Smithfield/ Isle of Wright County and Navy Base (Norfolk, Chesapeake: homes, transferring to)

[mommyofthree]

My husband will be transferring to Naval Station Norfolk soon, and we have looked on the internet for areas to live in. We want the same thing everyone else does, good schools, safe area, etc. We are interested in Smithfield/ Isle of Wright County. My question is, would that be a ridiculous commute for my husband every day? Also, where would be the closest major shopping area be, and is it a safe area (our malls around here are not safe and we do not go to them - shootings, etc.) ? Thanks for any info you can provide

[stacylee926]

Smithfield and Isle of Wight is still what many would call rural. Smithfield is further out than Isle of Wight and would put you about 30 min from the closest safe mall. Isle of Wight is closer in to the cities. They have built a new strip mall on Rt 17 in Isle of Wight which has a Farm Fresh, Rite Aid and several restaurants - and still growing. It is very convenient for your general shopping. This is becoming a very desirable area - several builders have built new TH's and SFH in the area.

The closest safe mall is Chesapeake Square and that is about 15 min away, however there is another Walmart closer. Also there is a new Kohls being built at College Drive and 664 which will include more stores also around mid 2008.

I do not know about the schools in the area, but most are newer.

As far as safety goes, Smithfield and Isle of Wight are pretty safe compared to some other cities - probably because it is just growing. There is still alot of farmland there.

Personally, I LOVE that area. It is not overcrowded and seems to have nice families settling in.

[mommyofthree]

Thanks for the info - it sounds like the kind of place that we are interested in! Is it too far from Naval Station Norfolk to make the commute everyday?

[Mr Williamsburg]

Traffic will be a challenge but I have sold homes to many families stationed at Naval Station Norfolk who feel that the commute is well worth it.

[stacylee926]

I don't really know where the naval station is.... (I do not go into Norfolk much - except McArthur Mall).

However, traffic cannot be that bad. That area is really only a few minutes outside of Portsmouth, Suffolk and Western Chesapeake. It is close to the highways that put you where you want to go. You will probably run into the traffic at the tunnels and near the base, and you would get that from anywhere.

I think you would like the quality of life in that area - and nothing is really that far.

[damian]

The commute will be fine from Smithfield, through Suffolk and Portsmouth, but to get into Norfolk, you will need to cross the Midtown Tunnel, which in the AM bottlenecks with a 30 minute wait. Once you get into Norfolk you will still need at least 15 minutes to get to the Naval base. All in all, look for at least a 50 minute to over an hour commute one way. In the PM, it is the reverse with everyone trying to get out of Norfolk.

[lmjohnson123]

I live in northeast suffolk and used to commute to the naval base and it was an easy 45 minutes in the morning and at least 45 minutes+ in the evening coming home. Hampton Blvd is still too congested for all the traffic that it has and the HRBT is always backed up.
So, from smithfield or IoW it would at about 10 -15 more minutes.
With that said though, IMO it is worth it. I like the less congested areas and on the weekends it is really nice to relax there.