QueenCat Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Tell me everything there is to know about living there. Where to live.......... want to stay under 250k , no more than a 45 min. commute (commute time more important than housing cost; we can go higher but would rather not). Would love to know about tutorials (paid teachers, students dropped off). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Personally, I'd stay out of Newport News. You may not be looking there, anyway. But for me, I think it's dumpy and depressing. My reaction is probably connected to a facility located there that a family member had to be in for about 6 months. I hate driving thru it. Now watch--someone will pipe up that they love it there and it's great... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 Personally, I'd stay out of Newport News. You may not be looking there, anyway. But for me, I think it's dumpy and depressing. My reaction is probably connected to a facility located there that a family member had to be in for about 6 months. I hate driving thru it. Now watch--someone will pipe up that they love it there and it's great... We are set on any specific area yet but have been told that it's wise to live on the same side of the water as you work on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Soooo pretty in that part of the state BUT... Warning: TRAFFIC< TRAFFIC<TRAFFIC The tunnel is a nightmare. My hometown for 24 years and I miss the area terribly but I do not miss sitting in traffic between 8 and 9 am or from 400 (military) until 600 (other workers). We lived in Va. Beach and then Norfolk so over the water - Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth were visited only occasionally. I hate to say it but on top of traffic, there is terrible crime in Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Portsmouth. Lots of shopping and fun things to do in that whole area but crime and traffic keep us from ever even thinking of moving back. http://wavy.com/category/news/local-news/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredHSmom Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 When my husband was stationed at Langley we lived in Williamsburg. We loved it. His commute was 30-45 minutes, against traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 Soooo pretty in that part of the state BUT... Warning: TRAFFIC< TRAFFIC<TRAFFIC The tunnel is a nightmare. My hometown for 24 years and I miss the area terribly but I do not miss sitting in traffic between 8 and 9 am or from 400 (military) until 600 (other workers). We lived in Va. Beach and then Norfolk so over the water - Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth were visited only occasionally. I hate to say it but on top of traffic, there is terrible crime in Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Portsmouth. Lots of shopping and fun things to do in that whole area but crime and traffic keep us from ever even thinking of moving back. http://wavy.com/category/news/local-news/ I know the traffic is bad from our visit there recently. I'd been under the impression that crime was pretty average though, in the Hampton area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Maybe you could live near SWB! :hurray: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 When my husband was stationed at Langley we lived in Williamsburg. We loved it. His commute was 30-45 minutes, against traffic. We have friends in Williamsburg. He commutes to Langley. I'd forgotten about that option. But why is it against traffic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 My daughter and her husband are just moving back home from therafter 2 1/2 years. They were in Norfolk, then Portsmouth,,, then VA Beach. Their area of VA Beach was really nice. Portsmouth is pretty rough in most areas. Norfolk has a fair amount of good areas with low crime. I searched crime rates by city/state and found some maps that showed the areas and the crime rates. I second the traffic complaints. I spent a fair amount of time there and it can just be ridiculous trying to get through those tunnels at peak times. All in all, they seemed to enjoy the area; lots to do and some really beautiful places to visit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 My daughter and her husband are just moving back home from therafter 2 1/2 years. They were in Norfolk, then Portsmouth,,, then VA Beach. Their area of VA Beach was really nice. Portsmouth is pretty rough in most areas. Norfolk has a fair amount of good areas with low crime. I searched crime rates by city/state and found some maps that showed the areas and the crime rates. I second the traffic complaints. I spent a fair amount of time there and it can just be ridiculous trying to get through those tunnels at peak times. All in all, they seemed to enjoy the area; lots to do and some really beautiful places to visit. Norfolk, Portsmouth and VA Beach are all on the wrong side of the water for us. Unless I'm understanding differently, it's too insane traffic wise to work & live on opposite sides of the water. I'm glad you mentioned the search for crime rates, as I recall a good site for that & need to go check it out again. I do look forward to being able to go to the beach more often :) and exploring the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I have a sister who lives in Smithfield, VA. She loves it. Her house is adorable. It seems like a safe area with good schools. That's all I know! Best of luck with your move. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Actually, I think there are area of Newport News that are nice (not all). York County is a good place to look. Williamsburg is nice, but I think your commute time could get over 45 minutes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I grew up there. My parents still live there. Dad was Army but they have most of their medical on Langley. Look at Poquoson. It's what my parents were told when we moved there. Smallish town still. They come together on a LOT. I know you are probs homeschooling but an example: one of the football players was majorly hurt in a game. The whole team showed up at the hospital, the athletic director bought all the high schoolers there pizza, the kids at school held a fundraiser within a week for medical bills. And this is normal. I will say that there is not much in the way of diversity. It is a vanilla place. And it does tend to be a more expensive place to live, but they do tend to have yards big enough to play in. Watch for growth. There is a Walmart in play. I haven't heard if the permits went through. No one in town wants it. Good memories. I met my dh there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 I grew up there. My parents still live there. Dad was Army but they have most of their medical on Langley. Look at Poquoson. It's what my parents were told when we moved there. Smallish town still. They come together on a LOT. I know you are probs homeschooling but an example: one of the football players was majorly hurt in a game. The whole team showed up at the hospital, the athletic director bought all the high schoolers there pizza, the kids at school held a fundraiser within a week for medical bills. And this is normal. I will say that there is not much in the way of diversity. It is a vanilla place. And it does tend to be a more expensive place to live, but they do tend to have yards big enough to play in. Watch for growth. There is a Walmart in play. I haven't heard if the permits went through. No one in town wants it. Good memories. I met my dh there. Diversity of all kinds is very important to us but I do love the "small town" feel in the midst of a large metro area. Probably the diversity desire wold trump that though. Meeting your dh there would definitely make it extra special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I lived there for 8 years and moved away 7 or 8 years ago. Do not live on the opposite side of the tunnels. There are nice areas in both Hampton and Newport News but there are also really bad areas. I do think that it will cost more than $250,000 to get into the nicer areas, but I haven't been there in a long time so maybe that has changed. Find a good realtor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 I lived there for 8 years and moved away 7 or 8 years ago. Do not live on the opposite side of the tunnels. There are nice areas in both Hampton and Newport News but there are also really bad areas. I do think that it will cost more than $250,000 to get into the nicer areas, but I haven't been there in a long time so maybe that has changed. Find a good realtor. I think you're right on the 250k for nicer areas, with a big enough house. So far, from what I've seen, 240k is about the lowest for something that doesn't need work but we aren't familiar with the area yet either, so we don't even know if that's in an okay place. And we aren't into renovations right now. We can go higher, just hoped to stay lower for a variety of reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 We're here........ all moved in. Thanks for all of your advice on this thread and a couple of others, as they helped in planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 (edited) Where did you wind up? Edited April 14, 2016 by reefgazer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share Posted May 13, 2016 Where did you wind up? Missed this earlier........ Norge........ starting to get used to it. And not getting lost as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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