Friday, October 7, 2011

My husband is in the navy and we are up for orders anyone have an oppinion on virginia beach or norfolk? thank

im very new as a navy wife and this is our last duty station. we will be there 5 years. im in guam right now and want to go someplace that will at least have changing seasons. i have an eight year old so id like it to be somwhat friendly. anything anyone could tell me would be great such as weather, housing, tourist areas and just general info. thanks to all and merry christmas
My husband is in the navy and we are up for orders anyone have an oppinion on virginia beach or norfolk? thank
The first answers are good, so I'll just try to add some detail (I don't really care about the points).



Virginia Beach public schools, overall, have a better reputation vs. Norfolk public schools. However, that's a decent commute to work (30-45 minutes with traffic). Norfolk neighborhoods along Granby Street from Wards Corner maybe 2 miles south are attractive and close to the base--but don't go too far or else the neighborhoods lose the neighbor part and are just left with hoods, def not past the Virginia Zoo. Ocean View is also close to the base--in fact, you can see it if you're on a 2nd or 3rd floor window--and as the name implies, you're near the ocean (Elizabeth River and Chesapeake Bay) with a couple miles of public access sand beaches, but Ocean View has had sporadic drug and prostitution problems over the years, and it's share of wankers. Unless you get specific recommendations on schools zoned for those areas, or choose private school, I'd probably recommend Va Beach instead. Portsmouth and Cheseapeake are not far, either. I would avoid the former; the latter has generally good public schools.



Winter can have a few bitter days (temps below 10F) but usually not many; snow is rare but at least a couple dustings each year, and sometimes more; summers are sultry (dare I say miserable). The upside are that spring and fall are absolutely lovely--and long--seasons in southeastern VA. Ocean temps are usually warm enough for swimming from late May until mid Sept. The outer banks of North Carolina are about 1.5 hour drive away. Colonial Williamsburg about 45 minutes drive north, with Busch Gardens and Water Country nearby. There are good connections from Norfolk International Airport, also with nonstop flights to Kent, England set to begin in May.



Downtown Norfolk has been reborn over the past 10 years or so. The centerpieces have been Nauticus--the national maritime center, with the USS Wisconsin moored just beside it, and MacArthur center shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. Additionally, Town Point Park (all these places within short walk of each other) hosts a LOT of music and food festivals throughout the year, Harborfest being the biggest. The Norva and Wells Theater are downtown, and Chrysler Museum of Art are not far, as well as Harbor Park an acclaimed AAA baseball park, and the Scope Arena and Chrysler Hall which hosts things like Cirque Du'Soleil, megaconcerts, AHL hockey, broadway shows, etc. A modern downtown tram system is scheduled to open in 2009.
My husband is in the navy and we are up for orders anyone have an oppinion on virginia beach or norfolk? thank
The Virginia Beach area is very beautiful. My sister lives near Richmond VA. and we spent a couple of weeks at the beach several years ago. There are definately a change of seasons. The winters can be tough. The summers pretty hot. I love Virginia because you have the best of everything. The mountains are only a couple hours away. Of course the beach is nice. Colonial Williamsburg is fun and there is Pocahontas state park where John Smith first came to America. Washington D.C. is only a few hour drive. I know there are a lot of things I cant even think of. I know there is a Busch Gardens theme park and maybe a Six Flags. I dont know about the real estate market too much. It used to be cheap to live there but I'm not sure now. If I had a choice, I would live in Virginia. Maybe in the future.....

Good luck to you.
I wish I could be more help, but here goes. My honey was stationed there, but it was before I met him so my knowledge is limited to what he's told me about. I wish he were here right now, because he'd talk your ear off. Anyway, I know he really enjoyed being stationed there. He had a lot of opportunities there that he didn't have in his nearly twenty years as a squid, like dining at the White House. And he was close enough to family that he could come home when he got an extended leave. I think he enjoyed feeling like he was in the middle of everything Navy. I know he still stays in contact with a lot of the guys he served with there. I wish I could help more. Good luck sweetie, and God Bless your man for what he's doing for us. Thank him for us!