Richmond is the capital of Virginia (some good Gov jobs). Located about 100 miles south of Washington DC. It is well connected by Air, Greyhound and Amtrak. The flight connectivity has improved in recent years with expansion of existing airport. It is a relatively cheap place to stay with some good suburbs like Glen Allen and Midlothian. Most of the Desi junta is concentrated around the West End/Glen Allen area. 3-4 desi stores and 4-5 desi dining places within a few miles in this area. Lot of decent apartments with 6-12 months leases available. Pretty large desi presence in one of the best parts of the city. There is a temple (part of it under major construction). There is also a Festival of India every September with Garba, Puja etc. Some big companies for jobs: Capital One, Wachovia, Suntrust, Philip Morris, James River Insurance, Trilegient, Carmax and Cicuit City, Anthem/WellPoint. There are a good number of State Government jobs also.
Cheap place for rent as well as buying house. The climate is good a little warmer than DC area. Well connected to DC as well as VA Beach Norfolk cities.
The bad: not so good public transportation except to downtown. With bad economy many companies are reducing workforce or have closed example Circuit City is closed completely and Wachovia, Capital One and Lots of State Govt jobs are downsized. So if you are consultant then finding another job in the same city would take time.
Note that: The "high rate of crime statistics" for Richmond is not at all a problem in the West End/Glen Allen area. These areas are, in fact, not even a part of the "Richmond City" - they are part of Henrico County of VA.
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