Do you like this city?

[cityboi757]

• $665/month? No way. That must be including subsidized housing rents. We've had an apartment/condo boom here in the past 2 years. If I had to estimate, to live in the most desirable urban areas, it would cost you at least $1200-$1400/ month. Actually, in Virginia Beach's most urban area, the apartment occupany is 98%, so you can barely find a place [Although a 15 floor apartment complex is under construction]. In Norfolk, so many apartment/condo buildings have been constructed and are under construction. All these are under construction right now in the middl of a recession.

Norfolk

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk12/baseballgrayson/Southwest-Rendering-Final-AW_200907.jpg (broken link)


More suburban complex. Further from center city.
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk12/baseballgrayson/Norfolk7-26194.jpg (broken link)
Virginia Beach


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• The economy is heavily influenced directly, but more indirectly, by defense spending [think San Diego]. But more than that, shipbuilding and international trade [Port]. But the thing is, that doesn't take away from our civillian economy. I'm not in the military and make $85000-$90000, nor do I work for a defense contractor. We are trying to balance our economy more, we've had more business relos than ever and have like 9 of the fastest 500 growing companies.
• I don't know how Norfolk compares to other cities, because I've lived here all my adult life. But there's lots of clubs, almost everywhere. Don't really go, though. The Oceanfront has some big parties at the clubs, espeically in tourist season.
• Hampton Roads is the most centrally located metro in the nation when it comes to jobs [statistically]. Work in downtown Norfolk and live on the train line and your good. When the Virginia Beach extension is over and the extension to the Naval Base, traffic will be much better.

[I. B. Trippin]

Hi Cityboi757,

Thanks for the great apartment building pics! These places really look nice. I can certainly understand how they would command top dollar.

Honestly, I like urban noir; kind of older, darker more worn-looking areas with maybe an industrial presence or intermittent independent storefronts with apartments or lofts over them. I think I've seen this type of place referred to as "mixed-use zoning" or something like that. Anything like that available in the Norfolk area? Unfortunately, in many places such areas are subject to gentrification which has resulted in rents escalating beyond reason. If those types of apartments are not available, I prefer a single family dwelling, (house for rent), but don't want to be in the burbs. Anything like that in the general price range I'd mentioned in my previous post?

Is economic growth in the Norfolk area sustainable? The city where I currently live is now being touted as one of the top places with a very good economy in the face of the recession/depression where there are plenty of jobs. That is simply not true. For one thing, trends start on the coasts and move here last, so this area is just beginning to really feel the effects of the downturn. Second, government officials here, in collusion with media, have hidden the severity of past sharp economic downturns and are likely going to do the same this time around. I have already noticed that within a period of 3 or 4 years, job ads in the local newspaper have reduced from 15 or 16 pages to a maximum of 4 and really only about 3 pages if you don't count columnist articles on employment and full-page or half-page display ads for large employers, job fairs, or the newspaper itself. Even the best of internet jobs site listings for our area now rely on work-from-home job scams, outdated job listings, repeated identical listings on multiple pages and various other types of filler to boost the number of offerings they advertise. Third and most important, our economy is neither diversified nor dynamic enough to successfully weather a recession/depression, so when things do get bad here the effects will be much more severe and long-lasting. In areas with economies made up of many robust sectors, when one sector is down, another may be up, thus keeping the entire economy from tanking. How does the Norfolk area stand with regard to this third factor in your opinion?

"Work in downtown Norfolk and live on the train line and your good." Yes, this statement resonates with me. This is what I'm hoping for.

Thanks again, cityboi757.

[cityboi757]

[Granny Sue]

I've enjoyed your pictures and your obivous love of your city! Thanks for sharing.

[jayp1188]

Wow, Norfolk looks pretty nice. I went there once almost 10 years ago in high school for a competition and I didn't like the place at all. Nice to see that has changed into a very nice place!

[cityboi757]

A lot can and has changed in the past 10 yrs