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Old 06-12-2016, 02:40 PM
 
133 posts, read 148,432 times
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Hi there, Where to start

I recently moved from Phoenix, AZ to Denver, CO. I am from Philadelphia. I have lived and traveled many places. I also lived in Virginia Beach, VA in 1997 and 1998 and loved it. I am 44, single, female, and two dogs. I am college educated with a masters degree, but do not work in my field. I can manage my business from anywhere. However, if I move to Virginia Beach I would like to work in the marine industry.

Moving away from the west would be hard. I LOVED AZ, but hated the summers in Phoenix. When it doesn't drop below 100 degrees at midnight, that is HOT. I could move back to Phx, but gosh, I really don't want to go back to the searing summer heat. Like 120 days over 100 degrees. So, I thought Denver would be a good move - but I find that the winters here are really hard on me - physically and emotionally. Constant snow systems moving thru make my back hurt.

Before moving, I was told how mild the winters are here, but I don't find them mild at all. The freeze/thaw cycle during the day/night leads to black ice on the roads quite often and constant slush. I have never seen so much serious black ice in my life. ONLY main highways and roads are plowed. Winter lasts 8 months with over 5 feet of snow. Now that I live here, I have been told this is pretty typical - occasionally there are short warm spells in between, but I had this impression that winter was much milder than Philadelphia - which it isn't at all. So, my bad...

So, it leads me to... possibly Virginia Beach. I loved Virginia Beach's weather when I lived there and it is close to my family in Philly and with my mother aging, that is becoming more important to me. I just hope I am remembering correctly. I don't mind cloudiness when it is warm out, but I do not like it when it is cold. Cold for me is anything under 55 degrees. If I remember correctly, Virginia Beach's winter is pretty short (Dec,Jan,Feb). The falls and springs are gorgeous and the summer is hot and humid. I don't care for the humidity much, but I can live with it. Am I on the money with how I remember the weather there?

I don't care much about clubs or night life. I mostly like to stay active physically. Fitness is important to me. I will MISS hiking... I LOVE hiking out west. But, here in Denver, it is very hard to do any serious hiking for most of the year (I like to do peaks.) I bicycle, rollerblade (with my dogs), enjoy reading, and history. I would like to meet friends and possibly a boyfriend). I want to know if it is people are open and friendly in my age range? Friends are pretty important to me. What is the dating scene for my place in life?

Anyway, feedback on moving to Virginia Beach would be appreciated. It is a hard decision to move again so quickly.

Last edited by sailelsa; 06-12-2016 at 03:45 PM.. Reason: shorter
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Old 06-12-2016, 03:08 PM
 
6,293 posts, read 10,534,284 times
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I live here and that's not how I remember the winters.
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Old 06-12-2016, 03:10 PM
 
133 posts, read 148,432 times
Reputation: 86
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spazkat9696 View Post
I live here and that's not how I remember the winters.
How do you remember the winters in VA Beach? Or if you live there, how are they?
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Old 06-12-2016, 03:27 PM
 
133 posts, read 148,432 times
Reputation: 86
Also, any suggested areas to live in Virginia Beach. I remember the Princess Anne area being nice, but that may be too family oriented for someone without children. I am looking in the $350K range for a house. I looked on Willoughby Spit and that looks like I could afford a decent place near the beach there.
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Old 06-12-2016, 04:21 PM
 
133 posts, read 148,432 times
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Please elaborate
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Old 06-12-2016, 06:22 PM
 
3,848 posts, read 9,282,543 times
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What exactly do you plan on doing in the marine industry? People are going to only hire you if you have experience in it, and coming from landlocked states, it doesn't seem like you would have very recent credentials in it.

I think you're doing what a lot of people do- glorifying the past.

The seasons you posted for Hampton Roads are not accurate. It gets below 55 (whether that be the high or low for the day) 7-8 months out of the year depending on patterns.

I also enjoy hiking out west, and here it's not even close to the same gratification.

You'll be fine on the man front. There's a surplus here.

In shape, and staying active? There's a lot of overweight people here.

If you can manage your business from anywhere (that adds some confusion on the marine bit for me. Do you need a job, or are you okay with out one? Employment in general is very hard to find in HR, and most of the jobs are very low paying) I would either A) Buy two smaller homes/condo/townhouse in different parts of the country and become a snowbird, or B) Move to California.

The other option would be move back to AZ and crank the A/C
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Old 06-12-2016, 07:09 PM
 
133 posts, read 148,432 times
Reputation: 86
Hi Coconut1! Thank you for your reply! Yes, there is not much sailing in these landlocked states!

I don't have recent credentials in the marine industry, but I do have quite a bit of experience in it... I was a single handed (solo) sailor for 5 years in the northern hemisphere of the Atlantic Ocean. I have sailed the north-eastern side of South America, Central America, Caribbean, North America and Europe. Living and sailing on my own boat and working on all sorts of boats. I was as immersed in boating as a person can be! LOL! I would like to work in marine sales or open a distributorship of (name your brand) boat myself. I have a good history with being successful with sales too. I have done lectures/presentations on single handing ever since I have came back.

I would do the marine thing in addition to what I already do - (not sales). I would hire people to manage my current business if it became too much. I am ok without a job if life took me in that direction - I would just continue to manage my business.

Good to hear about the man front How about the friendliness of the people and making friends??

Perhaps I overstated the 55 degrees thing - I meant to say daytime high temps of less than 55... I like 4 seasons. I like cool weather. I like mild winters. I guess what I meant to say is I would like more warm months than cold months. That is subjective, I know. (I missed clouds and winter, fall and spring in AZ - but not frigid winters - unfortunately I'm back in them - this year was close to the worst I have ever experiences and I have lived in Milwalkee!). The snow didn't stop here until mid May and it will start again in Sept or Oct. Apparently this is typical for the western suburbs of Denver. In VA Beach there is 7 annual inches of snow over three days or something. Here there are 60 and it snows for 8 months.

I guess I'm thinking that I want winter, but a mild winter. I remember thinking that Virginia Beach felt much milder than Philadelphia in the winter.

I thought of going back to AZ... but, then I am not close to my elderly Mom in Philly. I would like to try to be as close to her as I can and still be in a climate and surroundings I enjoy.

What is the culture like in VA Beach now? What do people do for fun?
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Old 06-12-2016, 07:16 PM
 
133 posts, read 148,432 times
Reputation: 86
Btw - I do miss the water too - very much. My first choice was to move to San Diego county, but the cost of living is through the roof. Then I checked out north of San Fransisco and also through the roof. I have some friends who talked about how mild the winters were here in Denver and, boom, I'm here. I think they must have been high! They now say they meant mild in relation to Minnesota, Montana or the Dakota's. LOL - everything is relative.
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Old 06-13-2016, 03:55 AM
 
1,185 posts, read 1,489,522 times
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You'll find threads and threads about this, but to address your specific concerns:

If you need a job, don't move here without one lined up. Wages and employment opportunities in Hampton Roads are dismal due to the large military/retired military presence.

COL is high in relation to wages. This place seems to amplify bubbles and right now there seems to be a rent bubble. During the 2007 housing bubble, Virginia Beach homes were going for absolute bat crap crazy prices.

The winter IS cold. It isn't Wisconsin cold, but the average low in the winter hovers in the mid-to-upper 30s. Snow is a rare occurrence.

Never move here on a whim. Many people have a "I hate it" or "I love it" attitude towards Hampton Roads. There's very little in between.

Some people feel Hampton Roads is a trap, and many seek to "escape" to a "real" city. 90%+ of my graduating high school class moved out of Hampton Roads within 10 years after graduation. Many that I have spoken with moved due to the lack of good paying jobs.
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Old 06-13-2016, 10:37 AM
 
184 posts, read 242,791 times
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I usually suggest to customers/clients that they consider renting before buying to get a good feel for the area they chose to buy in. While you lived here almost 20 years ago, the area has grown as you might imagine. And there are folks on these threads who will be happy to tell you why the area is good or bad as a result of the growth. You can find many nice properties in your price range, in areas with or without a majority of families. And if you are not set on being within minutes of the Beach, you might consider Chesapeake or the Ghent area in Norfolk. We are still a very large tourist town and so in season, traffic is worse than other times in the year. Since you were here, we have a few more venues for live concerts. You may remember the park areas where you can rollerblade with dogs as well as bike. I wish you luck on your decision.
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