Richmond, VA

[bob_the_muse]

Does anybody know where arts grad students typically live? What are the nice areas in walking distance that are good for grad students? Any information about the city would be appreciated. We do have a car but don't want to use it more than we have to. What is the food situation there? Any great places?

[madeinbritain]

Hi Bob,

I grew up in Richmond and am finishing a Masters at VCU now.

Richmond has lots of great places to live right around the campus. The nicest is the Fan, just west of campus between Grace and Cary streets. You can easily walk or bike to everything you need there. Lots of great restaurants, corner shops, small neighborhood parks, etc. There are a few areas on the fringes of the Fan that are a bit sketchy, but the vast majority is great. It can be a somewhat difficult to find a place to live that's really nice at a reasonable price. There are lots of scruffy places available that have been rented to students for years without being renovated or updated. With a bit of searching though, you can find a great place.

Oregon Hill is another popular area for students. It's located just south of campus. Oregon Hill used to be pretty run down, but there' s been a lot of renovation and some new construction in the past few years. If you can find something good there it is a nice place to live. Parking and large parties can be a problem because the streets are narrow, there are lots of students, and the neighborhood is pretty dense. The neighborhood website is oregonhill.net One of the great things about Oregon hill is that it is right by the James River and has good access to Belle Isle and the other parks in that area.

West of the Fan is an area called the Museum District. It' s similar to the Fan, but the apartments are smaller and can be a little more affordable. You'd probably want to ride the bus or bike to campus from there, it has a great shopping district called Carytown that is very convenient. Lots of great shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. Also good access to the major parks and museums in the area. Maymont Park is a great place to spend an afternoon.

Craigslist is a pretty good source for finding apartments, as are Style Weekly (free local mag.) and the Richmond Times Dispatch (local newspaper). Many places don't seem to be advertised though, and it' s worthwhile to come to town, take a walk or drive around the neighborhoods, and look for the "for rent" signs.

In any case, there's great variety in the VCU area and I'm sure you'll find something you'll like. Good luck.

[iluvzacefron]

I grew up in the Fan, but I don't have much to say about renting and apartments because I went elsewhere for college. That said, there are GREAT places to eat in Richmond. These are some of my favorites:

Buzz and Ned's at 1119 N. Boulevard : bbq (Some people say it's too "wet", but they're stupid.) and good sweet potato fries/other sides (http://www.buzandneds.com/)

Joe's Inn at 205 N. Shields Ave. : Fan staple with giant portions of spaghetti...and everything. (http://www.joesinn.com/)

M

[fullofpink]

Does anybody know where arts grad students typically live? What are the nice areas in walking distance that are good for grad students? Any information about the city would be appreciated. We do have a car but don't want to use it more than we have to. What is the food situation there? Any great places?

I'm an undergrad at VCU and I will tell you, Richmond is a small city/big town. In the city limits (because at times, Richmond just sprawls into the suburbs which tend to have the same names as Richmond districts. Examples: west end inside the city is where the millionaires live, but west end outside the city limits is Glen Allen where a major mall, and businesses are, etc.) Richmond has a few key areas: The Fan (where VCU is located smack dab on the edge of), Oregon Hill, Northside, Jackson Ward, Carver, Museum District, Monroe Ward, Downtown, Shockoe Bottom, and Church Hill.

Location wise:

The Fan (VCU) and Monroe Ward are in the center of the city. The Fan is located on the Western side of VCU and Monroe Ward is located on the eastern side. The Fan is a completely residential district mostly filled with students and moderately wealthy families and VCU professors. Rent in the fan can span $240-800 depending on how many roommates you want and what level of decency you go for. Currently, an apartment I live in on Monument avenue ("the prettiest street in the South") with 4 other roommates is a $320 rent/mo. However, you can esily find two bedrooms at 750-800 a month. Most one bedrooms will run you about $650. Property companies that you SHOULD NOT rent from are River city, Dickson, and Virginia Lee. The thing about the fan is that most of the apartments are actually renovated early 20thc. townhouses - so there has not been TOO much renovation to change the place. A lot of apartments run on radiator heat, are incredibly drafty, and furnances, water pumps, electrical outlets seem to go down quite often. Most rental companies are really crappy about maintenaince in the fan.

Regardless of what anyone says, there has been an increase in campus crime lately and this generally extends to the Fan. I have had someone come into my fan apartment one night while I asleep and although nothnig was stolent it is a possibility. Also, the fan is loaded with resturants and bars and small galleries. VCU and Richmond are really an art center moreso than a sports, action place - if you want those things you have to go elsewhere.

Monroe Ward is the Fan's gentler sister. This area comprises of the Broad street which is the new up and coming art galleries and centers. Also, this is where you will find a lot of students live in high rises. The general cost of livnig here, whereas you get free parking (sometimes), amnenities included, and guaranteed working electricity and heat and water but the cost is about $100 more. Rent here is about 800-1000 two bedroom. 700+ for one bedroom. However, it's a safer area (as long as you stay on Franklin and not on Main or Grace) and much more quieter than the fan where I've heard noise from parties that was more than two blocks away. I really enjoyed this area, but it has a much more "downtown" feel than the fan. A lot of medical students live here because it's just on the busline to MCV. Which turns into a 10 minute ride to MCV.

Oregon Hill has housing that is smaller than the fan, but it is a LOT cheaper and run down. You can expect housing to be 200-600 typically.

Carver is north of VCU and is trying to rejuvinate its image. Rent has been steadily increasing ni this area, but its really sparse and the only food here is by the Kroger which is no more than 4 blocks away.

Jackson Ward is known as "Dangerous" but its crime has gone down since students and families have been moving into the area because its cheap. You can RENT an entire townhouse for 800-900 dollars while in the fan that's just for an apartment on one floor. It's a bit dodgier than the other areas and is a bit more unsafe than even the fan, but it's still a nice area to look at. It's directly north of Monroe Ward and you still have access to all the cultural events like First Fridays (which are the art walks the first friday of every month. Big thing).

Museum district is west of the Fan and it has the Virgnia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Historical Society located there. Big, fun museums that are world-class establishments. Also, there is Carytown (A cute shopping district), groceries and resturants out there. It is about a mile west of the school which is a bit of a trek or a 15 minute bike ride (bikes are big down here) but doable. Rent goes about 650-800 two bedroom which will probably be newer and bigger than the Fan.

Grad student housing is more expensive than living off campus, this is including adding a ridiculous meal-plan (Shafer is honestly the worst food anywhere. It is terrible) and utilities. It's super cheap to live off campus, especially with a roommate. Also, VCU has 32,000 students and only has a limited number of housing so off-campus will be your best bet.

If you are a Med student and will be working mostly at MCV campus, Monroe/Jackson Ward will be your best bet. VCU has two different campuses ("Main" campus and MCV - Main is for all academic studies except for the School of Medicine or Forensics). Also, you could try church hill. Church hill is the most eastern part of the city and it's generally safe. Also you can rent nice (nicer than Jackson Ward even) townhouses for 800-900 out there, but you may need to bike or drive to MCV since it will still be a (hilly) trek. Church Hill is across a valley to MCV.

Lemme know if there are any otehr questions!

Also, if you opt for Grad student housing you may end up livnig on MCV campus if you are an Academic student - therefore you'd have to endure a 30 minute busride (including wait time since it's not on set time) each day to get there and back. Not fun. From monroe/jackson ward you can at least walk some days.

[pickupsticks]

There is a good possibility that I will be moving to Richmond in a few months and was just looking for some updated info. I see that most of these posts are from 2009.

From what I gather, 'the fan' is a good place to live for grad students? I am hoping to live near the fine arts building/studios.. is finding an apartment within walking distance possible?

Are there any rental companies/individuals you have had a good experience renting from?

Any advice is great! Thank you!!

[PsychGirl1]

There is a good possibility that I will be moving to Richmond in a few months and was just looking for some updated info. I see that most of these posts are from 2009.

From what I gather, 'the fan' is a good place to live for grad students? I am hoping to live near the fine arts building/studios.. is finding an apartment within walking distance possible?

Are there any rental companies/individuals you have had a good experience renting from?

Any advice is great! Thank you!!

I lived in Richmond for almost 2 years and completely hated it. But, if you're definitely moving there, there is basically 3 areas of the city to live: downtown, the fan and short pump.

Don't live in Short Pump- it's the suburbs, home of food chains and crappy shopping. But they do have lots of newer apartment complexes and is relatively cheap. Also you'll find things like complexes with pools, hot tubs, gyms and parking spots and the like. But you would have to drive to VCU, it's about a 15 minute drive away.

The fan is street parking, and mostly older houses that have been converted into apartments. The upkeep isn't amazing since mostly students live there. You can definitely find apartments near VCU in the fan. It's the more "college-y" area of the city. You would want to look on CL to live here- there aren't many big apartment complexes and the like, mostly just single apartments in a home with 4-8 other apartments. Nobody I knew used brokers or anything like that (as opposed to Boston, where I live now, and everybody goes through brokers). It sounds like you would definitely want to live in the fan, just check google maps as you look at apartments and make sure it's close to where you want to be.

Downtown is a bit sketchier but also has some really nice apartments. I lived downtown, LOVED my apartment, and liked the bars/restaurants I was near, but there aren't as many young people and it's not as "quaint". I lived in a larger building (Pohlig Box Factory) and just emailed them directly. It would be about a 10 minute drive to the fan from downtown.

If you do decide to go for a more apartment building thing (as opposed to craigslist), this site helped me a lot: http://www.apartmentratings.com/

[pickupsticks]

HATED, hated? Ugh. I am going to visit the school soon, but it's probably where I will end up. When you say 'college-y', do you mean like Frat boy parties and peeing in the alley? I don't know if I could do that. Thanks for the info about Short-pump.. not a suburbs kind of person either. Favorite bar/restaurant you'd recommend?(even if I'm only there for a night..

Thank you for responding. I appreciate the advice- good and bad!

I lived in Richmond for almost 2 years and completely hated it. But, if you're definitely moving there, there is basically 3 areas of the city to live: downtown, the fan and short pump.

Don't live in Short Pump- it's the suburbs, home of food chains and crappy shopping. But they do have lots of newer apartment complexes and is relatively cheap. Also you'll find things like complexes with pools, hot tubs, gyms and parking spots and the like. But you would have to drive to VCU, it's about a 15 minute drive away.

The fan is street parking, and mostly older houses that have been converted into apartments. The upkeep isn't amazing since mostly students live there. You can definitely find apartments near VCU in the fan. It's the more "college-y" area of the city. You would want to look on CL to live here- there aren't many big apartment complexes and the like, mostly just single apartments in a home with 4-8 other apartments. Nobody I knew used brokers or anything like that (as opposed to Boston, where I live now, and everybody goes through brokers). It sounds like you would definitely want to live in the fan, just check google maps as you look at apartments and make sure it's close to where you want to be.

Downtown is a bit sketchier but also has some really nice apartments. I lived downtown, LOVED my apartment, and liked the bars/restaurants I was near, but there aren't as many young people and it's not as "quaint". I lived in a larger building (Pohlig Box Factory) and just emailed them directly. It would be about a 10 minute drive to the fan from downtown.

If you do decide to go for a more apartment building thing (as opposed to craigslist), this site helped me a lot: http://www.apartmentratings.com/

[PsychGirl1]

HATED, hated? Ugh. I am going to visit the school soon, but it's probably where I will end up. When you say 'college-y', do you mean like Frat boy parties and peeing in the alley? I don't know if I could do that. Thanks for the info about Short-pump.. not a suburbs kind of person either. Favorite bar/restaurant you'd recommend?(even if I'm only there for a night..

Thank you for responding. I appreciate the advice- good and bad!

I mean, I guess it's personal preference as far as the city. I worked there, and didn't go to school there. Keep in mind that I moved there from Boston, and then moved back to Boston relatively quickly. People from other backgrounds might like it a lot better. Culturally, I'm not the biggest fan of the South- some cities I love to visit, but living there, not so much. Richmond is more of a big town, and everybody kinda knows each other. The nightlife was mostly either white preppy kids with khaki shorts and polo shirts, with very little diversity (i.e. black finn, sine), or areas where black people hung out and the white people didn't go (i.e. all the dance clubs on main street downtown). Coming from a big city, I just found it very backwards. People I met in the working world were (1) from richmond and had lived there forever and didn't have any motivation to do much with their life, (2) there temporarily for a few years working and making decent money and didn't give a crap about anything and played lots of beer pong, or (3) hated it and their life and wanted to leave but hadn't yet for whatever reason.

That being said... it is very possible that the college or grad school environment would be a lot different. I volunteered in a lab on VCU's campus and I met some students who seemed to really enjoy VCU and Richmond. And I did make a few really close friends while living there, who I am still close with, and some actually liked Richmond. So even though I personally hated it, go in with an open mind. You can probably still find people and places you enjoy.

My experience of the fan was a bit like frat boy parties and peeing in the alley. However, there are nicer areas of the fan- I don't really remember which areas where a bit nicer, maybe someone who lives in the fan now (if you are meeting other grad students) can give you better advice. They do have a good number of bars/cute restaurants in the fan area. If you want to check out the city, I'd spend 1-2 days there. For entertainment, there is the museum of fine arts (was really tiny when I was there, but I heard they recently did a big expansion), and carytown (a street with cute restaurants/shops, and also a cool older theater that shows movies- byrd theater). There's a really nice park called Belle Isle- you can run or walk there. There's an Edgar Allen Poe museum and some other unique things (Holocaust museum), but there's not as much to explore like a bigger city. You might want to rent a car while you're there or look up some taxi numbers and bring cash... there's not much in the way of public transportation if you want to explore.

For restaurants.... I have a few.

(1) Julep's- nicer, downtown (Shockoe bottom area). I discovered this restaurant right before I left and my mom was sad we hadn't discovered it earlier. It's more of a family or date place, though, but I vaguely remember they MIGHT have a bar on the 1st floor. Might. :-)

(2) Sette- pizza downtown (shockoe bottom). I loved this place, especially their outdoor patio. People always talk about Bottoms Up pizza in Richmond, but I liked Sette more. It's casual but also have great cocktails.

(3) Kuba Kuba- this is one of the only restaurants I actively miss in Richmond. It's Cuban food and has great brunch. Best Cuban sandwich I've ever had.

(4) Millie's, shockoe bottom- everyone raves about this diner. I found it to be okay/good. But I was also usually hungover when I went, so maybe it is actually amazing like everybody says it is.

There's also a bunch of places to get really good BBQ, but I don't eat BBQ so I never did. Also, if you love fried chicken, it's everywhere in Richmond- even in the grocery store. Another thing I don't eat, so you should ask other people for advice if you want it! Also, my friend loved Pho So 1 for Vietnamese food (in the suburbs), but I've only been there once. There are tons of littler places, especially in the Fan, and I also heard there are some new places since I left. So I'd just walk around the fan with Yelp open on your phone and decide where you want to go! This is also from my memory, so I'm sure I'm missing a lot on this list. I remember Acacia and The Black Sheep as being really delicious, too.

As far as bars, Capital Ale House and Commercial Taphouse & Grill were popular for beer, and when I was there, people really liked Black Finn and Bandito's for night life. (Go to Bandito's once you're already drunk, as it's one of those places with a sticky floor, drunk girls and douches). People in Richmond don't really dance that much (and when they do, it's usually just girls), which I found awkward, but they dance at both of those bars. Also, Tobacoo Company (upstairs) is good for some tobacco and nicer drinks, and Tobacco Company (downstairs) is good for dancing and $1 drinks from 8-9 on Fridays. Sine does karaoke.

Good luck! PM me if you have any more specific questions.

[amanda lauren]

pickupsticks: I'm also 99.9% sure that I'll be moving to Richmond soon - I just got accepted to VCU's MSW program a few days ago, and it's been my top choice all along, so unless something really drastic happens between now and August, I'll be heading down to Richmond for the next 2 years! I have to say, I don't know much about Richmond at all - the only time I've ever been there was when I visited Richmond and VCU for 2 days last August, but I absolutely loved it. I grew up in New York and went to college in Boston, so I'm very used to huge cities (NYC) or large cities (Boston), and I guess after 22 years of living in/near major cities, I'm excited to be going to a smaller, more manageable city. I've also come to kind of dislike Boston after living here for so long. There are some huge advantages - ie. it's packed with college students/young adults, it's pretty easy to walk to most places, awesome public transportation - but the weather is HORRIBLE, there really isn't much diversity (at least not as much as I experienced in New York), it's crazy expensive, among other things. I don't know if this situation applies to you at all, but I'm really looking forward to life in a small city, especially one that's as diverse as Richmond.

Anyone else who's living/has lived in Richmond? Are there any more laid-back, chill places to hang out (ie. bars, pubs) that aren't packed with douchebags, frat boys, sorority girls, and drunk college kids falling all over the place and spilling their drinks on the floor? I don't have anything against greek life or college students, but I would much rather go to a bar with friends, meet new people there, and have some real conversation over a few drinks than go to a club, dance with random strangers and have vodka cranberry spilled all over my shoes.

[Talysin]

Hello everyone!

I am going into a PhD program at Virginia Commonwealth University and I was wondering how the public transit system is over there. I want to know if it is advisable for me to (a) Drive there with my car from southern California or ( use the bus system to get to where I need.

What do you think? Also, any input on the VCU and the environment in Richmond would be great!

Thanks,

Talysin

[VA07]

You guys have nothing to worry about I graduated from VCU as an undergraduate in 2007 and let me tell you, I left VCU feeling as if I got the education and DIVERSE college experience I wanted and deserved! I was a transfer from a college that wasn't very diverse in it's student body and it didn't help that it was in the middle of no-where with very limited things to do. VCU not only has a diverse undergraduate student body in the heart of a state capitol, but a very mature crowd overall--I was in class with a great mix of ages which really complimented my learning experience. VCU was at times very "group" work oriented, but nothing a serious student can't handle. But I digress, let me address some of your questions...I lived in the fan area in Richmond, VA for two years and still go back to visit Richmond at least once a month to see friends. I myself am thinking about going back for Graduate school.

Living conditions in the apartments around the Monroe Park Campus really are hit or miss--honestly. The question is, what can you tolerate? Are those tolerations reasonable considering that you can rent an apartment (that might not be glamorous and brand new) within a comfortable walking distance to campus? There are many "slum lords" in the area who own many buildings, may not always keep them maintained, and take advantage of the demand for apartments close to campus. I have a fairly large dog and it was hard finding a place for him and myself to live in the neighborhood I wanted to be in, so I had to suck some things up--you just have to make sure your demands for things are met by management, even if you have to keep calling and calling! Areas close to campus I suggest (tree lined streets, duplex/row houses, some low-rise apartment buildings): W. Franklin, Monument, Hanover, Park, West, and some parts of Grace. Some parts of Grace in my opinion can be a bit sketchy---you are still in a city mind you, so one must ALWAYS be mindful of the area around them.

If you don't care about living within walking distance I also suggest Carytown---cool, hip, artsy, the Museum District, and also some apartments on the West End. I had some friends at Champion's Club off of Parham Rd. (away from campus) and there are other apartment complexes on that road that seem quiet and laid back if you're into that and are willing to commute/drive to class. PARKING IS TERRIBLE on and around campus--I do warn. If you live in the fan get a fan parking pass from downtown. Street parking is the norm around campus. Some buildings have their own parking but they have LISTS backed up for parking spaces--I was fortunate to get one for a fee monthly but it was worth it.

Carytown and Shockoe Bottom are the hang spots with a hub of places to eat and socialize--very comfortable and laid back. Some spots I recommend are Havana 59, the Tobacco Company, Edo's Squid, Capital Ale House, CousCous (also has dancing), Sticky Rice, Mama Zu's, and Galaxy Diner.

Greek life is there but I was never really into that scene and it never did cross my path. I've met quite a few cool people just in the library or waiting for class to start in between classes in the Student Center. Oh, btw, right on campus off of the curb, there are a few venders for a quick bite...totally suggest Mobile Munchies. Kat and J are super nice, and make some KILLER gourmet organic wraps and to die for lemonades and teas!

Let me know if you have any specific questions...I can hopefully be more helpful! Good Luck!!! Though like any college it has it's issues, over all VCU ROCKS!!! And we have an awesome coach and basketball team, in case you haven't been watching!!!!

pickupsticks: I'm also 99.9% sure that I'll be moving to Richmond soon - I just got accepted to VCU's MSW program a few days ago, and it's been my top choice all along, so unless something really drastic happens between now and August, I'll be heading down to Richmond for the next 2 years! I have to say, I don't know much about Richmond at all - the only time I've ever been there was when I visited Richmond and VCU for 2 days last August, but I absolutely loved it. I grew up in New York and went to college in Boston, so I'm very used to huge cities (NYC) or large cities (Boston), and I guess after 22 years of living in/near major cities, I'm excited to be going to a smaller, more manageable city. I've also come to kind of dislike Boston after living here for so long. There are some huge advantages - ie. it's packed with college students/young adults, it's pretty easy to walk to most places, awesome public transportation - but the weather is HORRIBLE, there really isn't much diversity (at least not as much as I experienced in New York), it's crazy expensive, among other things. I don't know if this situation applies to you at all, but I'm really looking forward to life in a small city, especially one that's as diverse as Richmond.

Anyone else who's living/has lived in Richmond? Are there any more laid-back, chill places to hang out (ie. bars, pubs) that aren't packed with douchebags, frat boys, sorority girls, and drunk college kids falling all over the place and spilling their drinks on the floor? I don't have anything against greek life or college students, but I would much rather go to a bar with friends, meet new people there, and have some real conversation over a few drinks than go to a club, dance with random strangers and have vodka cranberry spilled all over my shoes.

[fullofpink]

You guys have nothing to worry about I graduated from VCU as an undergraduate in 2007 and let me tell you, I left VCU feeling as if I got the education and DIVERSE college experience I wanted and deserved! I was a transfer from a college that wasn't very diverse in it's student body and it didn't help that it was in the middle of no-where with very limited things to do. VCU not only has a diverse undergraduate student body in the heart of a state capitol, but a very mature crowd overall--I was in class with a great mix of ages which really complimented my learning experience. VCU was at times very "group" work oriented, but nothing a serious student can't handle. But I digress, let me address some of your questions...I lived in the fan area in Richmond, VA for two years and still go back to visit Richmond at least once a month to see friends. I myself am thinking about going back for Graduate school.

I've lived in Richmond for 5 years now and I can confirm that it is probably one of the most awesome places to live . If this helps anyone, I like Boston a lot better than New York so you might want to take that into consideration when evaluating my judgments.

Richmond is a very diverse city with very specific neighborhoods. Reading the forums, I know a lot of people who live in Virginia go "Richmond has a not-so-great reputation." It's true -- it the past, it has been ranked on some of the highest crime ratings in the country and I think we were in the top 10 of "Murder capitals" for the country. However, this has significantly changed in some ways. One way is gentrification -- mostly because of VCU's expansion (it inhabits two large parts of the city about a mile apart). People with less criminal intentions and the desire for cheap rent have moved into areas of the city that had terrible reputations. Therefore, this has pushed some criminal aspects into the areas that TRULY have the bad reputation. One area is just north of church hill between Broad and Main streets. Church hill itself is a wonderful, beautiful area where a lot of people who are retired and young professionals live. North of Broad Street (and this area) and between I-64E, there's an area of the city you don't even want to look at. To give you an idea, the juvenile court and the jail are located in this area -- oh and an elementary school is less than half a mile from these two areas -- if that gives you an idea. Northside and Manchester are less dangerous (again, gentrification) but it's not to the level of the inner city.

What constitutes the inner city? In my humble opinion, if you are inside the interstates then you are in the inner city. I-95 N, the River, and 195 border the city very well.

In this area you have MCV (no one lives here although there's graduate housing and another dorm, but it's where city hall, the state capitol, the colisuem, the convention center, and Philip Morris headquarters are -- it's a very, very "downtown" place. Lots of parking lots. Lots. No restaurants, etc.)

Then you have Downtown, which is between Cary and West Grace north and south, between 16th St and 6th St. It's very small and operates much like a downtown in any other city -- completely abandoned on the weekends and holidays, little housing (though there is some) and some bars around for happy hour after work.

Shockoe Slip is on Cary street. You can't miss it - it's cobble-stone street with some fancy restaurants and specialty shops there along with some ritzy hotels. It's not that long -- maybe 4-5 blocks, but it's a neat little area.

Shockoe Bottom is where a lot of clubs, bars, restaurants, and cafes are with some speciality shops. East of there is tobacco row with a LOT of new, really nice lofts.

West of MCV is Jackson Ward, one of the largest neighborhoods of the city. Whoever gave a figure of cost is right, you can rent an entire townhouse (between 3-4 bedrooms) for less than $1000/month. There's also been some recent development along the Broad street corridor where they have a lot of restaurants, galleries and shops. Some areas of broad are bad (between city hall and 1st street), but otherwise, it's a decent area to live if you want to live cheaply.

Monroe Ward is south of there and smack dab in the middle of the city-- other than some portions of Grace Street, it's really nice (especially Franklin and Cary streets). They have a lot of new housing developments. I lived in a two-bedroom in Linden Towers and walked to Monroe Campus (about a mile) every day. There's also a bus route that goes between the two campuses -- it's a nice quiet area to live. There aren't that many shops or restaurants, but Broad Street and downtown are just a few blocks away.

The Fan starts East End at VCU and ends at Boulevard and is bordered by Cary and Broad streets. Because of the recession, petty crime has risen on and off campus (people see you have an iphone? They'll ask you for it. Carrying around a large backpack? Must be a laptop inside!). VCU police lists all their crime statistics online, so if you browse you can see what is going on. I won't talk about housing, since people have already discussed this. However, there is a good 50/50 of housing in the fan between families and college students and sometimes these two factors butt heads. Hanover, Monument, West Ave, Grace (west of Meadow) and Grove (west of Meadow) tend to be very family-oriented and run streets. And by "college" students, we don't really have a frat society here -- it's very low. There is an occasional party, but the fan has a "party patrol." Also, a lot of landlords specially state that they prefer "young professionals" and "grad students" as renters -- most likely you will live on a floor above/below the actual landlord. You can find quiet if you want it. You can also find a party if you want it.

Oregon Hill is just south of the fan. It's run down and poor, but there are some recent developments. It's much more of an authentic "neighborhood" than I would grant the rest of Richmond. There's a large college population, but there is also some working class folks who own homes (very blue collar) as well as old VCU professors who bought houses there in the 70s and just never left. However, it's not uncommon to walk down a street and see old couches, beer bottles, weeds, and general disregard of aesthetic in Oregon Hill.

Randolph is a neighborhood of families and is also South of the Fan, west of Oregon Hill. You can find cheap rent there (a one bedroom apartment for $400), but it's not the best area for college students.

Museum District is, again, young professionals. Housing is cheaper and smaller, but there are some idiosyncrasies mixed in. MD also hosts some of the private schools and is a little bit safer than the Fan. But, you can get screwed on housing here too.

Carytown is a shopping district about a mile long. It's in the museum district, but shopping center itself is called this. Just north and south are some apartment housing and houses for rent. It's generally a safe area with low rent.

Byrd Park is a safe area, with some ranch style houses and other more family oriented places. They have fewer apartment complexes and duplex town homes, since it's mostly family style. The homes in this area are really nice, a bit more expensive than museum district but way nicer.

What a lot of people haven't mentioned is that Richmond is a really great biking/walking/and driving city. We don't do public transportation well (although, VCU's campus connector is pretty decent and free with your VCU card. It connects MCV campus with Monroe Campus), you aren't more than 2 miles than where you need to be - grocery store, bank, movies, museum, restaurant, campus, etc.

Also, the definition of a VCU college student should be addressed. VCU has a top 5 art school, so you find a lot of "alternative" people here and a nationally ranked medical school. VCU has students who range in goth, prep, hipster, nerd, krusty, jock, and anything in-between. Unlike some schools, these groups tend to merge and you will have classes and friendships with all types of people -- older, younger, professional, those who have never had a job. We also have a HUGE international student population (we have a school in Qatar) as well as students from around the world. My German student tutor in college was actually from Germany -- go figure.

A large percentage of the college students drop out of VCU and tend to stick around, so there's a humungous "alumni" population here -- everyone in Richmond has gone to VCU or has some affiliation with it (less so with UVA and VT, but there are some University of Richmond kids, but they generally stick West of 195, termed "the West End"). There is no school rivalry between these schools, although stereotypes occur, we mostly laugh them off.

Also, we don't consider Richmond "the south," although there are some southern tendencies. I run into people all the time, and everyone knows each other here by at least two degrees of separation (once you are here long enough -- you'll realize what I mean). We look at each other in the eye, say hello/hey to strangers on the street in passing, and we stop and help people with questions all the time. It's a pretty friendly city on the terms of "city," so that comes a shock to some from the North.

It's also a pretty liberal city (you can find the millionaires, blue bloods and old money in the West End past 195). When Obama won, the streets were crowded with parades and you couldn't drive anywhere because of it, haha (this is at, like, midnight the election night).

Otherwise, I agree with a lot of what everyone else has said about RVA.

Edited April 26, 2011 by fullofpink

[fullofpink]

Hello everyone!

I am going into a PhD program at Virginia Commonwealth University and I was wondering how the public transit system is over there. I want to know if it is advisable for me to (a) Drive there with my car from southern California or ( use the bus system to get to where I need.

What do you think? Also, any input on the VCU and the environment in Richmond would be great!

Thanks,

Talysin

Take your car, it will be best when it gets cold and you need to get around the city easily. It's so easy to drive a car around here it hurts, lol. We don't have the best public transportation system, even though it's free with your VCU card. We are a biking and walking city, so if you feel that you will live near campus, bringing/buying a bike will be best to go and get groceries.

[user_name]

(+)

#2 PBR consumption

#3 tattooed city

scumfuck capitol of the east coast

best friend's day

cheap

weather isn't bad

(-)

all the goddammed hipsters

cheap because of gentrification

capitol of the confederacy (drive down monument, you'll see)

[user_name]

also, whatever you do, don't rent from river city real estate

[fullofpink]

(+)

#2 PBR consumption

#3 tattooed city

scumfuck capitol of the east coast

best friend's day

cheap

weather isn't bad

(-)

all the goddammed hipsters

cheap because of gentrification

capitol of the confederacy (drive down monument, you'll see)

I'm confused why you note PBR, tattoos, and best friend's day as pluses, but neg the hipsters since two of those are primary categories in identifying the hipsters and BFD was created by them...

Also, not sure why being the cap of confederacy is so bad - I mean, it's not like anyone in the city still sports a confederate flag. Almost everyone I know (who lives in the city) is incredibly liberal.

[user_name]

a good deal of my post was facetious.

as for the capital of the confederacy...at least oregon hill no longer has the sign 'welcome to oregon hill. that better be a tan, son' but the community (not young people) has a lot to work through. gentrification brought about by vcu's and its buildings on slave cemeteries are one thing, the unofficial segregation between richmond city and surrounding county schools are another.

[TehSara]

Hi there,

I am thinking of applying to VCU for my MFA. All of the posts in this forum are prior to September 2011; can anyone tell me if this information is still relatively accurate?

I will be moving there with my husband and we would be looking for a house in a family or young professional’s neighborhood, rather than an apartment in a college area. Safety is more imprtant to us than being near restaurants and bars - we can always drive there.

Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!