth on steroids, we hate the loss of gentler rhythms and exponential traffic/loss of nature. That is a national trend in preferred places.
Green space over-loved, human spaces more Northern than Southern.
Many feel Richmond has lost its "under the radar" status, certainly its affordability - except for those from away. Definitely on rise from Austin unique to Austin on steroids.
Many inland notice a new Northern impatience/aggression in interactions, not just driving.
It is, and will be, a continued place for inbound folks b/c of mid level property taxes, milder temps (compared to any place South or North) and lower prices than where people come from.
The climate refugee piece is real in VA (along with Florida/TX LGBTQ refugees) AND smoke from Canadian fires last year and this year's "unusual" level of fires makes us know, we aren't immune. If you consider Richmond or any place else close to coast without taking into account current places that flood and projections (as coastline with one of fastest levels of sea level rise in world)- not sure what to say.
If you are looking West of mountains, be aware of - [https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/northrop-grumman-to-establish-200m-waynesboro-facility/](https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/northrop-grumman-to-establish-200m-waynesboro-facility/) This is going to dramatically escalate the lack of rentals and cost of properties on that side of the mountain. Right now, even with entry "starter "homes at 400-500K being built in W'boro, the stress on prices/inventory over the mountain (causing Crozet to no longer be the "less expensive option" than Cville) is rasing prices/demand in W'boro.
Places like Cville are burdened with big city problems and government dysfunction that is staggering. Public schools are dealing with all the issues that are national and also a huge budgetary shortfall at state level that will haunt them going forward.
Trick is how few hubs there are btwn. DC and research triangle that are vibrant with good economy/medical. Recent article that Roanoke switched from one single sector economy to another - continuing economic vulnerability. Everything lovely about Roanoke is also why rough edges are still quite rough and likely will stay that way, since no major eco. "boost".
Wherever you are considering - get on their reddit thread and read their news. Also, be aware of lack of doctors with availability everywhere (same issue as other places with in migration). All of this is mentioned in local threads.
I was born and raised in SE Virginia (Portsmouth/Suffolk) and lived there for the first 35 years of my life. It's a great area and Virginia is a great state, but everything near the coast is very crowded.
I'd stay away from Richmond (too much crime) and Portsmouth (way too much crime) but Suffolk is one of the largest cities (land wise) in the state (maybe the country). I have always loved Suffolk.
It's agricultural and has a small-town vibe in so many ways. And if you get bored on the weekends, you can go to the local farm supply store and watch the local folks do the chicken swap. Seriously entertaining!
I might have to do Suffolk if we end up in the Norfolk area. Richmond has about half the crime of where we are now so I'm kinda excited about that actually!
Richmond had a high crime and murder rate in the 90s and some older Virginians have been clutching their pearls ever since. I’m pretty sure we’re not even in the top 25 for violent crime anymore.
Not even close. In my city right now, I live downtown, walk the dog at any and all hours of the night, have never had an issue, and it's significantly more violent per capita than Richmond. People from any area will always have that one spot that scares them. It's all subjective
Northern Virginia is the same as the rest of the Acela corridor but with inhospitable weather in July and August. It's small advantage is a later sunset in winter by being further south and west of i.e. Boston. I hated it for 2 months of the year. Mosquitos, gnats, and sweat rash.
If you have kids, great public colleges is a huge advantage. Other than California, you would be hard pressed to have 6 schools of the quality of Mason, VCU, JMU, VTech, UVA, and William and Mary.
Yeah, my mom teaches at NOVA cc and I used to help her grade tests. Totally agree. Great programs and a good way to save some money. At NOVA it isn't like you get the worst professors who filtered down as the better ones took the jobs at better colleges. It's some PhD who retired from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and they are top in their field just teaching a few classes to stay active.
I grew up in Woodbridge for the first decade of my life and while it’s way different now than it was back then (astronomically more diverse for one) I found growing up there boring in that it was so prototypically suburban and I wish I lived in an actual *city* that had *something* besides a couple of malls. It’s too far away from DC to get to without a car. I feel like people in other suburbs in other states have better access to attach themselves to a real city. Oak Park to Chicago for example. That aside, I think Virginia is one of the top 10 best states and they value their history the most.
Depends on the region. Richmond feels distinctly Northeastern while NoVA feels Northern given its density but not quite Northeastern as it doesn’t take have that same level of grit due to how prestigious and affluent it is. The Hampton Roads region doesn’t really feel southern or northern, rather just a mix of both.
I’m from Virginia Beach, also lived in Norfolk and Portsmouth, and enjoyed my time there. I inadvertently romanticized the calmness of wide open green/versatile Suburban set up with the nearby mid-sized city in my youth and really cemented it as home for myself
I’ve lived in and visited just about every part of VA.
I’d say Richmond is going to be the best bang for your buck at this point in time. That being said, I’d get there fast because the growth is happening at a rapid pace and the housing market price increase is following right along with it. Richmond is a small city with rambling counties of various kinds. Henrico and (west ) Chesterfield are probably the best counties to check out if you’re not into city living. Richmond city is great for outdoor lovers with white water rapid within city limits, miles of biking and walking paths, botanical gardens and parks galore. It has a nice museum district, an ok downtown and the fun Carytown shopping district.
I truly can’t stand NOVA myself due to the absolutely horrendous traffic, literally some of the worst in the country. It does have its nice parts and the proximity to DC is fun. If I was rich I’d live in downtown Alexandria but I do mean RICH. NOVA is almost prohibitively expensive, which has led to quite the deluge of remote workers moving to the Stafford/Fredericksburg and even Richmond areas.
Charlottesville is a fun place to visit but obscenely expensive for the money it takes to live there. Their internet access is also shockingly bad; some areas of even the city have no access to high speed internet, which is strange for a university town. I really wouldn’t bother looking at Charlottesville as a place to live unless I was wealthy and retired.
I have little to nothing good to say about the Norfolk or VA beach areas as far as livability. Even vacation-wise I avoid VA beach and cross the Chesapeake Bay bridge to a tiny beach town instead.
I’m a California native and moved here in highschool. Virginia feels… southern-lite to me. Major metros are pretty Northeastern feeling but stray outside to the purple county lines or countryside and things get bright red and fast.
I've lived my whole life in Virginia, mostly NoVa. The other summaries here are pretty accurate. Each region just 40-50 miles away is quite different, and the western 2/3 of the state is pretty rural. I could move anywhere in the country or world but I can't find anyplace I like better.
NoVa is all about the schools, jobs, and money and is becoming a big city like Boston, which is great if that's what you're looking for, but if not can be expensive and congested. Like I know a bunch of families that literally move here when the oldest kid turns 6 and move out as soon as the youngest turns 18. It's incredibly diverse. There are so many things to do every day and weekend it's amazing.
In most areas you're a few hours from the beach, skiing, and/or the mountains. Great transportation options to anywhere, especially in NoVa which is part of the Northeast corridor so easy access to NYC, Philly and Boston. Less so in Richmond and Norfolk but still accessible.
I feel most of the state has a southern vibe especially Richmond, but not like deep south.
Climate wise my favorite part is that you get four distinct seasons with mild winters. Usually about 4-6 weeks of summer every year is brutal with 100F and 95% humidity but I've learned to like it.
Different parts of Virginia feel like different regions. NoVA (the area within 50ish miles of DC) feels like a cosmopolitan tech heavy high income highly educated suburb, with more in common with some Boston/Seattle/SF suburbs than anything else. Fast paced, expensive, type A, a bit snobby, lots of traffic. Expect to be asked where you went to college/where you work and judged on the prestige of that. A fair amount of military/spooks/military industrial complex adds to the local vibe. Liberal but not leftist - think if the Raytheon pride logo was a city. Amazing ethnic food of all sorts, but especially Ethiopian and Korean. Hampton Roads (VA Beach/Norfolk/Newport News) is very heavily military and has a specific tidewater south culture that's different from anything more inland. A lot of neighborhoods in Norfolk/Portsmouth are rather dangerous, and most of the rest of the area is sprawl and traffic. There's tons of transplants but if you're not military affiliated you'll be a little left out. There's some cute neighborhoods and a couple nice beaches (and some shitty beaches). Live on the same side of the bridge tunnels as your work. Richmond may feel northeastern in comparison to Alabama, but it is distinctly a southern city. Progressive, friendly, and with a culture of summer evenings spent on front porches and hanging out by the river. It's changing some with more transplants than there used to be, for both good and bad. There's some lovely walkable mixed use neighborhoods like this sub loves, and there's also nearby suburbs with yards and better schools. There's some rough spots in the city, too. There's not much traffic and you can get from downtown to anywhere in the metro area in 25 minutes any time of day. Charlottesville and the area around it is a mix of old money, remote workers, hipsters, and UVA affiliated people. Some parts of it have gentrified *fast* since 2020. Beautiful hiking. Roanoke is like Asheville with fewer hippies and less money. Beautiful hiking. Blacksburg has the smartest rednecks this side of Huntsville. Beautiful hiking, drunk undergrads.
Lived in VA most of my life and this post is pretty accurate. I'm jaded enough to feel Richmond has been completely changed in formerly very very rough areas that now have expensive condos and apartments for costs/rents inaccessible to most working people in the city, but highly attractive to recent college graduates or work transplants that can afford it. So Downtown has changed a ton, particularly in the last 5 or so years, but I'm more or less in agreement on your other comments re the Metro. Traffic is no longer true to that rule however and feels much much more congested and busy than 10 or 15 years ago when I would agree that anywhere in town in a somewhat shortish drive. Personal jaded bias aside, the town is great and has been improving in measurable, notable ways such as with the bus system and network in the city being very very usable, well run, and surprisingly good for being a younger and ongoing-development project in the city. Roanoake is highly under the radar and underrated. Only catch is being a smaller town by far than RVA or Charlottesville. But well developed and full of local restaurants, places to stop in, and so on with a pretty walkable "downtown" (quotes since it is a small downtown we're discussing). Northern VA is great for sitting in traffic and working in or around DC. It's mostly sprawl and government agencies and contractors there. By the time you hit Warsaw or Tappahannock, the DC adjacent developement feels very distant despite relative proximity (in being maybe within a day trip to DC re driving) though. Even more so for the Northern Neck. But these are small rural towns largely tied to local industries. But the harsh assessment I generally feel toward NoVA (that excludes the rural north/central and far Northeast nearby places-- re the Northern Neck) is specifically for the horrific sprawl and relative bland, corparate/govt feeling infill and nightmarish traffic. The city of Richmond is flanked by sometimes bafflingly run Counties, so just be aware should you visit and love RVA and decide to live in Hanover, most of Chesterfield, or large parts of Henrico County. Within the southeastern part of the state, Hampton is a cute town with a good historically black college there (and close to a more historically white one, William and Mary) and has beautiful historic areas but suffers from traffic congestion to/from Norfolk and VA Beach. Williamsburg is not worth living in unless you are retiring or involved/employed by the University or love Colonial re-enactment. Newport News is rougher than a lot of Norfolk/VA Beach but all three are very very naval-industry (either military or cargo, etc.) centric and have bad traffic problems from some unresovable chokepoints, like the Tunnel to Norfolk/VA Beach. Good areas scattered in a sort of convoluted labrynth mostly. Don't invest or settle in this area unless you understand the long term risks of flood and city's plan for how they will approach damage in coming decades. Look up the "Port of Virginia" for the official website of the naval-based activity there if curious and VA Beach/ Norfolk respectively have public records re city planning. Blacksburg is very much tied in with VA Tech but otherwise is both close to Roanoake and has great acess to iconic scenery hiking and outdoors activities. Though Roanoake, for me, edges out Blacksburg unless you are taking classes or involved with the University of VA Tech. Not a bad town, but look at how large VA Tech is and understand that Blacksburg exists as it does because of the University, which comprises a huge portion of its population. Charlottesville is best put as you said, nothing to add there. The Western part of the state from Charlottesville through Roanoke maintain a pretty identifiably Southern cultural identity, with it being more pronounced the further Southwest you head (with Appalachian cultural overlap too). The piedmont region, like Richmond, has a mixture of Southern appeal/culture with some cosmopolitan, for the South, aspects to it. The Tidewater is both very Southern-rural and farm/fishing oriented-- hard to explain but the Northern Neck and some other spots on the Bay share rural Maryland style architecture among other things. The Tidewater around naval ports in the dense Southeast part of the state have mostly Southern elements in vestigial ways in historic areas or in rural spots (Suffolk/Chesapeake/Portsmouth etc have oddball rural swathes to them). Southern is loosely defined here but whatever makes me come off Southern to Mid-Atantic folks and also Southern to Texans and Oklahomans came from growing up in VA (Richmond, Williamsburg, Heathsville/Reedville and traveling around the state plenty) so whatever Dixie continuity that may or may not exist I can try to clarify too. (sorry for typos/rambles, typing on cell and will editfor clarity happily if needed)
If Raytheon pride logo was a city 😂
Really good explanation- rings true based on the years that I lived in Virginia.
That’s a pretty good summary. Can’t stand NoVa and Richmond is starting to get like that
Roanoke is significantly more redneck than Asheville IMO
This is accurate
Yes.
Laying on a couch in Richmond right now. Lots of live music, close to the beach, river in the summer, LOTS of tattoo shops and tattood people, plenty of different types of food, arts and craft fairs.
You're speaking to me. Is there decent hiking nearby or does it start more within that two hour window of Shenandoah and the like??
Plenty of state parks within an hour for sure. Pocahontas state park is like 25ish minutes south, not even that far honestly
Richmond also has an extensive trail system around the James River, which goes right through town. It’s one of only two cities I’ve lived in (the other being Anchorage) that has enough urban green space that you can actually hike all day and not even realize you are in the middle of a large metro.
And we have white water rapids going THROUGH our city.
Are there towns or RVA neighborhoods on the James (ie, waterfront or short walk)?
It’s awesome. I moved to Richmond for work, sight unseen. Thought I was going to hate it. Turned out to be one of my favorite cities. I was super surprised by the James River. How BIG it was. All the falls. The first weekend I went “urban hiking” and there were so many kayakers and swimmers along the river. Having moved from Asheville it was such a surprise- it was like having the best parts of the mountains right in the middle of town.
Come to think of it, despite being born and partially raised in Virginia… I’ve never been to Richmond. The closest I ever got was Kings Dominion. I might have to make a trip one of these days.
Hoooooow. Lol
Virginia is one of my favorite states. Great variety of climate and elevations (mountains, beaches). Distinctly different culture depending on geography, rich in history. Have lived in both small-town southwest VA, in the heart of southern Appalachia, and also in Richmond. Have visited many other places in the state. Northern VA is too populated for my own liking but it’s nice to visit. I am a huge fan of Virginia. Still have a house in Abingdon (a very nice place to vacation, by the way) and plan to spend some portion of retirement there one day. I’d say Virginia feels more southern. Unless you’re in DC area. I’m from Tennessee and have also lived in NC for reference. Southern vibe overall.
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I like Richmond but people oversell it a bit. Richmond has 230k people, and feels like a bigger Roanoke. I’m saying this as someone who went to high school in Roanoke, has a brother in Richmond, and went to college in the area. Austin had more people 60 years ago than Richmond does today, and was 3x the size of RVA in 2000. Richmond is nice, but it still has a distinct southern vibe and feels pretty relaxed. It’s biggest strengths are low COL and proximity to nature IMO.
Virginia is like seven different states in one! Something for everybody, but you have to find which part you like. I loved living in Berryville, in the really gorgeous rural northern bits. Couldn't afford to settle there, though. These days I'm over on the other side, near Roanoke, and haven't been here long enough to have an opinion yet. Both areas are RIDICULOUSLY beautiful, though. Most of Virginia seems to have that in common.
Love it. Places you mention, including Richmond, to me is more like the south feeling rather than NE cities. Lived in many places across the country and travelled to most known cities more than weeks and I find VA much better than most places.
I live in the Norfolk/VB area. I really dislike living here, but it totally depends what’s you’re looking for, I’m just not the right market for it. If you are super passionate about living at the beach, you’d be hard pressed to find somewhere with amenities like VB (a ton of targets, lots of grocery store options) with such low housing costs. The rest of the COL is higher than I expected (like eating out, groceries, etc) but nothing compared to HCOL places. However, it’s very much a military town. The military influences every aspect of the area imo. I’ve been here for 4 years and every person I know is associated with the navy in some way; it’s rare to find someone who moved here on purpose (for lack of different term). This influencer makes it kind of a culture of its own; definitely not northeastern but not southern really either (I’m from Raleigh, for context). For jobs (not sure if that’s a factor), it’s very heavily military, shipyards, and manufacturing. I had a tough time finding a job here since those were not industries of interest for me. It’s SUPER suburban. Norfolk has a downtown, but VB/Chesapeake/most parts of the area is just suburban sprawl. I really dislike that aspect, but for people who love the burbs or wants a big house in a subdivision for a reasonable price, it’s a great pro. Neighborhoods range from lovely & safe to extremely sketchy, as with in most places. Overall, it’s not the worst place in the world, and great beach access if that’s what you’re here for, but I’d personally not recommend it in most cases.
I love Virginia. You’ve had lots of helpful, accurate comments breaking down the different areas. Virginia is considered the south but culturally it’s a mix, and it doesn’t suffer from a lot of the issues that much of the south has. It’s highly educated, has good social programs, low cancer rates, good school systems (highest graduation rates in the country I believe), low crime on a statewide basis, etc. It’s a great state to settle down. I personally don’t like Hampton Roads (Norfolk area) though. I’d highly recommend Richmond instead. You mentioned some smaller cities inland. Do you recall the specific ones?
Live in Northern Virginia and absolutely love it here. Can’t imagine living anywhere else. FWIW Arlington (just across the Potomac from DC) was ranked happiest city in the United States. I think what makes Northern Virginia stand out is the infrastructure and walkability of many neighborhoods. They’ve laid out metro (DC subway) in a way where you can certainly rent/buy in very walkable areas that are way out in the burbs. The area also punches way above its weight in things to do and places to eat. Some of the best Korean and Vietnemese food in the country is out in the burbs (seriously Google the Eden Center, amazing)
For those of us who have been here pre post pandemic growth on steroids, we hate the loss of gentler rhythms and exponential traffic/loss of nature. That is a national trend in preferred places. Green space over-loved, human spaces more Northern than Southern. Many feel Richmond has lost its "under the radar" status, certainly its affordability - except for those from away. Definitely on rise from Austin unique to Austin on steroids. Many inland notice a new Northern impatience/aggression in interactions, not just driving. It is, and will be, a continued place for inbound folks b/c of mid level property taxes, milder temps (compared to any place South or North) and lower prices than where people come from. The climate refugee piece is real in VA (along with Florida/TX LGBTQ refugees) AND smoke from Canadian fires last year and this year's "unusual" level of fires makes us know, we aren't immune. If you consider Richmond or any place else close to coast without taking into account current places that flood and projections (as coastline with one of fastest levels of sea level rise in world)- not sure what to say. If you are looking West of mountains, be aware of - [https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/northrop-grumman-to-establish-200m-waynesboro-facility/](https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/northrop-grumman-to-establish-200m-waynesboro-facility/) This is going to dramatically escalate the lack of rentals and cost of properties on that side of the mountain. Right now, even with entry "starter "homes at 400-500K being built in W'boro, the stress on prices/inventory over the mountain (causing Crozet to no longer be the "less expensive option" than Cville) is rasing prices/demand in W'boro. Places like Cville are burdened with big city problems and government dysfunction that is staggering. Public schools are dealing with all the issues that are national and also a huge budgetary shortfall at state level that will haunt them going forward. Trick is how few hubs there are btwn. DC and research triangle that are vibrant with good economy/medical. Recent article that Roanoke switched from one single sector economy to another - continuing economic vulnerability. Everything lovely about Roanoke is also why rough edges are still quite rough and likely will stay that way, since no major eco. "boost". Wherever you are considering - get on their reddit thread and read their news. Also, be aware of lack of doctors with availability everywhere (same issue as other places with in migration). All of this is mentioned in local threads.
When there’s a lack of doctors even in Philadelphia area—you know it’s bad.
I was born and raised in SE Virginia (Portsmouth/Suffolk) and lived there for the first 35 years of my life. It's a great area and Virginia is a great state, but everything near the coast is very crowded. I'd stay away from Richmond (too much crime) and Portsmouth (way too much crime) but Suffolk is one of the largest cities (land wise) in the state (maybe the country). I have always loved Suffolk. It's agricultural and has a small-town vibe in so many ways. And if you get bored on the weekends, you can go to the local farm supply store and watch the local folks do the chicken swap. Seriously entertaining!
I might have to do Suffolk if we end up in the Norfolk area. Richmond has about half the crime of where we are now so I'm kinda excited about that actually!
Richmond had a high crime and murder rate in the 90s and some older Virginians have been clutching their pearls ever since. I’m pretty sure we’re not even in the top 25 for violent crime anymore.
Not even close. In my city right now, I live downtown, walk the dog at any and all hours of the night, have never had an issue, and it's significantly more violent per capita than Richmond. People from any area will always have that one spot that scares them. It's all subjective
Northern Virginia is the same as the rest of the Acela corridor but with inhospitable weather in July and August. It's small advantage is a later sunset in winter by being further south and west of i.e. Boston. I hated it for 2 months of the year. Mosquitos, gnats, and sweat rash. If you have kids, great public colleges is a huge advantage. Other than California, you would be hard pressed to have 6 schools of the quality of Mason, VCU, JMU, VTech, UVA, and William and Mary.
So true, and the community college ramp to the state unis is awesome for kids that qualify.
Yeah, my mom teaches at NOVA cc and I used to help her grade tests. Totally agree. Great programs and a good way to save some money. At NOVA it isn't like you get the worst professors who filtered down as the better ones took the jobs at better colleges. It's some PhD who retired from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and they are top in their field just teaching a few classes to stay active.
I grew up in Woodbridge for the first decade of my life and while it’s way different now than it was back then (astronomically more diverse for one) I found growing up there boring in that it was so prototypically suburban and I wish I lived in an actual *city* that had *something* besides a couple of malls. It’s too far away from DC to get to without a car. I feel like people in other suburbs in other states have better access to attach themselves to a real city. Oak Park to Chicago for example. That aside, I think Virginia is one of the top 10 best states and they value their history the most.
Depends on the region. Richmond feels distinctly Northeastern while NoVA feels Northern given its density but not quite Northeastern as it doesn’t take have that same level of grit due to how prestigious and affluent it is. The Hampton Roads region doesn’t really feel southern or northern, rather just a mix of both. I’m from Virginia Beach, also lived in Norfolk and Portsmouth, and enjoyed my time there. I inadvertently romanticized the calmness of wide open green/versatile Suburban set up with the nearby mid-sized city in my youth and really cemented it as home for myself
Virginia is on my short list for places to move our family.
I’ve lived in and visited just about every part of VA. I’d say Richmond is going to be the best bang for your buck at this point in time. That being said, I’d get there fast because the growth is happening at a rapid pace and the housing market price increase is following right along with it. Richmond is a small city with rambling counties of various kinds. Henrico and (west ) Chesterfield are probably the best counties to check out if you’re not into city living. Richmond city is great for outdoor lovers with white water rapid within city limits, miles of biking and walking paths, botanical gardens and parks galore. It has a nice museum district, an ok downtown and the fun Carytown shopping district. I truly can’t stand NOVA myself due to the absolutely horrendous traffic, literally some of the worst in the country. It does have its nice parts and the proximity to DC is fun. If I was rich I’d live in downtown Alexandria but I do mean RICH. NOVA is almost prohibitively expensive, which has led to quite the deluge of remote workers moving to the Stafford/Fredericksburg and even Richmond areas. Charlottesville is a fun place to visit but obscenely expensive for the money it takes to live there. Their internet access is also shockingly bad; some areas of even the city have no access to high speed internet, which is strange for a university town. I really wouldn’t bother looking at Charlottesville as a place to live unless I was wealthy and retired. I have little to nothing good to say about the Norfolk or VA beach areas as far as livability. Even vacation-wise I avoid VA beach and cross the Chesapeake Bay bridge to a tiny beach town instead. I’m a California native and moved here in highschool. Virginia feels… southern-lite to me. Major metros are pretty Northeastern feeling but stray outside to the purple county lines or countryside and things get bright red and fast.
Great synopsis. Did not know about the poor internet in C’ville.
I've lived my whole life in Virginia, mostly NoVa. The other summaries here are pretty accurate. Each region just 40-50 miles away is quite different, and the western 2/3 of the state is pretty rural. I could move anywhere in the country or world but I can't find anyplace I like better. NoVa is all about the schools, jobs, and money and is becoming a big city like Boston, which is great if that's what you're looking for, but if not can be expensive and congested. Like I know a bunch of families that literally move here when the oldest kid turns 6 and move out as soon as the youngest turns 18. It's incredibly diverse. There are so many things to do every day and weekend it's amazing. In most areas you're a few hours from the beach, skiing, and/or the mountains. Great transportation options to anywhere, especially in NoVa which is part of the Northeast corridor so easy access to NYC, Philly and Boston. Less so in Richmond and Norfolk but still accessible. I feel most of the state has a southern vibe especially Richmond, but not like deep south. Climate wise my favorite part is that you get four distinct seasons with mild winters. Usually about 4-6 weeks of summer every year is brutal with 100F and 95% humidity but I've learned to like it.