Everything You Need to Know About Looking for a House in Richmond, Texas
Richmond is the seat of Fort Bend County, but it’s considered a part of the greater metropolitan Houston area. Despite its position as the county seat and a historically significant center, Richmond is actually one of the smaller cities in the region.
Location
The city of Richmond is about 30 miles southwest of Houston proper: just a bit further southwest than Sugar Land. It stands near the center of Fort Bend County, and is bordered on the northeast by the Brazos River, and the east by US Highway 90A.
There is no public transportation system in Richmond, due to the city’s small size and distance from the larger urban areas, but most people have no trouble commuting by car.
Population Information
Richmond itself is only 4.3 square miles in size. Within that space, the city hosts just over 11,000 people. The median age here is 32.7, but the various ages of the population are considerably spread out around that number.
The median household income hovers around $35,000 a year, and quite a few residents live below the poverty line. But there are also wealthy Texans living in Richmond, which makes the population somewhat diverse in another sense. Black and Hispanic residents also contribute to the diversity of the city.
Richmond supports mostly blue-collar occupations, though sales and administrative positions are fairly common as well. There aren’t many major companies established in the area, however; most of the residents commute to downtown Houston for those kinds of work.
Parks
The parks in Richmond, Texas aren’t as large as the ones you’re apt find in the surrounding region. But you’ll encounter some interesting recreational opportunities.
Clay Park, George Park, and Wessendorff Park are three of the most prominent recreational facilities in the area, and all of them include open fields, trees, trails, and pavilions. The city is also close to a number of rivers and lakes.
School Districts
The school system in Richmond rates better than the national average. Its main primary schools including Jane Long, Pink, and Deaf Smith elementaries.
You should also note that Wessendorff Middle School, Lamar Junior High School, and Lamar Consolidated High School are the institutions that serve older Richmond students. However, these schools bear Rosenberg addresses.
There are also a handful of middle schools and high schools within Richmond city limits that do not serve the Richmond population.
Amenities
You’ll find some interesting amenities in the area, most of which have to do with the city’s history. For example, you may visit the George Ranch Historical Park, which covers 20,000 acres and more than 100 years of history. You could also visit the Fort Bend Museum, which occupies a mansion and provides tales of notable men and women from the region’s past.
The city is also starting to undergo a transformation: trying to become a bigger, more attractive city like Houston, with more shopping, restaurants, and strip malls. At the same time, Richmond seeks to hearken back to its rural, ranch town roots.
Crime rates are relatively low, though some areas are more susceptible to criminal activities than others … such as “Mud Alley,” which hosts many old bars and strip clubs.
Types of Homes Available
Though the region has a long history, most of Richmond’s residences were built between 1940 and 1965, which makes them more recent than other historic homes in the greater Houston area. But these structures still have a nostalgic charm. You’ll find many houses are bungalows of brick or wood, and there’s plenty of unique architectural designs to be found.
The cost of living in Richmond is slightly higher than the national average, but lower than you’ll find in Houston proper and the more immediate surrounding area. The median price for a home is about $220,000, and home prices have appreciated nearly 25 percent over the course of the past decade.
It’s likely that home prices will continue to rise in the future, as Richmond develops further and attracts more people who like the Houston metro area, but want to put some distance between themselves and the big city.
Is Richmond Right for You?
If the following qualities apply to you, Richmond may be the ideal place to buy your next home:
- You love Houston, but want to live away from the city. Houston is an amazing metropolis, with lots of job opportunities and fun activities, but living in the city can be expensive, stressful, and for some folks, something of a nightmare. If you want to take advantage of the city, and don’t mind being a short commute away, Richmond might be a great place to establish roots. You’re less than 45 minutes away from Downtown, and you won’t encounter much noise or traffic to interfere with your personal life.
- You want an affordable house with character. The houses in Richmond are far less expensive than those immediately outside the Downtown area. Because many were constructed just after the Second World War, they have a lot of character. Since home values are currently appreciating, this could be the perfect opportunity to find a unique residence for a good price.
- You want a diverse population that still has a small-town charm. Many of us appreciate the charm of small-town America, which features such characteristics as close interactions, politeness, and limited population-related problems like traffic, pollution, and noise. But in many small towns, one of the tradeoffs is limited diversity. That’s not the case in Richmond, where you can get the best of both worlds: a culturally and ideologically diverse group of people in a rural, small-town environment.
- You like the idea of a city in transition. You might also gravitate toward Richmond if you find yourself on the fence of the urban-rural spectrum. Richmond occupies a unique niche in that it offers rural hospitality and geographical placement, while still providing the opportunity to take advantage of the virtues of a big city.
If you think Richmond might be the area you’d like to call home after reading this article, we can help you take the next step. At Green Residential, we list hundreds of properties for sale in and around the Richmond area; use our home search tool to find your perfect property! Whether you’re looking to move, or just invest, our search tool will make it easy to find what you’re looking for.