Richmond is going through growing pains

Why it matters: All the uncertainty and fear about where we're headed coalesced in a flash point on social media recently, aimed directly at one LA transplant just trying to live her best content creating, vegan influencing life.

• Many of the comments and attacks on this "digital nomad" were vitriolic. But the outrage wasn't really about her (though, sidebar, writing, publishing and selling a guidebook to a town one has lived in less than a year is pretty universally bad form).
• The response was a reflection of our boiled-over frustration and fear about the very real concerns locals have about our ability to continue to live and work in the city we call home.

As we reported last month, the Richmond region has seen the greatest influx of new residents in its history over the last three years.

• Last year, Richmond ranked 15th for the highest population growth in the nation according to a Greater Richmond Partnership's analysis.
• They estimated the region is averaging around 28 new people a day.

They came from Austin, New York, Brooklyn, Portland, San Francisco, Florida and in massive droves from Northern Virginia.

• Remote work enabled the moves, and their own high housing costs fueled their decision, and they probably won't stop coming, experts say.

The incomes of people moving have helped push housing costs beyond what is affordable for many Richmonders, Laura Lafayette, CEO of the Richmond Association of Realtors, told the RTD recently.

• The median household income for folks in the broader DMV area is $36,000 more than that of metro Richmond — and double the median income for people in Richmond proper, per census data.
• "Those workers are going to out-compete Richmond workers all day long in the housing market," she said.

Meanwhile, the physical landscape of the city is changing beyond the removal of the monuments and the dismantling of the briefly reclaimed Lee Circle.

• Construction — generally of mixed-use buildings with "market rate" apartments or half-a-million-dollar townhomes — is seemingly happening in every corner of town.

• In some cases, historic buildings are razed to make way for these vaguely modern new builds, with rent for a two-bedroom starting at $1,600.

Between the lines: It's a lot of change all at once. Especially for Richmond, our awesome town that we've always felt was something of a secret. It was especially so because the outside world looked at us (if they did at all) exclusively as the former Capital of the Confederacy and every negative implication that came with that.

• Richmond's been our little cool kids hideaway. A city that often feels more like a town. One that had most of the amenities of a big city (albeit on a smaller scale), but was affordable, approachable and low-key cool.

The bottom line: Richmond is on the East Coast and in the I-95-corridor. It's a great town. The secret was bound to get out. And if we've learned anything the last few years, it's that sometimes change is exactly what Richmond needs (see also: monuments).

• It's definitely going to be an uncomfortable ride while we get adjusted, but let's try not to be 🤬 about it to the newcomers. They might be just what we need.