Recommended locations to live (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: apartment complexes, rent, townhomes)

[zxbane]

Hey all,

I recently received a very appealing job offer to work at the Norfolk Naval Base. I have actually lived in the area in the past in the Ocean View area when I was a single male for a few years and moved away about a couple years ago so I am familiar with the area.

However upon moving back I will be moving with a Fiance' and infant daughter and wouldn't prefer to live in the OV area now that I have a family. We will be renting initially but since this is a long term move we eventually plan to buy as well. My fiance' will be staying home with our daughter initially for a year or so, we are looking for a family oriented area with things to do not too far away, shopping, a gym, maybe close proximity to a park, safe etc.

The goal is to find a place that is 2BR and under 1,200 a month rent. Chicks Beach is an area that we always liked and stands out however I also know the area can be quite expensive as well. Near town center isn't awful either but is a bit more hectic and crowded than somewhere like Chicks Beach. I am just looking for some recommendations of an area that would be nice for a young family and meets the criteria mentioned above. We aren't opposed to living in a TH or Apartment initially since we will be renting for a while until we settle in. We would prefer VB over Norfolk and would like to be a reasonable distance from the beach to be able to go to it when we'd like while also not being too much of a awful commute to the Naval Base as well.

Thanks for any insight!

[zxbane]

Nothing at all?

[randomlikeme]

It sounds to me like you know where you want to live - the Chick's Beach area.

I would look into Windsong Apartments - water/trash/sewage is included and I believe their 2br/1.5 bath is about $950. From what I remember about them was the fact that the one bedrooms did not have central air and had window units installed, but I believe the two bedrooms had central air.

I'd also look into North Beach Apartments on Shore Dr. as well, though I don't believe they include any utilities. They'd be closer to your max budget (2/2 is $1200). I have friends who have lived in them and they were pretty on the inside....and allowed big dogs.

[zxbane]

Thanks for the response,

It's funny you mentioned Windsong, those kept coming up in my searches online but I wasn't sure what kind of reviews they had. The price is definitely appealing, especially coming from the Northern VA area where rent on a place that size is much more (and not near the ocean!) I'm going to look into the Windsong apartments since they seem to be in a decent location in Chicks area and with an appealing price tag. I just hope that they are safe/quiet/clean

[jillybean720]

I'm in NOVA and moving to Virginia Beach as well. FYI, this forum is much slower than the NOVA one

[randomlikeme]

Originally Posted by zxbane

Thanks for the response,

It's funny you mentioned Windsong, those kept coming up in my searches online but I wasn't sure what kind of reviews they had. The price is definitely appealing, especially coming from the Northern VA area where rent on a place that size is much more (and not near the ocean!) I'm going to look into the Windsong apartments since they seem to be in a decent location in Chicks area and with an appealing price tag. I just hope that they are safe/quiet/clean

It's really nice back there and I feel as though they are safe/quiet/clean. Most people who review apartments will only do so when they have either an extremely positive situation or are a little ticked off and what to blow off some steam.... so I try to realize that you don't usually get the average person's experience.

I feel like I have friends who have lived in most communities and I would say the apartments for this one are more "bare bones" than others and they're old (I believe there's a pool, but no gym). There is a laundry facility on site - not in your unit which may be a downside with having an infant (though I am not sure if it changed with new management but I remember them having one in each building).... but I think it is a quiet, safe area near where you want to be.... where you can probably use all of that extra towards saving for your house. Heck - even with water/sewage/trash included in rent, that's a decent savings on an extra bill anyway!

But I think North Beach is probably higher-rated and has nicer amenities.... and might seem more like a "home".

[zxbane]

random,

Thanks again, I looked into both Windsong and North Beach and both look like viable options as far as being in the Chicks Beach area, close to water and near other go-to spots such as dining and gyms, state park etc.

I am also looking into the area down near Town Center/Princess Anne Rd. It isn't quite as close to the beach but it would put us in a good location as far as being between my work at Norfolk Naval Base, Chicks Beach and also the VB Ocean Front. Plus all the places at and near town center for dining, movies, shopping etc. There seems to be some nice complexes down in that area with reasonable prices as well. Does anyone have any feedback as far as day to day living down in that area? I would probably strive to live near Town Center but not right on top of it due to the traffic/congestion.

[randomlikeme]

Originally Posted by zxbane

random,

Thanks again, I looked into both Windsong and North Beach and both look like viable options as far as being in the Chicks Beach area, close to water and near other go-to spots such as dining and gyms, state park etc.

I am also looking into the area down near Town Center/Princess Anne Rd. It isn't quite as close to the beach but it would put us in a good location as far as being between my work at Norfolk Naval Base, Chicks Beach and also the VB Ocean Front. Plus all the places at and near town center for dining, movies, shopping etc. There seems to be some nice complexes down in that area with reasonable prices as well. Does anyone have any feedback as far as day to day living down in that area? I would probably strive to live near Town Center but not right on top of it due to the traffic/congestion.

There are some nice apartment complexes near town center as well. I have never lived near town center, but used to work at a corporate office nearby. The townhomes at Columbia Station were pretty nice, so I hope their apartments would be nice as well. I also really liked the Thalia Gardens complex as well, which is nearby without being on top of town center. (In that same area, it is also near Woodshire and Runaway Bay.... for some reason, I think Runaway Bay is ridiculously overpriced from what I have seen of it and Woodshire is also fairly old). It is all centrally located near a major highway exit, but I remember choosing to bypass it around 4:30-5:30PM every day when I left work because dealing with the traffic on Independence at that time of day irritated me.

[goon70056]

Might consider Chesapeake. Lots of apartments. And if you get one that is close to interstate 464, the commute to NOB and the beach is reasonable.

[zxbane]

I've been looking into places still since I have some time until the move. I was curious, does anyone commute from Northeast VB/Great Neck area to the Naval Base for work and if so could you comment on the commute times and conditions around 6AM? and respectively on heading home around 3pm