Where are the best parts of Virginia?? (Norfolk, Harrisonburg: rent, crime)

[Mack wild]

Hey guys Im a single guy in his upper 20's thinking about relocating to Virginia. I hear there is some southern charm going on still in Virginia is that true? I am also wondering where the best place to go would be for a guy who is interested in good jobs, being near water, and abundant night life.

Also there is a lot of people who are complaining about traffic, cost of living, crime, gangs. I am assuming these people are comparing these things to the good old days in Virginia. I would be shocked to hear from someone who has lived in any of the more popular places like southern Florida, California, New York, or Las Vegas who says that things like cost of living, traffic, crime or gangs are worse in Virginia than in those places. In fact I'd be shocked if someone who has lived in any of those other area's were to tell me that Virginia was not MUCH BETTER in those area's.

[BikesareBetter]

Heh, I am originally from outside of Baltimore, Maryland notoriously known for its high-crime, drug trade, gangs, and murders but aside..Near Water?
Your best best probably would be somewhere in the VA Beach/Norfolk area. Rent for a decent 1BR can run you anywhere from $500 and up. Check Craigslist to get an idea of how much APTS are going for around here. I don't think rent is bad here compared to a big city. In Baltimore or outside a 1BR somewhere nice and not in the ghetto or bad neighborhood would easily be at least close if not $1000. Traffic is poor here and a pia imo largely in part to the roads, poor road maintenance, which aren't currently equipped for the high-volume. Lots of tourists at times, military too. Where are you moving from??

Other than that, there is decent nightlife here and you can walk to places all depending on where you live. I have had no problem making friends and finding things to do since I moved down here last year. I am in my 20's as well. Yes, we have people getting killed here but its not every night you turn on the 11 O'Clock news. We have gangs here. There is drugs here too. But overall, I have found this place to be a lot cleaner. For instance, I don't see rats running around in the streets. Again, a perspective from a former Baltimorean.

[Mack wild]

I live up in New England. I am looking for a warmer climate with more things to do and more job oppurtunity. Boston is great but really expensive with a very slow slow job growth for a young business professional and a service specialist. I also want to escape the harsh winters, at least for a while.

My take is that Virginia is a good compromise and not too far from home. A lot of the places you hear all about have more problems and more culture shock, even the Washington area. I dont really feel like dealing with the snobbness and other sicko mind tricks of the west coast, or the job issues in the deep south, or the crime issues Florida has going for it right now, and I would still like some seasons. Virginia is closer to home and seems like a good compromise although Myrtle beach (south carolina) may be better -- not sure. What it comes down to for me is can I get a slice of the lifestyles that some of these other more popular places have without the severe drawbacks of some other area's of the country. People seem to have the feeling that an East Coaster (especially one from New England) should "stick" to the East coast.

Anyways is the gang violence and drug activity segregated or is it intermixed within the community, sporatic, and random? In other words would one have to be looking for trouble to find it for the most part?

[Erma]

My spouse is from the Boston area and you can bet there aren't any complaints! ;-)

Yes, most of our crime is relative. Meaning victim/perp know each other. You won't find much difference in SC. We're pretty cool here. I've been here 24 years and came from the frozen tundra. I like the beach sand better!

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Mack wild

Hey guys Im a single guy in his upper 20's thinking about relocating to Virginia. I hear there is some southern charm going on still in Virginia is that true? I am also wondering where the best place to go would be for a guy who is interested in good jobs, being near water, and abundant night life.

Also there is a lot of people who are complaining about traffic, cost of living, crime, gangs. I am assuming these people are comparing these things to the good old days in Virginia. I would be shocked to hear from someone who has lived in any of the more popular places like southern Florida, California, New York, or Las Vegas who says that things like cost of living, traffic, crime or gangs are worse in Virginia than in those places. In fact I'd be shocked if someone who has lived in any of those other area's were to tell me that Virginia was not MUCH BETTER in those area's.

I don't know how Virginia compares to New York and New Jersey but I can tell you that I've heard people tell me that the only real differences in the cost of living is that you get a lot more space in Virginia. For what I'm paying I could probably get a less desirable place in Brooklyn, but I could live there though. This part of Virginia isn't that cheap and NOVA is even more expensive. Quite honestly though I tend to think it's the entire state though Virginia is a lot more expensive than Ohio even a small town like Harrisonburg was a lot higher than I could afford (ended up out in the suburbs, lol).

So yeah they're talking about the good old days, somewhat. The honest truth is that it's here, bottom line; everyone has come to Virginia it seems and they brought a lot of baggage with them. But yeah people from those places say that Virginia is not much better than where they're from all the time. Personally though as much as people fear and loathe how it's change it really isn't quite that bad as they make it out to be. Traffic sucks and it's expensive to live here sure, and there is a lot of crime in comparison to what it's been in the past. But there are some pretty bad places in Ohio when it comes to crime so I don't really think about that much; I never hear any gun shots or anything well I did once last summer but keep my fingers crossed before something happens when I least expect it ...