Moving to Bayside VA Beach area... is it really that bad in 2012? (Virginia Beach: oceanfront, apartment complexes)

[DoomBot]

Greetings,


My family & I are moving to the Gardenwood Park Community which is in the Bayside area of Va Beach. From the weeks of researching this forum & others, it seems that almost no one recommends the area for living. Yet, driving around the area scouting (Day & Night) the immediate area of Diamond Shores/Gardenwood looks like a well kept classic neighborhood. Where people care about their property, neighborhood watches still thrive & families walk their dogs & children play outside. We even found an active Diamond Springs / Gardenwood Park Civic League where they have community events & a FB page!. My wife & I are late 20/early 30 somethings with 2 children under 8 who have lived most of the last 5 years overseas & spent the last year in an "Upscale" apartment in Hampton. Seeing as Hampton has almost nothing going on for itself in the sense of family entertainment & is a little too "Ghetto" in most places. We decided to move to VA Beach because we enjoyed the atmosphere, the beaches, the food & the family fun found here. most importantly I work remote & make more than the average income for the area so we can afford the nice things the beach has to offer.

A few questions I have to anyone who knows the area...

Are there particular places in Bayside that people should avoid?

I've read about the bayside school district, but most comment have been about the middle & high school. anyone have an opinion on the elementary school?

Anything else of note (Crime, Flooding problems, etc) in this area?


Thanks for all your responses!

[poloi3eai2]

There are really no bad areas of Virginia Beach. There are just older neighborhoods that may seem ghetto when compared to the ultra nice ocean front homes. That area is not bad at all. There's a bunch of industrial warehouses nearby and the naval base but it's not dangerous at all. Plus you're only about a mile away from the beach

Since you live in Hampton now, you know what "ghetto" is and VA Beach is nowhere near ghetto. Even the nice rebuilt areas of Hampton like the towncenter get pretty ghetto on the weekends.

[DoomBot]

Thank you for the reply. I really appreciate it. Looking back, my post may have came off pretentious & I didn't mean it that way. I've been in hampton about a year now, and what I meant by ghetto is more to do with the quality of the stores, shops & services the city has to offer. You can tell the difference in the cities by just going to the Farm Fresh in each city. stores seem to be much better maintained in Va Beach than in hampton, so too are the areas attractions & youth services. My main concern is safety of my family whenever I have to travel for work. I've scoured through these forums and it's many "Moving to Hampton Roads, where should i live" posts. Most responses state that Bayside is a place where you don't want to go. The Gardenwood park area seemed to me to be a nice quiet community located in Bayside & I wanted to know from locals if they had info to share on the area.

The older homes are perfect to me as i feel these newer homes being built lack character. We know we'll love living so close to chic's beach. we visit there often.

Does anyone have children, know someone or have been students at Bayside elementary? If so, what would they say about the quality of education there?

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by DoomBot

Thank you for the reply. I really appreciate it. Looking back, my post may have came off pretentious & I didn't mean it that way. I've been in hampton about a year now, and what I meant by ghetto is more to do with the quality of the stores, shops & services the city has to offer. You can tell the difference in the cities by just going to the Farm Fresh in each city. stores seem to be much better maintained in Va Beach than in hampton, so too are the areas attractions & youth services. My main concern is safety of my family whenever I have to travel for work. I've scoured through these forums and it's many "Moving to Hampton Roads, where should i live" posts. Most responses state that Bayside is a place where you don't want to go. The Gardenwood park area seemed to me to be a nice quiet community located in Bayside & I wanted to know from locals if they had info to share on the area.

The older homes are perfect to me as i feel these newer homes being built lack character. We know we'll love living so close to chic's beach. we visit there often.

Does anyone have children, know someone or have been students at Bayside elementary? If so, what would they say about the quality of education there?

It could be worse, you could live in Newport News. Hampton feels like, and functions like, a poor suburb of Newport News. Only good thing in Hampton is the University. As far as the stores, people in Virginia Beach tend to have more money (or buy more expensive things, as they are not always one in the same). Virginia Beach is more about image, whereas Hampton and Newport News are the "real cities" with more urban concerns.

Keep in mind, in your average city like Hampton the stores in the city proper are ghetto where all of the good shopping is out in the suburbs. Now that Virginia Beach is outgrowing their suburban ways and turning into a real city of its own there are more options, instead of the high-end. You have your ghetto dollar stores and holes in the wall in Virginia Beach, you just aren't putting your life at risk to go into them.

The area of Virginia Beach I live in isn't desirable either. Stuff happens, and I've even heard the occasional gunshot, but I never had any problems. I'm not sure how Virginia Beach is doing it, but nothing ever deteriorates to the point where it is unsavory here.

[blueice6102]

I'd avoid Bayside as a whole.

[D train outta nowhere]

It is such a mix from one neighborhood to the next. If I'm in the area you mean, I think the section of Diamond Springs south of the intersection of Northhampton Rd/Diamond Springs is one of the prettiest around here, city streets are superbly maintained. To the east you have the 'gucci' new residential areas.I like Cypress Pt. Shopping Center. Farther south, you hit Va Wesleyan which is pretty, then just south of that, you hit Newtown where the occasional hood violence goes down after dark. Not sure how noisy it is being relatively close to the ORF airport.

[xGrendelx]

Gardenwood is a nice neighborhood. I graduated from Bayside High, and some of my closest friends lived there. Diamond Springs can be a little sketchier, but definitely not the "hood" or anything. The apartment complexes nearby, the industrial vibe, and the Cheetah's strip joint surrounded by the crumbling motel give it that not-so-great feel. I've heard Poppa's Pub can get rowdy too.

The worst spots in the Bayside area, and arguably all of VB, are the Newtown/Lake Edward area and a couple places off VB Blvd between Newtown and Witchduck. All those tiny, maze like complexes and town homes are definitely rough. I'm not trying to talk it up or anything. It is what it is. Anyone who thinks Lake Edwards, Northridge, or Bayside Arms aren't rough haven't spent a whole lot of time there. Sure, VB as a whole is not a hard city, and Lake Edwards is not exactly West Baltimore, but it has its problem areas like any place.

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by poloi3eai2

There are really no bad areas of Virginia Beach. There are just older neighborhoods that may seem ghetto when compared to the ultra nice ocean front homes. That area is not bad at all. There's a bunch of industrial warehouses nearby and the naval base but it's not dangerous at all. Plus you're only about a mile away from the beach

Clearly youve never been down Birdneck Road. Sit in the Food Lion shopping center on the corner of Birdneck and Virginia Beach Blvd, youll loose count of the number of hoodlums and homeless people within 25 minutes.

Youve also clearly never been anywhere near Newtown Road and Virginia Beach Blvd.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

Clearly youve never been down Birdneck Road. Sit in the Food Lion shopping center on the corner of Birdneck and Virginia Beach Blvd, youll loose count of the number of hoodlums and homeless people within 25 minutes.

Youve also clearly never been anywhere near Newtown Road and Virginia Beach Blvd.

I don't know about Birdneck but those areas are not that bad at all. How do you know they're hoodlums? There are a lot of working poor that live in the neighborhoods behind or off of those roads but I never had any problems and I stay off of South Plaza close to Rosemont.

Until I see prostitutes selling themselves in plain sight, or a drug deal gone bad I see nothing wrong with the area. There is too many police in Virginia Beach patrolling these areas for things to get out of hand.

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by goofy328

I don't know about Birdneck but those areas are not that bad at all. How do you know they're hoodlums? There are a lot of working poor that live in the neighborhoods behind or off of those roads but I never had any problems and I stay off of South Plaza close to Rosemont.

On Birdneck- I dont know, Ive witnessed drug deals in plain sight, seen the hoodlums and loiterers harrassing customers (including my wife), seen obvious gangs walking up and down decked out in their matching red attire, seen fist fights over parking spaces, and constantly see people drunk (or stoned) out of their mind yelling across the parking lot. It is so bad that the Food Lion actually has security guards to walk people to their cars.

Newtown and Virginia Beach Blvd- Are you kidding me? I used to live in Hollywood, and on any given day, you could look forward to going to sleep to sirens coming from Lake Edward. You could also look forward to their gangs traversing through Hollywood on their way to Virginia Beach Blvd. I had a friend who lived in Lake Edward, and had her car broken in to 3 times in one year, and she drove a decades old Honda that had body damage. The neighborhood of Hollywood was actually trying to erect a fence to keep the Lake Edward riff raff from spilling over.

Originally Posted by goofy328

Until I see prostitutes selling themselves in plain sight, or a drug deal gone bad I see nothing wrong with the area. There is too many police in Virginia Beach patrolling these areas for things to get out of hand.

Ive seen it. Used to be pretty common place by the Oceanfront.