Virginia Beach Named Top 10 Best Cities To Grow Up (Chesapeake: oceanfront, lease)

[cityboi757]

America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up - US News and World Report

Virginia Beach, Va.: Junior adventurers will love Virginia Beach, Va. This community of 434,000 residents in the southeastern part of the state has a low crime rate, a solid school system, and 35 miles of majestic beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. "It's kind of neat to be able to come home from work, make a call to my wife or son, grab a bucket of chicken or some sandwiches, and then go out on the bay and have dinner," saysGreg Ward, who works for a marketing firm that represents the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Children can explore an impressive ecosystem of threatened and endangered species—including bald eagles and loggerhead sea turtles—in the 9,000-acre Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The warm summers and mild winters provide plenty of opportunities to hike, bike, and picnic your way through the 19 miles of scenic trails over at First Landing [COLOR=#005497 !important][COLOR=#005497 !important]State [COLOR=#005497 !important]Park[/color][/color][/color]. And after checking out the sand tiger sharks and the cow-nose rays at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, children can catch an educational picture in its 3-D IMAX theater.
And in early September, the community is launching an online resource—VBparents.com—designed to keep parents plugged in to local health and school news, while ensuring that they are up-to-date on all of the community activities available to their [COLOR=#005497 !important][COLOR=#005497 !important]kids[/color][/color]. "There are lots of great parenting resources out there. This one is going to be specific to raising your child and your family within the city of Virginia Beach," says Jenefer Snyder, city of Virginia Beach GrowSmart coordinator. "We are constantly going to be connecting it back to community services, activities, events, programs, and classes."

[bbguy05]

Yeah, all those things are great to do on the first go around. But after a while, it wears old and then you are left with nothing to do.

[Randomdude]

Virginia Beach wasnt a terrible place to grow up, but its a terrible place to be an adult.

[CaitlinVABeach]

I'm originally from North NJ and came to Virginia Beach to attend Virginia Wesleyan College. After great times in college I decided to stay here and look for work... well three years later I'm tired of the beach and wishing that I was closer to family. I'm already looking to relocate within the next year.
I agree, Virginia Beach is a great place to stay for a year or two, but then it just gets to be a bit dull. The tourists envading out oceanfront for 4 months is obnoxious and the crime is getting a bit out of hand. Time for a move!

[AlexandriaVa11]

Hi, this is my first post here so please be gentle. My family and I are seriously considering the possibility of relocating to Va Beach next summer. We're trying to time it that way for school, and also to give ourselves plenty of time to get things in order here in NoVa. Everything will depend on my husband's job situation, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that a possible transfer to Va Beach will come through.

So I've been doing TONS of research to see if we really would want to make this move. We have an 11 year old and 8 year old, so do not take a move or relocation lightly. We like our current area quite a bit, so we are not compelled to move or leave for any reason.

After reading a lot on the forums and doing other research, I feel good about our being able to buy a decent house in Va beach in a good school system, so I'm not concerned about our kids receiving a good education in Va Beach -- so that's a major, major plus about the area for us.

We all love the beach SO MUCH (have rented a house in Sandbridge for a couple of summers plus stayed on the boardwalk plenty of times), so the thought of actually living so close to our 'vacation location' is exciting.

We would be moving closer to family (thought still not super close), so that's a big plus.

So... for those of you who replied negatively to the OP, could you please explain why you think Va Beach gets old after a couple of years? Or why you feel it's dull? It would be very helpful to read your opinions. I understand the impact of having an influx of tourists -- we get that here in DC, too, so I know all about avoiding the touristy areas during the summer!

And for anyone else who's reading and can offer your 2 cents -- I would love to read your thoughts about the Va Beach area as a place to call "home." Especially if you moved to Va Beach from NoVa and/or if you relocated your family to Va Beach.

Thank you in advance!

[cityboi757]

I moved to Va Beach when I was 14 and enjoyed every moment of my childhood. I loved not having to worry about getting shot while I was outside, I loved the hundreds of different places you can eat at on the weekends, I loved going to the oceanfront and meeting people, I loved to go to the zoo and the aquarium, I loved to go to downtown norfolk and hang out, I loved crossing bridge tunnels, etc. I think the people on here are talking about the tourist attractions get boring after a while.

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by AlexandriaVa11

So... for those of you who replied negatively to the OP, could you please explain why you think Va Beach gets old after a couple of years? Or why you feel it's dull? It would be very helpful to read your opinions. I understand the impact of having an influx of tourists -- we get that here in DC, too, so I know all about avoiding the touristy areas during the summer!

Any place can get old after awhile if you don't look for new ideas and/or places to explore so I personally think it is more about the lifestyle/outlook of the person replying to this question and not so much about the area itself.....I have lived in this area for many years and I still find fun and exciting things to do with my free time......

You can visit any section (pick a state) on this forum and find people who love or hate where they live.......So that should tell you any place you live is only as good as you are willing to make it...

[telemonster]

Originally Posted by cityboi757

America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up - US News and World Report
saysGreg Ward, who works for a marketing firm that represents the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.
says Jenefer Snyder, city of Virginia Beach GrowSmart coordinator.

They quote the people who's paycheck comes from promoting the area.

It's like asking a Realtor(TM) if it's a good time to buy or sell a home. Of course they say yes, they've got rent to make on their leased car.

[telemonster]

Originally Posted by AlexandriaVa11

Hi, this is my first post here so please be gentle. My family and I are seriously considering the possibility of

Thank you in advance!

Part of it deals with soci-economic status. I assume you're planning to cash out of the Alexandria housing market and bring with you lots of cash, perhaps buying into the cheaper housing market of Virginia Beach?

Also, you fail to mention employment and such. Do you need jobs or no need to work?

There are a lot of variables.

A welfare mom is going to have a different experience than a trust fund baby.

[AlexandriaVa11]

Thanks so much for the replies. I really appreciate it.

WRT the job question, I did mention in my first paragraph above that we'd be moving here b/c of my husband's job. There are decent-paying jobs in his field in the HR area (and there's an office of his company in Va Beach), with expectations of work for years to come. He works in a fairly recession-proof field. I do a specialized kind of work and freelance out of a home office; most of my clients are in the NY/NJ area and so my location is not critical -- I plan to work from Va Beach as soon as I am able (i.e., we're settled in).

Sorry, trying not to get too specific about jobs when it's my first day posting.

Also, yes, we are fortunate in that we will have enough equity in our home in NoVa to be able to put down 20% on a home in Va beach and still have some cushion. We're fairly conservative financially, though, so do NOT plan to over-extend ourselves and buy the tip-top house we'd probably qualify for (back when we bought this house doing that was called being house-poor, not sure if that term is still used in this economy!).

Anyway, back to my original post, I'm still pondering all of the ramifications for our family if we do make this move. It would be a pretty major deal for us and we would expect to stay in Va Beach for years to come.

Thanks again.