Norfolk, VA anyone?

gigglesb · October 2012

Hello Navy wife here again. As most of you know, our plans are always up in the air around reenlistment time. We reenlisted last week and are waiting for our options. The only one as of last week was Norfolk, VA. I'm a west coast girl and no NOTHING about the area. We're ready for a change though. Can anyone shed some light? Thanks so much.......pros and cons would be great! (We have a 10 month old baby boy also)

Melissa

jessilynnwilliams · October 2012

We're in Norfolk

Well, actually Virginia Beach. Which I totally recommend! It gives you a little longer commute to work, but it's a MUCH nicer area! I've not been to the West coast, so I really can't compare them for you! Sorry!!! But, if you have any specific questions about this area PM me, and I'll help you the best that I can!!

laurelita42 · October 2012

I'm in Norfolk, too. I live on post. We just got here after a wonderful couple years in Monterey CA. The area is okay... some neighborhoods are wonderful and then you go three streets over and it's hell. It's not my favorite duty station, but it is what you make of it. There are nice neighborhoods in Norfolk, V. Beach, and in Chesapeake. The traffic can be insane if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time! Definitely feel free to PM me with any specific questions, I'd love to help!

cpb79 · October 2012

Like the other girls said, there are some sketchy areas of Norfolk. Definitely try for Chesapeake or Virginia Beach. We live in Newport News and my hubby commutes to Oceana every day. Traffic can be a pain, but if you stay on the side of the water at least you will avoid tunnel traffic.

There is a lot to do here, especially in nicer weather. There's the zoo and botanical gardens in Norfolk and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.

jamelyn307 · October 2012

Hello, We are in Newport News( Fort Eustis). I love the area around us. And there is always something going on somewhere the the Hampton Roads area if you are looking for it.

We also have a 10 month old little boy

saywhut82 · October 2012

We are in Norfolk as well. Much like many of the pp have said, it is all about location. My spouse and I wanted to stay close to base because when we first got stationed, we only had one vehicle. So we live in base housing. The neighborhood is great. We live close to Ghent and Larchmont and NOB. As for other areas, you will find rough neighborhoods and housing in the most odd and random places around here. It makes no sense at all...I promise you. LOL

Not a west coast chick, but I am from Texas...so I can tell you now...its different. The atmosphere is not as easy going and relaxed out this way like it is out there, but the people are friendly and nice....its easy to find your way around once you learn the clusterFxxk of a highway system they have...and watch out for traffic...its a nightmare.

ufsandra85 · October 2012

we live in the upper western branch/upper suffolk/ churchland area of portsmouth area and love it here! the area is nice and safe, the people are nice and it is one of the few areas in the hampton roads area that has no traffic. it is a little ways to norfolk though. we are stationed at newport news shipyard and portsmouth naval hospital so it is convenient to both of our jobs. we love it here. there is a lot to do, things close by, pretty area etc

Temp76535187505890 · October 2012

We also live in the Western Branch Chesapeake, Portsmouth, North Suffolk area and I would NOT recommend living here if you have to commute into Norfolk. It IS a great place to live but the commute is an hour or more depending on the time you hit the tunnel.

MelmelJ · October 2012

DH and I reside in Virginia Beach and we love it. There is not horrible traffic unless you are down by the beach during the summer. I have lots of friends whose husbands commute to Norfolk. IMO it would be a shorter commute than Suffolk because that tunnel is crazy with downtown traffic. Not that Suffolk is not beautiful it is just way on out there.

sweetpea2003 · October 2012

I live in Norfolk. Have for a total of 7 years now.

I completely disagree that VA Beach is "much nicer" as a blanket statement. They tend to be people that never leave VA Beach and have never seen the amazing neighborhoods, shopping, and dining in Norfolk.

The entire Hampton Roads area is a great place to live. There is a ton to do and the cost of living is average. There is a good foodie culture here if you like exploring independantly owned restaurants. We have minor league baseball and hockey, a great zoo, aquarium, and children's museum. The beaches are great, we have a ton of parks, and we have good public and private school options.

My advice is to really look carefully at what you can afford and decide where you want to live. The trouble with Norfolk is that the nicest neighborhoods (Larchmont, Lochhaven, West Ghent, Ghent, Lafayette Shores, Riverview, Meadowbrook, etc) are VERY expensive. So what happens is that there is a large community of higher ranking military members in those neighborhoods, but the less expensive parts of Norfolk aren't as desireable. Virginia Beach and Chesapeake have more options for less expensive prices.

I adore Norfolk. Truly. It annoys the daylights out of me to see the "OMG, Norfolk is ghetto you must live in VA Beach" stuff on military boards. I find it very ignorant. Norfolk is a more urban lifestyle. But we have better food, better shopping, and a more eclectic style. VA Beach has it's own positives, but it isn't some utopian haven. There are some nasty neighborhoods there too.

GL with your choice! Just be educated and make sure to look for yourself.

FWIW, we live in Larchmont. I LOVE it. I can walk to the library, I can walk my daughter to preschool, I can walk to several restaurants, and I think the whole area is awesome. We are waterfront and the homes are all adorable and unique. We are a tight knit community and have a large military presence. We are located about 2 miles south of NOB (just to the north of ODU). I would put Larchmont up against ANY neighborhood in Hampton Roads. Rent averages about $2200 a month and most rentals are word of mouth. We are moving in 2 months if you need a lead.

saywhut82 · October 2012

sweetpea2003:
I live in Norfolk. Have for a total of 7 years now.

I completely disagree that VA Beach is "much nicer" as a blanket statement. They tend to be people that never leave VA Beach and have never seen the amazing neighborhoods, shopping, and dining in Norfolk.

The entire Hampton Roads area is a great place to live. There is a ton to do and the cost of living is average. There is a good foodie culture here if you like exploring independantly owned restaurants. We have minor league baseball and hockey, a great zoo, aquarium, and children's museum. The beaches are great, we have a ton of parks, and we have good public and private school options.

My advice is to really look carefully at what you can afford and decide where you want to live. The trouble with Norfolk is that the nicest neighborhoods (Larchmont, Lochhaven, West Ghent, Ghent, Lafayette Shores, Riverview, Meadowbrook, etc) are VERY expensive. So what happens is that there is a large community of higher ranking military members in those neighborhoods, but the less expensive parts of Norfolk aren't as desireable. Virginia Beach and Chesapeake have more options for less expensive prices.

I adore Norfolk. Truly. It annoys the daylights out of me to see the "OMG, Norfolk is ghetto you must live in VA Beach" stuff on military boards. I find it very ignorant. Norfolk is a more urban lifestyle. But we have better food, better shopping, and a more eclectic style. VA Beach has it's own positives, but it isn't some utopian haven. There are some nasty neighborhoods there too.

GL with your choice! Just be educated and make sure to look for yourself.

FWIW, we live in Larchmont. I LOVE it. I can walk to the library, I can walk my daughter to preschool, I can walk to several restaurants, and I think the whole area is awesome. We are waterfront and the homes are all adorable and unique. We are a tight knit community and have a large military presence. We are located about 2 miles south of NOB (just to the north of ODU). I would put Larchmont up against ANY neighborhood in Hampton Roads. Rent averages about $2200 a month and most rentals are word of mouth. We are moving in 2 months if you need a lead.

We are practically neighbors. I live by Camp Allen Marine Base and the MCX...and I agree with you 100%. There are some very nice affordable neighborhoods in Norfolk, as well as properties. It is a matter of preference AND what will be better for your budget/pocketbook.

sweetpea2003 · October 2012

saywhut82:
sweetpea2003:

I live in Norfolk. Have for a total of 7 years now.

I completely disagree that VA Beach is "much nicer" as a blanket statement. They tend to be people that never leave VA Beach and have never seen the amazing neighborhoods, shopping, and dining in Norfolk.

The entire Hampton Roads area is a great place to live. There is a ton to do and the cost of living is average. There is a good foodie culture here if you like exploring independantly owned restaurants. We have minor league baseball and hockey, a great zoo, aquarium, and children's museum. The beaches are great, we have a ton of parks, and we have good public and private school options.

My advice is to really look carefully at what you can afford and decide where you want to live. The trouble with Norfolk is that the nicest neighborhoods (Larchmont, Lochhaven, West Ghent, Ghent, Lafayette Shores, Riverview, Meadowbrook, etc) are VERY expensive. So what happens is that there is a large community of higher ranking military members in those neighborhoods, but the less expensive parts of Norfolk aren't as desireable. Virginia Beach and Chesapeake have more options for less expensive prices.

I adore Norfolk. Truly. It annoys the daylights out of me to see the "OMG, Norfolk is ghetto you must live in VA Beach" stuff on military boards. I find it very ignorant. Norfolk is a more urban lifestyle. But we have better food, better shopping, and a more eclectic style. VA Beach has it's own positives, but it isn't some utopian haven. There are some nasty neighborhoods there too.

GL with your choice! Just be educated and make sure to look for yourself.

FWIW, we live in Larchmont. I LOVE it. I can walk to the library, I can walk my daughter to preschool, I can walk to several restaurants, and I think the whole area is awesome. We are waterfront and the homes are all adorable and unique. We are a tight knit community and have a large military presence. We are located about 2 miles south of NOB (just to the north of ODU). I would put Larchmont up against ANY neighborhood in Hampton Roads. Rent averages about $2200 a month and most rentals are word of mouth. We are moving in 2 months if you need a lead.

We are practically neighbors. I live by Camp Allen Marine Base and the MCX...and I agree with you 100%. There are some very nice affordable neighborhoods in Norfolk, as well as properties. It is a matter of preference AND what will be better for your budget/pocketbook.

Nice! The housing there looks pretty nice from what I've seen from Terminal Blvd .

tinychefjackson · October 2012

I definitely recommend moving to the area with some flexibility regarding where you live. The areas here are interwoven "good" and "bad" areas. You have sketchy neighborhoods right next to $1M homes. Our "great" apartments had serious jet noise. There are mold issues in most military housing and many apartments surrounding bases.

We live in Virginia Beach. It took us three years to fall in love with an area here. You may want to take advantage of your maximum stay in the Navy Lodge before committing to an apartment/home.

sweetpea2003 · October 2012

Actually, they do disclose jet noise. It is in every lease and mortgage agreement by law. Next time if you can't find it in your lease, ask for it specifically. There are some areas here that you might not think are noisy that are like Fentress in Chesapeake.

DH is an aviator and as much as he loves what he does, we refuse to live in the noise. One of the many reasons he commutes to Oceana from Norfolk. :

LeahCK · October 2012

Norfolk can be nice and there are some crazy mixes in there. We live in Colonial place just a few blocks from ODU and on the other side of Larchmont. If you move here live in Larchmont. We tried and every rental was gone before we got to it. I despise colonial place (only because we've been robbed TWICE). We have a few months left and I can't wait.

If we had to do it again we'd move to Chesapeake right off of 464 since you can just jump right on the highway and avoid tunnel traffic if you're going to NOB and the crime rate is not as high as it is in Norfolk.

Sweetpea, I agree, I love running/walking to the library and the methodist church right there. I will always regret not moving to Larchmont while we were here.

gigglesb · October 2012

Thanks everyone for the information! I can't wait to share this with my hubby. VA is 3rd on our list. Hawaii, San Diego and VA is our order submitted, as of this week.

We'd love to be in the sun and have a break from the gray skies of Washington. A special thanks to sweetpea2003 for all the great info.

Hope to chat more......

tinychefjackson · October 2012

sweetpea2003:
Actually, they do disclose jet noise. It is in every lease and mortgage agreement by law. Next time if you can't find it in your lease, ask for it specifically. There are some areas here that you might not think are noisy that are like Fentress in Chesapeake. DH is an aviator and as much as he loves what he does, we refuse to live in the noise. One of the many reasons he commutes to Oceana from Norfolk. :

Linkhorn Bay did not disclose the noise. In fact, they made us sign a "quiet enjoyment" clause. (haha)

We will not have this problem, anymore, as we bought a home. Our realtor helped us find a place that is out of ALL flight zones EXCEPT during the air shows. We can deal with the Blue Angels twice a year.

Norfolk, VA anyone?

Re: Norfolk, VA anyone?

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