Newport News? (Portsmouth, Jefferson, Poquoson: rent, house, neighborhoods)

[sdelosrios]

The "better" sections to consider are usually in York County. Closer to Langley - not Fort Eustis. Some good areas to consider are Poquoson (great schools), Kiln Creek area of Newport News, Hilton (older charm), Tabb Lakes (good in your price range), Conventry. Seaford has rural charm and good schools, close commute to Fort Eustis.

[Michelle757]

Im sure every city has its good and its bad. I guess Im still searching for our good. Ive been here my whole life and pretty much have some things figured out about our problems.

1, The military- There are so many temporary residents here. Im not saying military people are bad but, they know this is only a temporary stop and many treat NN like a "hotel room".

2, Public Schools- No child left behind -my butt. There are VERY few good schools here. I taught in several and can not believe how so many ignorant children make it through high school. Guess what? Whether they do or dont graduate, they become adult members of our community.

3, Development. Yes development. By all means, build more upscale condos and shops that no one can afford. Tear down all the trees and build "pretty" city centers and Port Warwicks full of 300,000$ condos that sit empty.

4, Racial seperation. Yep. I said it. Never have I seen so many people who live in the same place, do such different things. What a shame.

Point? Dont move here unless you are on welfare- I hear that system is great...OR, unless you are very rich. But, of course if you are very rich, you probably live in Williamsburg.

[jojo61397]

1, The military- There are so many temporary residents here. Im not saying military people are bad but, they know this is only a temporary stop and many treat NN like a "hotel room".

THANKS A F-ING LOT! I am military and the OP. We chose VA because it was what was best for our son. I don't treat any place I live like a hotel room. I have been at Minot, ND for nearly 7 years, and I consider it my home. As long as the people of NN or Hampton or where ever welcome us, I will treat NN as a home. I will say with pride that I'm from NN, and I will be VA-ian.

2, Public Schools- No child left behind -my butt. There are VERY few good schools here. I taught in several and can not believe how so many ignorant children make it through high school. Guess what? Whether they do or dont graduate, they become adult members of our community.

And again thank-you. My child is special needs. He is probably one of "those ignorant children" that will be allowed to graduate.

Geez, I'm so glad we got orders here, I hope no one else is like you.

[ToughLuv]

I am not a big fan of Newport News myself..But I dont "hate" it..and I wouldnt call it a bad place to live either..

[jojo61397]

We are actually looking more outside of NN and Hampton near Big Bethel. We came out and decided NOT to live in Kiln Creek.

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by jojo61397

We are actually looking more outside of NN and Hampton near Big Bethel. We came out and decided NOT to live in Kiln Creek.

If you are going to Hampton, Bellegrade is one great neighborhood off Big Bethel Rd. Also, from what i hear Hampton schools have a great reputation as far as special needs children go.

And to answer Michelle757,

1. My family is ex-military and we always took decent care of our HR homes.

2. Despite the fact i went to York Co. schools, i still think quality public schools are in Hampton and Newport News.

3. Come to Northern VA and i'll show you development. Aint one acre of undeveloped land within an hour of Washington DC.

4. Again come to Northern VA. SELF-segregation. I was black and lived on the block with all types of different races.

[Razorbacks]

If your son is 4 he would probably be in the PEEP program in the NN public school system. You would have to contact the program and they would test him to see what his issues and skill levels are, then do an IEP for him. My 6 year old was in the PEEP program and she did great, she is autistic too (asperger's). There are several elementary schools that house the PEEP programs, also we have Head Start programs as well.



My son is 4, he would be in a special education program. He is not ready for mainstreaming and would not be ready for a regular Kindergarten, my goal is to have him integrated by 2d or 3d grade. But that is optimistic.


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[TessaLee]

Although there are the shady parts of Newport News, I can assure you that it is not as bad as some people make it out to be. I agree that there are neighborhoods you should stay away from but I have lived in Newport News my entire life and think it is an okay place to live. If you are looking for neighborhoods close to Ft. Eustis, there is Colony Pines and Windsor Great Park on the Jefferson side and Ashton Green and Stoneybrook on the Warwick side. And yes, some schools are worse then others but also consider that they have been ranked as some of Virginia's top schools. Woodside is a pretty good high school, and if you decide to move to Colony Pines or Windsor Great Park that's where your child would be zoned.

[bicoastal08]

If you've got a family and are looking for a condo or house, you've certainly got options on the peninsula. If you're single or an apartment denizen, stick to York County/Poquoson. Funny, Tidewater is loaded with apartments except for Poquoson, which only has two-bedroom units, and so I hear, prefers whites as well. (If you're looking for a home there, flood insurance is getting harder to come by.) Commute traffic, well you're not going to dodge that anywhere.

I'm a single apt. guy. When I took a job here, the boss' secretary handed out The Apartment Guide, then crossed out half the complexes in the book. She was white, lived here forever; an eager-to-help black woman at a pharmacy did the same thing. Every week the front page of the Daily News or Virginia Pilot announces a gang, shooting, or teenager bringing a gun to school; both have on-line crime blotters by which you can guess for yourself where its safe to live. If there's a good side, the "7 Cities" haven't become totally numb yet; the bad news is they're losing the battle. As said above, this area for whatever reason draws families where kids aren't getting what they need at home. Well, that's their problem, until you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, like the sailor who got blown away one night at his credit union ATM. A L.A.-type street wariness doesn't hurt.

Another important thing to realize is how spread out this place is; you can deceive yourself with a map. To give an idea, from the northern end of Newport News to downtown Portsmouth is an hour without traffic.

[ToughLuv]

Originally Posted by TessaLee

Although there are the shady parts of Newport News, I can assure you that it is not as bad as some people make it out to be. I agree that there are neighborhoods you should stay away from but I have lived in Newport News my entire life and think it is an okay place to live. If you are looking for neighborhoods close to Ft. Eustis, there is Colony Pines and Windsor Great Park on the Jefferson side and Ashton Green and Stoneybrook on the Warwick side. And yes, some schools are worse then others but also consider that they have been ranked as some of Virginia's top schools. Woodside is a pretty good high school, and if you decide to move to Colony Pines or Windsor Great Park that's where your child would be zoned.

Only Ashton Green housing just to clear that up, the apartment area has some crime going on. Try the Beechmont housing area also, preferably the houses further away from Lucas Creek/Autumn Lakes apartments. Great neighboorhood outside of that. But the school setup isnt too good.