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Hi-- I am brand new to posting here, though I have been searching these threads for a while. We are trying to make some major decisions regarding where to move/ raise our family. For the past couple months, a job in D.C. had been on the horizon, and we have been deciding between that and a firm offer in San Antonio, TX. We live in Northern CA right now, and have lived in Las Vegas, Iowa and Nebraska; and liked different things about each place. I had done a lot of research on the DC metro; however, as of yesterday, that offer changed and is now (although still not firm on location) likely to be based out of Portsmouth.... which is completely different. I have been warned about crime and schools in Portsmouth and Norfolk. My husband is willing to commute (currently commutes almost an hour each way, it would be nice if it could be slightly shorter than that). We have been warned to avoid crossing bridges or tunnels due to traffic jams, though I am geographically an infant in my knowledge of where these are-- this just came up yesterday and I have been tearing through maps and websites in search of more information. We have three children, ages 3-8. The oldest currently attends a parochial school and we would prefer private schools, unless there were some really great things to say about the public, in which case we would be open to that possibility. We have been told by others who have lived in the general area or have friends that do, to consider Suffolk and Chesapeake, but have been warned to be careful about which parts of those cities and which school zone to live in. We have also been told to consider Smithfield, Windsor, Isle of Wight, Franklin, Holland and Spring Grove. We are looking to spend anywhere from $400 to $650 on a home. We would be thrilled if we could have an inground pool... our kids have grown up swimming, but those seem to be few and far between out there. We would like to have a decent sized yard (1/4 acre or more) for run-around room for the kids/ pets. We are an outdoor family and love to boat, swim, camp, fish, ski (water and snow), take walks, etc. We don't know a soul currently living out there, but it is a terrific possible opportunity for my husband, one that would be hard to pass up in terms of his career path. Our biggest priorities are safety and schools for our little ones. A nice, friendly community where neighbors get to know each other wouldn't be so bad, either. Access to good hospitals is important- one daughter is followed by a cardiologist, and some culture would be nice. We have lived in fairly big cities/ metro areas and I grew up in a town of just over 1,000 people, and there are things we like about both... so that's not the most important consideration. I really know almost nothing about the area, and this decision, if the offer is firmed up, may need to be made in 24 hours or less, so any very honest feedback regarding living and raising children in that area would be so very appreciated!!! Oh-- and if anyone knows anything about San Antonio and could compare the two, that would be even better. Thank you so much in advance!! Jen
Oh-- and regarding the 'how to post a question' criteria... pie-- boysenberry, warm, with vanilla ice cream
Last edited by jennyclark97; 06-07-2007 at 01:11 PM..
Reason: misspellings
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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VA Beach and Cheaspeake are very good school districts but can be really expensive especially VA Beach. If you meant 400k to 650k then there should be no problem with finding a great house in those areas. Portsmouth is the worst school district in HR. The churchland area in Portsmouth is decent and since you are willing to do private school could be a good choice. But priority goes to VA Beach.
Thanks, alanboy... yes, sorry, I did mean 400K +. I would certainly like to pay less and have less of a mortgage, but worry what that would cost in terms of safety in a neighborhood.
As far as schools, I have read very mixed reviews of all areas. I have read that the 'Great Bridge' area of Chesapeake is desirable.
Does anyone know much about the private schools there? We are coming from areas where the public schools presented problems (huge class sizes, a bullying problem where our young daughter was physically harmed a couple of times with little administrative response, so we pulled her and put her in private after a few months of that, with much relief... and this is a 'nice' district) and we've always had better response from administrators in private schools... that's the only reason I ask. We are not 'elitist' and demanding public schools, just going on prior experiences.
Also, I read something about Hampton still cleaning up from Hurricane Ivan... do hurricanes generally affect the areas I've mentioned above which are slightly farther inland?
Jenny, lots of good questions. I will try to answer most of them and if I miss something, feel free to pm me.
For someone working in portsmouth, I would look strongly in Suffolk and Chesapeake, even Va. Beach. Your commute won't be too bad. For suffolk and the other counties mentioned (isle of wight, etc) here is a link to a developer that has some premier properities in the area:
East West Realty - New Communities In Hampton Roads, VA (http://www.eastwestrealty.com/hamptonroadscommunities - broken link)
Take a look and see what you think. I really like this developer, but you will want to check out the schools. The schools in the Riverfront district are fairly new and have a good chance. these neighborhoods have a lot to offer, plus you can look into Nansemond Academy, a highly sought after private school in Suffolk.
If you are looking in chesapeake, there are some really good areas. Some of the most highly sought after are in the Hickory school district.
Norfolk is not damaged due to the hurricane. And yes, we sometimes get them or the remnants of them. But NC and outer banks usually takes the hit. Flooding can happen in the area, and winds can be strong. But not like we are in Florida. Norfolk has some really awesome older homes in some great neighborhoods. and there are several private schools, including parochial.
there is alot to offer in this area and these links should keep you busy for awhile!!
You can also look into Virginia Beach if you want to be closer to the beach. There is country and ocean and bay and then just suburbia. Some of the most sought after areas include the following schools districts: Kellam High School and Cox High School. Kellam is in the 23456 zip code, and Cox is in the Great Neck area.
Your price range will allow you have a very nice home in any of these areas. You will just have to see them, and make some choices based on what your family enjoys and how far the commute is for your husband.
As for swimming, the neighborhoods I gave links to in Suffolk have community pools. In Va. Beach, there seems to be more homes with pools than without in that price range and Chesapeake it is a mixed bag of with and without. If that is a criteria for you, it won't be hard to find one : ) I live in the 23456 area code and have a nice home with a pool (it was my criteria as well).
Thank you, thank you so much on those links... the houses shown there were much better than any I've found so far doing independent searches. Very nice communities! Many of the homes were well above our range, but there were a good number that were still manageable, depending on what we make in the end on our resale. We've never lived in a master planned community before, always used our own pool (a little self-conscious about being seen in a bathing suit by anyone outside of family!!) but the community pool might be a great way for our kids to meet other kids, and the East West developments looked like they had great get-togethers and social opportunities for adults as well. Some nice links from there to both public and private schools as well... again, thank you.
I have not researched VA Beach yet, or the Chesapeake school districts both of you mentioned... that's next. Busy packing this weekend, and we still don't know where we'll be going... just a little stress!! When this move comes up, it will be a quick one, so if anyone has good recommendations on month-to-month apartments in case we would need one in the transition, I would appreciate any thoughts!
Also, any thoughts on good hospitals/ medical centers would be so appreciated, both for my family's care and in case I go back to work once we move (as a therapist).
Anyone who has any input on this... thank you in advance! Jen
Sentara Hospital System (look them up and you'll see Sentara Norfolk General, Sentara Leigh, Sentara Bayside, etc.) and Bon Secours are present in the area. Maryview Hospital is in Portsmouth. Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk caters to children and has a great reputation with parents of special needs children. One of the hospitals was ranked among cardiology hospitals. Combined my immediate family and husband's siblings have had over 30 surgeries in the Sentara hospitals and we have been pleased. Living in this area, many of the medical practices have staff that teach at Eastern Virginia Medical School so you get people who are current in their field.
re: Schools - I agree that Va. Beach, Hickory, and Suffolk have a lot to offer. As mom of 4 who were schooled in VA Beach and degree (s) holder in education field, the services in VA Beach schools are phenomenal. The gifted resource program and gifted school, coupled with the academy system that starts in Middle school is superior, as are the specialized and individualed education programs available. Physical education every day in elementary school ( check on that because some school systems only offer it weekly) I believe VBeach is still the 38th largest school system in the US.
Thank You for that info. as well... our oldest has long been identified as 'very bright' by her teachers and is often several years ahead of her class in academic core subjects (tests around the 98% ile on standardized tests), but she becomes bored if not challenged and gets in trouble (not 'trouble' trouble; but drive-her-teachers-crazy trouble... she doesnt' act out or disrespect in any way, she just starts sliding out of her chair or doodling in her notebook or gazing out the window, because she has been done for 20 minutes and the rest of the class is still working). We have had 'some' success with a couple of teachers over the years being willing to give her extra, more advanced work to occupy her; but a couple have given us the 'not my job, not my problem' line of reasoning. A gifted program might be a God-send.
As a pediatric O.T., I am going to look into the Children's hospital you mentioned, but as an educator, do you know (or does anyone out there know?) how therapy services are provided in school? Are they district-hired through the special education departments, or do individual districts contract with therapists or with traveling companies that provide contract therapists? If I go back to work , I would like to do so part-time, or school hours to accommodate my family's needs.
hi Jenny, Shelly again. I would look strongly at Virginia Beach. They have a very nice gifted program and magnet schools. you can visit their website and see what I am talking about, just google virginia beach public schools. And you can still get a very nice home in the price range you are looking, many with pools. Let me know if you need anything more.
I do not know about the schools in VA Beach, but traffic to Portsmouth from VA Beach would be bad - even though you are coming from the opposite direction as the rush hour - over 30 min with no backups at the tunnel.
Isle of Wight and Smithfield are some of the less developed areas - which means getting to stores other than the grocery is time consuming. However, those areas are near several rivers and houses have some decent land.
Another nice area very near Portsmouth is the Western Branch area in Chesapeake. Schools are good there and you are close to shopping at Chesapeake Square. You would also be about 10-15 min from work in downtown Portsmouth - or P-town a the locals call it. Traffic is zero and you don't have to get on a highway or go through a tunnel.
Another thought is the Churchland area of Portsmouth. There are waterfront homes here and there is at least one private school. Still close to shopping.
Another area is the Burbage Grant/RiverPoint area of northern Suffolk (which is right by the Churchland and Western Branch areas mentioned earlier). It is nice there now but be warned that it is about to explode development-wise (Suffolk want to put a town center in that area).
And yes if a hurricane were to come this way, it would be a mess! The whole area was without power for 3 days to a week after Isabel.
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Hi-- I am brand new to posting here, though I have been searching these threads for a while. We are trying to make some major decisions regarding where to move/ raise our family. For the past couple months, a job in D.C. had been on the horizon, and we have been deciding between that and a firm offer in San Antonio, TX. We live in Northern CA right now, and have lived in Las Vegas, Iowa and Nebraska; and liked different things about each place. I had done a lot of research on the DC metro; however, as of yesterday, that offer changed and is now (although still not firm on location) likely to be based out of Portsmouth.... which is completely different. I have been warned about crime and schools in Portsmouth and Norfolk. My husband is willing to commute (currently commutes almost an hour each way, it would be nice if it could be slightly shorter than that). We have been warned to avoid crossing bridges or tunnels due to traffic jams, though I am geographically an infant in my knowledge of where these are-- this just came up yesterday and I have been tearing through maps and websites in search of more information. We have three children, ages 3-8. The oldest currently attends a parochial school and we would prefer private schools, unless there were some really great things to say about the public, in which case we would be open to that possibility. We have been told by others who have lived in the general area or have friends that do, to consider Suffolk and Chesapeake, but have been warned to be careful about which parts of those cities and which school zone to live in. We have also been told to consider Smithfield, Windsor, Isle of Wight, Franklin, Holland and Spring Grove. We are looking to spend anywhere from $400 to $650 on a home. We would be thrilled if we could have an inground pool... our kids have grown up swimming, but those seem to be few and far between out there. We would like to have a decent sized yard (1/4 acre or more) for run-around room for the kids/ pets. We are an outdoor family and love to boat, swim, camp, fish, ski (water and snow), take walks, etc. We don't know a soul currently living out there, but it is a terrific possible opportunity for my husband, one that would be hard to pass up in terms of his career path. Our biggest priorities are safety and schools for our little ones. A nice, friendly community where neighbors get to know each other wouldn't be so bad, either. Access to good hospitals is important- one daughter is followed by a cardiologist, and some culture would be nice. We have lived in fairly big cities/ metro areas and I grew up in a town of just over 1,000 people, and there are things we like about both... so that's not the most important consideration. I really know almost nothing about the area, and this decision, if the offer is firmed up, may need to be made in 24 hours or less, so any very honest feedback regarding living and raising children in that area would be so very appreciated!!! Oh-- and if anyone knows anything about San Antonio and could compare the two, that would be even better. Thank you so much in advance!! Jen
Medical care in the Tidewater Hampton roads area
Jen
