Possible Move From NOVA to RVA (Questions)

Submitted by PeanutterButter101 t3_10zv3lk in rva

Hey Guys,

Long story short my WFH job now allows us to work anywhere in the US. I’m considering moving out of Northern Virginia (Arlington) where I’ve lived the past 15 years. I’m not completely set on leaving but I am strongly considering moving to expand my horizons a bit. I want to make sure I’m making the right move so I don’t have to move more than once.

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I’ll describe myself a bit:

(i) Mid-30’s, male, single and bi

(ii) Digital artist on the side

(iii) Kind of a weeb; I like anime, gunpla, videogames, etc.

(iv) I love music namely EDM, techno, future funk, city pop, etc.

(v) I workout 6 days a week at home (I have my own equipment)

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What I want to know about Richmond is:

(i) How queer friendly is it and how large is the community? Do locals welcome us?

(ii) How accepting are locals to people who are from different parts of the country/world?

(iii) Is the grapevine strong there? Do people keep to themselves or are they open?

(iv) How diverse is the food culture? Is there middle eastern food, pho, greek, etc.?

(v) How good is the internet there? How often are there outages?

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I appreciate any insight!

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masonbrit t1_j85k732 wrote

If you search this sub you’ll find all the answers to your questions, someone asks something along this line every 2-3 days.

Fair warning, WFH NoVA people moving to Richmond is not seen favorably by many given the negative impact that’s had on many people that were already here.

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resident16 t1_j862nev wrote

I feel like that last part is only Reddit specific. The average RVA citizen isn’t going to give a shit.

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RufusDelgado t1_j865dmg wrote

Because the average RVA citizen nowadays is from nova.

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Power_Blaster t1_j86hta9 wrote

Oh really? You find that true in your experience or are you just reddit bandwagoning?

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RufusDelgado t1_j86i5t2 wrote

I find it true in my experience.

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Power_Blaster t1_j86izpu wrote

Where? At the store? Up at work? At the gas station? Neighbors? In those $1,400mo luxury Manchester apartments? How do you know where they are from? Do you ask everyone? Does it both you? If so why?

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RufusDelgado t1_j86j8zs wrote

Most people I meet are from Nova and in my line of work I meet a lot of people. Calm down buddy.

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Power_Blaster t1_j86jtsv wrote

Just curious guy. What kind of work do you do? Does it bother you that you meet a lot of people from Nova?

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RufusDelgado t1_j86kaa5 wrote

Let's not post personal shit here. Why do you care so much? I know you're from Nova and take this personally, but really just chill. And this is why I don't like most people from Nova. So aggressively proud of being from there and if anyone disagrees they take so much offense.

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Mr_Boneman t1_j88pp0k wrote

People from NOVA are so easy to pick out on the street. You can smell it on them.

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genericrva t1_j876jfm wrote

from nova, moved here in 2005 and imo there's always layers to this but yeah lol I take NO OFFENSE, after a certain point in the timeline this "proud nova-ite" influx became nothing more than a negative imbalancer/culture destroyer to the city of richmond as it, independently was, in and out of scene/generation, for a long time. but the sorta systemic change that's happened in the last 5 years alone has really, very much destroyed and "remade" the sorta social systems that existed pre-covid and other social revolutions for both better and for worse, that have altered the business/arts landscape of the city and helped pave way for this new era of even more juiced up real estate competition and then ofc by historically proven near cliche the normification and gentrification of the entire urban environment in and of itself. it's like people have been lecturing and preaching A LOT on this website lately. flexing how "back in the day in 2018".... idk. it's just a weird time in richmond lately imo.

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RufusDelgado t1_j8780al wrote

Honestly I never disliked nova people until the last few years. I moved here around the same time you did in 2007 from the 757. It just seems like most people from nova now are extremely proud and it defines their entire character. I just don't understand why they moved to Richmond. Like if you love it so much please just move back.

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Power_Blaster t1_j86klob wrote

You couldn't be more wrong. Post or don't post whatever you want I don't give a fuck. You seem like an asshole. No wonder you don't like people. Try not to stereotype so much guy.

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genericrva t1_j875mbr wrote

ehhh. veryyy debatable from what i hear out in the streets these days

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Dr_Poop69 t1_j8659al wrote

Eh, I mean I feel like it’s split, there’s probably people that are aware and don’t like it, people who dislike the effects it’s having like rent hikes, but are unaware of the reason, people that are oblivious and people that just don’t care.

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SallySueFriedaMay t1_j87cuej wrote

I can tell you specifically the effects it’s having and why that’s worthy of my dislike. It’s gentrifying Richmond at a rate that means people who don’t make a Nova salary and aren’t real estate investors are already priced out of buying property, and pretty much out of renting too. It means that historically black and low income neighborhoods are being whitewashed and long time residents can’t afford to pay their property taxes or skyrocketing rents and are pushed further and further to the periphery, where they don’t have access to services and things like grocery stores (look up food deserts in Richmond… it’s a massive problem). So unless you have a WFH job that’s paying a rate intended for a place with a much higher cost of living, Richmonders either can’t reach even the bottom rung of the property ladder or are being pushed off wherever they were.

Also the traffic. 10 years ago you could go anywhere in the city in 15 minutes. Now you spend 30 minutes trying to get through 3 stoplights on Belvidere or Broad.

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cr4zy-cat-lady t1_j85j7u4 wrote

I’m not trying to be rude but we get these questions all the time. If you looked, you’d find all these questions have been answered at one point or another. It’s kind of a dick move to announce you’re coming here on a NOVA salary when that’s a big reason why our housing prices are going up and locals can’t keep up and ask a bunch of questions you could have answered yourself with a little bit of research.

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fusion260 t1_j85jwjz wrote

> I’m not trying to be rude

Deliberately proceeds to be rude…

> It’s kind of a dick move to announce you’re coming here on a NOVA salary

Not seeing any mention of a salary in their post. They just said they live in NoVA and their job says they can work from anywhere.

So, lay off a bit?

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cr4zy-cat-lady t1_j85kb6s wrote

dang you’re taking this personally, found a nova transplant lol

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fusion260 t1_j85l3ry wrote

That’s a no to both of those things.

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RufusDelgado t1_j865hcx wrote

If they are from Arlington they are well off.

Edit - why the downvote, bud? Here's your proof right here VA per capita income spoiler - Arlington is THE wealthiest location in Virginia!

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ShuRugal t1_j88e8h6 wrote

Arlington consistently ranks as one of the wealthiest counties in America.

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nilmergreeb t1_j863lzy wrote

Sorry folks, city’s closed. Moose out front shoulda toldja.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_j85m0r5 wrote

Welcome. I think people people moving here is great for the city. That said, the way you asked this prepare for an onslaught of snark. A lot of people feel that Nova people are swamping the place and pushing them out of a place they love. This will elicit all sorts of online crankiness.

That said, most of them moved here from Nova too ironically. Half this sub lived in Nova at some point in their lives.

That said, there are some really silly questions. Do a search. Greek food? Pho? Internet? Jesus dude, we are a major city, one of the 50 largest economies in the world by GDP. Did you mean to go on a West Virginia site or something?

Richmond will suit you to a T. It's completely queer friendly. It's accepting. It's more open than NoVa, though bear in mind half the population used to live in Nova so... All the other stuff, don't be ridiculous.

Though EDM clubs don't exist or suck by accounts (not my thing). It's a brewery city (my thing) not a club city

Visit or ask one of your friends who has moved down.

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bkemp1984Part2 t1_j85pn16 wrote

You and I don't see eye to eye on just how "great" it is for this city to slowly turn into a playground for rich, white folks but you won me with paragraph 3.

It's not a club city, though far better than Nova itself. DC obviously is leagues better, but I don't think Arlington areaNOVA offers much at all. That said, I think Jungle Room is trash while a ton of people think it's amazing. So to some people this is a "club enough" city, but none of the genres you listed, OP, are ones you'll find much of here, except the vague "EDM".

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Charlesinrichmond t1_j85ru5z wrote

I mean I think people moving here is good for everyone, but I do understand the counter viewpoint. I think the way to keep income diversity is things like ADUs and zoning, though.

It's pretty bad when a moving post has me going wtf. I don't even think this guy is trolling, though I want to. But this is right up there with "tell me why I should move to Richmond, even though I've never been there"

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fusion260 t1_j85si0f wrote

In a comment OP made in r/nova 5 days ago on a related question there, OP said they were considering Richmond if they were going to stay in Virginia. Doesn’t look like they’re trolling.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_j85t2th wrote

yeah, I don't think they were trolling. But they made it sound like a troll still, if that makes sense. I started to answer it in my usual way, then I was like, wtf is up with some of these questions?

I think this is a very cool little city, obviously. But I don't get why people would think of moving here from Nova without even bothering to come down for the weekend, or google "vietnamese restaurant Richmond". I mean c'mon now.

The EDM question on the other hand is a good one. I wouldn't tell anyone interested in a SoBe like club scene to come here.

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hipscrack t1_j85p8yr wrote

I think this is the saltiest I've ever seen you get with a moving post. It might actually be the only time I've seen you do it.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_j85r65k wrote

yeah, it is the only time I've been salty at a moving post I think.

perhaps I misread it, but some of the stuff in the question is the worst of Nova. I mean "do we have reliable internet and greek food" is like a troll. This is the sort of thing that justifies all the people who get riled up.

as for the back, years ago... par for the course.

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I_AM_RVA t1_j865mqe wrote

There is no chance that Richmond by itself is one of the fifty largest economies in the world. Theees no way that’s true.

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1975hh3 t1_j8745se wrote

This has to be satire.

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fusion260 t1_j85j161 wrote

Howdy,

I (gay guy, 40) moved here from south Florida (where I was raised) when I was 30 and have happily called it home ever since.

Pretty strong, small LGBTQ community here with some great organizations for meeting others, volunteering, and playing sports. The overall population is pretty accepting, except for parts of Hanover and Chesterfield and further out in the rural areas.

There are lots of pride flags and ally/safe businesses and venues, as well. Our organized Pride event is in September instead of June because June is just the worst for outdoor events.

Found my now-husband on the apps within a few months of moving here but we didn’t meet until a year after that.

My sister has since moved here from Florida and she lives closer to downtown than I do (in the suburbs).

We’re pretty open to different people of different cultures and ethnicities, though that may vary in size of the community depending on the ethnicity.

Lots of great food options among bad food options, but we’re still limited in terms of what you’d find in the DC area.

Internet is pretty reliable and fast if you find a place where Verizon FiOS is, otherwise Comcast is expectedly “ok.”

Since you said you’re in NoVA, there will be some people who suggest you’ll hate it here and to stay up there. Take that with a grain of salt because some folk are just extra salty on people moving to RVA.

Since you can work remotely, why not come on down on Amtrak and spend a few days in the city to look around?

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Charlesinrichmond t1_j85mmty wrote

I would have guessed we had a larger than average LBTQ community for the size of the city? Maybe it's just where I live and who I know, I haven't seen stats. I will say I have a number of gay friends who moved elsewhere and then moved back because they like RVA so much.

I'm amazed at the level of snark this guy isn't getting so far actually. Do we have greek food and internet kind of comes across poorly. Throw that on top of "I'm WFH home from Nova" and it's like lobbing a hand grenade at the sub

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deephaven t1_j865amf wrote

This is the nicest most thoughtful answer! Thank you for representing the Richmond I want to live in!

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Power_Blaster t1_j86nri7 wrote

You're right! It really is mostly this sub... Nova bad, search sub, chicken bone lol. It's kind of sad. I have neighbors from all over and they a really nice an fun to visit with.

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deephaven t1_j86r8xs wrote

I am on this sub for a feeling of community but I do agree it feels a bit like a clique from middle school…inside jokes are cool but being shitty about people moving here is against the whole reality that this country moves around!! I lived in Seattle in the early ‘90s with the “native” bumper stickers….the fun was in the mash up of everyone from everywhere!!!

I grew up here…left for 18 years…moved back and it is becoming the city I always wanted to live in BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE AWESOME PEOPLE MOVING HERE WITH ALL OF THEIR AWESOME DIFFERENCES!!!

Come on NOVA!! Not everyone is a douchecanoe!

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Power_Blaster t1_j86sn5r wrote

I don't get the, people from X are all like X and they are bad. Seems super prejudiced and ignorant to me. I love the influx of new people with money! I bought my house in 2006 and it's worth way more than I paid for it then, by far!

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Ditovontease t1_j893ope wrote

Move to Baltimore or hell Philly instead

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opienandm t1_j85nv58 wrote

I don’t the answers to any of your questions other than (v).

The internet is ver

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fusion260 t1_j85ooun wrote

…what?

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opienandm t1_j85pqkb wrote

Whoosh.

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fusion260 t1_j85qgr0 wrote

That was a joke? I couldn’t tell by the typo in the first sentence. For all I know, you were typing while driving and got into an accident.

Also, posting that comment wouldn’t have worked if the connection dropped. Partial comments don’t work if the full contents of the message weren’t sent to the server yet.

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bigdawgwhatup t1_j870loe wrote

Either you’re trolling or this is hilariously out of touch

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Alex_Caton94 t1_j85m97w wrote

(i) How queer friendly is it and how large is the community? Do locals welcome us?

RVA is a left-leaning, open-minded city for the most part.

(ii) How accepting are locals to people who are from different parts of the country/world?

RVA is open to all cultures, but as you can see in the comments a lot of locals get irrationally angry when people from NOVA move down here. Fuck 'em.

(iii) Is the grapevine strong there? Do people keep to themselves or are they open?

Your ability to make friends in RVA will primarily be based on how willing you are to make an effort and put yourself out there. Locals can be cliquey and judgmental.

(iv) How diverse is the food culture? Is there middle eastern food, pho, greek, etc.?

The food scene here isn't quite as diverse as what you're likely used to in NOVA/DC, but it's still surprisingly strong when you consider the size of the city. DM me if you want any recommendations!

(v) How good is the internet there? How often are there outages?

The internet here is fine. The standard providers that you'd expect to find in NOVA are present in RVA.

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ShuRugal t1_j88ehns wrote

>RVA is a left-leaning

Wait, you mean I'm not the only Socialist here?

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Chickenmoons t1_j85uxxc wrote

Arlington is pretty unique and more diverse but Richmond isn’t lacking in diversity. You won’t find the Bolivian food for example you have in Arlington but there’s plenty of good Central American restaurants.

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goosey65 t1_j85vo79 wrote

Vietnamese and Korean are the biggest hit you take leaving nova. There are some solid places here but nothing like Eden Center and Annandale.

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Chickenmoons t1_j85wjb7 wrote

There’s nothing like Eden Center most places. If it’s that important then don’t move I guess.

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verinthebrown t1_j88f6hw wrote

Can confirm. This is the one thing that sucks about Richmond - no Bolivian food!!!!

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JosefDerArbeiter t1_j86hrgz wrote

These answers can all be found by searching the sub. None of the 5 questions you have asked are unique enough that they have not been asked before here.

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ominousrooster666 t1_j897n0b wrote

From what I gather, people are just angry that people from NoVA are moving here because they're driving up the cost of property due to paying way over what houses are worth. I wouldn't tell you to stay out of here though.

Richmond City is fairly queer friendly. We have a couple of LGBT+ bars, diversity thrift shop, and pride events. There are, as always, people who discriminate, but it's less common in the city and more outside of it. Don't go anywhere really rural. Our LGBT+ community is kind of small though.

We have a diverse range of restaurants. Indian, Mexican, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Greek, all that.

Our population is pretty diverse as far as nationality.

I personally find that Richmond people are very clicky. It's not easy to make friends imo.

Nothing to worry about as far as internet.

I also think being a weeb, you'll fit right in. We have to many people here who love anime and gaming.

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b_a_b_a_r t1_j877417 wrote

Petersburg is amazing, definitely live there.

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RulerOfTheRest t1_j85mp4v wrote

As it's been said, lots of info if you use the search bar, and take the hostilities in some of the answers with a grain of salt because some folks in the forum are getting tired of the questions being asked over and over again.

Overall, the majority of the people in the city are friendly, lots of good food choices and a ton of breweries, and the internet is the internet, your primary choices are Comcast and Verizon, unless you chose a place that has an agreement with one of the providers for service then you're stuck with what they've got. But be prepared to be patient, for the housing market is in a bit of a crunch right now because so many people have moved to the RVA, and while there is new stuff opening up all the time, there still will probably be a wait. Also, be prepared to hear trains, we have a boatload of 'em and you can hear their horns from just about anywhere in the city. On a side note, if you enjoy a nightlife that goes into the wee hours of the morning, you'll have to go back to the DMV for that as there isn't as much of that hear...

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mehkmonet t1_j88mnbp wrote

Stay in nova please

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DamILuvFrogs t1_j876p92 wrote

You’re making a big mistake

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rickkicks t1_j87nx7q wrote

dude move somewhere else

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WhoCaresBoutSpellin t1_j88guux wrote

Take whatever it is you don’t like about NoVA, multiply that feeling x10 and that is the level of dislike that Richmonders feel about NoVA transplants.

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Cerebral-Knievel-1 t1_j86yzgv wrote

As a native Richmonder, who can trace his family back to landing here in the late 1600's.. that had one of the largest king grants of the time.. relatives that have fought and died in the revolutionary war, and both sides of the civil war..

We've always been bitching about folks moving from NorVa to Richmond.

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vonarchimboldi t1_j87zjts wrote

(i) Richmond is very queer friendly and has a relatively large community for a small city.

(ii) In the city, I have not seen any xenophobia or weirdness. Fairly open.

(iii) Richmond is small. Secrets are not really easy to keep here. Especially within certain professional circles, people talk.

(iv) Fairly diverse. We have a lot of Vietnamese immigrants, as well as a small but active Armenian community, same with Greek, same with Jewish all with a great food festival associated with them.

(v) I have 1Gbps verizon, pretty solid. Comcast isnt quite as reliable in my experience. I don't think Fiber is a thing here yet outside of certain heavily commercial areas like downtown but allegedy its coming.

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Stubys2 t1_j89la9b wrote

Frig off we’re full

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Cheap-Ad7916 t1_j85o45x wrote

I also moved from nova, wfh 3x week and work on-site in Ffx county 2x week. Recently started taking the train (super cheap, (edit) $20 round trip) and is been great, if you ever need to go up. I like to answer these questions because I made a similar life moved two years ago.

I am married with a child, my impressions are that no one really cares who you date in the city. As you get further away from the city it gets more conservative. We are a Hispanic family, and we are the only non-white family in our neighborhood as far as I can tell. It doesn’t seem to be a problem. Diversity acceptance does seem to be on par with 1990s in northern Virginia though…at our pool, a bunch of girls were talking in fake Spanish, making fun of my husband, which is something I might’ve seen in 1999 from middle school girls in Fairfax, but something that is very unlikely to happen now. This pool was in the suburbs.

I came here married, so can’t really speak to the dating scene, but I will say that just because of its size, I imagine DC/Arlington/Northern Virginia just has a better and more varied dating scene. I imagine the gay/queer is even smaller. It’s just a much smaller place.

I recommend visiting for a week to get a good feel. It was a great move for us, but it’s definitely less diverse, less connected by trail systems and much more type b rather than type a.

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VAJazzCabbage t1_j88f8ia wrote

Get OP and take him back to nova with you

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Cheap-Ad7916 t1_j8lykel wrote

I feel like this issue is more nuanced than that. My husband is a phlebotomist and I’m a public health worker. We had no hope of owning even a town house in northern Virginia. if we had waited even a year to buy here, we would have been priced out of Richmond as well. I understand the sentiment, I understand why people here feel this way, and as much as I love Richmond, if I could have afforded it, we would have bought a small condo in Arlington or Alexandria. I know there are some high earners moving here, but some of us just don’t make enough to buy where we work. This is a systemic issue.

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VAJazzCabbage t1_j8mmgah wrote

No this isn't about housing. This is coming in to the area and thinking you know better and making RVA whatever terrible place you moved from. You newbies don't understand the economics or social aspects of RVA and what has failed here before.

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Cheap-Ad7916 t1_j8msfz2 wrote

You do realize you aren’t getting the hardcore type As right? They are staying in northern VA. I think it’s a self selecting, lower-earning crowd looking for a more laid back lifestyle coming. I don’t think I know better regarding Richmond, I’m just sharing my experiences. I’d love to know your perspective on the economics and social aspects of Richmond and what has failed here before.

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VAJazzCabbage t1_j8mueoe wrote

We have been experiencing nova flight for many years before the pandemic accelerated it. It's doesn't have to be the hardcore. It could be as simple as a voting base large enough to vote for an outsider proposing mistakes Richmond made before.

Richmond is riddled with the legacy of racism. Part of the city get ignored while others are playgrounds for county folk... Because the county people contribute more to the city's tax base. This leads to placating county interests instead of helping the city and the ones who need it.

I also am truly saddened that you experienced the ignorance of racism in the suburbs here. We have our ignorant too. Looking at you Chesterfield....

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RVABronxite t1_j86npon wrote

Sorry Richmond doesn't need anymore weebs. Just go live near VCU

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FlexRVA21984 t1_j87bcxq wrote

(i) Richmond is pretty friendly to the LGBTQ community (ii) We’re are a mixed bag, as far as ppl moving here, but folks tend to be fairly friendly, overall (iii) Richmonders can be kinda clique-y, but there is a lot to do here, so meeting ppl isn’t too hard (at least, plutonically) (iv) We have a pretty good food scene (v) The internet is pretty good around here. Rarely have issues w/ connections

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verinthebrown t1_j88f008 wrote

I'm a NoVa transplant myself. Moved to RVA 11 yrs ago and never looked back. NoVa sucks and RVA is a much better fit for me. Very LGBTQ+ friendly, lots of inclusive martial arts gyms if you are interested in giving that a go given your level of athleticism.

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creepy_crepes t1_j8avqx3 wrote

Hey dude! Sorry you’re getting some hate, a lot of RVA people are upset about the nova WFHers moving here and upping rent costs. It’s a valid complaint. But you’re welcome to move here and people will be kind in person. Anonymous comments tend to be a lot meaner than people actually are here! Vibrant LGBTQ+ communities here, plenty of great anime themed tattooists. Check out Babe’s and Black Rabbit respectively!

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Dr_Poop69 t1_j86672u wrote

Richmond’s alright, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with it. To answer your questions:

(I) You’ll be fine in the city, locations that are adjacent to the city like forest hill, and upper middle class parts of suburbs like Bon Air and probably Midlothian. Some areas of the surrounding counties are conservative - it is easy to spot though, it’s not exactly hidden. I’m originally from Richmond, left and came back. It doesn’t seem like the LGBTQ community is as large as other cities I’ve lived in, but they seem accepting.

(II) you should be fine. I think there is a little distaste for Nova transplants on Reddit as mentioned in other comments, but whatever.

(III) The grapevine can be good depending on what you do and where you go. If you’re talking about just going to a bar, I feel people mostly keep to themselves and you kind of have to be a part of a group. Its kind of a small city/big town. You’ll see a lot of the same people, but it can be a little cliquey. As long as you have hobbies and stuff to do and ways to meet people you’ll be fine. Edit: as you can see from the comments there are a fair amount of people here that are asshats, but everywhere is like that and they can fuck off.

(IV) Diverse is not a word I would associate with the Richmond food scene. Are there other cultural options? Absolutely, but the Richmond food scene is mostly dominated by American southern cuisine. It is not nearly diverse as the cultural options available in DC or other large cities.

(V) When I lived in shockoe bottom I could only get internet through Comcast and it was bad, but I’ve never had any issues in any other locations or with any other providers in the city.

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markerfive t1_j8669zp wrote

You should think about doing a short-term rental here for a couple of weeks or a month to check things out for yourself. My Verizon Fios internet here in the city is the best I’ve ever had at home.

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