Possibly moving to Newport News area

[damian]

Hey armybrat,
I too am from NN, moved away for ten years, and came back a few years ago.. I think people in general in Hampton Roads like to bash NN, especially people from the southside, but I feel that NN, and the peninsula as a whole has greatly improved in the past five years....more cultural activities, better shopping and dining options, and in NN's case, with City Center and Port Warwick, a better sense of place..
I live in Port Warwick, but my wife and I really like Hilton Village and the surronding neighborhoods...you cannot find such a charming neighborhood in a new plastic suburban area

[keylimepie]

I am a native here. I have found that people either love it or hate it. I wont deny that York is generally safer and has good schools, but you are typically going to put up with snottier, cliquish people. Not all of them, but I will put it this way...my moms friend was a teacher at a n/n high school. Transferred to a york county high school(grafton maybe? I forget which one) She quickly hightailed it out of their because she said all the students were highly disrespectful spoiled kids who felt liek they deserved the world handed to them on a platter. I dont care where you are, you are going to put up with someones mess. If your kids are easily assimilated into groups, york may be fine...but if they are quirky, or find it harder to make friends...well, York may prove to be a nightmare to them. But, at least you wont have to worry so much about their physical safety, soemthign you do in N/N high schools.

However, i agree with those who mentioned Hilton, Brandon Heights and Riverside. I grew up in Hilton and Brandon Heights, and they are wonderful community oriented areas. Hilton has small festivals in spring and fall. People wave to you, they help neighbors out...Its very friendly, although, I admit a bit cliquish...so many moms tend to be the pta/soccer mom type... But overall, its a really nice place to live, set off from the huge shoppign areas, and with a quaint feel. Brandon Heights is right next to Hilton, but has larger homes, and is pricier. Its very nice driving through all these areas, and may I mention, Halloween in Hilton is awesome for kids!!

I wont deny that this area has a rather strong Christian influence. Afterall, Pat Robertson and the 700 Club is filmed in Hmapton Roads. Churches are everywhere. BUT, the area is big enough that if you arent Christian(which I am not) you are goign to find like minds also. Its not as if you are in some suffocating small town where everyone knows if you went to church that day or not. Still, expect to see Jesus fish bumperstickers and the like on 2/3 of the cars around here.

Plus youare close to a lot of great recreation from Busch Gardens, water country and colonial williamsburg to Va Beach, Waterside, and lots fo museums.

[adctvmonkey]

I know SuperGrover has changed his/her mind, but I wanted to point out that Yorktown was on Money's 2005 100 best places to live, ranked somewhere in the 40's. Chesapeake was also in somewhere in the top 100. Va Beach was in the top ten big cities for 2006.

[eddieb323]

I'm a former resident of Newport News and I would move back there again. Great people, great places, and great shopping and other amenities. As long as you stick to the neighborhoods north of Harpersville Rd, you'll be fine. If you're from anywhere in the South, you'll really like it because the Peninsula has more of a Southern feel to it than Norfolk or Virginia Beach. Newport News only gets a bad rep because of the areas south of Mercury Blvd (especially downtown and around the shipyards). As people have said before Kiln Creek is a great area as long as you're willing to spend the extra money. It's possibly the most expensive area of the city. Just be careful if you look at any older homes in Newport News as some of them are in rough shape and need a lot of work. The asking price might be cheap but you're going to make up for that in remodeling expenses. Good luck!

[darkwolfen]

I've been reading the posts about how terrible it is to live in Hampton Roads. My response is, if you don't like it here, live elsewhere. "But I'm in the Navy" or "my husband's in the Navy" are no excuse-- if you truly feel it is that terrible to live here, you need to either resign from the Navy, or divorce your husband.
I also find the comparisons to "Massachussetts" to be amusing. You better believe this isn't Massachussetts! Why would anyone want the state of Virginia to be like Massachussetts? Massachussetts has got to be one of the most left-wing Liberal states in the union, not exactly military or 2nd-amendment friendly, not to mention the seemingly ubiquitous rudeness of its citizens, at least the ones I've met. And don't tell me Mass. schools are somehow better than what we have in Virginia-- judging by what comes out of Massachussetts, and from what I've heard, things are MUCH more "politically correct" in the school systems there. And as for crime-- Boston is among the worst in the country. And I'm not alone in this-- I have friends in New Hampshire who resent the influx of what they call "M*******s" who are steadily bleeding into their state. And unfortunately, that is similar to the problems in Hampton Roads-- the influx of people who are not originally from here, who do *not* share Virginia values, who are responsible, in large part for the negative image that some have of the region.
Sure, there is crime here, especially in some areas/cities. I should know, I'm a police officer. But most of the crime, at least in my city, is concentrated in certain areas and ethnic groups, and is not generalized.
As for this being "the South", it isn't. Due to the huge military presence, the numbers of people who aren't originally from here, and the general atmosphere, this isn't really a Southern area. In many ways it has more in common with NoVa (Northern Virginia), which is really just an extension of DC. If you want real Southern places in Virginia, look to southwest Virginia, such as the Roanoke/Blacksburg area... or Staunton... or Danville...or possibly the Shenandoah Valley... anyone who is a "real" southerner would laugh at the idea of Hampton Roads being a "typical southern area". In fact, the only people who would think that are Northerners who don't know what they're talking about, from New York or Massachussetts....
Just my 2-cents' worth.

[i_is_tiger_woods]

Originally Posted by darkwolfen

I've been reading the posts about how terrible it is to live in Hampton Roads. My response is, if you don't like it here, live elsewhere. "But I'm in the Navy" or "my husband's in the Navy" are no excuse-- if you truly feel it is that terrible to live here, you need to either resign from the Navy, or divorce your husband.
I also find the comparisons to "Massachussetts" to be amusing. You better believe this isn't Massachussetts! Why would anyone want the state of Virginia to be like Massachussetts? Massachussetts has got to be one of the most left-wing Liberal states in the union, not exactly military or 2nd-amendment friendly, not to mention the seemingly ubiquitous rudeness of its citizens, at least the ones I've met. And don't tell me Mass. schools are somehow better than what we have in Virginia-- judging by what comes out of Massachussetts, and from what I've heard, things are MUCH more "politically correct" in the school systems there. And as for crime-- Boston is among the worst in the country. And I'm not alone in this-- I have friends in New Hampshire who resent the influx of what they call "M*******s" who are steadily bleeding into their state. And unfortunately, that is similar to the problems in Hampton Roads-- the influx of people who are not originally from here, who do *not* share Virginia values, who are responsible, in large part for the negative image that some have of the region.
Sure, there is crime here, especially in some areas/cities. I should know, I'm a police officer. But most of the crime, at least in my city, is concentrated in certain areas and ethnic groups, and is not generalized.
As for this being "the South", it isn't. Due to the huge military presence, the numbers of people who aren't originally from here, and the general atmosphere, this isn't really a Southern area. In many ways it has more in common with NoVa (Northern Virginia), which is really just an extension of DC. If you want real Southern places in Virginia, look to southwest Virginia, such as the Roanoke/Blacksburg area... or Staunton... or Danville...or possibly the Shenandoah Valley... anyone who is a "real" southerner would laugh at the idea of Hampton Roads being a "typical southern area". In fact, the only people who would think that are Northerners who don't know what they're talking about, from New York or Massachussetts....
Just my 2-cents' worth.

Okay...to touch on a few topics listed by our friend here...
1). "...if you truly feel it is that terrible to live here, you need to either resign from the Navy, or divorce your husband."
Let's think about this for a minute: resign from the Navy? Son, the Navy isn't exactly a common nine to five job. It involves practically signing your life over to the government, saying that you will comply with all of their requests and demands in exchange for a paycheck and additional benefits. Considering some of the locations they are required to go (such as Hampton Roads), it's safe to say that compensation is FAR from sufficient...but I digress. I did serve in the Navy for five and a half years and I was cursed with the opportunity to be stationed in the Hampton Roads area for the latter two years of my career. As a joke, I went to my department head one day and submitted my "two weeks notice." He proceeded to rip the request to shreds and then told me to go and paint one of the load centers. We all got a good laugh out of it, but had it been attempted to actually "resign," the results would not have been much different. We have commitments that must be maintained; we can't just walk out whenever the hell we feel like it, so if we are sent somewhere that we do not like, as much as we are entitled to hate where we are, we have to stay there until either our time in the service runs out or it is time for re-assignment...at the Navy's discretion. The same explanation applies for all military spouses who, due to undying love and devotion to their significant others, make the sacrifice to be with them wherever they may roam. "Divorce your husband?!?" Thank you for your insight and wisdom. As for me, the day after I received my discharge papers, I was on the road to Atlanta, with my license plates reading "H8 DA757" and the words "GOOD RIDDANCE, VIRGINIA" emblazoned on my rear windshield...but that only happened after I "resigned" from the Navy.
2). "Why would anyone want the state of Virginia to be like Massachussetts?"
Virginia is one of four of the nation's "commonwealths," as is Massachusetts (which, by the way, is spelled with only four Ss...the five Ss is clearly a product of Virginia's education system), which means that the two have a lot more in "common" than you think. So, Massachusetts supports gay marriage. Virginia is a staunch supporter of the tobacco industry, whose products directly contribute to the deaths of millions each year. When was the last time you ever heard of a gay couple dying shortly after their union, or ever going on a violent killing spree? True, it is solely up to a person to decide whether or not they want to take up smoking, but with places like Virginia supporting them and encouraging them every step of the way, the responsibility does not fall entirely upon the smoker's shoulders. That's all I have to say about that.
3). "...not exactly military or 2nd-amendment friendly..."
Please. The only reason Virginia is sooooo "military friendly" is because of the massive revenue generated by the Armed Forces. Take a drive down Military Highway or Virginia Beach Boulevard and you'll see a small example of exactly what I'm talking about. Never in my life have I seen such a large concentration of car dealers in one area...and not just any ordinary car dealers...dealers that specialize in financing "ALL E-1 AND UP." 'Nuff said.
4). "...the influx of people who are not originally from here, who do *not* share Virginia values, who are responsible, in large part for the negative image that some have of the region."
I've met a number of locals who despise the area...and not because of the large influx of people from other parts of the country. Visit any major metropolitan area and ask some people where they are from, and you will notice that only a small percentage of them refer to themselves as "locals." However, those cities (like Boston or Seattle or Chicago) still maintain a certain local flair that has stood the test of time from a number of transplants, and that is because when people relocate to those areas, they cannot help but become a part of their surroundings. As the saying goes, "When in Rome, you do as the Romans." Sure, those who relocate to the area may not share Virginia values, but eventually they do, and as a result they further perpetuate that negative stigma that the Hampton Roads region has maintained for as long as I can remember.
5). "As for this being "the South", it isn't."
Well, we do agree on something...sorta. Technically, Virginia does fall south of the Mason-Dixon line, and it was a part of the original Confederate States of America, so semantically speaking Virginia is a "southern" state. However, when it comes to culture, Virginia is just confused. As I see it, Virginia is the haphazard combination of Northern and Southern culture, and it can be assumed that the two cultures should NEVER combine...I mean hell, we fought a war over it. I'm from Texas, and although Texas doesn't exactly consider itself a part of the south (or any other region of the nation for that matter), it definitely exudes more of a southern quality than Virginia.

With all that being said, Virginia still sucks (in my opinion...and many others), and now that I'm gone, I couldn't be happier. I'm glad that those who enjoy Virginia can actually say that...you must be more open-minded than I. Although I may not agree with what you say, I will defend to the death your right to say it (I've always wanted to say that).