Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Houston vs. Baltimore vs. Norfolk... if you could rank them as far as these following areas are concerned, what would be your top pick? Your least? What city do you think a single female in her mid-20's would do best in?
Looking for your opinion on:
-Most Diverse (race and religion in particular)
-Safety/Crime
-Universities
-Housing (or apartments in my case)
-Things to do
-Nightlife
-Which is more liberal
-Which is the nicest looking city
-Best weather
I recently visited Virginia and DC and fell in love. I've spent my entire life in Houston and while I do love this city, I am in need of a change of scenery and pace... desperately. At this point my only reason for staying in Houston is because I'm pursing nursing and Houston has without a doubt the largest medical center. But nurses are everywhere, so..
Northern VA and DC are extremely expensive, and unfortunately the cost of living has scared me away. Otherwise I'd move straight to DC. But, Baltimore, MD is nearby and, although I've never been, I was hoping it would offer the same "atmosphere" as DC... not to mention it is right around the corner.
Another city I was considering was Norfolk, VA (or anywhere in that general area including Virginia Beach and Newport News). 3 or so hours from DC but that isn't terrible. Another city I've not been to.
Eh, I think this comparison is a little unfair, as Baltimore and Houston are significantly larger than Norfolk.
Personally, I would go with Norfolk here (the city's basically overflowing with soul and character), but I can only say that as it's my home and, well, I haven't been to Baltimore or Houston.
Eh, I think this comparison is a little unfair, as Baltimore and Houston are significantly larger than Norfolk.
Personally, I would go with Norfolk here (the city's basically overflowing with soul and character), but I can only say that as it's my home and, well, I haven't been to Baltimore or Houston.
Hmm, you make a good point. I didn't consider that Baltimore and Houston are very large. Hopefully in a few months I'll get back out there and explore VA a little more.
I mean, Norfolk and its metro aren't by any means SMALL (1.7-1.8 million people), but Hampton Roads (the metro that Norfolk is a node within) has a million less people than Baltimore's metro, and 4.6 million people less than Houston's.
Houston vs. Baltimore vs. Norfolk... if you could rank them as far as these following areas are concerned, what would be your top pick? Your least? What city do you think a single female in her mid-20's would do best in?
Looking for your opinion on:
-Most Diverse (race and religion in particular)
-Safety/Crime
-Universities
-Housing (or apartments in my case)
-Things to do
-Nightlife
-Which is more liberal
-Which is the nicest looking city
-Best weather
I recently visited Virginia and DC and fell in love. I've spent my entire life in Houston and while I do love this city, I am in need of a change of scenery and pace... desperately. At this point my only reason for staying in Houston is because I'm pursing nursing and Houston has without a doubt the largest medical center. But nurses are everywhere, so..
Northern VA and DC are extremely expensive, and unfortunately the cost of living has scared me away. Otherwise I'd move straight to DC. But, Baltimore, MD is nearby and, although I've never been, I was hoping it would offer the same "atmosphere" as DC... not to mention it is right around the corner.
Another city I was considering was Norfolk, VA (or anywhere in that general area including Virginia Beach and Newport News). 3 or so hours from DC but that isn't terrible. Another city I've not been to.
Norfolk has much better weather! Being close to the Carolinas and its still within reach of most of the East Coast. I would pick Norfolk. More affordable too!
I've never been to Houston, but looking a your criteria, Norfolk wouldn't win any category besides *maybe* weather (depends on preference) and *maybe* crime (both Houston and Norfolk are far less dangerous than Baltimore, but neither Houston nor Norfolk have exactly squeaky clean reputations in regards to crime). So, according to your criteria, the answer is definitely NOT Norfolk...:
Now, taking into account aesthetics not included in your criteria:
I would choose Norfolk without hesitation. I doubt anything could make me want to live in Texas--I've been to Dallas, and though I had a good time, was not overwhelmingly impressed, hated the heat (went in July), and the culture and the vibe are not befitting to my personality. Likewise, it would take a very specific set of circumstances for me to live in Baltimore. That city is fairly underwhelming, given its size, has widespread poverty on a level that is only matched by cities like Memphis and Detroit, and frankly, that is depressing. It is not very diverse at all, the women there aren't very attractive, etc...
As for what Norfolk brings to the table:
Hampton Roads is a fine place for a young single, but it certainly isn't the best place for young singles in Virginia. That said, there is a fair amount of diversity in the city and region, not on the scale of Houston, but a little bit greater than Baltimore. Norfolk is gentrifying and has really cleaned up its image as a violent city. It still has crime issues, but just ten years ago (2005), Norfolk had 59 homicides. The city averaged 42 homicides yearly in the 00s, averaged 58 yearly in the 90s, and has long been associated with large scale drug trafficking and gang violence. While the gangs and drugs remain, it is on a much more controlled level, and 2015 is almost over and Norfolk is currently only at 22 homicides for the year, which is on pace for the lowest murder rate in, like, ever in the city's history. To compare/contrast, Baltimore's murder rate is at 46.23 and counting, Houston is at ~11.12, and Norfolk is at ~8.98. All three cities have dangerous reputations historically, and Norfolk still has some wild areas, but is readily improving its overall crime rate...
Norfolk city and HRVA metro are not wanting for prestigious university presence. Norfolk is home to beautiful ODU, and TCC is arguably the premier community college system in VA. In surrounding cities, there are PLENTY of colleges and universities to where HRVA can rival big city schools, at least in terms of number. You would have your pick of the litter if you chose to go to school in Norfolk or Hampton Roads...
Norfolk apparently has the cheapest COL. Norfolk also is very urban, even though it is by far the smallest city here. There is some pretty decent nightlife in Norfolk, definitely enough for a city its size, and again, the region is overflowing with "things to do". The city and region is surrounded by water, the natural landscape is incredible, there is a large music scene, major concert tours go through here, and Norfolk is growing its arts district. While Baltimore and Houston certainly offer more, trust me---you will not be bored in Norfolk, UNLESS it is just too small for you and you require larger cities with multiple entertainment districts...
You do not have to live in DC you could always live in somewhere in Prince George county Maryland. PG is much more affordable and still diverse.
-You might like Baltimore. Working at John Hopkins is nice on the resume, not the easiest place to get into. You can take a travel assignment once you have experience as a nurse. This is going to be the biggest change from Houston. Cheap flights.
-I spent a lot of time in Virginia about 8 years. 5 in Va Beach. The area is saturated with Military and the pay for nurses suck, just down right suck. Cost of living in Norfolk is better but, there is a lot of flooding as a trade off. Night life is mediocre. Good food. Flying out of the airport will be expensive. I highly doubt you would like Norfolk if you like DC.
-Houston will always be there. I did no enjoy my 4 days in Houston at all.
Norfolk seems a little out of place against these other two large metros...
Anyway, Houston seems the most appealing. Baltimore has John Hopkins University, which has the best med school in the world, and it's close to a lot of other great cities, but outside of that, Houston pretty much takes the cake in every category.
And frankly, Hampton Roads is one of the most unique metros in the country. It's a multinodal metro of seven distinct cities with their own character and flavor right next to each other. You have the large beach city of Virginia Beach (which is about five or six different beach towns in one), the soulful, blue collar, urban city of Norfolk, the rural suburb of Portsmouth, the river cities of Newport News and Hampton... All in all, there are about seven or eight downtowns throughout the metro.
Baltimore is a bit more diverse than Norfolk and the rest of Hampton Roads judging by the numbers. Also, "slummy" areas aren't the majority in Baltimore, and are easily avoidable;however, you will not have to just stay by the Harbor to enjoy Baltimore. I encourage people to explore other areas (ethinc enclaves) of the city as well as downtown Baltimore.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
