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Sure, both have a strong Navy presence and beaches, but that's where the similarities end.
The weather, vibe, and feel are completely different.
Lockdev this isn't my first time hearing that about San Diego and Virginia Beach please elaborate. On the surface it seems like a matter of preference, and perhaps some people just prefer California's vibe but if there is anything tangible or quantifiable do tell.
Slightly different take here. I am very, very familiar with that area having lived there for several years, and then my daughter was stationed there for five years and we visited her often. I LOVE the beach and I also love love love history, so here's my take:
1. I'd definitely do the boardwalk at Virginia Beach. VA Beach is one of my favorite beaches and boardwalks because it's sort of quintessential beachy to me.
2. I would also definitely do Fort Monroe, which is an interesting place and full of quirky history. In addition to the odd little beachy inlets, there are also some cool historical sites there and a small but interesting museum. My husband was very pleasantly surprised by Fort Monroe the last time we were there and I "made" him go. He has mentioned how much he enjoyed it several times since then.
3. This hasn't been brought up that I can see, but I'd spring for a Historic Triangle ticket and go see Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. You could see all three in one long, jam packed day, or see Williamsburg on one day and Jamestown and Yorktown on the other day. Yorktown is the sleeper of the three. Last time we were there we took a segueway tour of Yorktown, though we'd been there several times already. WOW, it was really cool! In addition to the historical homes and the cool harbor, the house on the bluff overlooking the harbor is where Cornwallis surrendered in the Revolutionary War and it is now a park, and you can just wander through the open house, I think there is no charge for that. Anyway, there is also a really good restaurant right on the water called the Yorktown Pub. GET THE BUTTER BEANS as a side to the fabulous seafood! I know it sounds weird but you can thank me later!
Williamsburg is touristy but worth it, if that makes sense. It's fun to explore the houses and see the goods being made just like they were made in the 1700s. My personal favorite of the three though is Jamestown. GREAT museum and cool exhibits. Jamestown was one of the very first places that settlers from Europe settled - in the early 1600s. This is where Pocahontas came from. It is very, very interesting if you are into history.
I am jealous. This is my absolute very favorite part of the United States!
Lock, I've spent a lot of time in both San Diego and Virginia Beach. I cited specific cultural similarities.. im curious what is the significantly different vibe (?) That's completely nebulous.. elaborate (?)
Having a Beach culture & military culture are the most definitive aspects of VA Beach culture. You're making it seem like a superficial factor (?)
Half of VA Beach was once stationed in San Diego.. c'mon. It's literally the same people just switching location of their base housing.. /peace
Virginia Beach is hardly a stand alone municipality. It’s a suburb #1. #2 it’s great if you like paying close to San Diego prices to live in that cold chithole as far as rent and home prices go. The beach water is literally **** brown. It’s a disgusting excuse for a costal city.
#3. The other half of the city that’s closer to Norfolk gets a lot of trashy overspill. It’s HR bro, so it’s unavoidable. Ghetto everywhere.
#4. Almost every young person in VB is a spoiled navy brat. Unlike VB, most of the wealthier class in SD still party with the blue collar, working class man. It’s a great place to get spit on like your trash , I always loved people’s reaction when I tell them all the areas that I’ve lived in Norfolk.
#5. Ever walk around the beach at night during the summer time ? Do you know how many times you’ll be begged by tweakers ? It’s not nearly as bad as Norfolk where I’ve almost gotten my throat slit when I was 14 because I didn’t have a cigarette but it’s still pretty bad.
#6. Everyone is a snake or worse. Those closest to you will be the first ones to rob you but that can be anywhere. It’s very cut throat. Espically the job culture. Work work work work , throw the man next to you off a bridge to get ahead.
Virginia Beach is hardly a stand alone municipality. It’s a suburb #1. #2 it’s great if you like paying close to San Diego prices to live in that cold chithole as far as rent and home prices go. The beach water is literally **** brown. It’s a disgusting excuse for a costal city.
#3. The other half of the city that’s closer to Norfolk gets a lot of trashy overspill. It’s HR bro, so it’s unavoidable. Ghetto everywhere.
#4. Almost every young person in VB is a spoiled navy brat. Unlike VB, most of the wealthier class in SD still party with the blue collar, working class man. It’s a great place to get spit on like your trash , I always loved people’s reaction when I tell them all the areas that I’ve lived in Norfolk.
#5. Ever walk around the beach at night during the summer time ? Do you know how many times you’ll be begged by tweakers ? It’s not nearly as bad as Norfolk where I’ve almost gotten my throat slit when I was 14 because I didn’t have a cigarette but it’s still pretty bad.
#6. Everyone is a snake or worse. Those closest to you will be the first ones to rob you but that can be anywhere. It’s very cut throat. Espically the job culture. Work work work work , throw the man next to you off a bridge to get ahead.
I could go on but I digress
That's if you LIVE there, lol.
I vote for the Chrysler Museum, which is small and wonderful. If they say the boardwalk is good, then do it. I stay away from the beach when I visit because it's full of hotels and to me, that spoils the beach. Do Williamsburg. Anyway, it's nicer up in the Williamsburg area.
No matter what you do, don't get onto that bay-bridge monstrosity!
Virginia Beach is hardly a stand alone municipality. It’s a suburb #1. #2 it’s great if you like paying close to San Diego prices to live in that cold chithole as far as rent and home prices go. The beach water is literally **** brown. It’s a disgusting excuse for a costal city.
#3. The other half of the city that’s closer to Norfolk gets a lot of trashy overspill. It’s HR bro, so it’s unavoidable. Ghetto everywhere.
#4. Almost every young person in VB is a spoiled navy brat. Unlike VB, most of the wealthier class in SD still party with the blue collar, working class man. It’s a great place to get spit on like your trash , I always loved people’s reaction when I tell them all the areas that I’ve lived in Norfolk.
#5. Ever walk around the beach at night during the summer time ? Do you know how many times you’ll be begged by tweakers ? It’s not nearly as bad as Norfolk where I’ve almost gotten my throat slit when I was 14 because I didn’t have a cigarette but it’s still pretty bad.
#6. Everyone is a snake or worse. Those closest to you will be the first ones to rob you but that can be anywhere. It’s very cut throat. Espically the job culture. Work work work work , throw the man next to you off a bridge to get ahead.
Virginia Beach is hardly a stand alone municipality. It’s a suburb #1. #2 it’s great if you like paying close to San Diego prices to live in that cold chithole as far as rent and home prices go. The beach water is literally **** brown. It’s a disgusting excuse for a costal city.
#3. The other half of the city that’s closer to Norfolk gets a lot of trashy overspill. It’s HR bro, so it’s unavoidable. Ghetto everywhere.
#4. Almost every young person in VB is a spoiled navy brat. Unlike VB, most of the wealthier class in SD still party with the blue collar, working class man. It’s a great place to get spit on like your trash , I always loved people’s reaction when I tell them all the areas that I’ve lived in Norfolk.
#5. Ever walk around the beach at night during the summer time ? Do you know how many times you’ll be begged by tweakers ? It’s not nearly as bad as Norfolk where I’ve almost gotten my throat slit when I was 14 because I didn’t have a cigarette but it’s still pretty bad.
#6. Everyone is a snake or worse. Those closest to you will be the first ones to rob you but that can be anywhere. It’s very cut throat. Espically the job culture. Work work work work , throw the man next to you off a bridge to get ahead.
I could go on but I digress
1. When I first moved here, I had the preconception that Virginia Beach was a suburb too. That's an old stereotype that is no longer accurate and really needs to go away...
Virginia Beach is very much a city. Laid back and somewhat slow, suburban oriented, but still a city, and quite frankly, nearly any description you can apply to VB can also be said of Norfolk...
2. The entire area is overpriced for the amenities offered, but it's not particularly expensive here, certainly if you're coming from San Diego...
3. There isn't "half" of VB that gets overspill. There's the Newtown Rd/Diamond Springs corridor, but that area supports a thought that Norfolk and VB are the same city more than people realize. Go to Newtown, if you are southbound (which is the west side of Newtown Rd), that is Norfolk. If you are northbound (the east side of Newtown), you are in Virginia Beach. Literally only an arbitrary line that no one can see separates the two cities and if you're not from the area, there is nothing distinguishable other than road signs to tell you you left one city to go to the other. The housing stock and neighborhood culture is the same...
4. Norfolk is grossly overrated for its urbanity. Its urban core is only about a 10-sq mile pocket of the city and it is passably urban in that area, certainly the most urban region in SE Virginia. But Nfk is also overwhelmingly suburban, slow and laid back. One of the all time mischaracterizations of Norfolk is that it is a true urban city. It's small, its urban core is small, and leaves a lot to be desired...
1. When I first moved here, I had the preconception that Virginia Beach was a suburb too. That's an old stereotype that is no longer accurate and really needs to go away...
Virginia Beach is very much a city. Laid back and somewhat slow, suburban oriented, but still a city, and quite frankly, nearly any description you can apply to VB can also be said of Norfolk...
2. The entire area is overpriced for the amenities offered, but it's not particularly expensive here, certainly if you're coming from San Diego...
3. There isn't "half" of VB that gets overspill. There's the Newtown Rd/Diamond Springs corridor, but that area supports a thought that Norfolk and VB are the same city more than people realize. Go to Newtown, if you are southbound (which is the west side of Newtown Rd), that is Norfolk. If you are northbound (the east side of Newtown), you are in Virginia Beach. Literally only an arbitrary line that no one can see separates the two cities and if you're not from the area, there is nothing distinguishable other than road signs to tell you you left one city to go to the other. The housing stock and neighborhood culture is the same...
4. Norfolk is grossly overrated for its urbanity. Its urban core is only about a 10-sq mile pocket of the city and it is passably urban in that area, certainly the most urban region in SE Virginia. But Nfk is also overwhelmingly suburban, slow and laid back. One of the all time mischaracterizations of Norfolk is that it is a true urban city. It's small, its urban core is small, and leaves a lot to be desired...
To be fair the urban thing I honestly think it is dependent on what someone is used to. There's an argument to be made for all of Hampton Roads being suburban, if you compare it to Chicago, New York, or LA.
This whole who is a suburb of who thing is silly. Both cities are suburbs of each other same as all cities in Hampton Roads being a suburb of some other city.
This place is never going to be a Chicago, New York, LA, Atlanta, Nashville, whatever. Same as any other city in this state Virginia has small cities as the laws on the books keep it that way by encouraging cities to urbanize their counties and then creating physical limits to further growth. Now we want new laws allowing a new entity to annex all seven cities and recreate it into a new city named "Hampton Roads", 'Tidewater" or whatever new thing they come up with. I'd go for "New Virginia". I think "Virginia City" is already taken. Then you get situations in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake where the county is entirely too large to urbanize and some people want to keep some parts of the county rural. Its like people can't make up their mind around here.
You could make this one city but we still would not have mass transit or a professional sports team or any of the other things people naturally assume we would have just because we'd be a city of 2 million people. Nothing would change.
To be fair the urban thing I honestly think it is dependent on what someone is used to. There's an argument to be made for all of Hampton Roads being suburban, if you compare it to Chicago, New York, or LA.
This whole who is a suburb of who thing is silly. Both cities are suburbs of each other same as all cities in Hampton Roads being a suburb of some other city.
This place is never going to be a Chicago, New York, LA, Atlanta, Nashville, whatever. Same as any other city in this state Virginia has small cities as the laws on the books keep it that way by encouraging cities to urbanize their counties and then creating physical limits to further growth. Now we want new laws allowing a new entity to annex all seven cities and recreate it into a new city named "Hampton Roads", 'Tidewater" or whatever new thing they come up with. I'd go for "New Virginia". I think "Virginia City" is already taken. Then you get situations in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake where the county is entirely too large to urbanize and some people want to keep some parts of the county rural. Its like people can't make up their mind around here.
You could make this one city but we still would not have mass transit or a professional sports team or any of the other things people naturally assume we would have just because we'd be a city of 2 million people. Nothing would change.
I'm not one of the people who advocates for a combined city. I just think the region would be better served if people realized VB and Nfk are more alike than not, and promoted civic unification...
And while Virginia Beach has a largely suburban nature, it is more urban than most southern cities and I feel a responsibility to point out that the vast majority of Norfolk is developed the exact same way...
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