Nice neighborhoods in Hampton Roads

[desertsun41]

Originally Posted by PChildres

What is this "ICW" you speak of? By the way, "Continue this path to where the Great Bridge Lock is"

What exactly is the Lock?

Emeraldgirl is right. ICW is the Intra Coastal Water Way.

The Intracoastal Waterway is a 4,800-km (3,000-mile) recreational and commercial inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals.
The waterway runs the length of the Eastern Seaboard (Maine to Miami, Florida), from its unofficial northern terminus at the Manasquan River in New Jersey, where it connects with the Atlantic Ocean at the Manasquan Inlet, to Brownsville, Texas. The waterway is toll-free, but commercial users pay a fuel tax that is used to maintain and improve it. The ICW is a significant portion of the Great loop, a circumnavigation route encircling the Eastern half of the North American continent.


Great Bridge Lock Park sits beside the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at the point where the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal - coming up from North Carolina - meets the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Here is where thousands of boats make their way into the Chesapeake watershed.

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal declined plane, it is the chamber itself (usually then called a caisson) that rises and falls.
Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to take a reasonably direct line across country that is not level.

Hope that helps.

[PChildres]

lol thanks alot you two. Im looking foward to the Tideware experience! I just hope we have pretty weather. I remember from May-August of this year here in Houston we had rain about 97% of the time, maybe 5 or 6 days of a little bit of Sun, most rain Ive ever seen in my whole life. A friend of mine from Albuquerque was in town in May and it was HORRIBLE, a downpour everyday. I got my fingers crossed for this trip.

[jerlap]

We are moving our family to DFW area this summer for the very same reasons you are moving into Hampton Roads. I was born and raised in V.B., and love it here, but the previous posters are right about housing costs. The economy has not sustained the drastic jump the housing market made over the past 5-6 years. We moved away to Iowa in 04-06, then moved back to V.B. (all work related moves), but with the need to have our kids in a good school system, plus need to have a house big enough for 4 children, all on one income, we can't afford to take any trips or do much extra after our mortgage is paid.
Sorry for the long post.... I was trying to say, make sure you consider the cost of housing, and if needing a good school is a consideration, the Cox district is one of the better in V.B.. I graduated from Princess Anne High School, and that was a wonderful school, but some of the elementary schools in that district have gone down some.
The best of luck to you in your move, you would love Virginia Beach, especially Chicks Beach area.

[texasgardenia]

I left Newport News to live in the Houston area in 2000 and in 2008 I'm moving back to Newport News. I went to visit my family in Newport News over the Christmas holiday, and though I'll miss Texas a lot, I want to be near my family again.

[PChildres]

Originally Posted by texasgardenia

I left Newport News to live in the Houston area in 2000 and in 2008 I'm moving back to Newport News. I went to visit my family in Newport News over the Christmas holiday, and though I'll miss Texas a lot, I want to be near my family again.

So what besides family do you miss in Hampton Roads? Will be in Hampton Roads on Saturday morning (5th) through the 9th. I want to see the best Hampton Roads has to offer, wherever it is, don't care how long it takes to get there, I just want to see the best.

[GhentGirl]

Originally Posted by PChildres

So what besides family do you miss in Hampton Roads? Will be in Hampton Roads on Saturday morning (5th) through the 9th. I want to see the best Hampton Roads has to offer, wherever it is, don't care how long it takes to get there, I just want to see the best.

I live in the Ghent section of Norfolk, and it is drop dead gorgeous. If you are looking to buy, the area is terribly expensive but rentals go from $600 to $1000+ for apartments. It's extremely safe, very walkable friendly neighborhood, registered as a Historic Neighborhood, and within walking distance of downtown, McArthur Mall, hospital, grocery stores, move theatre, art museum, theatre, restaurants, and so much more. So it depends on whether you are looking for hip and trendy urban, suburban, or country living. Try cavalierland.com, cookeandneff.com and norfolk.craigslist.org for rentals around Ghent and hampton roads.