Cheap-Ad7916 t1_j85o45x wrote on February 11, 2023 at 8:39 PM

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.

VAJazzCabbage t1_j88f8ia wrote on February 12, 2023 at 12:35 PM

Get OP and take him back to nova with you

Cheap-Ad7916 t1_j8lykel wrote on February 15, 2023 at 7:39 AM

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.

VAJazzCabbage t1_j8mmgah wrote on February 15, 2023 at 12:50 PM

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.

Cheap-Ad7916 t1_j8msfz2 wrote on February 15, 2023 at 1:43 PM

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.

VAJazzCabbage t1_j8mueoe wrote on February 15, 2023 at 1:59 PM

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....