Relocation

People move in and out of Hampton Roads constantly, thanks to all those military families amongst us. Many only leave because they are ordered to a new station. Lots find ways to transfer between local commands and never get sent away. A huge group loves their time in the area so much they keep their homes and move back once they retire from the military, establishing a Department of Defense pension group here that’s larger than a lot of small cities.

There are other reasons, though, to call Hampton Roads home, even if you aren’t wearing a uniform or drawing a federal paycheck.

There’s the glorious weather, the abundance of outdoor activities, and a culture that is a blend of cosmopolitan and southern comfort. Plus that resort area, the one others save up all year to enjoy in a short vacation, is yours anytime you want with just a few minutes on the road.

Then there’s the economy. Buffered from wild swings in the markets by military payrolls and companies providing supplies to the services, there’s usually a place here for those who want to work.

And all this comes at a relative bargain.

The cost of living in Virginia Beach, for instance, is just 70 percent of that in Washington, D.C., and if you shop around, you can probably do a lot better than that average.

Taxes here aren’t oppressive, and the governments they fund tend to be efficient. The public school systems are generally good, and kids don’t have to leave town to get a quality college education.

The region, long a confederation of bickering competitors, has become cooperative, and the result has been a shared water supply system as well as plans for a light rail line that will link the neighborhoods of Virginia Beach with downtown employers and the Navy bases in Norfolk. Potential spurs could reach all the way down into Chesapeake. The region also came together to back a plan that would return passenger rail service to Norfolk—without the bus ride from Newport News—and offer high-speed trips to the nation’s capital.