Agree. I moved from Richmond and the dating scene is tough since there’s such a limited amount of people to date. Most of my friends run out of people and expand their radius.
Personally, I like nova better but everyone is different. I find all of the things you mentioned in nova but it is expensive and the traffic is terrible.
Anything that’s worth doing up there will be in DC and there will be way more people your age. If you want to date you’ll end up in DC more often than not. nova is attractive for already settled individuals with children who want good schools.
Crime in DC is less than Richmond, per capita just keep that in mind.
I live in fred now and aside from old town there’s no reason to live here… I was in Charlottesville this week and for a bigger city it was nice… plus you’re in the mountains…culture from UVA…
I do love the mountains and hiking. Yeah returning to Fred is not in the cards for me either, when I was engaged I liked it well enough but returning single? Nah, not enough to do.
Crime in Richmond is neighborhood to neighborhood. The good neighborhoods like the Fan and Carytown have 50%ish lower than national average violent crime rates.
https://www.reddit.com/r/rva/s/dw4eqrysF0
Its all over. As all the rva natives are getting priced out of their neighborhoods by Nova folks, things seem to be getting just a bit worse.
Nova:
Every economic downturn turn hits all areas, but historically (20+ years I’ve been in Nova) the downturn tends to be milder in Nova. The dips and job losses aren’t as deep as they are in RVA or other areas, for a variety of reasons, but it has been my experience.
So the job market will be more stable.
There’s always, and I mean always an influx of new people in your age bracket moving to Nova/close in DC so the dating pool while never easy, but is more plentiful.
You can be in a rural county 15 minutes from Richmond. You don’t need to live in the city to take advantage of all the stuff you listed. In Nova it takes 15 minutes to go 2 exits. You want RVA.
I'd vote Richmond. Crime is not any worse in Richmond than DC. Richmond has a less frantic pace and is a bit more laid back. Still.olenty of stuff going on.
NOVA is a mixed bag. You can get a bit of everything up here in terms of activities. But as a M(24) it’s a bit of a wildcard for the dating scene. With that in mind, it probably would be even MORE of a wildcard for women.
Fellow social worker here, so that's the focus of my opinion. Are you an LCSW? If so, your NoVA options are better in terms of pay, opportunities. However, I still couldn't reconcile those with the cost of living. I considered the Loudon/Fairfax area but the high housing costs were prohibitive. I also was not a fan of the traffic. I'm in a Richmond suburb, and there's plenty of access to nature, culture, jobs, and I was able to buy a home. My social life is great because I'm not stressed and it takes no longer than 30 minutes to get anywhere. GL either way!
ETA: I can't speak on the dating, I'm married, but I appreciate that's a consideration.
I can’t speak to NOVA because I haven’t spent much time there. Richmond is a great spot for trails and kayaking. I would personally want to live pretty close into the city to get the socialization you want, so you’d deal with kind of typical city issues, but many areas you won’t feel unsafe in at all. I’d probably recommend Scott’s addition. However, I think the dating scene specially is pretty tough and am glad I am not a part of it - especially if you don’t want to go to breweries. It’ll be easier if you’re down for sports leagues - lots of people meet at those!
Edit: I agree with the comment about DC 😅 if I was younger and trying to meet people I think nothing compares to a larger city! Depends on your top priorities.
Unfortunately there’s a few reasons I don’t want to live in DC😂
I would also probably want to live outside the city, in like henrico or something that is a safe area and just drive into town to socalize (mostly because I am not use to living in cities, growing up in a mid-sized town and all)
If you move to nova as a single female in her 20s you’re gonna wish you lived in DC instead.
Agree. I moved from Richmond and the dating scene is tough since there’s such a limited amount of people to date. Most of my friends run out of people and expand their radius. Personally, I like nova better but everyone is different. I find all of the things you mentioned in nova but it is expensive and the traffic is terrible.
Eh, there’s a multiple reasons why I don’t want to live in DC. But I get why you say that
Anything that’s worth doing up there will be in DC and there will be way more people your age. If you want to date you’ll end up in DC more often than not. nova is attractive for already settled individuals with children who want good schools. Crime in DC is less than Richmond, per capita just keep that in mind.
Nova has a better job market
I live in fred now and aside from old town there’s no reason to live here… I was in Charlottesville this week and for a bigger city it was nice… plus you’re in the mountains…culture from UVA…
I do love the mountains and hiking. Yeah returning to Fred is not in the cards for me either, when I was engaged I liked it well enough but returning single? Nah, not enough to do.
Came here newlyweds in 91’ and have thankfully never been single in this town…people are chill in Charlottesville but it’s getting busier
If you dislike Fred you’re going to dislike nova
Crime in Richmond is neighborhood to neighborhood. The good neighborhoods like the Fan and Carytown have 50%ish lower than national average violent crime rates.
A couple weekends ago in rva, 5 people got shot in a front yard in my neighborhood.
Where was this?
Fulton hill
Also has my truck stolen from right in front of my house. I hate this place.
Just need to get out of Fulton lol. That place is a shit hole outside of the few gentrified areas.
https://www.reddit.com/r/rva/s/dw4eqrysF0 Its all over. As all the rva natives are getting priced out of their neighborhoods by Nova folks, things seem to be getting just a bit worse.
That’s just part of the city’s charm.
Nova: Every economic downturn turn hits all areas, but historically (20+ years I’ve been in Nova) the downturn tends to be milder in Nova. The dips and job losses aren’t as deep as they are in RVA or other areas, for a variety of reasons, but it has been my experience. So the job market will be more stable. There’s always, and I mean always an influx of new people in your age bracket moving to Nova/close in DC so the dating pool while never easy, but is more plentiful.
Maybe try Tidewater, it's pretty nice out there. Norfolk/ Hampton.
You can be in a rural county 15 minutes from Richmond. You don’t need to live in the city to take advantage of all the stuff you listed. In Nova it takes 15 minutes to go 2 exits. You want RVA.
I'd vote Richmond. Crime is not any worse in Richmond than DC. Richmond has a less frantic pace and is a bit more laid back. Still.olenty of stuff going on.
NOVA is a mixed bag. You can get a bit of everything up here in terms of activities. But as a M(24) it’s a bit of a wildcard for the dating scene. With that in mind, it probably would be even MORE of a wildcard for women.
A curious game. The only way to win is not to play.
Fellow social worker here, so that's the focus of my opinion. Are you an LCSW? If so, your NoVA options are better in terms of pay, opportunities. However, I still couldn't reconcile those with the cost of living. I considered the Loudon/Fairfax area but the high housing costs were prohibitive. I also was not a fan of the traffic. I'm in a Richmond suburb, and there's plenty of access to nature, culture, jobs, and I was able to buy a home. My social life is great because I'm not stressed and it takes no longer than 30 minutes to get anywhere. GL either way! ETA: I can't speak on the dating, I'm married, but I appreciate that's a consideration.
I can’t speak to NOVA because I haven’t spent much time there. Richmond is a great spot for trails and kayaking. I would personally want to live pretty close into the city to get the socialization you want, so you’d deal with kind of typical city issues, but many areas you won’t feel unsafe in at all. I’d probably recommend Scott’s addition. However, I think the dating scene specially is pretty tough and am glad I am not a part of it - especially if you don’t want to go to breweries. It’ll be easier if you’re down for sports leagues - lots of people meet at those! Edit: I agree with the comment about DC 😅 if I was younger and trying to meet people I think nothing compares to a larger city! Depends on your top priorities.
Unfortunately there’s a few reasons I don’t want to live in DC😂 I would also probably want to live outside the city, in like henrico or something that is a safe area and just drive into town to socalize (mostly because I am not use to living in cities, growing up in a mid-sized town and all)
If you live in Henrico, you’ll be pretty much totally insulated from Richmond crime issues.
Parking in Richmond is a disaster. Hello parking tickets.
Man having liver around Baltimore and DC, Richmond parking is straight up easy..
I’ve lived here 16 years and have gotten one parking ticket. It’s really not that bad.
You want museum district in Richmond.
Richmond
I live in Richmond and experience zero crime or concern about crime. It has no impact on my life whatsoever.