Moving to the area...share all the details! ;) (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: real estate, cliquey)

[Jackiekcm]

Hellloooo
This is my first time posting in here! I will be making the BIG move to the area in the end of May/beginning of June from Alabama. My significant other just got orders to Norfolk and we are excited about the move! We have 1 child, elementary age.
My S.O. will not be making the move with us, as he will be deployed. So my question is- What areas should I avoid with a young child? What elementary schools are the best? Are there military esque neighborhoods that have a good support system, as I'll be alone for the next 6 months there? We have been interested in the Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, & Suffolk areas. Everything just seems so big and spread out that I feel a bit overwhelmed settling on something. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make a trip to the areas to check them out before moving. SO it's a 'BLIND MOVE' and it is definitely intimidating.
I come from a very rural part of Alabama and enjoy the slower pace of living. We are only looking to rent for the our next 3 years there and hoping to find something around $1500 or less. From what I've seen on rental sites, it seems kind of hit or miss to find something nice with that price range, in a safe neighborhood.
Any advise is VERY MUCH appreciated.

Thank y'all!
-Jackie

[marid4061]

I really hope someone who lives on that side of the water (Norfolk side) responds to this for you. I am on the peninsula, Hampton, Newport News side. Funny thing is my daughter and son-in-law are in Alabama and hate it there. They find it very isolating and boring. The upside is that housing is so unbelievably inexpensive in Alabama! You will not find anything comparable here in Va. Housing is expensive. Utilities are really high also. As are real estate taxes. That being said, if you like a slower pace look in Chesapeake or Suffolk. They are big cities but have some rural areas. But, I don't know about the best schools or neighborhoods. VA Beach has a lot of great areas, I just have not lived there and can't recommend neighborhoods. I would not live in Norfolk and stay out of Portsmouth. There are so many shady areas and high crime rates in those cities. There is so much to do and so many positives that I think you will really enjoy your time in Va though. The military community is tight knit and you will get a lot of support. Whatever city you decide you should be able to find a good, comfortable neighborhood to fit your needs with good schools. You just don't get much house here in that price range as compared to Alabama. Search the forum for more information. Enjoy the many parks, beaches, museums, shopping, restaurants, etc. that this area has to offer! Hope you love Va and I know you will make the best of it and meet many new people and have many new experiences. Oh, and traffic is pretty intense too, especially in the summer! Best of luck and welcome!

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by Jackiekcm

Hellloooo
I come from a very rural part of Alabama and enjoy the slower pace of living. We are only looking to rent for the our next 3 years there and hoping to find something around $1500 or less. From what I've seen on rental sites, it seems kind of hit or miss to find something nice with that price range, in a safe neighborhood.

You might prefer Chesapeake or further out (Lago Mar, Pungo) parts of VB if you like rural. Of course, once your husband is back, it'll be a longer commute to the base for him from those more rural areas. Both cities are quite family friendly with just a handful of patches I'd try to avoid with young kids, but if you're looking for rural, you'll probably be outside of those patches.

[Jackiekcm]

Thank you so much @marid4061 and @jillybean720 !
I think I've narrowed my interest to Chesapeake and VaBeach, because of the schools. I did read an article about a higher burgalarism rate in Chesapeake, does anyone know if that is true?
I've seen some awesome threads on family friendly things to do around the area and I'm really looking forward to that. My biggest concern is just safety until my SO makes it back from deployment.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by marid4061

I really hope someone who lives on that side of the water (Norfolk side) responds to this for you. I am on the peninsula, Hampton, Newport News side. Funny thing is my daughter and son-in-law are in Alabama and hate it there. They find it very isolating and boring. The upside is that housing is so unbelievably inexpensive in Alabama! You will not find anything comparable here in Va. Housing is expensive. Utilities are really high also. As are real estate taxes. That being said, if you like a slower pace look in Chesapeake or Suffolk. They are big cities but have some rural areas. But, I don't know about the best schools or neighborhoods. VA Beach has a lot of great areas, I just have not lived there and can't recommend neighborhoods. I would not live in Norfolk and stay out of Portsmouth. There are so many shady areas and high crime rates in those cities. There is so much to do and so many positives that I think you will really enjoy your time in Va though. The military community is tight knit and you will get a lot of support. Whatever city you decide you should be able to find a good, comfortable neighborhood to fit your needs with good schools. You just don't get much house here in that price range as compared to Alabama. Search the forum for more information. Enjoy the many parks, beaches, museums, shopping, restaurants, etc. that this area has to offer! Hope you love Va and I know you will make the best of it and meet many new people and have many new experiences. Oh, and traffic is pretty intense too, especially in the summer! Best of luck and welcome!

If the OP wants a slower pace of living the only way they'll find it on the Southside is if they go out to Southern Virginia Beach or Southern Chesapeake. Particularly if schools are an issue. The Peninsula is probably the way they should go. Plus prices are lower on the Peninsula. OP is not going to find anything comparable here unless they move closer to North Carolina. And the commute will eat up the difference but with a $1,500 budget that might not be an issue for the OP.

Of course I enjoy Norfolk but for the OP it would probably be comparable to one of the larger cities in Alabama and it does not appear as though that is what the OP is looking for.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Jackiekcm

Hellloooo
This is my first time posting in here! I will be making the BIG move to the area in the end of May/beginning of June from Alabama. My significant other just got orders to Norfolk and we are excited about the move! We have 1 child, elementary age.
My S.O. will not be making the move with us, as he will be deployed. So my question is- What areas should I avoid with a young child? What elementary schools are the best? Are there military esque neighborhoods that have a good support system, as I'll be alone for the next 6 months there? We have been interested in the Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, & Suffolk areas. Everything just seems so big and spread out that I feel a bit overwhelmed settling on something. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make a trip to the areas to check them out before moving. SO it's a 'BLIND MOVE' and it is definitely intimidating.
I come from a very rural part of Alabama and enjoy the slower pace of living. We are only looking to rent for the our next 3 years there and hoping to find something around $1500 or less. From what I've seen on rental sites, it seems kind of hit or miss to find something nice with that price range, in a safe neighborhood.
Any advise is VERY MUCH appreciated.

Thank y'all!
-Jackie

You can get anything for $1,500 a month if you're renting. Might not be the best they have to offer in some of the complexes around here but that is a great budget.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Jackiekcm

Thank you so much @marid4061 and @jillybean720 !
I think I've narrowed my interest to Chesapeake and VaBeach, because of the schools. I did read an article about a higher burgalarism rate in Chesapeake, does anyone know if that is true?
I've seen some awesome threads on family friendly things to do around the area and I'm really looking forward to that. My biggest concern is just safety until my SO makes it back from deployment.

I've heard about that as well. I never had any issues but I was in South Norfolk. Something like burglary though is very subjective. I never really felt that with Chesapeake; it just wasn't the most exciting place in the world.

[fmac]

If you send me a PM with an email address and what specifically you want in the rental (furnished/unfurnished,bedrooms/baths/pets etc), I will do a search on our multiple listing system and send what is currently available. Our system however does not normally include apartments. And also confirm that his orders are for something at Naval Operating Base Norfolk. There are a number od Navy Facilities in the area. Which in turn may impact your decision. Also, some places may require you to have a special power of attorney for signing a lease for your SO.

[Jackiekcm]

Thank you so much everyone! Trying to weed out of all the 'bad areas' and taking everyone's advise on which schools are no good seems to be taxing! I guess the area there is rather large!
Does anyone have any input on living in Hampton?

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by Jackiekcm

Thank you so much everyone! Trying to weed out of all the 'bad areas' and taking everyone's advise on which schools are no good seems to be taxing! I guess the area there is rather large!
Does anyone have any input on living in Hampton?

I grew up in Hampton. To be honest, the city does not have an attractive resume. Crime has gone up over the years, the schools have always been mediocre to so-so at best. It has some cool things about it like old Ft Monroe and Buckroe Beach. If you were gonna live on the same side of the water, this is blasphemy as a Hampton native, but Newport News IMO gives you more bang for your buck than Hampton. Newport News schools are more average and IMO crime is more “contained” than Hampton’s which one block can be ok and one block can be bad. Prime example is Todd’s Ln/Cunningham Ave off I-64 where I grew up. Super seedy apartment complexes next to nice middle class homes.

Yorktown offers the best schools on that side of the water but can be VERY cliquey. For my money, I think the Southside is better than Peninsula and I think Chesapeake is the Best Buy out of all of Hampton Roads.

BTW you really don’t want to live on the Peninsula if you are working in Norfolk. The HRBT is murder during rush hour.