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Are there expansion projects underway for Norfolk's light rail system? I feel like the presence of that system is indicative of something.
The Tide light rail is so far in the negative, it is either the first or second most light rail system in the nation that is operating at a loss. First, I do applaud Norfolk for thinking forward and instituting the line, but it was grossly overestimated in what it could do and who would ride it...
There have been a series of expansion plans for the Tide, most notably to Virginia Beach but also to Chesapeake. This past Teusday Virginia Beach said no (again) to Tide expansion:
Traffic is already bad throughout Hampton Roads. Mass transit is needed yet unfortunately, the cities can't play nice, and there is little demand to ride it. Even in Norfolk, demand is low to expand the line within Norfolk City borders...
Part of the problem is Hampton Roads my have missed their window of opportunity for mass transit by about 25 years. There should have long been light rail in the Tidewater. I actually think a subway line could have worked in Norfolk when the city had about 60,000 more people, some 60-odd years ago. The should have at some point been a Peninsula-to-Southside transportation (a LA the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan) running between Newport News and Norfolk. Newport News and Hampton could have had a light rail line or two especially in the ever-growing Midtown NN District--as it is, Newport News has been studied for light rail but nothing has come of it yet. Norfolk could have had a subway line with light rail connections towards the Oceanfront. The idea has credence, but local government is a mess in Hampton Roads and almost never does anyone work together for the benefit of the entire metro...
The Tide will probably at some point expand within Nor folk to EVMS, ODU, and beyond. But it will have to start seeing increasing ridership by a substantial amount within Norfolk first before any other HR city signs on...
Norfolk is pretty darn mid-Atlantic, therefore having more in common with Baltimore. Wilmington, NC could be a possibility, but Wilmington is more southern and arguably belongs in the same neighborhood as Charleston and Savannah, to some extent. The whole Hampton Roads region is pretty unique but not very southern. If you want southern flavor, head west into Virginia's southside region. Even Virginia Beach strikes me as more like Atlantic City than Myrtle Beach, really.
Norfolk is pretty darn mid-Atlantic, therefore having more in common with Baltimore. Wilmington, NC could be a possibility, but Wilmington is more southern and arguably belongs in the same neighborhood as Charleston and Savannah, to some extent. The whole Hampton Roads region is pretty unique but not very southern. If you want southern flavor, head west into Virginia's southside region. Even Virginia Beach strikes me as more like Atlantic City than Myrtle Beach, really.
I agree that Virginia Beach feels nothing like the South. I was there over 15 years ago. I would think it's even more watered down now.
I feel like Norfolk and Richmond are similar and belong by themselves. The other cities are not equivalent.
I grew up in Virginia Beach. The beach is nothing like the south or the rest of the state. It is really nothing like it on the eastern seaboard, well maybe Jacksonville, FL just because of the military.
Last edited by dirtypaws11; 11-18-2016 at 08:49 PM..
Norfolk is pretty darn mid-Atlantic, therefore having more in common with Baltimore. Wilmington, NC could be a possibility, but Wilmington is more southern and arguably belongs in the same neighborhood as Charleston and Savannah, to some extent. The whole Hampton Roads region is pretty unique but not very southern. If you want southern flavor, head west into Virginia's southside region. Even Virginia Beach strikes me as more like Atlantic City than Myrtle Beach, really.
I could see some Ocean City, MD similarities, but despite having some street names similar to AC's running parallel to the shore (Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Mediterranean, Baltic), it is much more like Ocean City in feel, with no casinos, little pre-war housing stock (i.e. Craftsman/bungalows), and being a more family-friendly destination with a manageable level of crime.
Basically, Virginia Beach is like a mash of Myrtle Beach, Ocean City, and Jacksonville, FL. It isn't on a barrier island like OC/AC, has its beach area distinct for the core of the metro like Jacksonville, has its main shopping area a block from the beach as opposed to being on the boardwalk like many Florida beach towns and Myrtle Beach, and its pier contains just one restaurant, not amusements like Atlantic City/Ocean City. But Jacksonville is basically Norfolk's sister city. Both are riverfront cities less than 20 miles from the Atlantic, serve as good bookends as defining the true South Atlantic culture, becoming less southern as you move north from Norfolk or south from Jacksonville the Navy being important industries, and being very car dependent with below normal walkscores.
Norfolk is pretty darn mid-Atlantic, therefore having more in common with Baltimore. Wilmington, NC could be a possibility, but Wilmington is more southern and arguably belongs in the same neighborhood as Charleston and Savannah, to some extent. The whole Hampton Roads region is pretty unique but not very southern. If you want southern flavor, head west into Virginia's southside region. Even Virginia Beach strikes me as more like Atlantic City than Myrtle Beach, really.
That's what I gathered, although I am more familiar with Richmond. Norfolk and the whole Hampton Roads area is a pretty unique place. Unique accents, unique culture, nice people. Virginia Beach appears to be the major growth area of the region, while Norfolk is more a cultural epicenter. I have been to Wilmington one time, and it has very few traits of Mid-Atlantic feel. You are right that it is more like Charleston and Savannah rather than Baltimore.
No offense, but I have never heard of Norfolk before, I even had to google what state it was in. I'm familiar with Virginia Beach. I'm sure it's a under rated city, but no way it is in the same league as birmingham, Memphis or especially Nashville or New Orleans.
In fact, I'm sure more people have heard of my home city of Boise Idaho, or even Ft Worth TX which is the second city in the DFW metroplex.
Given the apparent cultural relevance of Norfolk outside of the mid Atlantic, it is probably on par with corpus christi tx.
That's what I gathered, although I am more familiar with Richmond. Norfolk and the whole Hampton Roads area is a pretty unique place. Unique accents, unique culture, nice people. Virginia Beach appears to be the major growth area of the region, while Norfolk is more a cultural epicenter. I have been to Wilmington one time, and it has very few traits of Mid-Atlantic feel. You are right that it is more like Charleston and Savannah rather than Baltimore.
Except people have heard of Charleston and Savannah.
Charleston, SC; Wilmington NC and Savannah, GA for their ages, coastal locations and Southern culture.
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