Anything and Everything about Williamsburg (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: oceanfront, apartments, rental)

[Sumack0075]

Hey everyone, my wife has a few job offers (I know, crazy to have more than one offer during these times) on the table and we wanted to know about Williamsburg. We have never been to the area and know nothing about it. Any info on any subject (housing, apartments, crime, cost of living, good areas/ bad areas, restuarants, transportation, fun things to do) is much appreciated. I am specifically interested in the golf. We are from Columbus, Ohio and have more great golf courses to choose from than one can imagine. Lastly, are there any areas that are decent commutes (Under 30 min. one way) that seem to be popular areas to live.

The other offers are here in Columbus and Tampa, FL.

Thanks in advance.

[cityboi757]

That's great your wife has multiple job offers! Hope we canhelpyou out.

Housing: more communities than you can imagine. from urban apartment buildings to 3000 sq. feet and an acre.

Apartments: Range from $900- $2100/ month.

Crime: Little to none in Williamsburg.

Cost of living: Moderately high. Prob. much higher than Columbus, OH,but maybe lower than Tampa.

Restarants: Thousands of em from upscale national chains to quaint mom and pops to dives and buffets.

Transportation: Traffic can be bad with 1.7 million people. Williamsburg is not nearly as densely populated as the rest of the metro, but the whole Hampton Roads metro has about the same amount of people as the columbus metro. Regional transit system called HRT, two airports, amtrak station, interstates, etc.

Fun things to do: There's always something new and fun happening in the area. AAA baseball AHL hockey, Busch Gardens, Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Colonial Willamsbug, downtwn Norfolk, Oceanbreeze water park, Virginia Zoo, Virginia Aquarium, the list goes on andon.

Hope i helped

[Sumack0075]

Thanks cityboi,

I have gathered that we would get more bang for our buck in Tampa with housing and such, but I also feel like Williamsburg might be a little closer to what C-Bus is like. Thanks for the help.

[Mr Williamsburg]

Sumack,
What a thrill to have multiple job offers in this economy. Williamsburg is quite separate from Hampton Roads. We have a population of approx 80,000 = if you add James City County, City of Williamsburg and upper York County ( Bruton District) together. Traffic in our area is no-where near as bad as lower peninsula or southside Hampton Roads. There are 15 golf courses within 15 minutes of our home here in Williamsburg. There is tons of both data and area feedback within this forum if you search through it.
Looking at median home prices condo and detached for 2007. Columbus Oh is $141k, Williamsburg/ James City County is $356k and Tampa is $223k.
Cost of living index figures with 100 being the US average. Williamsburg= .91, Columbus =.82 and Tampa= .95.
Depending on budget constraints most of the people whop I know that work in Williamsburg liver here as well. A 15 minute commute is considered long if you live and work here. Yes we have traffic jams on during the summer on the interstate with everyone going to the beach ans Busch Gardens. Once you have been here a while you learn when not to venture to the south-side or Newport News.
As an area to live in and raise a family its hard to beat. We are here for good. Most of the families I know feel the same way.

[carolina00789]

That's good information. I too am considering a move to Williamsburg. I love the charm, atmosphere and the historic quality of Colonial Williamsburg and would like to find a part-time job there....is that a realistic goal? I am in my early sixties and have a certain amount of retirement income, but do want to work in order to make friends and build a new life. I have no family left so I am looking for a place that has a permanent community of grown ups....not just college kids. I have seen great rental houses on line in James City (?) which looks like it's near Colonial Williamsburg. I would like to rent for a year or two before buying anything, and I have no interest in the beach at all. I think Virginia is beautiful and have also been considering Alexandria. The City Data is confusing because it says that Williamsburg has a population of 12,000 yet other posts say the area has a million and a half. I am from Dallas and have lived in europe and Latin America as well as New Mexico and California. Any advice would be appreciated!!!

[Mr Williamsburg]

The City of Williamsburg has about 12k population, adjacent to it is James City County with 62000+ population + upper York County with another 8000 people. Most who visit don't realize the boundaries as they drive around. All of these areas have a Williamsburg, VA mailing address.

Part time jobs are usually easy to come by. It depends on what you want to do and how much you want to make.
If you are 50+ you should have no problem meeting and finding others. There are many cultural, recreational, arts and musical events to attend where you will meet others with similar interests.

What are your interests ?

[Aibutiej]

I don't know Tampa or Colombus at all so I can't compare, but after living in the Northeast for 42 years, I can tell you that I really like Williamsburg. Still, it is hard to get a good picture of here just from the forum. I read everything I could about Williamsburg before visiting it, and still it was different when I finally got here. You can't really get a feel for a place without being in it at least for a few days. Any chance you could visit Williamsburg and Tampa before making your decision? When we checked out Williamsburg to find a place to rent (we had all of one weekend), we didn't like a house in a particular development but got very excited about New Town. I hadn't expected to like our new home so much. Now that I'm here, I don't plan on moving any time soon!

[Crew Chief]

I don't have a dog in this fight (We're very happy in Dayton, OH.) But if I were choosing, I'd take Williamsburg over Tampa ANY time. But that's just me. I grew up in FL and lived in Hampton for two years.) I love FL for vacations, but I'd never want to live there again. The humidity was tough for me to get used to again after I moved away.