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Hi, I'm looking to possibly attend ODU next summer, and had a few questions about the area.
Safety is really my biggest concern. I'm a single 22 year old female from New England. I'm going to be VERY far away from anyone I know, or anyone that could help me if i get into any kind of trouble. Is the area safe? Will i be uncomfortable walking alone at night?
I won't be living on campus.. what neighborhoods should I be looking at? I see that they're building a sort of light rail... Is Norfolk very car dependent right now?
How about rent prices? Here, in my smallish town, it's about 800 for a one bedroom with nothing included.
How about the singles scene? Are there things to do besides clubs/bars? Any festivals or coffee shops? Flea markets?
What's the beach atmosphere like? Is it more family oriented or is overrun by rowdy teenagers?
How about jobs? Waitressing, retail, etc. Part time positions.
Is there anything else I should know about the area?
I'm really just trying to gather information on a few different cities/large towns located near a beach and a good school, before I make a decision on where I should go. If anyone has any advice or suggestions I'd really appreciate it.
Hi, I'm looking to possibly attend ODU next summer, and had a few questions about the area.
Safety is really my biggest concern. I'm a single 22 year old female from New England. I'm going to be VERY far away from anyone I know, or anyone that could help me if i get into any kind of trouble. Is the area safe? Will i be uncomfortable walking alone at night?
I won't be living on campus.. what neighborhoods should I be looking at? I see that they're building a sort of light rail... Is Norfolk very car dependent right now?
How about rent prices? Here, in my smallish town, it's about 800 for a one bedroom with nothing included.
How about the singles scene? Are there things to do besides clubs/bars? Any festivals or coffee shops? Flea markets?
What's the beach atmosphere like? Is it more family oriented or is overrun by rowdy teenagers?
How about jobs? Waitressing, retail, etc. Part time positions.
Is there anything else I should know about the area?
I'm really just trying to gather information on a few different cities/large towns located near a beach and a good school, before I make a decision on where I should go. If anyone has any advice or suggestions I'd really appreciate it.
All I can say is DON'T DO IT!
Safety right on the campus is not bad, but head off in a bad direction and it could be very bad news. Just last night there was an armed robbery on the NICE side of the campus, just a block away from one of the University classroom buildings.
If you're on the campus during the day you'll probably be fine, but at night you'll probably not want to be walking too far.
The whole Hampton Roads area (the Norfolk metro area) is car dependent. Unfortunately the light rail will not be coming to ODU and it is a very limited route. Due to recent news on the project, it's safe to say this will be the last of light rail in the area for a very, VERY long time.
The beach is very family oriented, but it's also a bit of a hike from Norfolk.
Have to run but feel free to let me know if you have any specific questions
The ODU campus has some bad (but transitioning) neighborhoods close by. I wouldn't really walk alone at night in those areas without a gun on me. On campus isn't bad and they have campus police and security call boxes.
Look for an apartment in Ghent or Freemason districts and get a commuter parking pass for ODU. You should be able to find a decent 1BR starting around $700 and going up to $1500 or so if you are in a new "luxury" building...
You will have no problem being a single female here, lots of single military guys around. There is plenty of nightlife in Ghent and downtown Norfolk as well as several coffee shops.
How about rent prices? Here, in my smallish town, it's about 800 for a one bedroom with nothing included.
How about the singles scene? Are there things to do besides clubs/bars? Any festivals or coffee shops? Flea markets?
How about jobs? Waitressing, retail, etc. Part time positions.
Is there anything else I should know about the area?
Rent won't be cheap in a decent location but if you had roomates, you can find a decent size house that would affordable.
You could check out the Norfolk Yacht & County Club as far as waitressing. It's located right off Hampton Blvd. You would make a decent hourly wage instead of tips but at least you would know what you would be making each pay period. Being a college student, that might work more in your favor.
There is always festivals and fun things to do downtown or in Ghent. They have an annual wine & art festival every year.
Hi, I'm looking to possibly attend ODU next summer, and had a few questions about the area.
Safety is really my biggest concern. I'm a single 22 year old female from New England. I'm going to be VERY far away from anyone I know, or anyone that could help me if i get into any kind of trouble. Is the area safe? Will i be uncomfortable walking alone at night?
I won't be living on campus.. what neighborhoods should I be looking at? I see that they're building a sort of light rail... Is Norfolk very car dependent right now?
How about rent prices? Here, in my smallish town, it's about 800 for a one bedroom with nothing included.
How about the singles scene? Are there things to do besides clubs/bars? Any festivals or coffee shops? Flea markets?
What's the beach atmosphere like? Is it more family oriented or is overrun by rowdy teenagers?
How about jobs? Waitressing, retail, etc. Part time positions.
Is there anything else I should know about the area?
I'm really just trying to gather information on a few different cities/large towns located near a beach and a good school, before I make a decision on where I should go. If anyone has any advice or suggestions I'd really appreciate it.
I disagree that the whole area is car dependent. Much of it is but downtown norfolk provides you with plenty of options to get around without a vehicle. I personally know people without cars that live in Ghent and go to ODU without issue. The options include:
Catch the NET ! - The City of Norfolk, VA. (http://www.norfolk.gov/visitors/net.asp - broken link)
The ODU transit bus takes you from campus to both Walmart/Kroger as well as Downtown (McArthur). Once at McArthur you can catch the Net all around from Waterside to Freemason and it even drops you off close to Ghent. There is also a MAX bus that goes from downtown norfolk to (very close to) the VB town center area and the oceanfront.
The fact that most of these services go largely unused does not make the area car dependent, it just means that people choose to drive. The region is geographically large, and people like to take advantage of ALL of the amenities, in which case a car is handy.
I will agree that the campus is not in the best part of town. Campus itself is pretty safe but the surrounding areas have a lot of sketchy sections. A little bit of situational awareness goes a long ways.
Rent will probably be a little higher than you are used to if you want to live in a convenient and safe area of norfolk. I think $1000 a month is a reasonable number that you can come in under, check craigslist and search "Ghent" or "Freemason" under apartments and you should return a fair amount of places in that price range.
Classifying the beach is tough, it is seasonal and there are many different beaches to choose from. The strip (beachstreet usa LOL) is the tourist trap, it sucks during the summer because it is crowded and congested with tourists. However, from Mid September to Mid May it is very nice with a wide boardwalk, nice bike path, and reasonable amount of festivals, concerts, and events.
There is also Ocean View, Chicks beach, Sandbridge beach, Croatan beach, First Landing State Park, and the North End of Virginia Beach to go to. Each have their own vibe and appeal. A lot of the beaches along the bay are less crowded and just as nice if you aren't trying to surf and require waves. If you want to spend a lot of time at the beach, either live close to it or get a car (or a friend with a car) because ODU campus is at least 15-20 minutes drive from any real beach.
Singles scene is mixed bag, if you are into military guys the opportunities are limitless... if not then it is probably just average. Granby st area in Norfolk has bars and clubs, VB Town Center is also pretty hopping these days. The oceanfront does have stuff going on as well but it is not my kind of place so I dont hang out there much.
Can't say much about the service industry job market, there are plenty of restaurants, bars and shops in Norfolk but I don't know if they are hiring. My sister waitressed for years in Virginia Beach and made a decent living off of tips but I would recommend searching yourself.
Overall, I say it is a good (not great) school in a good (not great) city. I graduated from ODU, the degree got me into a solid grad school, and now have a great job in the area so it certainly worked for me and I liked in enough around here to move back and settle down. If you can, take a visit first... spring is beautiful around here and it is usually in the 60's by mid-march (better than Mass, I know because I grew up there and still visit every year).
Norfolk has some good places to live for young people. As mentioned by previous posters, Colley and Granby streets are popular areas for restaurants and bars. There are also various boutiques and McArthur Mall for retail. I don't think it would be hard to find a part-time job.
As Coconut mentioned, the area is very car-dependent. That being said, if you don't have a car you could survive without one if you lived in ghent/downtown. The bus/shuttle service to and from downtown to ODU is adequate. However, the busing service outside these areas are inconsistent at best and nonexistent at worst. It could be a very frustrating lifestyle.
There is light rail being built, but it doesn't look like it will be effective. HRT, the company building the light rail, was recently exposed to lying about costs to government officials. It pretty much killed talks between HRT and VA Beach, which was crucial to its development. It doesn't look like the light rail will be worth the cost without VA Beach. It's very disheartening.
I think people agree that an area to avoid is Park Place, which is directly east of ODU. Park Place is a transitioning neighborhood and has some nice older units. However, I wouldn't recommend the area to anyone without prior experience with the neighborhood. Staying in Ghent/downtown is the safest play, but also the priciest. You could also ask around ODU where students place want ads and see if someone needs a roommate. I know students rent homes in the Larchmont neighborhood, north of ODU, and the area is considered safe but car-dependent.
I believe the best time of year for the area is May-Sept. Every other week there is a festival it seems. As far as beaches, It depends on which beach you go to. The area is blessed with miles upon miles of beachfront property. If you want a beach with bars/restaurants, putt-putts and a bustling population then oceanfront is for you. If you want a calm, family friendly beach, most beaches above the oceanfront will serve that purpose. If you want a rural, relaxed beach then sandbridge would be the right call.
Best of luck with your decision. I hope you make the right one for you. If you don't mind me asking, what other beach towns/schools are you looking for?
I think it's fair to point out that the ODU shuttles to downtown do not run all the time, nor every day.
You could take the HRT buses downtown, but she clearly said she wanted safety and the area around ODU is not safe for the most part, thus most riders on the HRT are not the people she's going to want to be dealing with.
You could take the HRT buses downtown, but she clearly said she wanted safety and the area around ODU is not safe for the most part, thus most riders on the HRT are not the people she's going to want to be dealing with.
I think this statement is a hyperbole in the worst order. If you have ever taken part in mass transit then you would know folks from all forms of life take the bus. To insinuate that only criminals take the bus because it passes through sketchy areas of the city is not constructive. The bus also passes through more expensive neighborhoods like Ghent and Free Mason. There are a plethora of reasons for why someone would take the bus, so there is no reason to think that the service is used only by society's low lifes.
If safety is a concern then being on the bus would be one of the safest places to be in the city. It would be really difficult to rob someone on the bus.
As far as walking alone at night, I wouldn't recommend any woman walking alone at night in any city in the US. If you want to feel that kind of safety then live in the 'burbs or country.
But you're not thinking about the mass transit mentality around here.
I'm a strong advocate for mass transit, but let's face facts, the large majority of people taking mass transit in HR are not the type of people the OP is going to want to be around being a single female hundreds of miles from home.
If this was NY, I'd not have any problems because people of all walks of life there DO take transit. HR is no NY though. We are a car dependent population and I can almost guarantee that even though the ODU route does pass through some okay places people living in those places are not getting on the bus.
People here that can afford a car have a car. I'm not saying people taking the bus are bad people, I am saying it's not the crowd the OP is going to want to hang out with. The transportation system here is very weak and therefore only those dependent on it usually are the ones that take it.
And there's nothing wrong with a woman walking alone at night in a city. They're not little sheep that need to be guarded by men all the time.
youll be fine here. most of the kids are friendly, but they do have their own little groups. if your a nice person im sure you wont have any problems. if you want to party with us send me a private message and get some contact info
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