>Bret....
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>Are people in Richmond driving all the way to DC to work? To me... that is crazy.

No one does that. Well, I'm sure there's someone, but I've never heard of it. They are over 2 hours apart, non-rush hour. The furthest out commuters in that direction are in Fredericksburg and King George County, which is still ridiculous.

>Is Richmond now the biggest city in VA outside of the DC area?

I don't think Richmond is growing that fast, but I don't know. The VA suburbs of DC are exploding, but they are a lot of little 'burbs, none of which would have that many people and most of which are unincorporated. Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax City are much smaller than Richmond and are already built, leaving little room for growth. The biggest city in VA used to be Norfolk, but is now Virginia Beach, which has the bulk of Norfolk's suburban population.
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>I love the state and have often thought of moving back. Although I don't think I would like to move back to Arlington. I grew up close to the Glebe Rd and Lee Highway intersection and I've not been back for a visit in about 20 years.

That's two miles from me. Arlington isn't much to look at, but it has a lot to recommend it. It's urban enough to make walking and public transit feasible, and there is some night life. But it is not nearly as congested as DC, and parking is not difficult. Now everyone else in the area, sick of sprawl, is beginning to agree with me. The proof is in the skyrocketing rents and home sale prices.
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>I've always thought that the Richmond area and perhaps south of Richmond or west would be a great place to live.

I haven't seen it, or much of Richmond proper, for that matter. You can tell that I don't like suburbs, though I usually end up there. When the city is smaller, the suburbs are more pointless.