Gloucester (Chesapeake, Richmond, Newport News: rentals, crime rates, house)

[froggin4colorado]

Educate me about Gloucester. It is looking like there are fewer HOAs and we could rent a home that would allow our camper to be parked on the property. BUT, what is your opinion of the area, the schools, shopping (Walmart, Lowes/Home Depot, etc...), beaches, parks, community to-dos, is it a community with a government- Police, Fire, flooding issues, etc.
Thanks all!
You are very informative!
Lynette

[Mr Williamsburg]

Gloucester is one of the most rural areas around Hampton Roads. The main route is RT 17. Scattered along Rt 17 from the bridge to the courthouse area ( 11 miles) are Wal Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Farm Fresh and Food Lion Grocery Stores and various other businesses. You have to travel to Newport News for a Sams Club, Costco, Target and some medical specialist. There are certain areas near the water that do flood. Most are closer to the bridge in the Guinea and Hayes areas. Water is everywhere , the York , Ware and Piankatank rivers and the Chesapeake Bay are all close-by.
Schools seem to hold their own with other area school districts. Check out SchoolMatters.com for a comparison. There is a toll to cross the bridge to Yorktown/ Peninsula in one direction . It's $2 or .85 if you have EZ Pass. Williamsburg is easily accessible using Colonial Parkway.

If you do some research on the UCR Crime Report from the VA State Police you can compare crime rates against other area jurisdictions. From what I see it's on the low side overall compared to ALL areas in Hampton Roads on a per capita rate.

Home rental rates and house values are lower in Gloucester than York Co or Williamsburg. You will definitely get more for your money there. You may be able to find a home with acreage to ride four wheelers on in your price range.

From a first person point of view my in-laws moved there 4 years ago from the Richmond VA area. They LOVE it. Friendly people, lots of space, things to do, etc. They do admit that they need to travel across the bridge for different retailers or medical specialist but feel the positives far outweigh any negatives.

[froggin4colorado]

Thanks. We already sold our quads... Met a guy here that is from there and he said quads are stolen a lot out there. So, now, it would be a bonus to be able to put our new camper on our rented property.
But that is the info we are looking for. I have found several rentals in Williamsburg that fit my price range, however I noticed that Gloucester is slightly lower with the land allowing the camper and wondered do I dare...and with me working at Warhill High and him working at LAFB?? Thanks again.