Moving from Colorado to VA??? (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: transplants, schools, camping)

[pbehson]

Originally Posted by christysullivan27

I'm sad now. I got all excited about moving away from here and Norfolk seems to have a great location if you like to sight see. You've got DC down the road, Ocean City (Assateaugue Island), Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay, and they are all close or about 3-4 hours away right? I live in Ohio. A big boring corn field that sucks and all there is to do is eat. There are no fun things to do where I live, the shopping sucks, the people are boring and very unfashionable, uptight and judgemental. And on top of it, it is still dangerous. Go figure. Is anywhere safe anyways? I'm 27 F and a bunch of single guys sounds good to me.. Ha ha... I think there is a suplus of good looking bored women( and ugly ones too, can't get away from that unless your in LA) over here in Ohio amongst a sea of ugly men...if they arent ugly, guess what, you aren't what they want...lol Well at least where I live!! So whatever. All the water here is manmade and outside of your crappy apartment complex filled with pee so, whatever. The only "good" thing here is a college football team. Wooo... I have a solution for all of you Norfolkians, come to visit Mansfield, Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown,and Toledo and you will LOVE it there again!! Seriously. Where is a good place to move?

Wow. Pretty harsh description of Ohio. Not sure that Randomdude or chesapeakesim could bash this area as well as she bashes her home state.

All I can say is I like it here! Beach, waterways, lotsa sun, beautiful Ghent/Downtown Norfolk, on and on . . .

[emeraldgirl]

Originally Posted by christysullivan27

I'm sad now. I got all excited about moving away from here and Norfolk seems to have a great location if you like to sight see. You've got DC down the road, Ocean City (Assateaugue Island), Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay, and they are all close or about 3-4 hours away right? I live in Ohio. A big boring corn field that sucks and all there is to do is eat. There are no fun things to do where I live, the shopping sucks, the people are boring and very unfashionable, uptight and judgemental. And on top of it, it is still dangerous. Go figure. Is anywhere safe anyways? I'm 27 F and a bunch of single guys sounds good to me.. Ha ha... I think there is a suplus of good looking bored women( and ugly ones too, can't get away from that unless your in LA) over here in Ohio amongst a sea of ugly men...if they arent ugly, guess what, you aren't what they want...lol Well at least where I live!! So whatever. All the water here is manmade and outside of your crappy apartment complex filled with pee so, whatever. The only "good" thing here is a college football team. Wooo... I have a solution for all of you Norfolkians, come to visit Mansfield, Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown,and Toledo and you will LOVE it there again!! Seriously. Where is a good place to move?

I would research the area other than a forum to decide whether or not HR is a place that you would want to reside. This is definitely another way to get a perspective but ultimately, you have to just see for yourself if this is a good place for you or not. If all you want to do is "sightsee" though and not have to worry about living expenses, you will have a great time in VA!

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by chesapeakesim

People like Ginger_beauty are the ones that people thinking of moving here should listen to the most. They have lived in various places and have a basis for comparison. People that have lived here all of their lives do not know what living in another city is like.

I'm transient government like Ginger_beauty. I'm also willing to bet I have a LOT more time in than most transient government employees.

I have lived in Hawaii, Colorado, Washington, California, Georgia, Europe, Korea, and New Jersey (Long Branch area-the nice part).

I *love* it here. I'm considering buying a permanent home here and staying forever. I find this area to be incredibly great. Just food for thought for you.

[froggin4colorado]

Out of curiosity Georgia, why do you love it so much? What has attracted you to the area? I hear a lot of "beach/ocean" and "trees" answers. What about you?

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Most important-the unbelievable amount of things to do. Someone who can't find something fun and unusual to do may not be trying very hard.

Second-the "seven cities" thing. It brings a distinct variety to the area. Norfolk is not Hampton is not Suffolk is not VA Beach. I just don't find their character to be that similar. All together in this geographic area makes for a very interesting metro.

Third-weather and climate. Four seasons, none too extreme.

Fourth-water, and plenty of it.

Fifth-and those of you who are anti government may now stop reading-concentration of government positions in a place that isn't DC. If you kept reading, maybe you should give it a try before knocking it.

The pay is so-so, but the benefits are excellent (including a structured 40-hour week with strict rules for overtime and comp time for most), and layoffs/firings are pretty rare. You trade a lot of pay away for those things, but I value the time with my family more than an extra 3 or 4 thousand a month. You can tell me all day long the government is inefficient, and I'll respond: so? Would you prefer Blackwater defended you? And to be blunt, those of you convinced the government is a "tit job" and inefficient-Google Voice may "make the world a better place" in your mind-but a lot of folks now not under the Soviet regime are a whole lot happier with their current freedom than any technology could have made them. There's satisfaction in defending your country and way of life a slightly fatter paycheck or working on the next cool app just doesn't give you.

[LLH831]

I was born here and have lived in Norfolk, Va. Beach & Chesapeake all of my life. I'm a 49 yr. old single female and at this point in my life I could live anywhere I want to. Yes, we have our problems and we also have lots to offer...it's all in how you look at it. HR is centrally located...so if you are up to a weekend trip...or just a days drive...there is a lot to do and many beautiful sights to see. Charter a boat out of Rudee Inlet or Hatteras Island for a day of offshore fishing...if you are a hunter, you won't have far to drive....if you like racing, there is a track in Dinwiddie...about an hour away...both Norfolk & Williamsburg have historical sites. Locally, there is all the dining, movies, comedy clubs, theater, etc. that you could want. Traffic wise....we have problems...my solution is to use the back roads! I have driven the NJ. Turnpike...and we are not that bad! Job wise...we are having cut backs like everwhere else. Housing....there are great places to live in every city...whether you want to rent or to buy. Both Va. Beach & Chesapeake have areas with farmland and acreage...if you want a more country like setting. We have lots of Military here...its a large part of what keeps this area in better shape than some others..and it creates diversity. I've never heard that the men out number the women here...I'm not sure I agree with that one! Good Luck in your search for a great place to live.

[chesapeakesim]

Originally Posted by LLH831

I've never heard that the men out number the women here...I'm not sure I agree with that one! Good Luck in your search for a great place to live.

For the 20 and 30 year range it is true. Here is the stats from City Data for the zip code that I live in.

http://www.city-data.com/zips/23322.html

You will see a huge gap between males and females and I am sure it is worse in Virginia Beach zip codes near the military bases. It evens out after 30 for my zip code but I would guess it extends into the 40s for the more military zip codes.

Also, here is a link to the cities with the worst ratios of men to women.

http://www.city-data.com/top2/h199.html

You will notice that almost all of the top cities are military towns. None of the cities in HR are on the list as we have a high enough population to not make the numbers that drastic. But the point is military base = ratios that favor women, and we have 50+ military bases here. You do the math.

But to really see the imbalance, just go out to a bar or club or drive by the ocean front on Saturday night. You will see how bad it really is .

As far as stuff to do here, I won't disagree with that. There is a lot to offer. My main point has always been though that in my 23322 zip code, housing is about $100K higher than what it should be if you use the 3X income rule. If I am paying that much of a premium, I would hope to have a city that offers what major cities do like major league sports teams, the kind of things like what a DC or Baltimore would offer. HR is not the worst set of cities, it is just not worth the premium we have to pay to live here. Not to me at least.

[froggin4colorado]

Thank you for such an in depth answer that is both personal but also allows others to view the area in a perspective that is enriching.

[cityboi757]

I love it here.

Love the seven cities. Love the fact that you can be in a beach resort one minute and a urban grit area next. Love the abundance of concerts. I'm not going to list everythingI love. You'd get tired of reading.

[ToughLuv]

I would take HR over Colorado any day. But thats not sayin much. It does just enough for me, for it to be acceptable. But I dont understand why you would move here if your job didnt send you here or for military. HR is really not all that, the asmount of city problems we put up with, without the reward of real city life makes me feel cheated everyday.