Introduce yourself

[wrldcoupe4]

Richmond has its perks as well. It's nice being in a city with a rich history that is less than two hours from the beach, the mountains, and Washington. Talk about day trips. If you're into extreme sports, Richmond is also one of 2 cities in the U.S. that has Class IV rapids flowing through it, courtesy of the James Rivah. Did I mention the average commute is about 24 minutes? Just a preview of what you're missing In any case, Virginia in general (minus northern va) is a great place to call home. Norfolk and the rest of the tidewater area are also nice. It offers lots of wonderful things.

[rusthebuss]

Man i got to give it to you for trying to sell Richmond. Northern Va is not that bad, its a pretty nice place to live and have alot of work there. It is very expensive to live though

Edited April 1, 2005 by rusthebuss

[Mike D]

Yes, I wouldn't consider northern VA - too expensive - then I might as well live in DC. I like both Richmond and Norfolk. One thing I'd like to know is which metro has the stronger job market - Richmond or Norfolk?

[lammius]

Yes, I wouldn't consider northern VA - too expensive - then I might as well live in DC. I like both Richmond and Norfolk. One thing I'd like to know is which metro has the stronger job market - Richmond or Norfolk?

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Depends on what you do, of course.

[rusthebuss]

The Norfolk metro area has a more stable market and was 10 billion dollars stronger than Richmond but like he said it depends on what you do for a living.

[VAGATOR]

Yes, I wouldn't consider northern VA - too expensive - then I might as well live in DC. I like both Richmond and Norfolk. One thing I'd like to know is which metro has the stronger job market - Richmond or Norfolk?

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Richmond, head of state government, which means numerous high paying jobs, Headquarters for a few 100 law firms and Federal District Court, Federal Reserve, numerous Fortune 500 companies.

My parents currently live in Northern Suffolk, but I lived in Norfolk for 10 years. I am 5 hours short from graduating from the University of Florida in history. Next fall, I will probably take a job in DC at a lobbying firm.

[wrldcoupe4]

Richmond, head of state government, which means numerous high paying jobs, Headquarters for a few 100 law firms and Federal District Court, Federal Reserve, numerous Fortune 500 companies.

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MikeD- Richmond is also emerging as a major center for biotech research and companies. For example, UNOS, the nation's organ transplant network, is headquarters at the Virginia Biotech Park in downtown Richmond. Richmond is also home to a lot of financial services companies (Genworth, Wachovia Securities etc. etc.). But like it was said earlier, it all depends on what you want to do. I will say that the area constantly receives accolades and takes pride in its quality of life. I mentioned in an earlier thread that Chesterfield County (the largest locality in the Richmond MSA) has been named 17th in the country for quality of life. I'm not sure that I would agree with the Norfolk market being more stable than Richmond's. During this past recession, in 2003, there were only two regional malls built in the country that year. Both were upscale. Both were in Richmond. Both are an incredible success and the Richmond market successfully absorbed the 2 million sf of retail space created by the malls. Both areas are nice but I've gotta root for my hometown .

[Mike D]

Well I'm currently finishing up a Master's Degree in Public Administration at Suffolk University in Boston. I would love to work in transportation or urban planning. But I'm also willing to work in the private/corporate sector, possibly doing corporate communications. Richmond just might be better for me as far as jobs are concerned.

[wrldcoupe4]

Well I'm currently finishing up a Master's Degree in Public Administration at Suffolk University in Boston. I would love to work in transportation or urban planning. But I'm also willing to work in the private/corporate sector, possibly doing corporate communications. Richmond just might be better for me as far as jobs are concerned.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Richmond would be great for the types of fields you plan on entering. The state government is here as well as all the localities. There is also a large presence of Fortune 500 and 1000 companies. Best wishes on the future even if you don't call Richmond home.

[eandslee]

Hello, everyone. My name is Eric, I'm 30 years old, was born in Richmond and lived a good portion of my life there, however, I'm in the Air Force and now reside in Great Falls, Montana. I try to keep tabs on what is going on back home and live for seeing my hometown grow and become a "happing place". My family has deep roots in the Richmond area and I have aspirations to move back to the area after I retire from the Air Force. I'm currently getting my Master's Degree in Business Administration from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. As a result, Richmond's economy interests me very much. Anyway, I found out about this site from a post from Richmond City Watch and hope that I can submit a comment or two that might be of some worth to the discussion boards in the future. I also want to help promote the Richmond area because I believe it is one of the best places in the world to live! I look forward to talking to you all and I'll see you on the boards!

[vdogg]

Hello, everyone.  My name is Eric, I'm 30 years old, was born in Richmond and lived a good portion of my life there, however, I'm in the Air Force and now reside in Great Falls, Montana.  I try to keep tabs on what is going on back home and live for seeing my hometown grow and become a "happing place".  My family has deep roots in the Richmond area and I have aspirations to move back to the area after I retire from the Air Force.  I'm currently getting my Master's Degree in Business Administration from Regis University in Denver, Colorado.  As a result, Richmond's economy interests me very much.  Anyway, I found out about this site from a post from Richmond City Watch and hope that I can submit a comment or two that might be of some worth to the discussion boards in the future.  I also want to help promote the Richmond area because I believe it is one of the best places in the world to live!  I look forward to talking to you all and I'll see you on the boards! 

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Welcome to the forum Eric, it seems like we're gaining more Richmonders by the day. Great to have you here and i look forward to hearing from you soon.

[rusthebuss]

MikeD- Richmond is also emerging as a major center for biotech research and companies. For example, UNOS, the nation's organ transplant network, is headquarters at the Virginia Biotech Park in downtown Richmond. Richmond is also home to a lot of financial services companies (Genworth, Wachovia Securities etc. etc.). But like it was said earlier, it all depends on what you want to do. I will say that the area constantly receives accolades and takes pride in its quality of life. I mentioned in an earlier thread that Chesterfield County (the largest locality in the Richmond MSA) has been named 17th in the country for quality of life. I'm not sure that I would agree with the Norfolk market being more stable than Richmond's. During this past recession, in 2003, there were only two regional malls built in the country that year. Both were upscale. Both were in Richmond. Both are an incredible success and the Richmond market successfully absorbed the 2 million sf of retail space created by the malls. Both areas are nice but I've gotta root for my hometown .

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Richmond is trying to catch up after McAuthur Mall was built

[wrldcoupe4]

Richmond is trying to catch up after McAuthur Mall was built

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I'm not so sure I see a correlation between Richmond having two new upscale malls and the MacArthur Center. I think it was more that people realized Richmond's upscale needs were underserved than it was a competition between the two cities.

eandslee- Welcome over on the urban planet. We needed more Richmonders to represent. If you can send any more over this way, it would be great. Enjoy

[Mike D]

Richmond would be great for the types of fields you plan on entering. The state government is here as well as all the localities. There is also a large presence of Fortune 500 and 1000 companies. Best wishes on the future even if you don't call Richmond home.

I'm inclined to agree - that's what I thought. My biggest concerns with Norfolk are that its economy are heavily dependent on the military and shipping and with my degree, I don't think I would be able to find jobs that I would be qualified to do in those two industries. So it sounds like Richmond would be a better fit for me at least as far as employment is concerned.

BTW, thak you for wishing me luck. I'm considering various areas for relocation, mostly in the Southeast, Southwest and West. I'm trying to convice my girlfriend that not having to deal with another brutal Boston winter is a good thing. She hates brutal cold and snow (as do I). We got pounded with a ton of snow (87 inches) this winter. In fact this past January was the snowiest on record and last January (2004) was the coldest since 1888. But we'll see what happens.

Edited April 3, 2005 by Mike D

[wrldcoupe4]

BTW, thak you for wishing me luck. I'm considering various areas for relocation, mostly in the Southeast, Southwest and West. I'm trying to convice my girlfriend that not having to deal with another brutal Boston winter is a good thing. She hates brutal cold and snow (as do I). We got pounded with a ton of snow (87 inches) this winter. In fact this past January was the snowiest on record and last January (2004) was the coldest since 1888. But we'll see what happens.

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I can only imagine how bad a Boston winter must be. I will say that Richmond (Norfolk as well) has a pretty good climate. You get all 4 seasons (winters tend to be mild, summers are a little hot and humid but thats the south for you). Keep in mind the 2 hrs from the beach, mountains, and DC thing too. It's definitely a plus. Have you ever been to Richmond? It couldn't hurt to take a weekend just to check it out. Once you get over the yalls and the occasional being called a Yankee, it ain't so bad

[rusthebuss]

I'm inclined to agree - that's what I thought. My biggest concerns with Norfolk are that its economy are heavily dependent on the military and shipping and with my degree, I don't think I would be able to find jobs that I would be qualified to do in those two industries. So it sounds like Richmond would be a better fit for me at least as far as employment is concerned.

BTW, thak you for wishing me luck. I'm considering various areas for relocation, mostly in the Southeast, Southwest and West. I'm trying to convice my girlfriend that not having to deal with another brutal Boston winter is a good thing. She hates brutal cold and snow (as do I). We got pounded with a ton of snow (87 inches) this winter. In fact this past January was the snowiest on record and last January (2004) was the coldest since 1888. But we'll see what happens.

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Norfolk has alot of other things going on besides the military and shipping. There is alot of other industries here. What you have to realize is your just talking about Norfolk compared to Richmond, look at the whole picture with VaBeach building a downtown, Newport News expanding its work base, there is a whole lot of things going on down here. The Richmonders are very snoddy and that is why I left and see the same attitude here that i seen while I was living there. Here in the Norfolk area they won't call you a yankee because half of the people that live here now are from the north. With our downtowns expanding and the exploding of population way beyond Richmonds there is all kinds of work here. Medical is a big busniess here as well with expansion of the heart center in Norfolk General, which has one of the best survival rates for heart transplants in the country. EVMS with all of their medical patents and the research and development. EVMS was the first to have a test tube baby successfully. Don't be blinded by the military presence and the big shipping terminals.

Edited April 3, 2005 by rusthebuss

[vdogg]

The Richmonders are very snoddy and that is why I left and see the same attitude here that i seen while I was living there.

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It is not really fair to call Richmonders snoddy rus. I understand you have had some bad experiences with some in Richmond in the past but we cannot make a generalization such as that. The fact of the matter remains that everyone is different and i'm sure the richmonders on this site are quite nice. I have met people in every city i've been to that i would consider arrogant or snoddy. It is simply a fact of life that you are gonna run across some disagreeable persons from time to time.

[eandslee]

I have to agree vdogg. There are some people in Richmond who are wealthy and are kinda stuck on themselves, but that can be seen anywhere. For the most part, I have experienced just the opposite. Most of the people are nice in Richmond and are very helpful with the exception of some of the DMV ladies behind the counter who deal with the public day in and day out (I think I'd be rude if I had to deal with that everyday too). Richmond does have the big city and small city feel where it is big enough to meet all of your big city needs, but small enough to where people still treat you like a hometown guest if from out of town. I like it like that. It's one of the few places where you experience that.

[wrldcoupe4]

The Richmonders are very snoddy and that is why I left and see the same attitude here that i seen while I was living there. Here in the Norfolk area they won't call you a yankee because half of the people that live here now are from the north. With our downtowns expanding and the exploding of population way beyond Richmonds there is all kinds of work here. Medical is a big busniess here as well with expansion of the heart center in Norfolk General, which has one of the best survival rates for heart transplants in the country.

Wow rus you must have really had a bad experience in Richmond. I agree that it would be unfair to call Richmonders "snoddy". Every city has stuck up people. The wealthy Eandslee mentioned are going to be like that anywhere. Its part of life. Overall I think Richmond is a great place to live. Some don't realize till they move away. Then most of those people end up coming home. What attitude do you see here Rus? I see people promoting and discussing Richmond just as they promote and discuss the Hampton Roads area and cities everywhere else. I don't think I've heard one Richmond poster pass negative judgement about anything in Norfolk. Should one not be proud of the city they are from?

[metalman]

Hey all. I just sign up here yesterday. I've been on the SSP for about a year. I've been seeing how much Hampton Roads news is happening here, so I registered. There's definatley more action here. I'm from the Beach, BTW. Talk to ya later,

Metalman

[vdogg]

Hey all.  I just sign up here yesterday.  I've been on the SSP for about a year.  I've been seeing how much Hampton Roads news is happening here, so I registered.  There's definatley more action here.  I'm from the Beach, BTW.  Talk to ya later,

Metalman

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Nice to have you here metalman. We always welcome more company .

[jasonb]

I'm 22 and I own a condo near The Fan in Richmond...I work in the same general area.

[wrldcoupe4]

I'm 22 and I own a condo near The Fan in Richmond...I work in the same general area.

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Jason- hey man hope you can add to the richmond conversations

[urbanvb]

I'm 22 and I own a condo near The Fan in Richmond...I work in the same general area.

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Glad to have you here as well Jason. Still ready for one of those forum meets up in Richmond.

[vdogg]

I'm 22 and I own a condo near The Fan in Richmond...I work in the same general area.

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Nice to have you hear jason.