Virginia Beach or Norfolk to live in (Chesapeake, Richmond: fit in, oceanfront)

[quakerchick]

I'm look for a place good to raise a family but also has fun adult and children activities, and some place safe to live. What are some good neighborhoods to live in. i.e zip codes if you know them.

[gregir]

Zip codes can be a little deceptive in the Norfolk/VB area. They may include wealthy homes and neiborhoods and dismal high crime neighborhoods. It is better to research the names of the neighborhoods.
Some good VB neighborhoods loosely based on sdafety, commute, and activites/schools, etc :
Bay Colony
Alanton
Birdneck Point
Lagomar
Christopher Farms
Thoroughgood
Shadowlawn
The North End
Cape Henry Shores
Princess Anne Hills

Norfolk List of good neghborhoods:
Ghent
Larchmont
Capeview
Lakewood

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by gregir

Zip codes can be a little deceptive in the Norfolk/VB area. They may include wealthy homes and neiborhoods and dismal high crime neighborhoods. It is better to research the names of the neighborhoods.
Some good VB neighborhoods loosely based on sdafety, commute, and activites/schools, etc :
Bay Colony
Alanton
Birdneck Point
Lagomar
Christopher Farms
Thoroughgood
Shadowlawn
The North End
Cape Henry Shores
Princess Anne Hills

Norfolk List of good neghborhoods:
Ghent
Larchmont
Capeview
Lakewood

In Norfolk you're more likely to find good and bad in the same neighborhood, blocks from each other.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by quakerchick

When visiting Norfolk I noticed that all the blacks live in one are and all the whites live in another. Coming from Manhattan NY i am not used to that. I like a little diversity. Especially as someone of mixed decent i don't want to feel as if don't fit in. Are there a lot of problems like that down there.

Race relations are probably a lot better here than they are in New York. I guess it doesn't bother me, because segregated communities are the norm in the Midwest where I'm from. To answer your question, my own neighborhood in Norfolk is integrated. What you may have seen is more of a socioeconomic segregation, which is the norm everywhere.

Blacks and Whites can live together, harmoniously, as long as they're in the same income bracket as they can relate to each other having the same experiences, and the same possibilities. It isn't the sixties and seventies when people self-segregated on race alone. Definitely is not the fifties where redlining prevented Blacks from living in desirable areas, which is one of the reasons the Midwest continues to deal with segregation, though technically Blacks with enough money can live wherever they please.

If you're looking for upper middle class/rich Black communities you might want to look in Northern Virginia, or Richmond, where that is more common, and Blacks earn more because of higher paying government jobs. DC in particular, has a lot of Blacks because it was one of the first places in the Mid-Atlantic where Blacks could find middle class administrative jobs in the 40s. Over the years, as problems in DC developed (crime, etc.) some of those Blacks moved out to Northern Virginia and Richmond. Hampton Roads is more of a working class area. On the other hand, two of my co-workers, both which are Black, live in Virginia Beach, in middle class communities. They aren't the other Blacks there, and there are Whites in those same communities. I used to live in a working class community in Virginia Beach, along with other Blacks, Whites, and Latinos. Only reason I don't live there anymore is because I was sick of the commute; 30 minutes was the norm, but an hour and fifteen minutes during rush hour was common as well. Here, I only have a ten minute commute, at best.

There are upper class/rich Blacks in Hampton Roads, particularly in local government, but I honestly don't know where they live. You have rich people living downtown, and on the Oceanfront, or the Chesapeake Bay, etc. and of course in suburban areas like Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, where homes can go for a million dollars or more but they're not as large or as prominent as they are in New York, where your "downtown" is two million people in Manhattan, where there are a few housing projects or poorer working neighborhoods, but those are more the norm, than the exception in the outer boroughs. You definitely do not have the poor living across the street from the rich like you do up there.

Don't think of Hampton Roads as Manhattan, because there is nothing comparable to that environment here, not even downtown Norfolk, which is considered the city core of the region. Look at it more of Long Island or Staten Island, Nassau or Suffolk County.

[TheJagMan]

The places with the most activities would be the Ocean front (VB) or Ghent (Norfolk)...If you live in one of those to area you could walk to a lot of the fun places compared to driving.

[UHgrad]

Originally Posted by quakerchick

I'm look for a place good to raise a family but also has fun adult and children activities, and some place safe to live. What are some good neighborhoods to live in. i.e zip codes if you know them.

What activities do you enjoy? Are you looking for parks, bars, clubs, recreation centers, live music, restaurants, the beach, places to kayak, basketball courts, tennis courts, museums, a particular church etc...? Do you mind driving a bit , do you like to bike, or do you really value walking and public transportation? It is really hard to say without knowing those kinds of things because activities that individuals enjoy are very subjective. Some people love crowds and noise while others avoid it like the plague.

If you want diversity (like you said in your other post) and you want a reasonably safe area that is good for kids and has good schools then Ocean Lakes or Kempsville are good areas in my opinion. One is by the beach and one is closer to Norfolk depending on where you would work. Parts of Salem are also some of the most diverse in the area and are relatively safe and family friendly.

There are really only a few parts of Virginia Beach that you really want to avoid and that is basically Lake Edward, parts of Green Run, and some of the areas around Oceana. Or more broadly, stay away from Newtown Rd, Lynnhaven Parkway north of Princess Anne Rd, and Virginia Beach Boulevard as a general rule. Thats my opinion anyway, others may differ.

[quakerchick]

I like going to the park and bike riding. Nature hikes. Any live music. Defiantly museums and i already know of a Quaker meeting house in vb not sure if there is one in Norfolk. Any culture fairs places where you could meet other interesting people since i have no friends out there any events where you could meet people as well. Also would like but not necessary some walk-ability of the neighborhood .

[UHgrad]

Originally Posted by quakerchick

I like going to the park and bike riding. Nature hikes. Any live music. Defiantly museums and i already know of a Quaker meeting house in vb not sure if there is one in Norfolk. Any culture fairs places where you could meet other interesting people since i have no friends out there any events where you could meet people as well. Also would like but not necessary some walk-ability of the neighborhood .

Well the hubs for those kinds of things (fairs, festivals, etc...) are gonna be downtown Norfolk, VB Town Center, and the Oceanfront. That is where you will find your festivals, music, and organized events. The best parks are probably going to be Mt Trashmore Park, First Landing State Park, and Town Point Park although there are community parks scattered all over, particularly in Virginia Beach which has abundant parks.

Festevents

Beach Street USA | It's all happening on Beach Street USA! Great entertainment at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

The Town Center Of Virginia Beach: Events

So maybe trying to find a neighborhood close to, or at least with easy access to one of these areas, would be good. Keep in mind that the oceanfront is crazy in the summer and parking/traffic is a headache.

Are you looking to rent or buy? Condo, apartment, townhouse, or single family home?

There are some nice areas near the Kempsville Greens golf course (either the golf course community or off Edwin/Green Meadows that would put you really close to VB Town Center, Mount Trashmore Park, and the interstate. Kempsville Lake is even a decent community at a lower price point... although I hear there are kids that cause some trouble over there from time to time.

Ocean lakes would put you close to Red Mill Commons, the Oceanfront, and Sandbridge but is kind of out there unless you work in that part of the city. There are nice community parks there and it is reasonably bike friendly.

Ghent (in norfolk) is nice as well, there is probably the most to do there for what you mentioned since it is close to downtown and has a local music/art/restaurant scene, but in can be kind of expensive for families and schools are questionable in my opinion.

A lot of it may depend on where you find work as well. The VB/Norfolk area is pretty large geographically and traffic can be bad if you travel the wrong routes at the wrong times... particularly if you live or work far from the interstate. Personally, I would figure out where you are gonna work first then narrow down communities from there but those 3 would be my suggestions unless you are have a really big budget.

[UHgrad]

Originally Posted by gregir

Zip codes can be a little deceptive in the Norfolk/VB area. They may include wealthy homes and neiborhoods and dismal high crime neighborhoods. It is better to research the names of the neighborhoods.
Some good VB neighborhoods loosely based on sdafety, commute, and activites/schools, etc :
Bay Colony
Alanton
Birdneck Point
Lagomar
Christopher Farms
Thoroughgood
Shadowlawn
The North End
Cape Henry Shores
Princess Anne Hills

Norfolk List of good neghborhoods:
Ghent
Larchmont
Capeview
Lakewood

These are all solid neighborhoods too, some are kinda pricey though so keep budget in mind.

[quakerchick]

Are any of these neighborhoods in VB close to norfolk since i will traveling there everyday