Newport News doing well economically (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: 2009, insurance, home)

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by damian

People need to start thinking a little more regionally than just NN. Sure, the averge income of NN is lower than the rest of the Peninsula, but when you factor in YC, POQ, JCC, IW- than the numbers change dramatically. Besides City Center is closer to Tabb and Poq, than it is to the East End. And there are plenty of things to do in CC for "low-middle" income people. They can grab a bite to eat at one of the cheaper food joints, have coffee and ice cream, stroll around the lake and people watch, attend a free concert there. I mean, geez, you almost have to spoon food people on this forum.

I enjoyed just walking around the pool there in the middle with my g/f. We didnt buy a thing, nor did we need a club or bar to bring us there.

[ToughLuv]

Originally Posted by damian

People need to start thinking a little more regionally than just NN. Sure, the averge income of NN is lower than the rest of the Peninsula, but when you factor in YC, POQ, JCC, IW- than the numbers change dramatically. Besides City Center is closer to Tabb and Poq, than it is to the East End. And there are plenty of things to do in CC for "low-middle" income people. They can grab a bite to eat at one of the cheaper food joints, have coffee and ice cream, stroll around the lake and people watch, attend a free concert there. I mean, geez, you almost have to spoon food people on this forum.

Lets not act the only underprivileged or middle income people are in East End, look around, MOST of your city is this. I personally dont care about YK POQ JC WB, and im sure the feeling is neutral, How about we worry about our citys citizens before we think about others surrounding. What cheap food in City Center? PLEASE! tell me, I will be there tonite! Free concert? who's really been there thats worth checking for? Not trying to kill you passion for your city, But just to get you to understand that your little Play Center is just a movement towards getting all the upper middle class/ upper class to ignore the real problems of the city. A downtown that is being wasted and is ghost, East End, the extremely underwhelming mid-town area with the worse condition roads you could ever drive on, the fall of Denbigh etc...The answer? Throw high priced condos and high end restaurants in between these areas, which gives us the "Oyster Point" plan, Did you read the second link about all the construction scheduled to start in oyster point 2010? (Like there isnt enough in that one area already)..Kiln Creek to Port Warwick will be the only places having money put into them, Soon the city should just be called Oyster Point, VA, I think that sounds better anyway

[damian]

Originally Posted by ToughLuv

Lets not act the only underprivileged or middle income people are in East End, look around, MOST of your city is this. I personally dont care about YK POQ JC WB, and im sure the feeling is neutral, How about we worry about our citys citizens before we think about others surrounding. What cheap food in City Center? PLEASE! tell me, I will be there tonite! Free concert? who's really been there thats worth checking for? Not trying to kill you passion for your city, But just to get you to understand that your little Play Center is just a movement towards getting all the upper middle class/ upper class to ignore the real problems of the city. A downtown that is being wasted and is ghost, East End, the extremely underwhelming mid-town area with the worse condition roads you could ever drive on, the fall of Denbigh etc...The answer? Throw high priced condos and high end restaurants in between these areas, which gives us the "Oyster Point" plan, Did you read the second link about all the construction scheduled to start in oyster point 2010? (Like there isnt enough in that one area already)..Kiln Creek to Port Warwick will be the only places having money put into them, Soon the city should just be called Oyster Point, VA, I think that sounds better anyway

Maybe you should care about people in other localities spending money in NN, thus their money and subsequent taxes goes in the city coffers to fund projects for the ENTIRE city. I hate to burst your bubble, but the old downtown in NN is officially dead. Its death sentence was handed down when NN consolidated with Warwick county in the late 1950s. The old downtown is bounded by a shipyard, coal mounds, a massive interstate and a ghetto, thus the city made a wise decision to invest in a new area; not that the old downtown wont be revitalized, but its days as a traditional DT are done.

And Denbigh is no different from any other 1970s suburb in this country, it has definitely fallen, but hopefully the city can turn it around. It definitely is in better shape than the East End.

Aside from City Center, all developments in OP are from private developments, not put up by the city

[ToughLuv]

Originally Posted by damian

Maybe you should care about people in other localities spending money in NN, thus their money and subsequent taxes goes in the city coffers to fund projects for the ENTIRE city. I hate to burst your bubble, but the old downtown in NN is officially dead. Its death sentence was handed down when NN consolidated with Warwick county in the late 1950s. The old downtown is bounded by a shipyard, coal mounds, a massive interstate and a ghetto, thus the city made a wise decision to invest in a new area; not that the old downtown wont be revitalized, but its days as a traditional DT are done.

And Denbigh is no different from any other 1970s suburb in this country, it has definitely fallen, but hopefully the city can turn it around. It definitely is in better shape than the East End.

Aside from City Center, all developments in OP are from private developments, not put up by the city

Ok, respect. But you addressed so much little of my entire post. The problem is bigger than just new development, its about abadonment of the other places and people in the city who really need the money more, Im from Baltimore, and Newport News is basically headed in the same direction, this is why im so passionate about it. Basically baltimore put all its money into tourist and downtown area near it (you probably know The Harbors in Baltimore)..While the low-middle class workers in East and West baltimore who built the city were abandoned and given up on..Now look at Baltimore, thats two large sections of city the average person doesnt even want to step foot in and one of the most dangerous cities in america..Newport News is very far away from having 600 thousand people, but the path is taking the same shape, East End on one side (east baltimore), Denbigh on the other far end (west baltimore)..both being "givin up on" in favor of development in other areas..I just dont want to see that happen here in 25-50 years..

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

Regardless of where they are from, that matters not. My point was that the "activities" of downtown Norfolk, namely the clubs and bars, are attracting drugs and violence in to the downtown area (many of the murders and assaults in the area occur outside clubs or bars). Yes, there are questionable high crime areas right outside the area which could account for some random crimes, but in general, its the atmosphere attracting rowdy crowds towards it.

Another poster suggested that Newport News city center should get some of these places. That is a terrible idea.

That is to funny 3 homicides occur in Downtown Norfolk over the past two years and now all of the sudden you think many of the murders occur outside of bars and clubs.........Please.....
FYI while you are busy looking for info for a response I will help you out a bit...88 homicides occurred in Norfolk since 02/07..........

[damian]

Oyster Point plan calls for retail, apartments, hotel | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

Another article about NN development

[Robizzo]

Wow great article full of false hope and empty promises the dirty secret of these new ideal downtown areas that are popping up all over the country is that the people who work there can't afford to live there. Who's gonna move into the upscale apartments not me I'm just a poor schlep. This is aimed at moving rich people into NN because the rest of us who already live here aren't good enough. Then these pricks start voting and make it even harder for common people to find a job in the city because rich people never want things that aren't pretty in their back yard. Eventually you're left with the rich in the middle of the city and the poor on the ends in crumbling forgotton neighborhoods.

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by rtandc

That is to funny 3 homicides occur in Downtown Norfolk over the past two years and now all of the sudden you think many of the murders occur outside of bars and clubs.........Please.....
FYI while you are busy looking for info for a response I will help you out a bit...88 homicides occurred in Norfolk since 02/07..........

Not even addressing the inaccuracy of your downtown murder claim, why dont you check out this map

Norfolk Crime Map - Showing Crime in Norfolk, VA - Crime Statistics - Crime Alerts - Crime Stops Here

Check out stats since 2008, for shootings. You will notice that about 50% of shootings in Norfolk occured in DOWNTOWN NORFOLK. Infact, if you cut out a mile radius around the dead center of downtown Norfolk, it would actually be one of the safest cities in the state. If you click the little assault button, it becomes even more evident.

You might want to bone up on your current events before attacking me. Downtown Nofolk, and its immediate surroundings, are a complete cess pool, and contribute well over 50% of Norfolks violent crime. No doubt, the rowdy bar crowds it attracts, are the root of that.

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

Not even addressing the inaccuracy of your downtown murder claim, why dont you check out this map

Norfolk Crime Map - Showing Crime in Norfolk, VA - Crime Statistics - Crime Alerts - Crime Stops Here

Check out stats since 2008, for shootings. You will notice that about 50% of shootings in Norfolk occured in DOWNTOWN NORFOLK. Infact, if you cut out a mile radius around the dead center of downtown Norfolk, it would actually be one of the safest cities in the state. If you click the little assault button, it becomes even more evident.

You might want to bone up on your current events before attacking me. Downtown Nofolk, and its immediate surroundings, are a complete cess pool, and contribute well over 50% of Norfolks violent crime. No doubt, the rowdy bar crowds it attracts, are the root of that.

Again you are totally wrong...as I listed there has been 88 homicides in Norfolk since Feb 07...only 3 in downtown.....But now you want to try to add in the surrounding areas...OK fine I will give you an extra two...with both being in the housing projects next to downtown...one on Fenchurch and one on Wide street....but I dont know too many people that visit the projects when visiting downtown............now if you would like to dispute that give it a shot because I have the stats in front of me with every address of every homicide since 2007...
As far as assaults have fun with that number...if you really want the 2 year number to look at I will give it to you but have fun going blind looking at the numbers.....FYI just in the last 90 days there have been 490 assault reports across the city with only 25 of those being downtown

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by rtandc

Again you are totally wrong...as I listed there has been 88 homicides in Norfolk since Feb 07...only 3 in downtown.....But now you want to try to add in the surrounding areas...OK fine I will give you an extra two...with both being in the housing projects next to downtown...one on Fenchurch and one on Wide street....but I dont know too many people that visit the projects when visiting downtown............now if you would like to dispute that give it a shot because I have the stats in front of me with every address of every homicide since 2007...
As far as assaults have fun with that number...if you really want the 2 year number to look at I will give it to you but have fun going blind looking at the numbers.....FYI just in the last 90 days there have been 490 assault reports across the city with only 25 of those being downtown

I dont care about your numbers, I want your source. Its obviously not even remotely in agreeance with mine, and the Norfolk Police stats dont go that far back.

So until you spit a source, your numbers are nothing more then made up fluff.