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My education began here as an eleventh grader. I do not think it was the best back then..
During the time, the kids were off the wall behaving, showing not an ounce of respect to their elders, their teachers.
Things, now, as I see my children in school, have changed by leaps and bounds, for the most part.
Whenn I was in school, they did not work with the kids in achieving all they could, they did not say look, there is this future out there for you, there is colllege, there are programs to enable you to get into college.
They just didn't do that.
I wanted to be an English teacher so very badly back then, it is all I wanted. I wanted to share literature with others. My parents made too much for me to go to college, not enough for me to recieve help.
But really, who knows what was out there for me. No one was in the school guiding me at the time.
That is so not the case these days. I am very proud, now of my school system. Turning out academic achievers. My son wil enter high school next year.
When I was in 12th grade, I started in a brand new school. They built two of them, identical. I was in the one that was red, and all of my friends went to blue. We met up, in vo-tech.
My son will go to blue next year. A very good school, IMO.
Its funny, the school nurse where my kids are now, was my school nurse in 11th and 12th grade. I go back, and its like stepping in a time warp... I kinda like it...
I hate to be a wet blanket, but I'm going to be one for the sake of this topic. I've only lived in Virginia Beach for a little over a year and so far I'm not impressed. The one positive that stands out (to me) is the natural beauty of the city and the state. I'm not fond of the culture. I find Virginia Beach specifically and the Hampton Roads area in general to be segregated and insular. The White people are prejudiced. The Black people are prejudiced. Its ridiculous and shallow. Hardly anyone mingles.
I came out here for my husband (he is not in the military) and I'm trying to convince him to move. We are a mixed race couple - - - yeah, not fun in Virginia.
I know there is no such thing as Utopia Land. I've travelled around the country a bit, grew up in Boston, lived in Tampa, Albuquerque and the DFW area; I've been up and down the eastern seaboard and the farthest west I've visited is Nevada. I've also travelled overseas... and so far (other than Texas) Virginia is the most intolerant of all the places I've visited. It's sad and I hope my husband will oblige me (my views on this are valid and strong - and now he's becoming aware of the prejudice because he has me in his life) and move to the Pacific Northwest or maybe back to Florida.
Sorry you feel that way, but one thing I can tell you, is that I have friendly relationships with everyone. I too learned and it suprised me, that there is prejudice in the black race (yes, they don't like one another!) and I've always known about ebony & ivory, but I wasn't raised in a mixed community. If you go deeper south, it is much worse. Now think about others who deal with prejudice without color. See, sometimes we have a tendency to be blind to things other than color. You have to find this within yourself, as others can not change for you, but you can change for you. It's everywhere unfortunately and being in a mixed relationship, you see it more...maybe because you expect it? I don't know, I can't answer that for you. Virginia is a very mixed state because of the military. One of the last places I think is intolerable and I travel for my job.
Hey Cinderobyn, it sounds like you live in a wonderful town. Enjoy it. I will have to visit Suffolk some day. I have lived in the Hampton Roads area for two years and haven't really checked everything out yet but I plan to be here for a long time. I just have a question and it may seem weird but what do cotton fields look like? I am from the north and travelled south only twice in my life and am not sure. Enjoy your town, it sounds beautiful.
I currently live in Williamsburg and when I first moved here I hated it! I moved from Houston so the size of Williamsburg (compared to Houston) was a huge shock! Plus, I had never in my life been around so many people over the age of 75. I have lived here for the last five years and I have become such an advocate for Williamsburg. I love being able to walk around Colonial Williamsburg, drive down Colonial Parkway, take my kids to two safe amusement parks and I love being able to see people I know every place that I go to. Williamsburg really does have a small town feel with a lot to do. I hate to say that I rarely ever drive down to Virginia Beach because I cannot stand I-64, but every year we drive down during Christmas time and we go to the light tour that you can drive through on the beach and my kids love it!!! I love it here! That said, each person has their own experience and the experience each person has is all about what they make it!
Last edited by dvcgal; 07-02-2008 at 11:13 PM..
Reason: added sentence
I currently live in Williamsburg and when I first moved here I hated it! I moved from Houston so the size of Williamsburg (compared to Houston) was a huge shock! Plus, I had never in my life been around so many people over the age of 75. I have lived here for the last five years and I have become such an advocate for Williamsburg. I love being able to walk around Colonial Williamsburg, drive down Colonial Parkway, take my kids to two safe amusement parks and I love being able to see people I know every place that I go to. Williamsburg really does have a small town feel with a lot to do. I hate to say that I rarely ever drive down to Virginia Beach because I cannot stand I-64, but every year we drive down during Christmas time and we go to the light tour that you can drive through on the beach and my kids love it!!! I love it here! That said, each person has their own experience and the experience each person has is all about what they make it!
Oh, it's a great place to start a family, but if you're single and in your early to mid-20s and you can't find anything redeeming in the bar culture down at the beach, then you're pretty much out of luck for a rewarding social life. That's just one way to look at it.
Also, I'm a little saddened by the loss of independent book stores/record stores in the past two years. It seems like Virginia Beach/Norfolk are losing distinct aspects of their "alternative culture."
I can walk to one place here.... a little old station that used to be a gas station, but no longer is. Now, it is a place where the people from this little town go to talk, and there is an old Mary Jane metal bench infront.
The man who owns it, is the man I rent my house from. His mother cooks something everyday, and you can go in and she says.. want some lasagne? Theres a plate...
On some Saturdays when I dont have my kids, I go in and sit for a little while. Talk to her, or whoever is in there. And eat...
The stores are a short drive away, but this little town within the city, I love it. There is a small bank, a flashing light... no stop light. One small drs office... drive down the road a bit, and you hit 60mph...
You are on your way to where you need to be, but you have the quiet of the small town right here. Sit on your front porch and as people walk by, the smile and you wave at eachother, say hello...
I moved here two and a half years ago from Northeast Ohio. I am a 28 y/o single straight male.
Here is my take.
Weather: Compared to Ohio, the weather here is great. I do not miss the snow at all.
Cost of living: WOW! Terrible, just terrible. There is really no reason these apartments around here should be so much. I have no idea how a young single person can make it on their own here making any less than 50K a year, I really dont. In my hometown, I was renting a two bedroom townhouse with an attached garage in a very nice neighborhood for 625, and people there thought we were getting ripped off! Here, you can not even get an efficiency for that, or a rathole in Ocean View.
Traffic: Sucks, but, at the same time, is not THAT bad. It seems that is all I hear at work is about how bad the traffic is. Yes, the tunnels are terrible. I always say though, that the trade off for sitting in the tunnel is a typically cheaper place to live, so take it or leave it.
People: I agree with quite a few earlier assesments. Everyone is very standoffish, it seems. Also, people are boring here. It seems everyone I know is married with multiple kids, so it is hard to get anyone to do anything. And when I meet people, all they want to do is go get drunk somewhere. People here seem to be closeminded about anything they are not used to.
Things to do: there are lots of things to do nearby, which is pretty cool. I like that in about 30 minutes you can be almost anywhere in Hampton Roads from nearly any spot.
Airports: You would think for an area this size that we would have better airports. I do not understand it at all. This area will never thrive as a tourist mecca or a supreme business destination without a larger airport.
Food: Ehhh. I am not picky. But, I will say, coming from NE Ohio, this area does not have very good local restaurants. Its funny, when I ask people where I should eat, I invariably get Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, or TGIFridays! And the pizza, I mean come on. I can think of 10 fantastic pizza places right now of the top of my head in my hometown! Not here
Shopping: Is good here. Lots of strip malls though
Being single: Hard here. Almost everyone is married, and the ones that arent all have 2-3 kids, or so it seems. It has been a struggle to meet anyone that I click with. Of course, it could be me, but, my few single friends say the same here.
All in all, it is ok here. Personally, I have never felt at home here, which, is why I am most likely relocating with my job in the very near future, most likely to San Antono
I moved here two and a half years ago from Northeast Ohio. I am a 28 y/o single straight male.
Here is my take.
Weather: Compared to Ohio, the weather here is great. I do not miss the snow at all.
Cost of living: WOW! Terrible, just terrible. There is really no reason these apartments around here should be so much. I have no idea how a young single person can make it on their own here making any less than 50K a year, I really dont. In my hometown, I was renting a two bedroom townhouse with an attached garage in a very nice neighborhood for 625, and people there thought we were getting ripped off! Here, you can not even get an efficiency for that, or a rathole in Ocean View.
Traffic: Sucks, but, at the same time, is not THAT bad. It seems that is all I hear at work is about how bad the traffic is. Yes, the tunnels are terrible. I always say though, that the trade off for sitting in the tunnel is a typically cheaper place to live, so take it or leave it.
People: I agree with quite a few earlier assesments. Everyone is very standoffish, it seems. Also, people are boring here. It seems everyone I know is married with multiple kids, so it is hard to get anyone to do anything. And when I meet people, all they want to do is go get drunk somewhere. People here seem to be closeminded about anything they are not used to.
Things to do: there are lots of things to do nearby, which is pretty cool. I like that in about 30 minutes you can be almost anywhere in Hampton Roads from nearly any spot.
Airports: You would think for an area this size that we would have better airports. I do not understand it at all. This area will never thrive as a tourist mecca or a supreme business destination without a larger airport.
Food: Ehhh. I am not picky. But, I will say, coming from NE Ohio, this area does not have very good local restaurants. Its funny, when I ask people where I should eat, I invariably get Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, or TGIFridays! And the pizza, I mean come on. I can think of 10 fantastic pizza places right now of the top of my head in my hometown! Not here
Shopping: Is good here. Lots of strip malls though
Being single: Hard here. Almost everyone is married, and the ones that arent all have 2-3 kids, or so it seems. It has been a struggle to meet anyone that I click with. Of course, it could be me, but, my few single friends say the same here.
All in all, it is ok here. Personally, I have never felt at home here, which, is why I am most likely relocating with my job in the very near future, most likely to San Antono
I pretty much agree with all of the above.
Weather: I agree, much better than the north. The no snow thing is great, although it is pretty hot in the summer. Still beats the no snow thing.
Cost of Living: Yep, very, very expensive here. I just learned my one bedroom apartment I used to rent for $640 per month 4 years back is $900+ per month. And it is in a kind of run down area. Yet it seems like the average salary for around here is $30-$40K per year. Have no idea how people do it. My cousin rents his place for like $500 per month and it is right across the street from the ocean/bay, heat and water included. The salaries just don't justify how expensive it is here.
Traffic: Agree, it could be worse. But it is frustrating at 10 PM at night when there are still a ton of cars on the road.
People: As I mentioned in another post, people used to seem a lot nicer here, or at least I thought they did. However, over the past few months I have realized that this area seems a little more stuck up than I remember. People seem to have a "I'm better than you cause I have more stuff attitude." There are many friendly people, but walk into any store lately and they act like they are annoyed by you. It is hard to make friends here, or even to get people to say "hi" when walking around your neighborhood.
Things To Do: There is a lot of stuff around here which is nice. Just depends if you like crowds. I find a lot of the popular activities are always crowded which makes them difficult to enjoy.
Airports: Norfolk International is not bad, never had to wait too long in security lines .
Food: Our favorite places are Ruby Tuesday's and Applebees. I agree, not a lot of unique restaurants around here. Many, many chains, can think of 4 Wendy's within 5 miles of us.
Shopping: Lots and lots of strip malls, which kind of make this area bland. But if you need something, it is never a far drive to get it.
Being Single: Being male and single in this area totally sucks. If I was single I would move out of this area in a hard beat. The military makes the ratios heavily in favor of women and there is little as far as good night life. Plus the few single women that are here are hard to approach and seem kind of standoffish.
Overall: This area is not the worse, it just depends on who you are and what you like. I would never recommend this area to a single person. If you are married and make good money it is not all that bad. Personally, I would rather live in an area where you could make the same money and live half as cheap. Plus an area not so crowded or cookie cutter. But that is just me, many are very happy here.
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Not So Fond of Virginia Beach
