Richmond is ranked the sixth-best place in the nation to start over
Published: June 24, 2009
Updated: June 24, 2009
If you're one of those Richmonders looking for a good place to make a new start, just look out the window.
Richmond is ranked the sixth-best place in the nation to start over for someone who has been laid off or is just looking for a career or lifestyle change, according to BusinessWeek.com.
To be sure, the region has suffered plenty of lumps in this economic downturn, with job losses across many business sectors. But its diverse mix of employers, relatively low jobless rate and good quality of life make it a top 10 choice for people trying to navigate the changing course of the economy, based on the BusinessWeek list.
If you are looking for the absolute best place to start over, you'll will have to go North -- way, way North -- all the way to Anchorage, Alaska, which was ranked as the top place for a new beginning.
Find out why the Richmond area made the list and what local experts have to say about it:
Why we're on the list:
- Unemployment: The Richmond region's unemployment rate in March was 7.8 percent, seasonally unadjusted. While that was more than double the rate of the previous March, it was still below the national rate of 9 percent. In April, the region's unemployment rate was 7.6 percent, compared with 8.6 percent for the nation.
- Diverse economy: The region has a good mix of industries such as food, chemical and tobacco manufacturing, along with biotech.
- Home prices: At $167,185 in January, the average home price in the Richmond area was well below the $313,796 average price in Anchorage.
What some local experts say:
- The BusinessWeek report should give people who have been laid off here some hope for finding work, said Gregory H. Wingfield, president of the Greater Richmond Partnership.
"There are opportunities . . . on the horizon," Wingfield said. "There's a good mix of jobs in those areas" cited by the BusinessWeek.com report.
- The report "sends a message that the economy's strongerhere than other places," said Kim Scheeler, president of the Greater Richmond Chamber. "That's a good thing for businesses looking for places where they want to locate. They'd rather be in a market where the economy's doing better. . . . That creates opportunities for other businesses."
- "If you actually know how to do it, Richmond is a good place to look for a job," said career coach Bud Whitehouse of Career Management of Virginia. "There is a lot here, a lot of diversity.
"Companies keep starting up here and keep growing," he said.
- "I imagine Richmond probably made that list a lot because of the cost of living," said Meg O. Wagner-Diggs, director of communications at the Richmond Human Resource Management Association. "The quality of life here is definitely good."
Wagner-Diggs said companies are hiring, but she is not sure if they are hiring enough to absorb all the employees that were part of large layoffs that hit the area at the beginning of the year.
- "That's great for Richmond to be in the top 10," said Nancy Thomas, president of Richmond's Retail Merchants Association.
"If they're saying that, then hopefully, more businesses will come to the area," Thomas said, "and those [already] in the area will gain more business and hire more people."
- "I wouldn't dispute [the Richmond area] being in the top 10," said Brett Vassey, president and chief executive of the Virginia Manufacturers Association. "For the baby boomers that are looking to start over mid-career, we are a great location, because we have fantastic health care and low housing costs, and still pretty good job opportunities."
"The future is my concern," Vassey said. "We have a lot to plan for. How do we position ourselves" to capture the next big growth industries?
Contact John Reid Blackwell at (804) 775-8123 or
.
Contact Peter Bacque at (804) 649-6813 or .
Staff writer Emily C. Dooley contributed to this report.
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Reader Reactions
I’ve lived in Miami, Southern CA, and Tidewater for several years. Richmond is far better overall. Sure, Richmond has many problems and does constantly trip over itself, but overall the quality of life here is pretty good.
I was born here and most likely will die here. Richmond does and will have its problems, but I love my city!!!
Richmond has faults like any other place. I was born here, raised in the counties, and live in the city currently.
Once you make peace with it, Richmond becomes like an old friend. Sure they have problems, but who doesn’t?
As a person who did start over in Richmond, I agree with the article. I grew up in northern VA, went to school in Farmville, and then moved to south Florida. If you have a problem with Richmond, if you think it’s corrupt and you can’t get a decent job, PLEASE go to south Florida and try to live for a few years. You will come flying back to Richmond with greatful tears in your eyes. Seriously, living in a south Floridian h*ll hole, chock full of people with nasty attitudes (try walking into a restaurant there-the hostess won’t even greet you, she’ll just ask how many in your party with a bored expression on her face), the constant heat, the fakeness EVERYWHERE, the obsession with money and fancy cars, I very clearly learned to appreciate what Virginia, and Richmond specifically, had to offer. Upon moving back to Richmond, I found a great job and work with people who have a little something called integrity. And think about it: we’re 2 hours from the mountains, and hour from the beach, and 2 hours from Washington-not bad. AND, THERE’S NO TRAFFIC! It’s AMAZING! My only complaint would be the racial segregation…there aren’t many fully multicultural areas, which is something I miss about northern VA. So if you don’t appreciate Richmond, move somewhere you will, or somewhere that will make you appreciate Richmond.
I had a buddy who confided in me when he moved to Richmond he never took into account the tax difference when he chose to move from Blue State Massachusetts.
His first take home paycheck was much higher then he ever anticipated.
He has never seen a paycheck in his life where state and local taxes didn’t eat up much of it.
And the next year was nothing but a freedom finding venture for him.
He was surprised he could have an outdoor BBQ in his own yard, make minor alterations to his home without permits, delays and crooked inspectors, and smoke in restaurants (Democrats took that freedom away recently).
He also said he gained about 2 hours per day not sitting in traffic.
I’ve worked in several different larger cities due to my line of work and I can tell you Richmond will never be a city in the likes of Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Tampa or Minneapolis which I consider to be more 2nd tier. New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, etc are 1st tier and well we know that’s not even a discussion. If you can accept Richmond for it’s small town thinking and no-can-do attitude that doesn’t accommodate great change, having to drive 2 hrs to see a major sports team or concert (by that I don’t mean the majority of National concerts that have 1500 people) then this place is for you. And some people are fine with that. For me, my car gets a lot of mileage going other places. I grew up in Richmond and came back here after college to find that nothing has changed. Wishful thinking I suppose. That’s why if I could actually sell my place, I’d be out in a heartbeat.
The greater Richmond area does have some advantages.. but I also agree with some of the detractors that folks have mentioned.
Plus:
Location you can be to the mountains or the beach or the countryside in a very manageble time frame.
Commutes are not unreasonable (ok.. we have our mini-congestions.. but I have lived in silicon valley in CA and Wash. DC among other places and we are spoiled in comparison.)
Cost of Living can be good in comparison.. (again Nova and Cali.. were much worse).. Sure you can find expensive areas to live.. but also reasonably priced locations.. depending on where you want to live and how far you want to drive.
Cons:
Not much in the way of professional sports.. but then again.. it is not out of reach to go to DC or Norfolk for those types of events.
Recent business failures have made the job market pretty tight.
There is not much regional cooperation within our governments.. makes “big picture” projects difficult to coordinate.
There are also things that could be plus or minus.. depending on your opinions..
I like the fact we have 4 seasons.. I like being able to live in the country and commute into Richmond.. The history can be a plus and a minus.. it is a colorful history.. but the feelings brought up by aspects of it still cause problems today.
While I don’t really hate Richmond.. there certainly are aspects that would be nice to change.. but as someone who has lived in many places here and abroad.. every place will have good points and bad.. and it will boil down to your personal preference.
Hate_Richmond. A lot of the things you say are true, but Richmond is still a great place to live. I have lived elsewhere (including Detroit), and Richmond is a good place (with all of its baggage).
I’m staying. You on the other hand should go. In fact, why are you still here?
Hate, Hate, Hate – if that is your real name – it sounds like you haven’t grown up much in those 40 years. I moved here from the S.F. Bay Area 26 years ago, after having lived in Norway, Germany, Hawaii, and Southern California as well. And I’ve traveled extensively around the world. Every place I’ve lived or visited can be criticized for its unique dysfunction; and you’ll find no more dysfunctional state than California, where trite slogans like “oppression” and fact-free presumptions that cities “buy” their way onto lists like this flow liberally from the perpetually aggrieved, adolescent political culture that prevails there. I choose instead to enjoy the comparative pluses of living in Richmond even though I miss having really great bread and an excess of great restaurants. And I’ve done a lot of business in Charlotte – it’s a dynamic city, yes – but it has neither the architectural nor historical charm of Richmond. It does have much worse traffic, and more suburbs than Richmond could even imagine. I happen to value architecture, history, quietude, floating down the James in the early morning with no one else in sight, and being able to get across town in less than two hours. Those attributes Richmond has in abundance, and when I want to see an opera or a fingerstyle guitarist, some jazz or folk music, Richmond offers a bounty of choices.
But to the essence of this article, which is that Richmond is a place where people can start over – that’s what I did 26 years ago. I came here from California and built a business from scratch in a town that’s very difficult to sell in, and expanded it nationwide. And I was able to afford a house that would cost me three times as much in California. So from my first-hand experience I can attest that if you have the right attitude, Richmond is a fantastic place to start over. Maybe if you hate the place so much you might ask yourself why after 40 years you would continue to put up with living here. Start over somewhere else, why don’t you? But I suspect that your dissatisfaction will follow you no matter where you move.
If you are an illegal alien guess Richmond is great. You get free food, lodging, free medical, free schools and a job too. Everyone else can help by paying taxes.How about a slogan like:
Richmond the Mexican dream.
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