Norfolk VA -- is it a good place to live?

anyone live(d) in Norfolk VA? care to share insights re. pros and cons?

No. It sucks. North Georgia is berkeleying awesome though. You should move there.

I've got some friends that like it, but they came from Bushwick so not getting shot at in church was a plus for them. I would look a little south in the Chesapeak area as it seems to be more of a family suburb type setting where Norfolk is pretty much just a Navy base and seems to have all the excitement that a city of drunken sailors should.

It is a pretty nice place to live. Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake are all connected - so you can easily live in one and work in another.

I transplanted from New England over a decade ago.

The climate is pretty good - 4 seasons but very mild winters. July and August are hot and humid but the rest of the year is great. It is partly cloudy and 66 degrees right now.

People are friendly and the military influence brings folks from all over the country.

Cost of living is reasonable. Again the military brings a stablizing effect here and the economy isn't booming, but isn't bad.

Lots to do, concerts, shows, festivals almost every weekend. The beach is in your back yard. D.C. is 3 hours as are the mountains. Lots of history. Great fishing. Cheap golf.

Good medium size airport that is easy to use. I travel a lot all over the country. There are few places I'd rather live.

Pretty safe - low crime rates, low car insurance, property taxes (at least as compared to the northeast)

There are a couple of very active autocross clubs that run events locally including on the amphib base.

Need more specifics?

not yet, blu. thanks for the info. i've driven through norfolk once, and i visited VA beach once when i was about 4 years old. just saw a job posting for Norfolk and figured i'd get the straight scoop on this board.

It has been a while, but I grew up in Virginia Beach and I wouldn't hesitate one moment if i had a chance to move back there. But over all, I would look into the surrounding comunities rather than Norfolk itself.

AngryCorvair wrote: i visited VA beach once when i was about 4 years old.

Virginia Beach is currently the largest city in Virginia (by population) and in the top 50 nationally, so it has probably changed a bit since you were 4.

Let me know if you get serious about the job - I will happily buy you a beer after your interview.

When I was in the navy we called it "noberkeley vagina"

The VA Beach area (Norfolk, Hampton, Suffolk, etc) is a big metropolitan area. Big by population and by acreage.

This means there are some really nice areas, some really crappy areas, some very urban areas, and some areas that are still quite rural.

Traffic isn't great, so although you can live on a farm in Suffolk and work downtown, it might drive you bonkers getting from home to work and back.

It isn't a place I would move on a whim, but given the right job offer, I wouldn't hesitate to relocate to the area.

When going to Va Beach (the actual beach), watch out for the jellyfish and stinging nettles; they own the water.

Other than that it's not so bad.

Fun town. They're doing a lot to revitalize some areas. Richmond is the redheaded middle child of Northern Va (DC area) and the Tricities (Norfolk, Hampton Roads, Va Beach).

Some parts of Norfolk are really incredible with the old architecture. You also have Old Dominion Univ there so college age hunnies all over. Va Beach with the obligatory fake hooters that the beach girls like. Then, if you like Urban music styles, you have Portsmouth which is where people like Missy Elliot and I believe N.E.R.D is from there as well.

Strong military presence there. Great music venues at the Norva and Va Beach Amphitheater. I want to also say they have an Air Show there each year too but I'm not certain.

I live in Suffolk and work over on the east edge of Norfolk. I've lived here a little over 5 years. It's got a lot of plusses. I think the minuses are the weather is too hot and humid in the summer for my tastes and it is too flat. My commute is about 30 miles and it normally takes me about 40 minutes.

Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown are all great/interesting places to visit. Personally I do not go to the beach unless it is winter time. During the summer we will either drive down to the outer banks or go to some of the smaller less developed beaches that are in the area - Virginia Beach's beach is all about high rise motels, crowds, and traffic in the summer season.

Several active autocross clubs and about three hours to VIR and not too much farther to Summit Point.

What AngryCorvair said.

I've lived in Norfolk all my life (48yrs). It's not great but not bad. They're always doing road construction somewhere around here so traffic can be a challenge depending on where you live now.

I try to add more later.

EricM wrote: When I was in the navy we called it "noberkeley vagina"

"Norfolk girls don't drink nor smoke...

Norfolk...norfolk...norfolk"

Mel_Horn does have a point.

Wow a lot more fellow Hampton Roads area folks than I had thought!

I live in the VA Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk border area. It's nice to live here, I'd prefer to stay out of Norfolk, there are certain places that are ok, but most or Norfolk I'd rather not live in. However, even though I live in VA-Beach, I can get to anywhere in Norfolk in 15 minutes. Chesapeake would be a nice place to live, as property is cheaper, and there is more space for larger yards and what not. Just add about 10 minutes for Chesapeake to Norfolk.

If you plan to work in Norfolk, DO NOT LIVE IN HAMPTON! You do not want to join the 1000's of commuters that live in Hampton/ Newport News and commute to Norfolk, that traffic is hell. It is not near as bad the other way around, but can be a pain as well. Rush-hour traffic can be pretty bad in the whole area really, but you learn to avoid it, or find better routes.

I too do not go to the beach, so I can't comment too much on that, but it's a well developed beach that from what I can tell is pretty dang clean.

Overall though, good with the bad, it's a fairly nice place to live. The biggest downside is the 4 hour drive to VIR and Summit Point (the closest major road courses).

If you love the sound of F-18s taking off or landing every 10 minutes then its the place for you. I go to V Beach every year good fun and I love jets. +1 for VIR

Fun fact, My sisters went to Cox H.S. in Va. Beach

neon4891 wrote: Fun fact, My sisters went to Cox H.S. in Va. Beach

I'm Sorry

neon4891 wrote: Fun fact, My sisters went to Cox H.S. in Va. Beach

The Rough Riders? The Trojans?

You're asking if his sister is a Rough Rider?

I am planning to move to Yorktown Va. I got a job in Norfolk but is not sure what the commute will be from Yorktown to Norfolk. Any input?

Friend of mine was on the force in Newport News, the only reason he moved back to NYS is because wifey got homesick. Another friend of mine went with his wife to visit a sick grandmother in Va Beach, fell in love and relocated there a few weeks later.

In reply to marcy:

You will spend a lot of time waiting in traffic to get through the tunnel. I would live on the same side of the water that I worked on if I were you. Yorktown is nice, but make sure you know what you are getting into commuting wise before you move in.

I ALMOST went to Old Dominion.. I found Norfolk to be fun... but in the end lost out