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Old 07-16-2007, 11:02 AM
 
10 posts, read 31,332 times
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I was born and raised in Bronx,NY I'm thinking about relocating to Virginia but i would like to move in an area where there is activity, places to go things to do. Convenient shopping areas. I was thinking about Virginia beach, but i really don't know much about it. Could some one please give me an idea of a good place to relocate in Virginia with out going into total shock, i cannot deal with the country or anything to secluded . I'm looking to buy a house in the price range of 200k-300k. Also looking for a good elementary schools. Please any advice is appreciated.
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Old 07-16-2007, 12:18 PM
 
Location: Wherabouts Unknown!
7,841 posts, read 18,925,448 times
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I'm living in western Colorado now, but I lived in Virginia Beach ( VB ) for 16 years. I think you'll be challenged to find a home in your price range in most VB subdivisions, but I can't say that with certainty. Your best bet is to visit realtor.com and do a search for the type of home you are looking for to see which neighborhoods might have homes for sale that meet your criteria.

good luck with your search....Franco
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Old 07-16-2007, 12:52 PM
 
Location: sadly, Virginia
16 posts, read 86,458 times
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Coming from the Bronx, I have a feeling that you're going to go into complete culture shock. I highly doubt you'll find a house in your price range - unless you want a complete fixer-upper. You'll have to shop and shop and shop. This isn't the "country" nor is it too secluded, but it is suburban hell.

The elementary schools in Va Beach are the better in this area, but I don't like the school systems here at all. That's my personal opinion though, and others will differ.

I'm not sure what you consider "shopping areas" but there are Wal-marts all over the place, and where there is a Wal-mart, there are other stores. There are also tons and tons of "malls" dotting the area. They aren't very big, but they're okay. I mentioned this in another post, but I'll say it again. There is NO DOWNTOWN, so don't look for one. The only downtown is in Norfolk, and it's tiny. Most of the "activities" are there too.

There are other places to go and things to do if you're willing to drive. Most of the stuff to do "here" involves the beach or festivals in downtown Norfolk. But, there's bunches of stuff within a day's drive of here.

It's an interesting place to live. If I could pick a place out of the entire Hampton Roads area, I'd chose Virginia Beach. Right now, I'm stuck in Chesapeake. Good luck in your search.
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Old 07-17-2007, 11:19 AM
 
10 posts, read 31,332 times
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Thanks so much i appreciate the information.
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Old 07-18-2007, 02:17 PM
 
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Default Living in Hampton Roads

Yes, I do believe you'll experience culture shock. I worked with a woman who lived and worked in NY all her life, and after 2 years, she loves it down here and says its more layed back. I don't have any children, but I heard some schools are good and some are bad. Aparentely good neighborhood doesn't equate to good school either. I think you can find a house in the $200k to $300 range in a good area, however for that price your looking at something in the 1,400 sq - 1,500 sq foot range and should expect to go closer to $300k. I live in Kempsville, which is considered by some a fairly sought after area in Virginia Beach, and the houses in my neighborhood are going for $250k to $300k. The neighborhood next to us is $300k to $400k. Housing values continue to go up here, just not as quickly as they were 2 years ago and its now more buyer friendly.

Hampton Roads certainly isn't New York or Chicago, but there is plenty of good places to shop, eat, and play. This is coming from a 30 yr old. Its a growing region. Downtown Norfolk is a neat place, with trendy and unique restaurants and museums. Its not the hub of nightlife or as culturaly rich as New York, nor as large, but it hits the spot. I don't agree that most of the activities are in downtown Norfolk. I think it all depends on your interests.

The are trying to develop a "downtown" Virginia Beach, which is a bit silly if your familiar with this area. Its mainly restaurants with some offices and high end condos ($300k). Shopping here, in my opinion, is good. You're never far from anything, and there is a pretty good variety of stores (both high and low end depending on your need). Your only as limited as you want to be here. There is generally an event going on in one of the cities, and driving to them is not a big deal. You're also 1 hour from Williamsburg, 2 from Richmond, 3 hours to the moutains, and 2 to 4 hours from any Outbanks location. I haven't been to a club since I was 24, but from what I remember there is not a huge variety to choose from here but there are some great restaurants with bars. If I'm going to go on a rant about Hampton Roads, besides about traffic (which I'm sure is better than NY), its the salaries are just not great and generally don't keep up with the cost of living. Blame that on it being a miliary area and a higher number of older folks working. If you'd like any more info, just post what it is you'd like to know and I'll see if I can help.
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Old 04-12-2015, 11:29 PM
 
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Im moving to Virginia Beach from Dallas, tx, my problem is I'm just getting up and leaving. For those who know or live in Virginia Beach any advice? Are you able to find jobs easily there?
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Old 04-13-2015, 06:32 AM
 
1,210 posts, read 2,606,646 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdburns View Post
I was born and raised in Bronx,NY I'm thinking about relocating to Virginia but i would like to move in an area where there is activity, places to go things to do. Convenient shopping areas. I was thinking about Virginia beach, but i really don't know much about it. Could some one please give me an idea of a good place to relocate in Virginia with out going into total shock, i cannot deal with the country or anything to secluded . I'm looking to buy a house in the price range of 200k-300k. Also looking for a good elementary schools. Please any advice is appreciated.
No place down here is like the Bronx, it is just a different kind of place. That said, you could live in Kempsville (as suggested by roamdogg) and fulfill all of your wants while still being about a 10 minute drive from Downtown Norfolk if you need your city fix. There is nothing country about Kempsville, it is very suburban with multiple shopping centers that have restaurants, grocery stores, and your typical specialty shops.

In terms of your budget, you would have no problem finding a house in that range. I'm really not sure why people are saying you couldn't. The median home value according to the Zillow index is about $240k in the 23464 zip code.

23464 Home Prices and Home Values | Zillow

It just won't be brand new as most of the area was built between the 60's and 80's. Lots of old brick ranches in that area are nicely renovated on the inside though, and if you like a little space you can find larger lots in places like Avalon. Schools like Fairfield, Kempsville, or Woodstock elementary are of good quality and offer enough diversity that anyone should feel comfortable there.
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Old 04-13-2015, 08:30 AM
 
184 posts, read 242,698 times
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For sdburns, I agree with UHgrad, having lived in Queens and also on Long Island. You will find this area cheaper than the City but the cost of living is also reflective of what jobs pay. As UHgrad correctly states, you can find nice homes in your price range in the zip he references as well as other areas of Virginia Beach. As for schools, there is a current discussion on the Hampton Roads Board with extensive discussion about schools, but below is a link that you might find useful. As a Realtor, I often suggest to folks not familiar with the area to consider renting for a year before buying. But again, there are a number of nice houses on the Market in your price range.
For education 2014..what are you looking for?? A teaching position?

http://www.vbschools.com/school_data/report_cards/archive.asp
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Old 04-13-2015, 09:24 AM
 
Location: Portsmouth, VA
6,514 posts, read 8,384,327 times
Reputation: 3822
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdburns View Post
I was born and raised in Bronx,NY I'm thinking about relocating to Virginia but i would like to move in an area where there is activity, places to go things to do. Convenient shopping areas. I was thinking about Virginia beach, but i really don't know much about it. Could some one please give me an idea of a good place to relocate in Virginia with out going into total shock, i cannot deal with the country or anything to secluded . I'm looking to buy a house in the price range of 200k-300k. Also looking for a good elementary schools. Please any advice is appreciated.
Norfolk. Probably the closest thing to the Bronx you're going to find here. Alexandria if you're trying to be close to DC. Alexandria is probably more urban than anything around here. But you won't be close to the beach or anything. You should post this in the Richmond and Northern Virginia fourms to see what people up there think.

You should be able to get a safe neighborhood within your budget. Regardless of where you move. I know a few people from New Jersey in Newport News. Over that way the beach is in Hampton.
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Old 04-13-2015, 11:11 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
1,098 posts, read 1,533,233 times
Reputation: 1432
It's important to note that this thread was posted eight years ago. No need to address the OP anymore.

Quote:
Originally Posted by education 2014 View Post
Im moving to Virginia Beach from Dallas, tx, my problem is I'm just getting up and leaving. For those who know or live in Virginia Beach any advice? Are you able to find jobs easily there?
There are thousands of jobs available in the area, currently. Just look at Indeed: Jobs, Employment in Hampton Roads, VA | Indeed.com

(Hampton Roads is one of the area's many names. We're in a perpetual identity crisis)

The vast majority of jobs available are white collar positions and skilled laborers.
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