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Thanks in advance for your replies We are considering a move from CA to Va. I grew up in Cleveland and my husband grew up here in Northern CA near SF. We live in Burlingame now which is a great small town that is @ 20 min S of SF. Our primary motivation to move is because of the cost of living here and we are water people and want to be able to use a boat more frequently than we can here because of the weather and cold water. So, here are some of the stats on us. We have two daughters, 7 & 5 so excellent public schools are priority...although for the right community we could consider private schools. I recently became a SAHM and my husband works from home so commute time is not an issue. We love the feel of an older community with lots of charm that also has a walk-around town atmosphere for dinner, ice cream parlor, movies, etc. But, staying close enough to be able to drive to a more metropolitan area for nights out and cultural events. Our ideal town is culturally diverse but with a fairly high income demographic. We'd love a big lot but not at the cost of not being able to walk into town (10K sq ft would be our minimum on lot size). If we could get all of this and live on deep water that would be great, but, I'm betting that is a tough combination. We'd like to live near a marina where we could keep a boat... the kind of marina that is very family focused (clubhouse, pool, etc). Finally, my husband is a water sport enthusiast (kiting, surfing, wind-surfing, etc) so staying close to the coast would be important. We don't know the area AT ALL. I've been to Richmond once and have a friend near there that loves it. Our house budget is up to $1.5M but would love to spend a lot less and still get all things checked on our list.
Thanks in advance for your replies We are considering a move from CA to Va. I grew up in Cleveland and my husband grew up here in Northern CA near SF. We live in Burlingame now which is a great small town that is @ 20 min S of SF. Our primary motivation to move is because of the cost of living here and we are water people and want to be able to use a boat more frequently than we can here because of the weather and cold water. So, here are some of the stats on us. We have two daughters, 7 & 5 so excellent public schools are priority...although for the right community we could consider private schools. I recently became a SAHM and my husband works from home so commute time is not an issue. We love the feel of an older community with lots of charm that also has a walk-around town atmosphere for dinner, ice cream parlor, movies, etc. But, staying close enough to be able to drive to a more metropolitan area for nights out and cultural events. Our ideal town is culturally diverse but with a fairly high income demographic. We'd love a big lot but not at the cost of not being able to walk into town (10K sq ft would be our minimum on lot size). If we could get all of this and live on deep water that would be great, but, I'm betting that is a tough combination. We'd like to live near a marina where we could keep a boat... the kind of marina that is very family focused (clubhouse, pool, etc). Finally, my husband is a water sport enthusiast (kiting, surfing, wind-surfing, etc) so staying close to the coast would be important. We don't know the area AT ALL. I've been to Richmond once and have a friend near there that loves it. Our house budget is up to $1.5M but would love to spend a lot less and still get all things checked on our list.
Id recommend a visit, there are places that meet some of your needs but probably nothing that meets all of them. The great neck/shore drive area near Marina Shores
is probably is a good overall fit although it may be more suburban than you like and not as culturally diverse as you are used to in the Bay area. But you can get deep water access out there and you are close to the bay and ocean with a great state park just around the corner. In addition, the schools there are rated some of the best in the area.
Surfing out here is OK but not great, it is rare that we get warm water, light winds, and good waves simultaneously but usually August - October (hurricane season) is pretty sweet and if he is used to NorCal water temps he will probably enjoy the winter swells around here as well. The area is tremendous for kayaking and fishing though, there are infinite places to explore and plenty of spots to launch.
The term "metropolitan area" means a little different thing out here than most cities. Downtown Norfolk is the closest you get, decent art scene, some good restaurants, but still searching for its identity. Virginia Beach has a resort area and a budding "town center" area but there is really no place in VB that I would consider urban. I enjoy the oceanfront a lot during the off season, the boardwalk is nice and there are bike paths that stretch from the north end all the way past the aquarium.
I wouldn't really compare the area to Richmond, it is a different animal down here, some love it some hate it so I always recommend an extended visit to see for yourself.
Thanks in advance for your replies We are considering a move from CA to Va. I grew up in Cleveland and my husband grew up here in Northern CA near SF. We live in Burlingame now which is a great small town that is @ 20 min S of SF. Our primary motivation to move is because of the cost of living here and we are water people and want to be able to use a boat more frequently than we can here because of the weather and cold water. So, here are some of the stats on us. We have two daughters, 7 & 5 so excellent public schools are priority...although for the right community we could consider private schools. I recently became a SAHM and my husband works from home so commute time is not an issue. We love the feel of an older community with lots of charm that also has a walk-around town atmosphere for dinner, ice cream parlor, movies, etc. But, staying close enough to be able to drive to a more metropolitan area for nights out and cultural events. Our ideal town is culturally diverse but with a fairly high income demographic. We'd love a big lot but not at the cost of not being able to walk into town (10K sq ft would be our minimum on lot size). If we could get all of this and live on deep water that would be great, but, I'm betting that is a tough combination. We'd like to live near a marina where we could keep a boat... the kind of marina that is very family focused (clubhouse, pool, etc). Finally, my husband is a water sport enthusiast (kiting, surfing, wind-surfing, etc) so staying close to the coast would be important. We don't know the area AT ALL. I've been to Richmond once and have a friend near there that loves it. Our house budget is up to $1.5M but would love to spend a lot less and still get all things checked on our list.
Richmond is a mid sized town in a metropolitan area of 600k that is not as spread out as this place, with quick access to Northern Virginia, a metro of 2.2 million. Hampton Roads is one big metropolitan area that consists of seven cities. There are between 1.6 and 1.7 million people here in Hampton Roads. Things are a little different in "suburbia"; you might want to look at the Chesapeake Bay itself instead of Hampton Roads. The Eastern Shore will give you that true "small town" feel, with relatively quick access to Hampton Roads and the rest of the East Coast.
This place is not as dense as SF or Cleveland, but it isn't a small town either. It is somewhere in between. I would visit a few times and see it for yourself. $1.5 million is more than enough to find what you want around here; what you want is probably going to run between 300k to 700k.
The difference between Richmond and Hampton Roads, is that Richmond is your traditional city with suburbs, like San Francisco or Cleveland. Hampton Roads is a bunch of independent cities (counties), with no suburbia in sight. This is the type of place it can take a few hours to leave by car depending on the traffic.
Thanks in advance for your replies We are considering a move from CA to Va. I grew up in Cleveland and my husband grew up here in Northern CA near SF. We live in Burlingame now which is a great small town that is @ 20 min S of SF. Our primary motivation to move is because of the cost of living here and we are water people and want to be able to use a boat more frequently than we can here because of the weather and cold water. So, here are some of the stats on us. We have two daughters, 7 & 5 so excellent public schools are priority...although for the right community we could consider private schools. I recently became a SAHM and my husband works from home so commute time is not an issue. We love the feel of an older community with lots of charm that also has a walk-around town atmosphere for dinner, ice cream parlor, movies, etc. But, staying close enough to be able to drive to a more metropolitan area for nights out and cultural events. Our ideal town is culturally diverse but with a fairly high income demographic. We'd love a big lot but not at the cost of not being able to walk into town (10K sq ft would be our minimum on lot size). If we could get all of this and live on deep water that would be great, but, I'm betting that is a tough combination. We'd like to live near a marina where we could keep a boat... the kind of marina that is very family focused (clubhouse, pool, etc). Finally, my husband is a water sport enthusiast (kiting, surfing, wind-surfing, etc) so staying close to the coast would be important. We don't know the area AT ALL. I've been to Richmond once and have a friend near there that loves it. Our house budget is up to $1.5M but would love to spend a lot less and still get all things checked on our list.
For your budget you would get a definitely more diverse, and more urban, experience in Northern Virginia; close to DC, closer to higher paying jobs, and there are some rivers and bodies of water. While the beach and the marina and all that is great here, it isn't enough of a reason to make that move, particularly when the beaches and boardwalks here pale in comparison to what you have in California. You don't have the height limits in Northern Virginia that you have in DC, many of the towns are walkable and there is a more established rail system in the DC metro than what you have here in HR.
If you're looking to live in Hampton Roads/Peninsula, also known as the "7 Cities", then you have plenty of choices available for "living by the water"...
I live and work primarily in Hampton and Newport News, but other "major" cities are Williamsburg, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth....and many smaller towns in between - Suffolk, Poqouson, Yorktown (York County).
You'll want to pull out a map when talking about the area, because it is a large area connected by miles of I-64 and variations of it (I-664, I-564, I-264, etc), and two Bridge-Tunnels ( being the Moniter-Merrimac and the HRBT - Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel) and it can get confusing. To live in the area, you don't necessarily have to use these main thoroughfares like I, being a realtor, have to.
The main things you said that stuck out - good schools for your young children and access to water/marina's, I would say that you would like the Virginia Beach side of the water. It's more expensive, but you'll find plenty of nice properties in your price range - and below your price range due to the market which has greatly reduced that area.
Other web resources: wikipedia (search "Hampton Roads and Virginia Peninsula) for crime rates, demographic information and such.
There is a HUGE military presence all over the 7 citites - big businesses are Northrup-Gruman (ship builders)....
There's lots of transient/transplant people here - with the military and all of the colleges here, a lot of people, including me, are not from here.
I love it because there's something for everyone here
If you like being stared at in public for no reason and enjoy exchanging grins with everyone you pass on the street and having random strangers engage you in mindless chit-chat and have cashiers take their time ringing up orders because they have to ask everyone and their brother what their life is like that day and exchange idle pratter, then come on down. You'll fit right in ~
If you want your neighbors to know every facet of your personal life, and enjoy your new co-workers bombarding you with intrusive questions like do you have kids then hurry on over ~~ Same if you like having friends of friends mind your business for you
BUT : If you are a private person who values their space stay in Cali, I wish I had
I would agree with everyone else that you should definitely visit any area you are considering moving to, ideally a few times during different times of the year, before you make a decision. There are lots of wonderful places in this country (heck, even the world!) that are close to the water.
With that being said, I do like living in the Hampton Roads area. I grew up in the Midwest, so the mild weather down here is awesome for me. I don't have to worry about three feet of snow. It always amazes me that I can wear any kind of shoes all year round because there aren't any snowdrifts that require boots!! There are lots of shopping destinations and restaurants in the area, as well. There are museums, concerts, plays, etc., too. The public library system is excellent. There are recreation centers in Virginia Beach that don't cost an arm and a leg and offer lots of classes and programs for the whole family.
I can't say that I have had the same experience as affB12 with the people, though. I have actually had the exact opposite happen to me. Except for the staring part. A lot of people just driving around or out and about shopping don't have very pleasant expressions. I guess I would call it "intense." I have found that people working at stores or restaurants tend to look right through me. If I say "Good morning" I might get a grunt in reply as they stare over my shoulder at something in the distance. I'm not saying everyone is like that, but I have gotten rebuffed many times. Of course, not everyone wants to be working as a cashier or a waiter anyway, so that's probably part of it. When I went home for a visit to Michigan everyone was so polite and said "hi" and smiled. Ater living in VB for a few years, the politeness was almost scary. LOL.
I moved from a smaller area so VB has more than I am used to. Since you are moving from a larger area with a decent chunk of change to spend on a house, you may not be as impressed. It's all a matter of perspective. Again, I think a long visit would be best. Really get a feel for the area and see what you think.
I can't say that I have had the same experience as affB12 with the people, though. I have actually had the exact opposite happen to me. Except for the staring part. A lot of people just driving around or out and about shopping don't have very pleasant expressions. I guess I would call it "intense." I have found that people working at stores or restaurants tend to look right through me. If I say "Good morning" I might get a grunt in reply as they stare over my shoulder at something in the distance. I'm not saying everyone is like that, but I have gotten rebuffed many times. Of course, not everyone wants to be working as a cashier or a waiter anyway, so that's probably part of it. When I went home for a visit to Michigan everyone was so polite and said "hi" and smiled. Ater living in VB for a few years, the politeness was almost scary. LOL.
I moved from a smaller area so VB has more than I am used to. Since you are moving from a larger area with a decent chunk of change to spend on a house, you may not be as impressed. It's all a matter of perspective. Again, I think a long visit would be best. Really get a feel for the area and see what you think.
Good luck to you![/quote]
I wish I was lying. I'm not Can we trade places ? I posted a different thread about this very topic; every where I go ppl smile and try to engage me and I have social anxiety which makes it HIGHLY disconcerting...Oh and I live in VA Beach and work in Norfolk; so we're in the same neck of the woods....I am practically forced into "being social" and its emotionally draining for me..
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