So you’re thinking of moving to Virginia? Good choice. But man, trying to pick a spot can make your head spin. It’s not one state, really. It’s like five different states smooshed together, each with its own personality.

I’ve lived here for fifteen years and dragged all my stuff through three different corners of it. Let me give you the real talk you won’t get from the tourism board.

First, you gotta ask yourself one big question: What’s your daily speed?

Are you a “need-a-coffee-shop-on-every-corner” person, or a “need-to-see-mountains-with-my-morning-coffee” person? There’s a spot here for both, but you gotta be honest with yourself.

The Northern Virginia Grind (It’s Not For The Faint of Heart)

Let’s start up near DC. Places like Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax. Look, the pros are obvious: jobs, amazing food from every country you can imagine, the energy of being near a big city. You’ll never be bored.

But here’s the real talk nobody says in the brochures: it’s expensive. Like, “laugh-then-cry” expensive. And the traffic? It has its own folklore. Your social life will revolve around who’s willing to drive across which bridge.

A weirdly common life hack up here? Everyone I know has a storage unit. Seriously. Apartments are tiny and cost a fortune, so your kayak, your grandma’s dining set, and your Halloween decorations end up in a 10×10 climate-controlled space down the road. It’s just part of the deal. We use a local spot that feels less like a creepy warehouse and more like an extra closet. It saves your sanity when your actual closet is the size of a postage stamp.

Richmond – Where Cool Kids Go To Grow Up

I lived in RVA for five years. It’s the Goldilocks zone for a lot of people. Not too big, not too small. It’s got this funky, proud, slightly tattooed soul. You can go rafting on the James River through the city in the morning and hit an incredible food truck pod for dinner.

Neighborhoods are everything. The Fan feels historic and collegiate. Scott’s Addition is where you go to drink beer in an old tire shop. It’s creative and unpretentious. People love this city hard. The secret’s been out for a while on affordability, but it’s still way more breathing room than NoVA.

The “I Want a Yard and Good Schools” Zone

If your main goal is space for kids and dogs to run, you look south of Richmond or towards the suburbs around places like Chesapeake or parts of Williamsburg. It’s more subdivision living, but in a good way. Community pools, bike trails, great school ratings. It feels planned and safe. It’s for people who are done with roommates and want a driveway.

The moving process here is classic: you upgrade from an apartment to a house and realize you have about half the stuff needed to fill it. That’s when a lot of folks I know get a storage unit for a few months—somewhere to stash boxes while they paint rooms, or to keep the lawn furniture over the winter. It beats cramming it all in the garage and never finding your bike again.

The Mountain Life (Shenandoah Valley)

This is for your soul. If you see the Blue Ridge Mountains and feel calm, listen to that feeling. Towns like Staunton, Lexington, or even Winchester are a different world. Life moves on “ish” time. The scenery is stupidly pretty. People are genuinely friendly in a “wave as you drive by” way.

But. Jobs can be trickier unless you’re in healthcare, education, or work remotely. You will drive farther for a Target or a specific kind of restaurant. It’s a trade-off. You get peace and beauty, but you give up convenience.

And in these old, wonderful houses? Basements are often damp and attics are filled with 100 years of someone else’s ghosts. Where do you put your stuff? Again, that’s where a good, dry storage facility on the edge of town becomes part of your life. It’s your extra, non-creepy basement.

So, What’s the Answer?

Honestly? Come visit. Not just for a weekend. Try a Tuesday. Sit in the traffic you’d sit in. Go to the grocery store you’d go to.

Virginia’s best feature is its variety. You just have to find your corner of it. And whatever you do, don’t try to move all your stuff in one go. It’s a nightmare. Trust me, we’ve seen it all from our end. Just get here, figure out the lay of the land, and then deal with the boxes. We’ll be here to help with that part when you’re ready.

Hope this feels a bit more like a human wrote it. It’s just my two cents, having packed and unpacked way too many times in this state. Good luck