Does anyone live near Norfolk Va?

[lauren grier]

Do you like the area? Is it expensive? (I'm an east coaster already. I know how expensive it is up here LOL but I mean.. relatively speaking haha is norfolk ridiculous compared to surrounding areas? Are there cheaper areas that are still closeish?) With BF getting into the airlines he's been periodically dropping that he might want to move in a year (so nothing that I need to think about right now) but I'm a planner and I really want to weigh all and any options. Out of all his base choices, VA seems like the least horrible (other choices are DC -expensive and gross- Laguardia -gross-, Philly -gross, we wanted philly as a base originally because it was close by and he could just commute via flight (there are a ton every day btwn philly and here but it's not looking like he'll even get it, moving wise philly was never on anyones OK list,and lastly norfolk VA). So I want to get a feeling for the area. (We thought Raleigh was an option originally but that's not a base that's going to be available). I've only been to virginia once (williamsburg area), I mean.. the state seems lovely.. and it fulfills my need to stay on the coast, and not be in the middle of the country. It's only about 9hrs driving time from home- or a 3ish hr flight. So. not teeeeeeeeerrible. but still further than i really want to be from my parental units at the moment especially since with my leggers i can't really drive more than an hour or two at a time .. but who knows what I'll feel in a year. My brother is also considering moving to NC in the future, so he'd be nearby-ish at some point.


this post was really confusing. sorry

[lovely1m]

I do not live there, but have visited 4 times. I love it and if I was going to move to the East Coast, it would probably be #1 on my list. It is expensive, but I am guessing no more so than what you are used to. If it becomes a possibility and no one else lives there, I have 2 friends that are not scrappers that live there and my cousin was stationed there for years.

[rach3975]

I don't know Norfolk well and I don't know what you're looking in a new hometown. But I will say that there are lots of nice areas within commuting distance of DC. Unfortunately, you're correct about it being an expensive area.

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[AmyG]

My family lives in Norfolk. It's really pretty. I'm not sure how the prices are compared to surrounding areas but I do remember it being a higher cost of living than where I live. Not that helps you at all lol but another vote of "it's pretty I'd love to live there too!".

[lauren grier]

LOL.. pretty it is indeed.

[clearskies]

We just left there after 2 1/2 years. (Granted we were on the peninsula, not in Norfolk itself...)

Ok, keep in mind that we moved there from Alaska.....
-It wasn't THAT expensive...ie. things cost about as much as they did in AK
-There were a bazillion people (again, the entire state of AK has 700,000...Hampton Roads is around 1.7 million).

Pros:
-Lots to do. Good access to national history. LOTS of festivals/concerts, etc in the area.
-Good restaurants.
-Great beach options (we visited 7 or 8 in the local area during our time there).

Cons:
-Traffic SUCKS!!! The roads are poorly maintained. You have to go through a tunnel to leave the area, which are prone to backups.
-Too many people!!! (Again, coming from AK.)

So...since you're already an East Coaster, my people/traffic issue probably won't phase you. If you do look into Norfolk itself make sure you check flood zones when finding housing. There are several parts of town (Ghent in particular) that flood in even the lightest rain. Also, watch the schools. The school district there has been through a couple of superintendents recently and some schools are struggling.