The Future of Hampton Roads? (Virginia Beach, Williamsburg: foreclosure, renting, houses)

[rtandc]

Virginia is not a bad place to retire but it’s nowhere near the top choices. NC is pretty much leading the east coast states right now and has been for a number of years. If you research the most popular places the only cities in Virginia you will normally find in the top 100-200 cities across the nation are Williamsburg and Charlottesville. Of course everyone has their own reasons why they pick a certain area be it cost of living, taxes, weather, opportunities to stay active, doctors , crime etc. The number one thing holding Virginia back for many people is per capita property taxes which are the 18th highest in the nation. Does this area have its fair share of retirees? Sure but most are local retirees that spent the whole life in the military/government work force and decided to stay here after retirement as this is home….Me, I could not wait to leave the state of Virginia when I retired and for me it was the best move I ever made…..

[Caladium]

I suppose it depends on where you've moving in NC. The property tax in Williamsburg is $0.54/$100 assessed value. The property tax in Durham is $0.55/$100 assessed value. The property tax in Greensboro is $0.63/$100 assessed value. The property tax in Asheville is $0.42/$100 assessed value. The property tax in New Bern varies by township from $0.53-$0.49/$100. Compare these with tax rates in other parts of the country: In Trenton NJ the tax rate is $5.636/$100 assessed value. And you should see how high it is where my relatives live in Huntington NY.

At any rate, getting back to the original question, I'll still have the same prediction for Hampton Roads, whether or not seniors also move to both North Carolina. It's not like we're talking about a small number of people, and I don't think it's going to be just local people, either. The upcoming wave of retirees is a humongous group--when the economy improves enough that they can finally retire, my point is you'll see a huge change in demographics in many areas. One of those areas will be Hampton Roads (especially in Virginia Beach and Williamsburg).

Having said that, I will note that HR does need to clean up a few things if they really want to attract this demographic. Crime is one issue that makes me just a little bit hesitant. Williamsburg seems to be fine, Virginia Beach maybe a little bit less so--but you do wonder how that may or may not change in the future. Why is Williamsburg such a relatively low crime city when areas nearby have issues with this--and what are they doing to ensure it stays that way?

[rtandc]

Really? Your trying to compare a city (Williamsburg) that has 14k people to a city (Virginia Beach) that had 450k people when it comes to crime stats....enough said right there.........

[rtandc]

Hampton Roads may attract more retirees over the next 10-20 years.... Who knows, but if they do it will go against that last 10-20 years as those stats show the residents of Hampton Roads becoming younger and younger. As I stated earlier Hampton Roads offer military and Government retirees what they need but for cilvian workers I just don't see that much today to bring in out of state retirees as many others states offer so much more

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by rtandc

Really? Your trying to compare a city (Williamsburg) that has 14k people to a city (Virginia Beach) that had 450k people when it comes to crime stats....enough said right there.........

So you're saying that the reason Williamsburg has low crime is it's small? Hmmm, could be. I still think VA Beach needs to address the crime issue just a bit more, but this adds to the reasons to like Williamsburg. It's small enough not tohave problems, yet close enough to a big city to enjoy their amenities (and the ocean beach when I get tired of river beaches).

[loveautumn]

I think public beach towns/cities will generally have a higher crime rate because they attract transients and criminals (who like to live near the beach just like we do). Probably higher property crimes and rapes. And VB is relatively reasonable COL so they can survive there (just like Florida). I read where Redoboth Beach in Delaware is having some increased crime issues there as well (and some gang activity too). With the U.S. becoming more the land of the poor and the land of the rich, I think we'll see this more and more.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

I think public beach towns/cities will generally have a higher crime rate because they attract transients and criminals (who like to live near the beach just like we do). Probably higher property crimes and rapes. And VB is relatively reasonable COL so they can survive there (just like Florida). I read where Redoboth Beach in Delaware is having some increased crime issues there as well (and some gang activity too). With the U.S. becoming more the land of the poor and the land of the rich, I think we'll see this more and more.

It is an interesting point Florida and California have always been high crime places.

But I also wonder if there aren't other factors that aren't relatively apparent. For example, LA was a great place to live when one could make money in the aerospace industry there back in the day. LA used to be a industrial town at one point. The same could be said about NY. Now they're both all about finance, and the media. So that changes people's mindset, and everything is more about hustling than it is about a true honest day's work.

I don't see Virginia Beach ever turning into that type of town. You do have the military here, which is probably its own hustle, but it just isn't the same type of vibe you get elsewhere. Some of the military stay and some leave, some come back and retire, and some don't. If there is an issue with criminals, it could be more about the fact that they're preying on transients than it is about them truly wanting to live there, or in the case of someone moving here from NY, looking for a different vibe or slower pace than they get back home. On the other hand, some of the troublemakers are from out of town but a lot are from here as well.

Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Newport News are also on the water, they aren't beach towns, and they all have worse problems with crime than Virginia Beach does. They're all working towns and none of them are known for tourism. There are opportunities to steal cars and snatch purses, etc. where it would be more difficult to do in neighborhoods where people are entrenched and you know who your neighbors are. I don't even know all the people who live in my complex, and in most cases, they don't even renew their lease and leave every 6 months. I am the only one standing in my look nook of the apartment complex from when I moved in after a few years.

The town in Delaware is probably in a similar position, because you people from New York there.

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

I think public beach towns/cities will generally have a higher crime rate because they attract transients and criminals (who like to live near the beach just like we do). Probably higher property crimes and rapes. And VB is relatively reasonable COL so they can survive there (just like Florida). I read where Redoboth Beach in Delaware is having some increased crime issues there as well (and some gang activity too). With the U.S. becoming more the land of the poor and the land of the rich, I think we'll see this more and more.

When did Virginia Beach obtain a reasonable COL?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

When did Virginia Beach obtain a reasonable COL?

It all depends on what you compare it to. I believe LoveAutumn is from California--it makes sense that she would find it reasonable compared to whatever city she lives in there. Since you apparently think it's unreasonable, what cities are you comparing Virginia Beach to?

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I suppose it depends on where you've moving in NC. The property tax in Williamsburg is $0.54/$100 assessed value. The property tax in Durham is $0.55/$100 assessed value. The property tax in Greensboro is $0.63/$100 assessed value. The property tax in Asheville is $0.42/$100 assessed value. The property tax in New Bern varies by township from $0.53-$0.49/$100.

Rate is not the only factor when figuring the equation out, the cost of housing is the other factor. Williamsburg is significantly more expensive than most metro areas of NC.

Originally Posted by Caladium

Having said that, I will note that HR does need to clean up a few things if they really want to attract this demographic. Crime is one issue that makes me just a little bit hesitant. Williamsburg seems to be fine, Virginia Beach maybe a little bit less so--but you do wonder how that may or may not change in the future. Why is Williamsburg such a relatively low crime city when areas nearby have issues with this--and what are they doing to ensure it stays that way?

Aside from Williamsburg being small, and not an apples to apples comparison, Williamsburg is also significantly more affluent than many other cities to its south (if you take out the college kids).