Relocating: Richmond vs. Virginia Beach (Norfolk, Newport News: appointed, to rent, crime)

[KnoxR6]

Background info, I'm 28 and getting ready to graduate from East Carolina University with a B.S. in Construction Management and a minor in Business Administration.

My wife has been promoted to a management position with the choice between Richmond or Virginia Beach.

I know the cost of living in Virginia Beach is higher than Richmond.

We have no kids and are looking to rent a townhouse.

At the moment I have no job prospects lined up so we are banking on her for financial support until I can land a job myself.

So my current questions are:

Which is a better place to live overall?

Which is the better place to live that will help me find a job in my field? For those that are not sure, I would love to work for a construction company (commericial) or a home builder as an assistant superintendent or assistant project manager until I can get more experience.

Thank you.

[onevthoki]

Before we throw out some suggestions on places to live, do you know where in the Richmond area your wife will be working? Often people say Richmond, but it could be one of the surrounding localities. And how about commute time? Do you know how long she is willing to be on the road? And of course budget will come in to play also.

As to your job prospects, there is a lot of commercial building going on down at Fort Lee (Prince George County). You might try that route. This company is based in Virginia and I have seen quite a few of their signs at the building sites... W. M. Jordan | About | Firm (http://www.wmjordan.com/about/firm.html - broken link)

Good luck!

[Anders15]

I hope this is a joke thread.. VIRGINIA BEACH BY FAR.

Yes VA Beach is more expensive but guess what? YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, and this will be your LIFE.. not a trip to Walmart.

VA Beach is one of the best areas of the east coast along with Myrtle Beach, Miami and Atlantic City. Culture, diversity, scenery and better party scene. I guess if you like gardens, cigarettes, walking your dogs, potholes and three times the amount of crime as VA Beach.. this could be a tough choice.

[jhrichmond]

I am a married female in her 30's and I have homes both places. If I wanted to live in Va Beach full time, I could, but I like Richmond better. I just prefer the culture and the people more (and the shopping is better!). I don't live in the city, I live in suburbs to the west. The beach is only 1.5-2 hours away for the weekends.
Not to say you would be disappointed living in Va Beach. Everyone is different.

[ric75]

Seems your main criteria is your ability to find a job in your market. Is that correct? Do you guys have any other wants and needs regarding lifestyle, commuting, etc? VB and Richmond are very different cities unless you're in the suburbs of course. Suburbs are the same wherever you go.

[scootiepie]

I have lived in VA Beach for the past 4 yrs and prior to that lived in Richmond for 12 yrs. One thing to keep in mind, VA Beach has really no where to grow, while Richmond surburbia is constantly expanding. Construction wise, Richmond would seem like the better bet. There was new development everywhere, especially westward. (I can not say how the current economic climate has affected this.) You can get more bang for your buck housing wise in Richmond and more land if eventually want to buy a home. From a purely economic point of view, I'd say Richmond. That said, I like them both as a place to live. You would find a lot of folks in your age range in VA Beach due to the military presence

[Tej147]

I'm hopefully if possible, changing my screen name to ILuvRichmondVA. NO ONE INSULTS MY FAVORITE CITIES. NO-FREAKIN'-BODY! Jhrichmond, glad to have you in the discussion. We do have better shopping in Richmond. One of our malls, Stony Point, is better than your Pembroke and Lynnhaven COMBINED. I know about Hampton Roads. I used to live in Newport News. But my dad and mom's jobs got relocated. I was sad to leave NN, but now think Richmond beats HR any day. Scootiepie is also right. You guys freakin' built houses everywhere. You got no space left, while Henrico, Chesterfield, even Hanover are in the best suburban setting. Sorry if this post is more of a rant, but I could go on forever. Richmond FTW!!!!! Va. Beach FTL!!!! And one more thing, you guys have no REAL SKYLINE. Yep. I said it. Richmond clearly has the more dominating downtown. You guys are all suburbs, while we have a real downtown, and THEN suburbs. What now, BEACH LOVERS?

[Upsilon]

lol @ Richmond. The only reason I would even consider going there is to maybe check out a club or something. But honestly, if I was going to go out of my way, I'd just go up to NoVA and just bypass Richmond completely. Norfolk and VA Beach are a lot of fun at night, especially towards the weekends. At least for younger people. I don't know anything about Richmond at all honestly as I've never even had the slightest interest in visiting there, but to each his own!

VA Beach/Norfolk over Richmond anyday.

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by Tej147

I'm hopefully if possible, changing my screen name to ILuvRichmondVA. NO ONE INSULTS MY FAVORITE CITIES. NO-FREAKIN'-BODY! Jhrichmond, glad to have you in the discussion. We do have better shopping in Richmond. One of our malls, Stony Point, is better than your Pembroke and Lynnhaven COMBINED. I know about Hampton Roads. I used to live in Newport News. But my dad and mom's jobs got relocated. I was sad to leave NN, but now think Richmond beats HR any day. Scootiepie is also right. You guys freakin' built houses everywhere. You got no space left, while Henrico, Chesterfield, even Hanover are in the best suburban setting. Sorry if this post is more of a rant, but I could go on forever. Richmond FTW!!!!! Va. Beach FTL!!!! And one more thing, you guys have no REAL SKYLINE. Yep. I said it. Richmond clearly has the more dominating downtown. You guys are all suburbs, while we have a real downtown, and THEN suburbs. What now, BEACH LOVERS?

This isn't 1997, most people shop online bro.. also Henrico and Chesterfield are also building houses anywhere they can can. Good example is along Mechanicsville or E. Laburnum. This is the primary reason the schools in eastern Henrico are waaayyy over crowded even with the new trailers. You're calling Virginia Beach suburban (you said it's more suburban than Richmond).. wow just wow, there goes your credit.

I hope this is a joke account judging by your posts I'm getting in my emails and the overall quality of them..

[richmondpics]

Originally Posted by Upsilon

I don't know anything about Richmond at all honestly as I've never even had the slightest interest in visiting there, but to each his own!

Wow... kind of like saying I don't know much about rugby - but let me tell you how to play! That's awesome.