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Old 11-06-2007, 07:24 AM
 
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia
1,123 posts, read 5,332,190 times
Reputation: 710

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I would like everyone who knows the truth - not just rumors, heresay, speculation - to post the GOOD things about Portsmouth. I am getting so tired of having to defend this town.

Compared to the other cities in Hampton Roads, Portsmouth is SMALL.
P'town does not have big malls or fancy strip malls. We do have a Walmart.
P'town is VERY close to big malls and fancy strip malls.
P'town is a community of mostly older homes, in established neighborhoods.
P'town has more history than Va Beach or Chesapeake.
P'town really has less crime. In todays Pilot online - there are only 2 stories about crime - both in Va Beach.

I have lived in Churchland for 4 years. I moved here from the NoVa suburbs and it is VERY different, but not in a bad way. My inlaws have lived in P'Town for 80 years.

When people post about Hampton Roads and want to know the good areas and bad areas - there are so many negatives about P'Town from posters who DO NOT LIVE HERE. That is not fair to newcomers. This quiet community is so much different that other parts of Hampton Roads - it just might appeal to many people.

I will finish by saying that we DO have bad neighborhoods in P'town - just like every other city here. We are no better and no worse than the other cities. I think one of the best things about it is that it is right smack in the middle of all of HR. Within 15 min, I can access every tunnel and major bridge in the area - not many other cities here can say that.

Anyone else......
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Old 11-06-2007, 07:42 AM
 
201 posts, read 905,857 times
Reputation: 83
Quote:
Originally Posted by stacylee926 View Post
I would like everyone who knows the truth - not just rumors, heresay, speculation - to post the GOOD things about Portsmouth. I am getting so tired of having to defend this town.

Compared to the other cities in Hampton Roads, Portsmouth is SMALL.
P'town does not have big malls or fancy strip malls. We do have a Walmart.
P'town is VERY close to big malls and fancy strip malls.
P'town is a community of mostly older homes, in established neighborhoods.
P'town has more history than Va Beach or Chesapeake.
P'town really has less crime. In todays Pilot online - there are only 2 stories about crime - both in Va Beach.

I have lived in Churchland for 4 years. I moved here from the NoVa suburbs and it is VERY different, but not in a bad way. My inlaws have lived in P'Town for 80 years.

When people post about Hampton Roads and want to know the good areas and bad areas - there are so many negatives about P'Town from posters who DO NOT LIVE HERE. That is not fair to newcomers. This quiet community is so much different that other parts of Hampton Roads - it just might appeal to many people.

I will finish by saying that we DO have bad neighborhoods in P'town - just like every other city here. We are no better and no worse than the other cities. I think one of the best things about it is that it is right smack in the middle of all of HR. Within 15 min, I can access every tunnel and major bridge in the area - not many other cities here can say that.

Anyone else......


Crime rates for the area cities in Hampton Roads according to this site

Va Beach- 230.7
Suffolk- 298.6
Portsmouth- 505.3
Norfolk- 482.9
Newport News- 448.3
Hampton-292.6
Chesapeake- 272.8

Portsmouth has the highest murder rate by a decent margin as well.


Portsmouths reputation is very well deserved. Nobody wants to accidentally go through the midtown or downtown tunnel and end up anywhere near Portsmouth by accident.
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Old 11-06-2007, 08:20 AM
 
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia
1,123 posts, read 5,332,190 times
Reputation: 710
How about those sex offender stats?
VaBeach - 532
Norfolk - 472
Chesapeake - 301
Portsmouth - 187
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Old 11-06-2007, 08:49 AM
 
Location: Virginia Beach
486 posts, read 1,948,574 times
Reputation: 157
Actually these are the stats for sex offenders:
Virginia Beach: 563
Norfolk: 581
Chesapeake: 461
Portsmouth: 190

You can search by city or zip and even see where they are located a map at this website: Sex Offender Registry Search (http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor/html/search.htm - broken link)

I'm not sure that those crime rates are accurate either.
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Old 11-06-2007, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Portsmouth Virginia
411 posts, read 1,290,388 times
Reputation: 191
Hey Stacylee, I think a big part of our problem is self deprication. I have lived in Portsmouth since 1980. A lot of my friends started their careers in Portsmouth Schools (I am a teacher - most of my friends are teachers) but have since moved on to other school districts and moved to Chesapeake or Suffolk. I guess I like where I live. I too have lived in the same house I purchased in Windy Pines since 1988. It is a great neighborhood.

My daughter attends Churchland High and loves it. She is doing very well. Where am I going with this? I guess being the small city we are we feel we have to excuse ourselves. I know I am guilty of it. When someone asks where I live I tell them Churchland...like it is some sort of independent republic. I now tell them I live in Portsmouth. I am not embarrased to say that.

Portsmouth is reinventing itself as we speak. The housing projects are being replaced with very nice homes (single family and duplex homes). The downtown is very nice and is getting nicer. New loft condos are going up all the time. Admiral's Landing is at capacity and offers a nice life style along the river. We have the Commadore, museums, coffee shops, antique shops, a natural organic store, all kinds of eating establishments (new ones coming along all the time), and most importantly a vision for the future. I think we are the most progressive city in the area. We have problems as all cities do. But we are working on them. The Olde Town area is great and the new homes being built fit the character of the area (got to love infill).

As a teacher of science for the district, I will tell you that we lead the state in such areas as inclusion of technology into intruction utilizing geospatial eductation (we are the tops in the state - they look to us as the guide for instruction). We are an urban school district to be sure, but we offer a great education for those that wish it.

I guess what I am saying is that we need to look at ourselves in a positive light rather than feeling defensive. At least that is the way I am going to look at it. Stacylee, I am with you! I think the readers of this forum deserve the oportunity to see us for what we can offer rather than just pass us off with some sort of bias.
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Old 11-06-2007, 09:27 AM
 
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia
1,123 posts, read 5,332,190 times
Reputation: 710
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhrichmond View Post
Actually these are the stats for sex offenders:
Virginia Beach: 563
Norfolk: 581
Chesapeake: 461
Portsmouth: 190

You can search by city or zip and even see where they are located a map at this website: Sex Offender Registry Search (http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor/html/search.htm - broken link)

I'm not sure that those crime rates are accurate either.
I got my figures from the city-data site, so the sex offender registry is probably more accurate. I did look at the sex offender registry on the map part. When you look at HR as a whole, they are all pretty spread out all over the cities, however the Churchland area is not so dense - as some other areas.

All in all - the stats are relatively aligned based on population. My main point being that crime is everywhere! In Portsmouth however, it is mainly centered in one area of the town (the areas closest to the downtown tunnel in general, not next to the Suffolk/Ches boarders). Maybe that makes me feel better. When I drive around Ches and Va Beach, I never know when I will leave a good neighborhood and end up in a bad one. I have a hobby that takes me ALL OVER HR and I generally never know what type of area I am in. I have to get a feel for it and look around before I get out of my car.
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Old 11-06-2007, 09:55 AM
 
201 posts, read 905,857 times
Reputation: 83
Quote:
Originally Posted by stacylee926 View Post
How about those sex offender stats?
VaBeach - 532
Norfolk - 472
Chesapeake - 301
Portsmouth - 187


Do you know how many crimes constitute a sex offense? It is not just forcible rape or child molestation. Flashers, prostitutes and their Johns, 19 year olds who have sex with 17 year olds, theyre all registered as sex offenders.

Furthermore, I dont know how you can even begin to compare murder rate to sex offender rate. That is a completely rediculous notion. There is only one crime that is impossible to recover from, and that is murder.
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Old 11-06-2007, 11:17 AM
 
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia
1,123 posts, read 5,332,190 times
Reputation: 710
Lethal - this thread is not about bashing Portsmouth. YOU do not live here - you live in Norfolk. My post was about the good in my city. Crime is crime in my opinion - whether it is trespassing or murder. Knowing where sex offenders live is VERY important to families all over the country.

Please refrain from bashing my post.
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Old 11-06-2007, 11:39 AM
 
49 posts, read 226,803 times
Reputation: 25
I love portsmouth! It still has that old southern Virginia feel and lots of character unlike parts of Va Beach and other HR cities. It has that small town feel.

Dont mind Lethal Posion Stacy. I look at his comments in other posts and he is a very negative person. Depressing. He posts negative comments everday, every hour, 24/7.He is like an anti-anything positive about Hampton Roads and its cities guy or something.
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Old 11-06-2007, 11:54 AM
 
201 posts, read 905,857 times
Reputation: 83
Quote:
Originally Posted by stacylee926 View Post
Lethal - this thread is not about bashing Portsmouth. YOU do not live here - you live in Norfolk. My post was about the good in my city. Crime is crime in my opinion - whether it is trespassing or murder. Knowing where sex offenders live is VERY important to families all over the country.

Please refrain from bashing my post.

Crime is crime. Im sorry, thats completely hilarious.

Let me ask you a question, would you rather your son had his bike stolen, or that he was murdered? Are those equivalent to you? If you cant say yes, then you obviously believe one is worse then the other.
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