Is Virginia Beach a nice place to live?

[chrissy_rox2]

Originally Posted by coastalbum

Virginia Beach is a nice place, laid back, and cool. I hope to move back one day. Remember, so us 'locals' that grew up in Va. beach were never in the military. Many people in Tidewater are not affiliated with the military.

Hey Coastalbum, definitely not everyone in Virginia Beach or surrounding towns are in the military *but* if you are a local and grew up here then you have been surrounded by a military presence... so in other words, you are used to the culture. I just wanted to point that out to the original poster so she has a well rounded discussion to read.

[roanoker 4]

My impression of Va Beach visiting relatives is also a big military town with very
aggressive drivers. I think some of the military pilots take out their frustration on the roads in that area! The lack of courtesy to others really astounds me sometime in that area. The traffic is horrendous with all of the locals and tourists. It is almost impossible for a visitor to see the ocean at Va Beach anymore due to limited parking options. For the good things I like are the great
seafood restaurants which are aplenty. The bridges and especially the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel are engineering marvels. It is great to drive over the bridges and see the ships. Williamsburg and Busch Gardens are nearby and both places are awesome to visit. Yes, overall the area is a great place to live and I think if you grew up there it would be a hard place to leave!

[Serenity2019]

Yes Sir, it has been hard for me to leave. I miss Va. Beach and I live in a very nice city - Charleston, SC, but I still miss and love VB - it is a great place!

[Carolinaonice]

Originally Posted by kristine018

I'm 21 & continuing on to get my Bachelor's Degree in Education & was wondering if this area is a good place to go to college & perhaps even start a career/life at? I know nothing about this place, but my parents/sister went last summer & spoke highly about it. Is it relatively safe (I'll be moving alone) & how is renting down there? I'm looking around 5-700 a month? I was looking at Myrtle Beach, but it doesn't look good as far as jobs go & is so overly crowded, but are all beaches the same? Should I look into the bigger cities instead? Always wanted to live near/on the beach. I'm laidback, so if Virginia Beach is a party place, maybe it's not for me. Any suggestions would help, thanks!

This thread is old...but just reading that you were considering moving to myrtle beach sent chills down my spine. If you aren't looking for a party place don't go to myrtle beach and if you do not want to be around crime DO NOT go to myrtle beach. I am from south Carolina, a pretty small town, I lived in myrtle beach for about 2 years and I visit there every summer ever since I was a kid, im in my 30's now. it is a dangerous place and nothing to do there unless you are partying, up to no good, or looking for some good seafood. black bike week...."senior week"....summer...its just a dangerous place all year around. It is one of the most dangerous places to live in IN THE U.S and I believe it came in near or at number 1 for the most dangerous place in South Carolina. VA beach is beautiful. If it were not for my job opportunities taking me to Cali or Fl then I would move to VA beach.

[artistatheart]

I agree with Carolinanice--I think VA Beach is really nice. It's clean and pretty, the people are friendly, there are good restaurants and shopping opportunities, and, living so close (we're in Newport News), we can take advantage of the off-season and visit when the crowds have waned. I also like its close proximity to other beaches (you can be in the Outer Banks or on the Eastern Shore in a relatively short amount of time). We've been to a lot of beaches around the country (including the ones in California) and the ones in VA Beach are some of the nicest we've found.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

My impression of Va Beach visiting relatives is also a big military town with very
aggressive drivers. I think some of the military pilots take out their frustration on the roads in that area! The lack of courtesy to others really astounds me sometime in that area. The traffic is horrendous with all of the locals and tourists. It is almost impossible for a visitor to see the ocean at Va Beach anymore due to limited parking options. For the good things I like are the great
seafood restaurants which are aplenty. The bridges and especially the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel are engineering marvels. It is great to drive over the bridges and see the ships. Williamsburg and Busch Gardens are nearby and both places are awesome to visit. Yes, overall the area is a great place to live and I think if you grew up there it would be a hard place to leave!

This is close to my own impression as a visitor. My sister lives there and the driving is all on big wide traffic ridden roads. The beach is covered with high rise hotels and it took her a long time to find a place to actually go to the beach. It is extremely hot and humid in summer--I can't stand to be there and I don't see how anyone could go to the beach there in summer. I would go in fall or spring.

They have a botanical garden in Norfolk. They have a good school system. There is no city center, it's just sprawl. There do seem to be a lot of different housing choices there from little ones to big ones. I didn't notice too many apartment buildings but there must be some. There weren't many good places to eat, just mostly boring chain restaurants. My nieces have thrived there and both are in college now in the area. But it's more of a family area, not for parties. Kind of an odd place with all the sprawl. Oh--lots of malls. Even though it's a city it seems more like a newish sprawling suburbia.

[D train outta nowhere]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

My impression of Va Beach visiting relatives is also a big military town with very
aggressive drivers. I think some of the military pilots take out their frustration on the roads in that area! The lack of courtesy to others really astounds me sometime in that area. The traffic is horrendous with all of the locals and tourists. It is almost impossible for a visitor to see the ocean at Va Beach anymore due to limited parking options. For the good things I like are the great
seafood restaurants which are aplenty. The bridges and especially the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel are engineering marvels. It is great to drive over the bridges and see the ships. Williamsburg and Busch Gardens are nearby and both places are awesome to visit. Yes, overall the area is a great place to live and I think if you grew up there it would be a hard place to leave!

Awesome. Pretty much, I-264 during rush hour is the only bad time to be driving; but to each, his or her own.

Every day I get on the highway, I look for civilian targets to engage and enrage. I have so much pent up aggression and other dangerous virtues, I wonder why we are allowed to have families to return to and drive on roads. I am taught to do everything I do with a blatant disregard for safety and as unprofessionally as possible. Also, the lack of courtesy and respect the military instills is appalling. Hopefully in 2014, we will find several new social experiments and top-level politicians like "H" and "O" to finish completely depleting our morale.

As for myself, you can pretty much get anything you like out of me with just a belly rub. So maybe you should get a bumper sticker that advertises this to aggressive drivers and influence them to cease their reckless behavior.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7HkG6OSo3E



I could really go for a belly rub.

[Lindsey1151]

If you like quietness then yes, If you like city life then no

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by kristine018

I'm 21 & continuing on to get my Bachelor's Degree in Education & was wondering if this area is a good place to go to college & perhaps even start a career/life at? I know nothing about this place, but my parents/sister went last summer & spoke highly about it. Is it relatively safe (I'll be moving alone) & how is renting down there? I'm looking around 5-700 a month? I was looking at Myrtle Beach, but it doesn't look good as far as jobs go & is so overly crowded, but are all beaches the same? Should I look into the bigger cities instead? Always wanted to live near/on the beach. I'm laidback, so if Virginia Beach is a party place, maybe it's not for me. Any suggestions would help, thanks!

Yes, it is a nice place to live. Virginia Beach is relatively safe, depending on what your definition of safe is. Crime statistics are very favorable for a city it's size. $700 a month will not get you much unless you are buying. Virginia Beach is the biggest city in this region, so a bigger city would be DC or Baltimore, anything larger would not be in the Mid-Atlantic, but, I find Virginia Beach to be big enough for most people. You can have a great time in a city half the size of Virginia Beach. If you're not really looking to settle down and have a family and still like to go out and hit the streets it may not be for you. If I understand you correctly you may be asking if a larger city would have pockets of activity for introverts, say chess clubs, or academic interests. I have found that smaller cities perform just as well. Virginia Beach is not a college town where everyone watches college or high school football from the bleachers. No Friday Night Lights, etc. You should be fine. There are museums and opera houses, performing arts venues and whatever else you need; you don't have to be a party animal to have a good time in this town.

I wouldn't say that all beaches are the same. There are other beaches around here as well, if you do not necessarily need a tourist area. There are parties; there is a lot of military in this region, a lot of people, a lot of transplants, and tourist areas. There is a party somewhere, everywhere, in this world that is just the way it is. But if you think you have to be outgoing or something to get along here that is not the case at all. But keep in mind that it is a big place, so it might take a while before you actually meet people you want to befriend, or find and establish meaningful relationships. If you want a town where everyone knows you personally there are plenty of smaller cities, say 50,000 to 100,000, where you can get that feel. Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads is many decades away from that look and feel.