Hi, all. So, I’m one of the Teeming Mass of Unemployed Law School Graduates, currently living in Washington, DC. I believe that there’s a reasonable chance I will be offered a temp gig in Richmond, VA. I wouldn’t want to live there permanently (I love DC), but I’d be glad to get any work I can.
Problem is, I know nothing at all about the city. If I get this job offer, it would be useful for me to be able to say “yes” or “no” on the spot, as opposed to saying “I’ll get back to you” - I’m hoping the Teeming Millions can help me do that. 
The big issue is transportation - I don’t own a car, and can’t afford to buy one for a temp gig that might only last a month. How easy is it to get around Richmond using the bus system? Also, how walkable is the city? I’m perfectly okay with walking a mile or two to work every day - that was my commute to law school - but I don’t want to get run over while I do it.
Closely related issue is housing. Extended stay hotels would be an obvious option - but they’re expensive, of course. Subletting an apartment raises its own issues. Are there any decent hostels in the city? I’d probably want to live within a mile or two of work, which probably means downtown.
Is there anything else I should know about living and working in Richmond?
I like Richmond, it has a lot of college students so it’s pretty friendly for temporary housing and public transportation. Why don’t you take the train down one weekend and spend some time there to see if you like it?
I’d prefer to do precisely that - but I don’t have time. This job would start on August 31, and I’d get the offer (if I got it) tomorrow.
I’ve never lived there on a permanent basis, so I don’t know how helpful I can be right now. But, I know we do have several RIchmond residents around here, so they will hopefully be along soon. ALso, I remember a few threads in the past year or two about the city with lots of info that you can probably search fairly easily.
There’s a lot of different areas of RIchmond that I’ve noticed. The older downtown area is fairly easy to navigate by walking and is where VCU is located. It is a little run-down in some areas and does have some crime. But there is likely to be some cheap housing near the school.
Some of the more commercialized areas don’t seem to be as easy to get around for pedestrians, and the farther you get into some of the surrounding suburb-type areas the more this is obvious.
I don’t know anything firsthand about the bus system, and I don’t know of any hostels, but that doesn’t mean anything. Next Tuesday is pretty soon, so I hope it all works out for you. It’s an interesting city, to say the least.
Graduate of VCU here:
I walked/rode the bus my four years there. It’s been a while, but I always found the buses to be pretty regular, with many routes and routes that overlap, so you don’t have to wait long for another to come along. They used to go out to the suburban malls, but that’s probably changed. The route maps were the most readable that I’ve found, outside of the DC Metro and London Underground.
Most of the affordable housing was in the Fan district, several miles up from downtown. Our apartment had no a/c, but if you’re not there in summer, it shouldn’t be a problem. I would walk from campus at night, and I didn’t have any problems.
Richmond’s a beautiful city (most of it), so enjoy your time there.
The short answer is…it depends.
If your job is in the city you can get an apartment close enough to walk or bike. Also the bus is an option in the city. But if your job is in one of the newly developed areas like the area just west of Innsbrook, that would be exceedingly difficult.
Do you know a general vicinity of where your job will be? Downtown? The Fan? Each area has its own idiosyncrasies, pluses and minuses.
Richmond has a lot to do and explore. Plenty of outdoor activities, art, festivals, bars, theater…its no DC, but its not a po-dunk town either. What are you interested in?
I live in Richmond, so fire away with your questions. If you want to PM me with details about your potential jobsite I would be glad to help you as well.