In and Around Richmond

(Work-in-progress but I'm posting it anyway, because the draft view doesn't give me a good enough idea of how it's going to look... I can just as easily edit it from here... I'm also still experimenting with graphics/camera settings so the pictures are likely to change a few times before I'm satisfied :)  )

Richmond

Richmond is a small town near Redwood City.  Richmond was settled before the city, and its history is reflected in some of the older houses and public buildings in the town centre.

There are homes to suit all budgets and tastes, including affordable apartments and duplexes...

 ... comfortable family houses...

 
and modern, opulent homes in the north end or marina precinct of town.

 The town centre includes a number of small businesses and shops.  The local school caters to students from ages 5 to high school graduation, and the town also has a medical centre with a small emergency clinic. Other local amenities include the historical Richmond Church,

a community centre with a gym and swimming pool, and the popular Woodlands Park, with its year-round outdoor skating rink, sports grounds and children’s playground. 

Regular trains to and from the Redwood City make Richmond a popular ‘dormitory suburb’ for both working commuters, and for students attending Redwood City Tech.

Redwood City

The Redwood City Tech campus is a short walk from the central city train station, and offers both full and part-time study.

  For students who don’t wish to commute, there is both dorm-style accommodation and small houses to rent on-campus, and a number of budget apartments available nearby.  The campus is adjacent to the older part of the city, with attractive townhouses backing onto the busy shopping district.

The brownstone buildings eventually give away to modern apartment blocks.

Another residential area, across the city, is made up of mostly stand-alone houses and is a popular area for older families and professional people working in the city.  The city has public high school and grade/primary school, and also the private Redwood Academy.  The city recently opened a new state-of-the-art hospital in landscaped grounds near the university.  For entertainment, the city centre boasts a number of nightclubs, and restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets, as well as an art gallery and theatre, and attractive central city parks. 

For families, there is a theme park on the edge of town, and an indoor skating rink and playground for all-weather fun.

Bluewater Village

A 30 minute drive west of Richmond brings you to Bluewater, a quiet village surrounded by small farms and beachside cottages.

Pretty Victorian houses line the town centre streets, and small locally-owned shops nestle between larger ‘factory outlets’ attracted by the cheap rents.

Thanks to the specialist shopping and the safe swimming beach, Bluewater Village is a popular day trip for residents of Richmond and Redwood City.

Aside from the shops and farms, the main employer in the village is the Bluewater Natural Science Institute.  The institute is another popular visitor attraction, with aquariums and some greenhouses open to the public

In recent years more modern houses are appearing along the beachfront,

but the town retains its quiet, old-fashioned character - thanks in part to the relative isolation, with no train services or other public transport, aside from school buses to take teenagers to Richmond, as Bluewater has no high school.