Moving- looking for opinions. (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: cul-de-sac, rentals, broker) - Hampton Roads area - (VA) -Chesapeake - Hampton - Newport News - Norfolk - Portsmouth - Suffolk - Virginia Beach - City-Data Forum

jon31 · 10-02-2009, 04:22 PM

My family and I are looking to move to the Virginia Beach area around March next year. I just need a little advice from people who know the area. I have a 7 yr old and 2 yr old. We are planning on flying there for a few days soon but have no idea what areas to check out. The office where Ill be working is located at 4575 Village Ave in Norfolk, so Im hoping not to have a huge commute, but my priority is for a great area for my family. I know there are probably many good areas to look into, so maybe any information on where to avoid would be helpful too. I currently live in Las Vegas and I know if someone asked me this same question I could tell them exactly where not to live so I would definitly like to know opinions on that. We are planning on renting for a while. I really want my boys in a good school too, but any school there should be a major improvement from what we have here! Any info I can get to help would be greatly appreciated!

shellytc · 10-02-2009, 07:33 PM

Va. Beach is BIG city (think a very large county), with very diverse living areas!! I usually start with asking how far of a commute from work? What do you like to do? What price range home will you be able to rent/buy when the time is right? Answers to these questions should help us start to steer you towards communities that may be of interest to you.

BTW, my brother lived in las vegas for 3 years and wrote several of the "what happens in vegas" TV spots. He wrote the one with the girls changing their names and the one with the boxer... and several others. Welcome to VA. Beach.

You will also find a great deal of information on our schools at GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community and Schooldigger.com -- Search and compare elementary, middle, and high schools.. Check out Virginia Beach schools at Virginia Beach City Public Schools it is a great site FULL of information.

shelly

jon31 · 10-02-2009, 09:39 PM

Hey Shelly, thanks for the reply! Well lets see, I have been used to 15-30 minute drives to work but with my job I will be working mostly out in the city. So a longer commute shouldn't be that bad if its just once or twice a week. We love the beach (originally from San Diego) but if the costs of living are anything like San Diego, we are not looking to live close to the beach. We are looking at a price range of up to $1500 a month to rent. I dont want to buy until I have spent a bit of time there and get to know the area. When we do buy, should be looking at a price around $250k. I'm particularly interested in quiet areas within decent walking distance to parks for the kids. I live in a cul-de-sac now and its great not having lots of traffic in front of the house.

Jon
My main concern is to just make sure we get pointed to the right areas. When we moved here, our realtor tried to sell me a house in North Las Vegas, close to downtown that I later found was totally run by gangs, prostitues, and druggies. Luckily I had met someone who pointed me toward the Green Valley/ Henderson area.

Thanks for all your help, its great getting feedback from people that know the city!

shellytc · 10-02-2009, 10:17 PM

for $1500 a month rent, assuming you want a single family home.. here are some neighborhoods in VB: Ocean Lakes (close to the beach, about a 5 min. drive, and you can ride your bike if you are like exercise); Princess Anne Plaza, Rosemont Forest, Salem area, Foxfire in the townhouses, Maybe Malibu, Pembroker Manor, Aragona. There are good parks around. A lot of the neighborhoods have city parks within them. or near them. Also, VB has recreation centers throughout the city that residents can join for a minimal fee, currently $57 for an adult for a YEAR. Yes, a year. and the rec centers have pools, weight rooms, classes, after school care for kids, gyms and more. One (in bow creek at princess anne plaza) has a golf course. LOTS of activities, etc.

shelly

jon31 · 10-03-2009, 04:41 PM

Thanks for the info. I have those areas marked to go look at. Do you have any communities to suggest in the Chesapeake area as well? That is great news about the community centers. They have really nice ones here too but very expensive for annual memberships. Also, I know that area has a huge naval air base. How is the noise there? I know here, any area in the north east part of town by Nellis AFB has lots of jet noise.

shellytc · 10-03-2009, 08:48 PM

noise can be very loud around the base. Very LOUD. Chesapeake, check out the Hickory and Great Bridge areas, they are the most sought after for schools, etc.

jon31 · 10-04-2009, 11:05 AM

Ok, well Im glad you told me about the noise. My wife has a friend that lives up by the base here and she hates the noise, so I guess I can eliminate those areas. Im liking the looks of the Chesapeake area. How are prices of homes / rentals in the that area? Thanks so much for all the feedback you have given by the way. We might have a chance to fly out there later this month and Im scrambling for info so we dont waste our time there.

chesapeakesim · 10-07-2009, 05:57 AM

If you take Chesapeake by itself, it is a pretty boring area for a population of about 225K. The town I grew up in is about 20K and really has everything that you can find in Chesapeake. Still, I would rather live here than the other cities of HR so if you have to move here then that is probably the area I would choose. If you go Chesapeake, staying in the Hickory, Great Bridge, and Grassfield school districts are your best bet. You can probably get a decent starter home for about $350K in that area with the nicer homes ranging from $400K-$500K and up. Not really sure about rentals. Let us know if you have questions about specific neighborhoods.

stacylee926 · 10-07-2009, 08:23 AM

I have read the schools in Las Vegas are horrible! While we may not have the best schools in the country, there are areas of good schools and bad schools. There are also some decent areas in Norfolk, down Granby Street near the hospital (I love the look of those older homes) but I really do not know the school situation there.

Fortunately, you do not need to live in Va Beach to feel like you are close to the ocean. Water is everywhere and a trip to the beach is really not far. I was in Norfolk last weekend playing softball, and we commented that you could smell the ocean - just like it was across the street.

jon31 · 10-18-2009, 08:45 PM

I know exactly what you mean. Before Las Vegas we lived in San Marcos, California. It was just a few miles inland from Oceanside. It was all beach city as far as I was concerned. You could still grab your surf board and make a quick run to some waves before work. We got a last minute hook up on a flight to Virginia Beach for Oct 21- 25th. I am really excited to check out the area. We have done some reasearch on a few areas suggested and are going to spend our time looking around the Great Bridges area in Chesapeake. If anyone has any other good suggestions, please send me an email to jonny_bravo@cox.net that will go right to my blackberry while Im out there. Thanks!!!!