Young professional moving to Hampton Roads (job in Williamsburg) (Norfolk: apartments, to rent)

[Rugbygurl]

Hello. I am an early 20s young professional moving to the Hampton roads area. My job is at Busch Gardens and I was hoping to find a place closer to Hampton or Newport News but still within a 30 minute commute. Things I am looking for: lots of young people, bars/restaurants, close to beach, probably a house or townhown over an apartment. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[Poquoson7]

City Center and Port Warwick in Newport News

[Lockdev]

That's a tall order.

You're going to get a few, but not all of those checkboxes.

My biggest piece of advice is to stay in Williamsburg.

And forget City Center or Port Warwick. Those are apartments, and while they are nice, are nothing special and not worth a 30 minute commute. They are also nowhere near a beach, are very insular, and the surrounding bar/restaurant scene is not very exciting.

Williamsburg has plenty of young people due to the tourism industry and college.

There are also a ton of parks and things to do. Winter is a little dead, but summer is awesome.

I would get looking sooner than later. College kids love to rent everything out by August.

[Poquoson7]

Williamsburg is prime wealthy midwestern/northeastern retirement nirvana. There are students and "tourism industry" young people but there is no millennial gestalt. Older folks rule in this town, not a bad thing, but no place that I think you are ready for at this point in your life. It's very sedate here. City Center and Port Warwick in Newport News offers apartments, condos, lofts and townhouses as well as restaurants, bars, live entertainment and like minded young professionals. The beach in Yorktown is ten miles away, Buckroe Beach and Fort Monroe beaches also about ten miles away. Yorktown has scheduled concerts, a farmers market and seasonal festivals.
I live in Williamsburg and am "older". Trust me, you want to be closer to a more vibrant singles/young professional scene and Williamsburg, although a fabulous place, will not provide that.
Where are you coming from btw?

[Lockdev]

Originally Posted by Poquoson7

Williamsburg is prime wealthy midwestern/northeastern retirement nirvana. There are students and "tourism industry" young people but there is no millennial gestalt. Older folks rule in this town, not a bad thing, but no place that I think you are ready for at this point in your life. It's very sedate here. City Center and Port Warwick in Newport News offers apartments, condos, lofts and townhouses as well as restaurants, bars, live entertainment and like minded young professionals. The beach in Yorktown is ten miles away, Buckroe Beach and Fort Monroe beaches also about ten miles away. Yorktown has scheduled concerts, a farmers market and seasonal festivals.
I live in Williamsburg and am "older". Trust me, you want to be closer to a more vibrant singles/young professional scene and Williamsburg, although a fabulous place, will not provide that.
Where are you coming from btw?

You're older. I recently graduated from W&M, and probably have a bit of a better idea of the youth scene.

Williamsburg is part college town. There are places like Town Center in Williamsburg that have plenty to offer.

Do your research for yourself OP, especially on the commute. You have to be careful of curmudgeons that try to push the youth away from their town. And for the love of god, please don't take any advice on here seriously.

[Poquoson7]

"Please don't take ANY advice on here seriously", especially from one recent college graduate who has ALL the CORRECT answers....What a ludicrous thing to utter "curmudgeons that try to push the youth away from their town." Kind of incendiary IMO.

There is no "Town Center" in Williamsburg, it's called New Town, for clarification, and it's got everything that City Center and Port Warwick have on a much larger footprint.

Backstory for OP, myself and the other poster really don't like each other and go out of our way to offend and it usually degenerates into name calling and childishness, not a good look. Sorry you stumbled into this mess. I'm going to take the high road and step away from this conversation. Welcome to the area and good luck wherever you choose to live.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Rugbygurl

Hello. I am an early 20s young professional moving to the Hampton roads area. My job is at Busch Gardens and I was hoping to find a place closer to Hampton or Newport News but still within a 30 minute commute. Things I am looking for: lots of young people, bars/restaurants, close to beach, probably a house or townhown over an apartment. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

If your job is at Busch Gardens why would you want to live all the way out towards Newport News, or worse yet Hampton. You must not be familiar with the traffic in this area or the distances.

Stay in Williamsburg and make your life easier. Yeah Williamsburg is smaller than the other cities around here but you have urban counties. And you can always go back the other direction to Richmond if you really get bored. Doubt that will happen until this construction on 64 East is finished but it is an option.

Hampton Roads and Richmond metro areas, together, is just a huge cluster of development. So it really does not matter where you live. Stay close to the job. If you want to explore on your off days that is one thing but to explore every single day going to and from work because of being rerouted due to construction or trying to find a quicker route or whatever gets old quick. Plus you wear out your car quicker. If this area had a train going from point a to point b on that side of the pond things might be different but as it is you'll have to drive. A 30 minute commute is not a 30 minute commute, it is more like 45 minutes to an hour or more depending on traffic. Rare that commute is actually going to be 30 minutes, even though the map says so.

A lot of people stay far away to save money which is fine if you do not mind a different setting but there's nothing wrong with Williamsburg. I know it looks small on paper. But the population is growing and you'll be okay. Plus you have James City County and York County next door so it is not as bad as it seems.

[sundialstreet]

For starters it won’t matter where you live the kind of young people peer group you seek here simply does not exist here. I’m in my 40s and frankly even find the 20somethings incredibly provincial and elderly seeming. Everyone is married by 24 and has a gang of kids. You’re better off finding a cute place in Williamsburg and seeking out coworkers for socializing. I spend lots of time at Port Warwick and City Centef and I dig the vibe but I’m an introvert who loves being lost in her own head and these places are ones that are kinda empty except on weekends and during special
events. There is no bar scene unless drunks and really old creeps on disability with phlegm’s laughs are your thing or 26 year old single moms of 3.

[northernborn]

Originally Posted by Lockdev

You have to be careful of curmudgeons that try to push the youth away from their town. And for the love of god, please don't take any advice on here seriously.

So you are saying to ignore you......lol

[gregir]

I see by you name you may be interested in Rugby. the rugby teams in Norfolk are good resources if you want information about where o live and be able to play without having to dive excessively. The Norfolk Storm is the womens team and the Norfolk blues is the mens team.