Moving to VA: Norfolk vs Richmond (Virginia Beach, Chesapeake: 2015, rental, amusement parks)

[shaunta021]

Hello VA lovers,

My name is Amy. My husband and I are seriously considering making the move to VA this summer. He used to live in Richmond and loved it. We are African Americans, both in our mid 30's and will be moving with our 14 year old daughter who will be starting high school. I have been doing a lot of research and wanted to get some opinions from people who actually live out there in Norfolk and Richmond. I will post this in Richmond thread, as well. Here's some info about us to help you out with recommendations.

We are coming from Harrisburg, PA. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY but moved to Harrisburg about 7-8 years ago. Hubby has lived here all of his life We want a place that has a bit more night life than here. Lounges, restaurants, grown and sexy things for us to do as a couple. We also are looking for an area that has family friendly things to do (festivals, fairs, etc). He's a forklift driver and would like to stay in the warehousing field, preferably doing the same type of work. I am in social services (mental health). I am currently working on my Bachelor's in Psychology and should be done at the end of next year (before we move, unfortunately). Together, our income is about $60,000-$70,000 a year and I'm not trying to lose that

We are looking to rent a home/ town home in a decent area with good high schools. Rent no more that $900-$950 a month. No pets except some fish. We only have one car so hoping for some remnant of public transportation. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. If you prefer one city to another, then what areas in that city would you recommend? We will be visiting pretty soon.

[Coconut1]

Do you have jobs lined up? If not, neither are good options. Wherever you go, line up jobs first.

[TN Lily]

Norfolk public schools are not on par with those in Virginia Beach. The cost of housing is high in the Hampton Roads region. $950 a month in rent is not much for this area.

If you land in Richmond, you want to be in one of the surrounding counties. Like Norfolk, the public schools in the city of Richmond are not on par with the surrounding counties.
Here is one article on Norfolk schools.

Community discusses Norfolk superintendent woes | WAVY-TV

In the future Norfolk school board members will be elected.

There are good public high schools in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.

Jobs are not plentiful in the Hampton Roads area. Unless you've got a lot of savings, my advice is to have a job in hand before moving anywhere, not just Richmond or Norfolk.

Good luck.

[randomlikeme]

I don't know.


I actually liked Harrisburg's downtown better than our own downtown areas, but maybe that is because I am not up there all of the time. Second St. is super fun and I love Anthony's Micropub down there. Also, the Troeg's Brewery in Hershey is pretty awesome as well, though I liked the location in Harrisburg better.


I do not feel like we have as many fork lift positions available here as would be available up there. In this area, there is a lot of competition for jobs from veterans who are trying to stay in the area because they liked it here. Most of the mental health positions available here require a master's degree. I am not sure if it is like that in PA or not. We do have a large call-center of LCSWs, psychologists, psychiatrists, and others who operate Military One Source out in Chesapeake, but I do believe they require masters degrees for most positions, but the company does hire for other positions as well that are non-masters.


With that said, it is possible to live down here. I would recommend the Talbot area, honestly. You can rent a 2BR townhome there for like $800 (at least you could two years ago) behind a hospital in a well-patrolled part of Norfolk. My husband and I lived there for a little bit and enjoyed the neighborhood so much that we rent a private rental in the same area now (simply because we wanted a garage and our own yard). Your kid would be zoned for Granby High School, which also houses their IB program. I would say out of most Norfolk high schools, Granby and Maury High aren't so bad.

[MountainDweller]

Richmond. Richmond. Richmond. I lived in VA Beach and Chesapeake for 6 years, and Richdmond/Northern VA was my escape. Unless you're a gung-ho military family that loves your corporate chain restaurant, you'll find a much more diverse crow'd up north.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by shaunta021

Hello VA lovers,

My name is Amy. My husband and I are seriously considering making the move to VA this summer. He used to live in Richmond and loved it. We are African Americans, both in our mid 30's and will be moving with our 14 year old daughter who will be starting high school. I have been doing a lot of research and wanted to get some opinions from people who actually live out there in Norfolk and Richmond. I will post this in Richmond thread, as well. Here's some info about us to help you out with recommendations.

We are coming from Harrisburg, PA. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY but moved to Harrisburg about 7-8 years ago. Hubby has lived here all of his life We want a place that has a bit more night life than here. Lounges, restaurants, grown and sexy things for us to do as a couple. We also are looking for an area that has family friendly things to do (festivals, fairs, etc). He's a forklift driver and would like to stay in the warehousing field, preferably doing the same type of work. I am in social services (mental health). I am currently working on my Bachelor's in Psychology and should be done at the end of next year (before we move, unfortunately). Together, our income is about $60,000-$70,000 a year and I'm not trying to lose that

We are looking to rent a home/ town home in a decent area with good high schools. Rent no more that $900-$950 a month. No pets except some fish. We only have one car so hoping for some remnant of public transportation. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. If you prefer one city to another, then what areas in that city would you recommend? We will be visiting pretty soon.

More nightlife? Stay in Pennsylvania. You'd be better off in Pittsburgh, than coming to this place.

$900 a month isn't bad if you can maintain $70,000 income. But it does not get you a good area either.

This is a very family friendly area. Just not grown and sexy. Definitely not sexy.

To answer your question; neither. Although Richmond sounds like the better option, as far as entertainment is concerned.

[Dyadic]

Originally Posted by shaunta021

Hello VA lovers,

My name is Amy. My husband and I are seriously considering making the move to VA this summer. He used to live in Richmond and loved it. We are African Americans, both in our mid 30's and will be moving with our 14 year old daughter who will be starting high school. I have been doing a lot of research and wanted to get some opinions from people who actually live out there in Norfolk and Richmond. I will post this in Richmond thread, as well. Here's some info about us to help you out with recommendations.

We are coming from Harrisburg, PA. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY but moved to Harrisburg about 7-8 years ago. Hubby has lived here all of his life We want a place that has a bit more night life than here. Lounges, restaurants, grown and sexy things for us to do as a couple. We also are looking for an area that has family friendly things to do (festivals, fairs, etc). He's a forklift driver and would like to stay in the warehousing field, preferably doing the same type of work. I am in social services (mental health). I am currently working on my Bachelor's in Psychology and should be done at the end of next year (before we move, unfortunately). Together, our income is about $60,000-$70,000 a year and I'm not trying to lose that

We are looking to rent a home/ town home in a decent area with good high schools. Rent no more that $900-$950 a month. No pets except some fish. We only have one car so hoping for some remnant of public transportation. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. If you prefer one city to another, then what areas in that city would you recommend? We will be visiting pretty soon.

That a tough one to answer. The Norfolk area (Hampton Roads) has more entertainment venues, dining options, beaches, and water parks. Richmond has access to more state parks, amusement parks and overall has better outdoors recreation. The Norfolk area has two HBCUs (Hampton University and Norfolk State) which both host entertainment events, and youth programs geared towards the AA community. The cost of living is higher in Hampton Roads.

[murksiderock]

Originally Posted by goofy328

More nightlife? Stay in Pennsylvania. You'd be better off in Pittsburgh, than coming to this place.

$900 a month isn't bad if you can maintain $70,000 income. But it does not get you a good area either.

This is a very family friendly area. Just not grown and sexy. Definitely not sexy.

To answer your question; neither. Although Richmond sounds like the better option, as far as entertainment is concerned.

Richmond is the answer here. It is more dynamic than any city of Hampton Roads, has a much better nightlife scene, and is definitely grown and sexy...

Norfolk isn't bad, and me and my lady will be there the 24-26th, but comparing to Richmond in terms of entertainment and quality of life is a no brainer...

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by murksiderock

Richmond is the answer here. It is more dynamic than any city of Hampton Roads, has a much better nightlife scene, and is definitely grown and sexy...

Norfolk isn't bad, and me and my lady will be there the 24-26th, but comparing to Richmond in terms of entertainment and quality of life is a no brainer...

Well at least this gives the OP some options. After all, Richmond is only an hour away.

[Deluusions]

Originally Posted by goofy328

More nightlife? Stay in Pennsylvania. You'd be better off in Pittsburgh, than coming to this place.

$900 a month isn't bad if you can maintain $70,000 income. But it does not get you a good area either.

This is a very family friendly area. Just not grown and sexy. Definitely not sexy.

To answer your question; neither. Although Richmond sounds like the better option, as far as entertainment is concerned.

Richmond is pretty sexy. Although like others have said I suggest they look in the Henrico County for better schools and safety. When the weekend comes the parents could easily drive into Richmond for nightlife