Need Help - Moving to York or Chesapeake

[eddieb323]

I would definitely choose Chesapeake. To get to Portsmouth from York County you have to drive over a bridge and through a tunnel (the Monitor-Merrimac bridge-tunnel). The drive from York County would be a bare minimum of 45 minutes, depending on what part of York County you're talking about. That's WITHOUT traffic. With traffic this same drive could easily take 60-90 minutes. When an accident happens on a bridge or in the tunnel, they merge all the traffic down to one lane. Unfortunately that happens quite frequently during rush hour out here. It seems like York County appeals to you because of more open spaces and more of a rural and Southern feel. If that's the case you might want to look at Suffolk. It's just west of Portsmouth. Many of the homes sit on lots that are a half acre or larger in size, and there are still quite a few farms and wooded areas within the city itself. An added bonus is some of the home prices are a little bit lower than in other areas of Hampton Roads.

[stacylee926]

I would hate the commute from York to Portsmouth! If possible it is always best to 'try' to avoid a tunnel commute. I live in Portsmouth and have found the schools in Churchland to be OK, but are probably the best in Portsmouth. I love the Western Branch area of Chesapeake which is next to Portsmouth. The area is very surburban - yet only 5-10 minutes to the mall and plenty of shopping and restaurants. The area is never crowded and traffic is a piece of cake here. If you like a little more rural, but still close to everything, Suffolk/Isle of Wight on Route 17 is also a good choice for a nice (older) house with a nice yard.

Right now there are lots of houses to rent so you have many choices. Personally I would never buy a house in a new city first thing. You really need to live in an area to get a good feel for it before you make that kind of decision. Many of the houses for rent now are houses that used to be for sale but are not selling. The opportunity for a short term lease while you look around are probably really good.

[djfamily]

I do have a ? re: shopping in York. On our way to Tabb we drove thru an area - I believe it's the Kiln Creek area around Patrick Henry Mall. It looked nice. Is this shopping area relatively safe? Or is it one of those areas that you don't want to venture into at night?

[damian]

Originally Posted by djfamily

I do have a ? re: shopping in York. On our way to Tabb we drove thru an area - I believe it's the Kiln Creek area around Patrick Henry Mall. It looked nice. Is this shopping area relatively safe? Or is it one of those areas that you don't want to venture into at night?

It is a nice area, and safe to venture at night for shopping...the whole area from Oyster Point/City Center through Kiln Creek/Patrick Henry and now up to Jefferson Commons is where the main powerhouse retail area of the Peninsula