Today I came across an article on Frontdoor.com (see http://tinyurl.com/yapxejk) that talked about the 12 kinds of neighborhoods to fit any kind of lifestyle!  So it started me thinking about whether Richmond has all of these 12 kinds of neighborhoods.  So here is my take on “Richmond’s 12 Kinds of Neighborhoods”-

(1)   Urban Core (Downtown):    this is described as the downtown areas and the heart of the metro areas.  Examples of this type of area in Richmond include the Fan, Museum Area, Church Hill, Jackson Ward.  Here you will find a divers housing options including modern lofts, converted warehouses, aging homes, close to nightlife and city attractions. 

(2) Urban Pioneer (Up and Coming):  this is described as areas that are near downtown.  Examples of this type of area in Richmond could include the Carver area (although this could also be put into the Urban Core area), Barton Heights, Highland Park, the Manchester area and the Blackwell areas.  The Frontdoor.com article says that here you will find cheaper homes that are likely to increase in value, fixer uppers.

(3) New Urban:  this is described as areas near a business hub other than the city’s main downtown.  The article says that here you will find new single family homes in retro styles, upscale apartments and condos.  In the Richmond area, I think the closest we would have to an area like this are some of the new developments that you will find in Roseland and Hallsley in Chesterfield County and  Rocketts Landing in eastern Henrico/city of Richmond. 

(4) Cul-de-sacs & Kids (Bedroom):  This is described as suburbs and new subdivisions, where you will find the “soccer moms” and active neighborhood associations, with lots of kids.  There are many neighborhoods in Richmond that will fit this description.  In Henrico you can find Wyndham and Twin Hickory; in Hanover County you will find this in Ash Creek and Milestone; while in Chesterfield you can find this in neighborhoods like Woodlake and Brandermill.

(5) Pedestrian:  This is described as small pockets in major metros, and would include cozy condos & apartments as well as lofts above businesses.  Again, I would think that neighborhoods like Rocketts Landing, West Broad Village and Roseland in Chesterfield could be areas that fit this description.

(6) Historic:  This is described as any area that has large, well-preserved, older single family homes known for their architectural styles.  Richmond VA abounds with history and one of the things you will find throughout the area, especially in the city of Richmond, are homes built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s where people have gone in and done wonderful jobs in renovating and preserving the architectural integrity of the homes.  You can find this all over Richmond:  the Fan, Church Hill, Woodland Heights, Ginter Park and Bellevue, Bon Air.  With many of these areas, you may find strict requirements for the renovation of these homes.

(7) Status/Destination:  This area describes these are homes that are in the hills or mountains, by the water, behind the gates.  I don’t know that there are many homes that fit this exact definition, there are several areas of Richmond that could fit into this definition as much as a community can in Richmond:  Mooreland Farms and other neighborhoods along the River Road corridor, the Manakin Sabot area in Goochland and Chesdin Landing in Chesterfield County. 

(8) Ethnic:  When I think of “Ethnic” communities, I think of Chinatown in San Francisco, or Little Haiti in Miami.  I don’t know that Richmond has a “Ethnic” community in this sense of the word.  I do believe that throughout the Richmond area you may find pockets where immigrants of different nationalities have settled, but I don’t believe that we have a community as has been described in this article.

(9) Active/Resort:  I don’t think we have resort communities, such as you would think of in the sunbelt and coastal areas.  However, there are some neighborhoods that are built around things like a lake (such as Chesdin Lake).  This would be the closest thing we would have to a resort type of community.

(10)    Golf:  When one thinks of golf communities, they may picture communities such as you would find in areas like Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach SC, perhaps in Arizona or Florida.  But Richmond does have some communities that have golf courses incorporated into the community.  These include Wyndham in Henrico County, Founders Bridge, Birkdale & Brandermill in Chesterfield County. 

(11)    Retirement:  Again, when I think of retirement communities, I think of communities in areas like Florida, California and Arizona.  However, Richmond has communities that have been built and geared to those over 55.  These are throughout the area and may or may not have planned activities, etc. 

(12)   Rural:  In addition to a vibrant city & great suburban communities, Richmond also has lots of great rural areas.  You will find these in all the counties:  Hanover County has Montpelier and Beaverdam; Henrico has Varina; Chesterfield has rural areas in the far western reaches of the county.  There are rural communities with acreage lots in the outlying counties like Powhatan, Amelia, King William, Goochland and Louisa!

So as you can see from the above, although we don’t quite have 12 different distinct “communities”, we do have a lot of variety within our area!  This is what I think makes Richmond a wonderful area and why I think so many people love to call Richmond home!  If you are thinking of buying a home or are thinking of relocating to the Richmond area, read the Frontdoor article to get a feel for how they describe these various types of communities, then give me a call.  I would love to show you my city!