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Old 02-03-2013, 04:01 PM
 
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We're due to PCS in April/May from San Diego, CA to JEB Little Creek, VA. We have 3 children (9,6, and 4), who will enter/are already in school (elementary level).
We are looking for a nice and safe area to first rent a house and then we also want to look into buying one.
I also want a great school district for elementary and middle schools. I already went to greatschools.org. but there are so many schools, I don't know where to start.
I don't want anything too crowded, we need/want space, big backyards, nice playgrounds, and parks.
Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
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Old 02-03-2013, 04:52 PM
 
Location: Newport News, Virginia
368 posts, read 992,899 times
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Hampton Roads is a nice place to live. My family and I have been here almost four years now, and we like it a lot.

The best advice I can give you is that, if you're stationed southside, you should live on "your side" (meaning south) of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, as commuting through there can be something of a hassle. Virginia Beach schools are highly rated. There are also family-friendly areas of Chesapeake with nice neighborhoods and good schools. I can't tell you much about specific southside areas (we live in Newport News), but I'm sure there will be others on here who can give you some good advice about specific neighborhoods, schools, etc.

Welcome to the area!
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Old 02-03-2013, 06:25 PM
 
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Thank you! That's a good start! I didn't even know that there's a tunnel, but I can only imagine what traffic would be at peak times...
How much is the rent around there for like a 4BR/2Bath? I'll look into the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake area for schools next then :-)
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Old 02-04-2013, 01:38 AM
 
Location: Daly City, CA
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I'm from VA Beach... Joined the Navy and was station in Norfolk then DC.. Now I live in Daly City by San Francisco and can't wait to move back VABeach! The cost of living in SD compared to VB should be close.. VB is more of a navy town than SD.. But it's still a great place to raise a family. Chesapeake has become more of an extension of VB.. People in VB sold their homes for bigger ones in Chesapeake.. But the schools are better in VB, without a doubt. Chesapeake is still hit or miss..Ie Indian River.. Ehem.. You're family will love the Oceanfront.. I recommend living close to South Independence and Princess Ann.. Commute to the base isn't insane.. And plenty of homes like what you're looking for! Keep us posted!
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Old 02-04-2013, 06:03 AM
 
Location: Newport News, Virginia
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I'm not familiar with South Independence, but I agree that Princess Ann is a really nice area. We mostly go to the beach in Sandbridge--can anybody tell Danny if that's a good area? We love it there.

As far as rentals, I've heard that militarybyowner.com is a good resource.
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Old 02-04-2013, 08:35 AM
 
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The rent mainly depends on what city. It's cheaper on the Peninsula (Hampton/Newport News), but the Southside (VB/Chesapeake/Norfolk) can get pricier. It also depends on what part of town.

For VB, I'd recommend Kempsville or Great Neck/First Colonial...that's just off the top of my head. In Chesapeake, either Greenbrier, Great Bridge, or Western Branch.

Rent for a 4 BR would probably run you about $1500 min. That's just an estimate from houses I've glanced over.
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Old 02-04-2013, 06:09 PM
 
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Thank you! I'll look into all those areas. Some schools in Virginia Beach rate a 10 on greatschools.org!
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Old 02-05-2013, 07:21 PM
 
524 posts, read 398,728 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by artistatheart View Post
I'm not familiar with South Independence, but I agree that Princess Ann is a really nice area. We mostly go to the beach in Sandbridge--can anybody tell Danny if that's a good area? We love it there.

As far as rentals, I've heard that militarybyowner.com is a good resource.
Sandbridge is a very nice area, more of a "locals only" type of atmosphere as far as the beach goes. Whatever you do, do not move to Green Run. We own a home here and are plagued by vandalism and have a revolving door of Section 8. During my first enlistment, my husband bought this house not knowing much about "Gang Run". In Hampton Roads, if you want safety, security, and a good school for your kid, you're going to pay. Good luck with your move!
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Old 02-05-2013, 07:22 PM
 
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Kempsville is a good area. If we could buy all over again I would start there.
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Old 02-06-2013, 06:07 AM
 
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If you choose to focus on VB (which I would recommend since you have small children and are concerned with things like schools, parks, and recreation centers), the VB public schools site provides report cards for each of its schools that show test scores, demographics, and ratings from teachers, students, and parents. There is a lot of good info.

Virginia Beach City Public Schools - Annual Report Card

Keep in mind that you will have the option of the old donation center and kemps landing magnet school (gifted programs) if your children qualify as well. I hear it is fairly competitive to get in though.

Here are the parks in the city, hopefully you can find one close to a neighborhood you like. We spend a fair amount of time at both Mount Trashmore park and Woodstock park. If your kids skateboard these both have excellent skate parks.

City Parks :: Official City of Virginia Beach Web Site

Also check out the community rec centers, which at $80/yr for adults and ~$30/yr for kids is a wonderful bargain, these are great!

Recreation Centers :: Official City of Virginia Beach Web Site

We moved to this area when I was a kid and I have lived here most of my life (with brief stints in Hawaii, Missouri, and Massachusetts among others). I went to middle school in VB, High School in Chesapeake, did my undergraduate degree in Norfolk, and choose to live as a married adult in VB... so take my opinion/advice from that perspective. VB in general is suburban and safe with a few pockets of sketchy areas. The 3 major areas to stay away from (that I know of) in general are green run, level green, and lake edward or more generally speaking avoid places near lynnhaven parkway or newtown road. There are some decent areas around those roads, but with all the choices in the city I wouldn't even bother looking near there personally.

If you are at the amphib base I would probably do like TV pirate said and focus on the Great Neck area or the Kempsville area. Kempsville is very central (close to greenbrier, town center, downtown norfolk, and interstate), has lots of shopping/restaurant options (strip malls with a mix of chains and mom&pop places), good neighborhood parks, is pretty diverse and has more reasonably priced housing than Great Neck. It is mostly older brick ranches from the 60's and 70's mixed in the vinyl homes from the 80's and 90's. Not a lot of character, but functional. The Great Neck area is more isolated, more expensive, and less diverse but probably a little safer, closer to the beach (both the bay and the north end), and will tend to have higher rated schools (everyone going there has $$).

For me, if money were no object and commutes were a thing of the past, I would live near the intersection of shore drive and great neck. John B. Dey elementary and Great Neck middle are two of the top rated schools in the area. You are right next to first landing park, right near the bay, and a quick 10minute drive to the north end of the VB oceanfront which is peaceful and relatively uncrowded (due to limited parking) even in the summertime. With kids, I think living close to the beach and first landing park would be a huge amenity. I really don't think the commute to little creek would be bad from there either although I don't live down there so I can't say for sure. Seems like a straight shot down shore dr.

I live in Kempsville because money and commutes are important haha. But I like it a lot, we have a good quality of life here and you really can't beat the convenience in terms of being a relatively short (10-20min) drive from Greenbrier, Downtown Norfolk, VB Town Center, or the Oceanfront. Neighborhoods like Homestead, Farfield, Avalon Terrace, or Stratford Chase all have houses that sell in the $200k - $300k range and probably fulfill most of your criteria (including larger lots). You can go a little further up providence towards Bellamy Woods or Larkspur and get more expensive (and probably slightly better schools) but your commute time will suffer a lot and so will your proximity to other amenities. Something like this is pretty typical for the Kempsville area, this is probably priced a little high because it is recently renovated but it is a good ballpark.

$269,900 | 5412 GALE DR, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 | MLS# 1304288

Here is a similar one for rent in Avalon Terrace (nice established neighborhood with larger lots). You would have to check if this is Woodstock or Farfield elementary.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/57...60631389_zpid/

Or something more towards Larkspur with more bedrooms since you have 3 kids.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/46...60667634_zpid/

Last edited by UHgrad; 02-06-2013 at 07:11 AM..
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