Manchester
Manchester is the answer Richmond gives when you ask where the lofts went. Cross the Mayo or the Manchester Bridge from downtown and the scale shifts to old tobacco warehouses turned apartments, breweries with roll-up doors, and a slow drip of restaurants betting the neighborhood keeps gentrifying. The view back at the skyline is genuinely the best in the city, which the developers know and price accordingly. Dates here lean industrial-chic: brewery flights, Legend Brewing's deck, a walk on the T. Pott Bridge. Tradeoff is sidewalks that still end abruptly and a grocery situation that requires a car.
Manchester by the numbers
Manchester runs male-heavy, about 51% men to 49% women.
Median individual income in Manchester is about $32,300.
Virginia has no party registration, so this is a 2024 election proxy: the City of Richmond voted about 82% Harris to 16% Trump, one of the most Democratic cities in the country, while its suburbs are more competitive.
The median renter in Manchester pays about $1,310 a month.
About 12,800 Manchester residents ages 22 to 50 are single.
Local date spots
- ManchesterDining
The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing
- ManchesterDrinks
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant
- ManchesterDining
Bookbinder's Seafood & Steakhouse
- ManchesterDining
Edo's Squid
- ManchesterDining
L'Opossum
- ManchesterDining
The Roosevelt
- ManchesterActivity
Legend Brewing Co
- ManchesterCafés
Oh Mochi Richmond
Wheelchair access - ManchesterDrinks
Grandstaff & Stein
- ManchesterDining
Shagbark
- ManchesterDining
Pig and Brew
- ManchesterCafés
Insomnia Cookies
- ManchesterDining
Blue Atlas Restaurant and Market
- ManchesterDining
Grisette
- ManchesterDining
The Pit and the Peel Rooftop
Outdoor seatingGood for groups - ManchesterActivity
Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University
LGBTQ+ friendlyWheelchair access - ManchesterCafés
JAMRA Specialty Coffee RVA
Good for groupsWheelchair access - ManchesterCafés
Mudhouse Richmond
Outdoor seatingLGBTQ+ friendly