When we moved to Richmond five years ago, we quickly learned that the right response to a small-world coincidence is: “That’s Richmond for ya.” The phrase captures the city’s blend of urban amenities and a cozy, small-town vibe where everyone seems to be connected by a degree or two of friends and acquaintances. For example, you might discover that the sales clerk at your favorite lighting store rents an apartment in the backyard of a house you once crashed and where your sister got married — and you shrug and say, “That’s Richmond for ya.”
Our most recent Richmond small-world moment happened last week when new neighbors moved in right next door — literally on the other side of our patio fence. They closed just before Memorial Day and were doing a few touch-ups before moving in, so we didn’t meet them at first. Not knowing who’d be living beside us made us a little anxious and curious.
Then my cousin came to town and we hosted a patio barbecue. At one point my dad wandered off with her five-month-old son to look around the neighborhood. When he returned he casually mentioned, “Oh yeah, I met your neighbors.”
Sherry: “Who are they? What’s their story?”
My Dad: “Well, they’re Brad and Angelina…” (Names swapped to protect privacy and because it’s more fun this way.)
Me: “Those names sound familiar.”
My Dad: “…and they have a young daughter named Viv.”
[Long pause as the light bulbs go off]
Me & Sherry: “No way! We know them! They almost bought our house!”
Last year, when we sold our old house For Sale By Owner, we met each prospective buyer face-to-face. Brad and Angelina were the first people to tour the place and they were clearly smitten — out of the sixteen showings, they were the couple who most appreciated the house. We could picture them settling in lovingly, which made us proud to have built and cared for that home. In the end, they didn’t buy because they weren’t ready to sell their own house yet, but we still remember them fondly.
Now that they’re our neighbors, we couldn’t be happier. Their daughter is only about eleven months older than Clara, which already means potential playdates and a quick-bonding dynamic. Both girls seem to have a fondness for the family dog, Burger, and it’s not hard to imagine them becoming best friends. In a sweet moment, their daughter has already started calling Clara “dolly,” which made even the toughest grown man melt.
Small details like a shared appreciation for Mountain Dew shirts also make for easy neighborly connection — I spotted Brad wearing one the other night and it cracked me up because I tend to get along well with guys in soda shirts.
When we all finally reconnected as neighbors (rather than as prospective buyers), we laughed at how small the world felt. They mentioned that our old house had come up as a comparable on their appraisal when they eventually sold their place six months later, so it had been on their minds recently. Even more bizarre: their movers turned out to be the same crew who had moved out the previous owners of our house. When the movers realized they’d worked at the house next door less than six months earlier, everyone started laughing. That’s Richmond — familiar faces, overlapping paths, and a steady stream of coincidences.
We love that our community feels close-knit, and having friendly, likeminded neighbors makes life sweeter. This kind of small-world connection makes swapping stories over the fence feel a little like running into old friends. It also means playdates, shared laughter, and a genuine sense of neighborhood continuity.
What about you? Do little world coincidences happen often where you live? Tell us your favorite recent small-world story — we’d love to hear how neighbors and chance meetings have shaped your community.
P.S. One of our favorite “it’s a small world” stories is when the original owners of our first house reached out to us; that reunion is a reminder of how connected local history and new beginnings can be.