Chesterfield or Chester? (Richmond, Jefferson, Colonial Heights: apartments, to rent, condos)

[Moving2VA]

I am moving to the Richmond area soon and I'm wondering, which area is safer? I'll be going to the VA for health care, so these wouldn't be too far from that.

Are there any safe areas that are actually in Richmond?

Thanks!

[whynot?]

These are very different. Chester is a town south of Richmond and Chesterfield is an entire county adjacent to the (river and the) city.

And yes, there are "safe" neighborhoods in the city. I am constantly amazed at the bad city PR I read here. (And I live WAY out in the country.) The city is wonderful, just different from the suburbs. It's really a matter of preferences and priorities, not location.

[Moving2VA]

I'm not familiar with the area at all and I'm trying to move from another state. Would you mind telling me more about the 2 areas? Are you familiar with the areas around Richmond? Where would you recommend for someone to live, to be within 20 miles of the VA hospital in Richmond, in a safe/quiet area? Any ideas? I don't have children, so I don't have to worry about good schools.

Thanks again for your help!

[whynot?]

This is really not my area of expertise (or "my side" of the great divide -- the James River), but here are my thoughts as someone who lives nearby and has casual knowledge of the area:

You might consider Westover Hills, Forrest Hills, Stratford Hills, Bon Air or Stony Point. They're all close-in -- either in the city or in adjacent Chesterfield County. The first four are all older 30s/40s/50s neighborhoods with newer construction, too. They are not "urban" and not "suburban" -- they are established and "neighborhood-y" with a nice mix of homes, retail, and services. Stony Point is a new-ish area that shares its name with a regional shopping mall, and has some new construction wedged into older neighborhoods.

All of these are on the south side of the James River, as is the VA hospital.

Chester is a town about 20 miles south of Richmond proper. I have been there only to play golf, but it looks like a nice-ish small town, if that's more to your liking.

I read your earlier posts, and it looks like you would have options in any of these areas, depending upon the kind of neighborhood/environment you prefer. A realtor can help you vet these further if you don't have much time to visit before your move.

[archaeofreak]

I grew up in chester, a small town in chesterfield county. Its not really separate from chesterfield or Richmond itself, for that matter. Over the last 15 years development has blended these areas together into 1 mass of homogeneous urbanization. If you are working in chesterfield county at a hospital, I would recommend whynot?'s suggestions with the addition that it really depends on your lifestyle. If you have kids, his options are good. If you are younger (mid 20's to mid 30's) with no kids I would suggest buying a renovated house in church hill (south of broad) or Oregon hill, or renting in the fan (500-1600/month to rent or 500k average to buy) depending on exact location and condition etc...if you are wealthy, you could check out the tobacco warehouses that have been renovated into high end apartments/townhouses along the river.

[WIT2008]

Richmond and surrounding counties are safer than most cities of comparable size. Crime is everywhere. Don't fool yourself. Do your research and VISIT anywhere you want to live before you sign anything. Richmond is a lovely place. As for Chester vs. Chesterfield: Chesterfield suffers from major suburban sprawl. Get ready for traffic and congestion, but it's tolerable depending on your level of tolerance. Keep in mind that no place is perfect. Every city in the world has issues. But whether or not those issues are something you can live with is what is important. Good luck.

[name4me]

Originally Posted by Moving2VA

I am moving to the Richmond area soon and I'm wondering, which area is safer? I'll be going to the VA for health care, so these wouldn't be too far from that.

Are there any safe areas that are actually in Richmond?

Thanks!

I've lived in Chesterfield County most of my life and about 5 years ago we moved to Chester, which is a community within Chesterfield Co. And we love it! If you like the small-town, laid-back, family & community oriented village feel, it would suit you perfectly. If you're looking for frequent night-life really close to your home, look for neighborhoods bordering the city of Richmond.
I would allow about 20-25 minutes of unhurried driving time to get to the VA hospital from my home. Ft. Lee is about 15-20 minutes south of Chester. For shopping, most of the major chains(Target, WalMart, K-Mart, Kohl's, Lowes, Home Depot, CVS, WalGreen's, Rite-Aide, Kroger, Food Lion) have stores within a 5 minute drive, along with drs., dentists, doc in a box, vets, banks, YMCA, and all of the little service shops needed for daily life. Bump it up to 12 minutes and you've got the mall in Colonial Heights with Penny's, Sears, Dillards, and all of the usual specialty stores normally found in a mall, along with nearby Sam's Club. Restaurants-name a chain and be there within 15 minutes.
I agree with the previous posters-crime is everywhere, and I don't have any statistics to give you for Chester. I feel safe here, wouldn't hesitate to walk around alone (''older' female!) anywhere in the village day or night. One Chester teenage boy was killed a couple of years ago, still unsolved, and very upsetting to the community, because violent crime is very rare in Chester. Rape-don't know of any. Armed robbery-don't know of any. The little local Chester paper reports crime and it seems to be mainly property crime-a vehicle broken into or something like that. I would steer clear of the Jefferson Davis (Rt.1/301) corridor in looking for a home simply because it and the adjacent I-95 interstate run north-south, carry traffic from Maine to Florida and it's more a commercial area than a residential area in my mind. If you like walking around your neighborhood and neighbors stop what they're doing to chat, or offer to help you out with a project, or having them stop by for a minute while you're sitting on your front porch, or walking to the nearby school to shoot a few baskets when it cools off in the evening-welcome to Chester. It's a good place. And if you have specific questions, ask away. Good luck on your search, no matter which area you choose.
Photo link: http://www.chesterkiwanis.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=18813 (broken link)

[Moving2VA]

I'd love to view your local paper. Is it online??

Thank you so much for all your help!! I'm definitely going to come and see what it's like and possibly move there. It sounds like what I'm looking for.

I'm also a single woman. My 20-year old son will be moving with me. He'll probably move out on his own within the next year or two.

[name4me]

Hadn't been online this week, so apologies for the delay. This will take you to the Village paper online-gives you a pretty good feel for the community of Chester. http://villagenewsonline.net/]Current (broken link)

I'm happy that my info was useful to you, and if it sounds like what you're looking for, then you'll love the reality of it. Chester is revitalizing the village with a project or area called The Village Green. A central area is open and green, with community events held there throughout the year. Surrounding the green is a fairly new library, shops, condos, apartments, single family homes - it's set up like an old-fashioned village where everything (almost!) is in walking distance. The rest of Chester spreads out for a good distance, with the retail/business area sort of separated from the residential areas.
Are you planning to rent or buy when you move? Any more questions, jusy let me know. And good luck!

[mickieblaze]

A little closer to the VA Hospital are two areas in Chesterfield that you could consider: Belmont Road area developments include Five Forks Village and Cascade Creek; Newbys Bridge Road area has several developments.