Hey there – I’m sitting here thinking about how to help you figure out where to live in Virginia, and honestly? The “best places” lists always miss the point. They talk about statistics, but they don’t tell you what it actually FEELS like to live there.
My family moved here fifteen years ago, and we’ve lived in three different parts of the state. Let me give you the real scoop – the stuff you won’t find on Zillow.
First things first – Virginia has weather identity disorder
No, seriously. Northern Virginia might as well be a different country from Southwest Virginia. The eastern part near the beach feels tropical in summer, while the mountains get legit winter. You need to think about this. Are you a humidity person or a snow person? This matters way more than school rankings, I promise you.
Northern Virginia – The “Yes, But…” Dream
Everyone talks about the great schools in places like Fairfax and Arlington. They’re not wrong. The schools are fantastic. But here’s what nobody tells you – you’ll be paying for those schools with your soul in traffic.
I lived in Reston for three years. My office was twelve miles away. Some days, that took an hour and fifteen minutes. I’m not exaggerating. You spend half your life in your car. The houses are beautiful, but they cost like they’re made of gold. And everyone is from somewhere else – it’s very transient.
The upside? Amazing food from every country you can imagine. Great jobs. And honestly, the diversity is incredible – your kids will grow up thinking the whole world looks like their classroom.
Richmond – Where Cool Meets Affordable
I live in Richmond now, in the Museum District. Let me tell you why I love it – it’s got personality. Like, real personality. Not the manufactured kind.
The James River runs right through downtown, and on summer evenings, you’ll find people still in their work clothes floating on tubes down the river. There are breweries in old factories, restaurants in converted houses, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is free. FREE.
The housing market’s gotten crazy lately, but you can still find character. We bought a 1930s brick house with original hardwood floors and one of those tiny bathrooms that makes you wonder what people were thinking back then. I love it.
Oh, and about storage – when we bought this place, we realized the basement floods every few years. So we got a storage unit over on Broad Street for all my wife’s teaching materials and our holiday decorations. Best decision we ever made – no more worrying about water damage.
The Mountains – For When You Need to Breathe
If you’re looking at Roanoke or Charlottesville, you’re probably a different kind of person. The kind who doesn’t mind driving thirty minutes for groceries because the view out your window is the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I have a friend who moved to Staunton (pronounced Stanton, by the way – don’t say it wrong), and he says it changed his life. His blood pressure dropped. He started gardening. He knows his neighbors. But the trade-off is that there aren’t as many job opportunities, and you’d better like quiet nights because there’s not much nightlife.
The Coast – More Than Just Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach gets all the attention, but have you been to the Northern Neck? Or the Eastern Shore? It’s a different world out there. Watermen, small towns where everyone knows everyone, and the pace of life is slow. SLOW.
The downside? If you need a Target, you might be driving an hour. And hurricane season is a real thing – not just something on the news.
Here’s My Real Advice
Visit in August. Seriously. Anyone can love Virginia in the fall when the leaves are changing. Come in August when it’s 95 degrees with 90% humidity. If you still like it, then you’ve found your place.
And whatever you choose – whether it’s a condo in Arlington or a farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley – just know that moving is chaotic. We’ve helped so many people through that transition with our storage units. It gives you time to breathe, to figure out where things actually go, without all your boxes staring at you judgmentally.
Virginia’s been good to us. I think it’ll be good for you too. Just pick the part that matches how you actually want to live, not just what looks good on paper.
Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions – I’m happy to give you my totally biased, completely non-expert opinion!
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