Commute times and areas to live question (Richmond, Mechanicsville: house, good schools)

[meerkatguy]

Hi All,

Just got a new job, slightly north of I-64 close to Mechanicsville Turnpike. We've been looking at (online) places west and north west of downtown to live.

Questions:

Does crossing the river significantly affect commute time?
Are google map estimates of 20/25 mins realistic?
Are all the best residential areas west of the city, or are there areas north and/or east of the city worth considering?

Thanks in advance.

Alan

[PickPatrick]

Alan... not know what you seek in a residential area or where, it is a challenge to answer your question. Hanover county areas 44 and some or 36 are good places to explore and very. If you want larger spaces and perhaps a more rural feel I'd explore Eastern Henrico, areas 40 and 44.

Crossing the river will add compute time and perhaps tolls but that totally depend "where across" the river.

As I suggest to all the out of towners. hook up with a solid realtor and explore your specific housing needs and driving constraints. Then you will be able to focus in our the areas that best meet your needs. You have a lot of options!!

[snatale1]

There's no real "commute" in Richmond, as theirs no real traffic. You can get pretty far in 30min even in what Richmond calls rush hour. I'm a fan of Western Henrico, great area, good schools (if that applies) everything you need and close to downtown.

[meerkatguy]

Thanks for the help so far guys.

We are a couple in our 50's so we are beyond needing schools, just a nice safe, ideally somewhat rural location. It seems from what I hear so far, that we should have lots of options.

Thanks,

Alan

[PickPatrick]

lets say Mechanicsville Trpk is roughly 20 minutes from short pump (farwestend) twenty minutes to far eastend and 20 minutes to Ashland to the North..... Southside areas will depend on location and proximity to interstates. Bottom line is that you do have many options....I would focus more on house style, community aspects and price range....

[novanwbie]

If you don't have to worry about schools, you have tons of options. If you want slightly rural and are working off Mechanicsville Turnpike, I'd explore Hanover County, and parts of Henrico. You might also really like some of the properties just east of town, like Charles City Co. and Providence Forge. I wouldn't recommend this area to a lot of people, but there are some lovely communities along the river that offer large lots (several to 10 acres), some have amazing amenities, and several are geared toward people your age, if that's your thing (I know a lot of people do not want age restricted communities). As PickPatrick says, if you have more specifics you're looking for, we can probably provide more details. But with your criteria, I wouldn't hesitate to look around where you'll be working. "Best" is completely subjective, as you'll see in these posts. A lot of the "best" residential areas are determined by schools, for example, and are not at all rural, so would not be ideal for you.