So You Just Landed in Richmond: A Local's Guide to RVA (and How to Not Sound Like You Just Got Here)
Welcome to Richmond. Or RVA, as you'll start seeing on bumper stickers, coffee cups, and roughly one out of every three tote bags downtown. You've probably already noticed that people here have opinions about their neighborhoods, strong feelings about which highway to avoid, and a way of pronouncing words that makes zero sense until someone corrects you at a dinner party.
We build homes all over Central Virginia, which means we spend a lot of time helping people who are brand new to the area figure out where they actually want to live. So consider this your friendly, slightly opinionated welcome guide. We'll get you sounding like a local, help you tell your counties apart, and by the end, point you toward where you might want to plant roots.
Let's get into it.
First Things First: Learn to Talk Like a Richmonder
Nothing outs a newcomer faster than confidently mispronouncing a road you drive on every day. Richmonders are lovingly stubborn about this stuff, so here's your cheat sheet. Study up.
Henrico — It's hen-RYE-ko. Not "hen-REE-ko." Not "hen-RICK-oh." We know it looks like it should rhyme with "Puerto Rico." It does not. This is the number one giveaway that you're new, so nail this one first.
Powhite Parkway — Here's where it gets spicy. Locals say Po-white. You'll hear a few purists argue for Pow-hite, which is closer to the Indigenous origin.
Powhatan — Pow-uh-TAN. Yes, it starts the same way "Powhite" is spelled but they're pronounced differently, because Richmond enjoys watching newcomers suffer.
Huguenot — HUE-guh-not. There's a road, a bridge, and a whole vibe attached to this one. It is not "Hug-uh-noo" or anything French-sounding, no matter how fancy it looks.
Jahnke — Ignore the H and the E entirely. It's just Jank. One syllable. Moving on.
Parham — PAIR-em, like the fruit. Not "Par-ham." This one runs across northern Henrico and you'll be on it constantly.
Genito — Genito Road — JEN-ih-toh. Another one that trips up newcomers.
Staunton (a little further out, but you'll hear it) — STAN-ton. Not "Stawn-ton."
Get these down and you've cleared the hardest part of assimilation.
You Might Be From Richmond If...
A few more cultural notes to file away:
You call it "the 804" — that's the area code, and it doubles as regional pride.
You'll hear people mention "Southside" (everything across the James River to the south) and "the Fan" (a gorgeous, walkable neighborhood shaped like, well, a fan). Not to be confused with the actual river, which everyone just calls "the James."
"Going down the river" or "float trips" become a legitimate summer personality trait.
You will develop deep, unshakeable loyalty to one specific spot for a certain food — a barbecue place, a doughnut shop, a taco truck — and defend it in ways that alarm out-of-towners.
Someone will ask "where'd you go to high school?" within five minutes of meeting you. It's a Richmond thing. Just roll with it.
A Few Things That Make Richmond, Richmond
Before we get to neighborhoods, a little context on the city you just moved to. Richmond has more layers than most people expect.
It's a burger town. Not a phrase we made up — in 2023, Clever Real Estate crowned Richmond the best burger city in America, based on the number of burger joints per capita, affordability, and a genuinely high local "burger passion score." Translation: you will never be far from an excellent, unpretentious burger. Ask ten locals for the best one and you'll get eleven answers.
It's one of the most tattooed cities in the country. Richmond consistently lands near the top of national rankings for tattoo shops per capita. It's a creative, artsy town — heavily influenced by VCU's arts program, which is one of the top-ranked in the nation — and that shows up everywhere from the murals to the ink.
It's a city that's done a lot of reckoning with its history. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy and was largely burned during the Civil War, but its story is much bigger than that chapter. Jackson Ward was once known as the "Harlem of the South," a nationally significant hub of Black business, music, and culture. Today the city is a place of active reconciliation and cultural healing, and that history is worth getting to know.
And it has its share of legends. Ask someone about the Church Hill Tunnel sometime — there's a train believed to still be buried beneath the neighborhood after a 1925 collapse. Every city has ghost stories. Richmond's tend to be real.
The Rhythm of the Year: Richmond Events
Part of settling in is learning the local calendar. A few of the events that locals build their year around:
Friday Cheers — free-ish outdoor concerts on Brown's Island along the river through the spring and early summer. A rite of passage.
Farmers markets — from South of the James to Lakeside, weekend markets are a whole social scene, not just a grocery run.
The Richmond Folk Festival — one of the largest free folk festivals in the country, taking over the downtown riverfront every fall.
2nd Street Festival — a celebration of Jackson Ward's history and Richmond's Black heritage, with jazz, food, and community front and center.
Do a couple of these and you'll feel like a local a lot faster.
The Neighborhoods (a.k.a. Where Should You Actually Live?)
Here's the part that matters most when you're new: the counties and pockets around Richmond all have very different personalities. Here's the quick and honest rundown.
Downtown / The City
The heart of it all. Historic architecture, the Fan, Church Hill, Scott's Addition (breweries, restaurants, and lofts as far as the eye can see). This is where you go for walkability, nightlife, and character. Great if you want to be in the middle of everything and don't mind a little urban hustle. The homes lean historic and full of personality.
Henrico (hen-RYE-ko, remember?)
The classic Richmond suburb, wrapping around the city to the north and east. Short Pump on the west end is the shopping and dining hub — if someone says they're "going to Short Pump," they mean the malls, restaurants, and newer developments out that way. Henrico is the sweet spot for a lot of families: easy access to the city, and everything you need close by. Think comfortable, established, convenient.
Hanover
Head north and things open up. Hanover is where you go for elbow room — bigger lots, a more rural-and-relaxed feel, historic small-town charm in places like Ashland (home to Randolph-Macon College and one of the most charming little main streets around). If you want land, quiet, and a slower pace but still want Richmond within reach, this is your zone. It's a favorite for folks building on their own lot.
Chesterfield
South of the river and enormous. Chesterfield covers a lot of ground, from established neighborhoods to brand-new growth. It's a family magnet — tons of amenities, and a bit more house for your money as you move out from the city. Reliable, spread out, and always building.
Midlothian (a.k.a. "Midlo")
Technically part of Chesterfield, but Midlo has its own identity and everyone treats it that way. It's more eclectic than people expect — Midlothian Turnpike alone is a run of international markets, Latin restaurants, Korean BBQ, and just about every kind of food you could want, alongside newer subdivisions and steady growth. If you hear someone say they're "out in Midlo," picture a distinct, busy, something-going-on kind of pocket with a lot of variety packed in.
Goochland, Powhatan & the Western Edge
Keep heading west and you get into serious space. Goochland and Powhatan (pow-uh-TAN!) are for people who want acreage, privacy, and a real countryside feel — rolling land, big skies, and room to breathe — while still being a manageable drive from the city's conveniences. This is prime build-on-your-own-lot territory.
A Quick Word on Work
If you're relocating for a job, you already know where you're headed. But if you're weighing the area more broadly, it helps to know Richmond's economy is diverse and steady. The region is home to a cluster of Fortune 500 headquarters — Capital One, CarMax, Dominion Energy, Altria, Markel, and Performance Food Group among them — plus major healthcare systems like VCU Health, HCA Virginia, and Bon Secours, and a growing tech and finance presence. It's one of the reasons Richmond keeps landing on "best places to live and work" lists: there's real economic ballast here, not just one industry propping everything up. Not to mention relatively lower cost of living compared to Northern Virginia and other metropolitan areas.
The Best Part: You Don't Have to Pick a Community Off a Shelf
Here's where a lot of newcomers get stuck. Most builders show you the neighborhoods they've already decided to build in. Pick a lot in one of their subdivisions, pick from their plans, done.
But what if you already fell in love with a piece of land in Hanover? Or you found the perfect wooded lot in Goochland? Or you want to build in the exact Chesterfield pocket you've had your eye on?
That's what we do. We build on your lot, in the county and community that actually fits your life — not just the ones we happen to have inventory in. Whether you already own land or you're still hunting for the right spot, we can help you figure out where your custom home belongs.
So take your time. Drive around. Mispronounce a few roads (we won't judge — much). And when you're ready to figure out where to build, we know this area better than just about anyone, because we live here too.
Ready to explore where your home could go?
New to Richmond and have questions about building here? We're locals, and we'd love to help you find your spot.