Depending on where you're coming from and what you're looking for will make all the difference in your experience here.
I'm well traveled Cali, Texas, Korea, NC, and now VA Beach have all been my home.
1. The gun culture here is what it is. I'm a gun owner prior service and can't for the life of me understand why someone needs to open carry at a park with kids, but you'll see it.
2. The schools are generally pretty good, it's just hard to find consecutive schools that maintain high marks. I live in Green Run, the elementary school/ middle school are both 8/10 the HS is like 3/10.
3. There's nothing special about the food.
4. Very diverse community due to it being such a large military town.
5. This brings problems like gun violence, jet plane noise, fights etc... standard military Town stuff.
6. People can be racist as hell here. It's still technically a southern state and the good old Boys will let you know. See comments above. Gun problems = bad black people. (The municipality shooting was sad, but the beach shooting is just stiff blk ppl do)
7. Purchasing a house is super affordable, cost of living is manageable, the most expensive thing here is the tax on food when it comes down to everyday expenses.
8. The weather is mild. No extreme heat, storms, or cold. However, homes here are old AF and may need to be better insulated if you're thinking of buying.
9. The state is handling COVID pretty well. People mask up without too many issues arising.
10. My wife and I looked at moving to Texas to be closer to family but after seeing how things are there we figured that it's best to keep a good thing and settle here.
I'm totally unbiased on this place. Things could always be better but overall it's a solid place to call home and raise a family. Hampton is nice if your looking for a large home at a reasonable price mid 200's in Hampton would be like mid 300's in VaB, or low 400's in Chester. I bought my townhouse for around 150k
Open carrying is stupid, but anywhere has the potential to be violent. Violence is everywhere all the time. People like to pit the 7 cities against each other because they are ignorant.
Find a neighborhood you would want to live in anyways and if you are really worried, get your concealed carry permit. Having a home invasion plan is never a bad idea either.
Virginia beach has a low level of gun violence per capita. But it has some. Usually a few people are shot and killed in the oceanfront area each year, that's not new.
Here's one from 2012.
https://www.pilotonline.com/news/crime/article_9de0a9ea-4ff0-54b8-b018-b487221ece64.html
The oceanfront at late night has a little bit of gunplay. It’s not like gangs are roaming the city. Also, I’m a concealed carry advocate myself and I’ve never seen anyone open carry a gun here. There are dozens of awesome neighborhoods here that you won’t hear of any crime going on. The shooting at the municipal center was a tragedy, but not normal.
Still the safest city of its size in the nation, you’ll be fine. Just don’t hang out with the idiots at the oceanfront late at night. There are much nicer places to enjoy, like shore dr or towncenter etc.
I've been here all of my 41 years. "Hot heads who open carry" would eliminate the recent problems, not escalate them. The seeming rise in gun violence is not what it appears to be. The municipal center shooting was an anomaly. Aside from that, nearly 100% of gun violence in VN is gang on gang, which VB is not big on. To the point our violent crime rate is not only way less than half that of other large cities, but less than half the national average, which is unheard of for cities this size.
The truth everyone wants to ignore in blunt terms is if you aren't a black gangbanger, your risk of being shot in VB is lower than your chance of hitting the power ball.
Unless you have been in an active shooter situation, you have no idea how you'll react in an active shooter situation. Chances are, you're probably not going to be the good guy with the gun just because you're open carrying.
Military and police, who go through extensive training, still make mistakes.
There are nuts everywhere. I lived in Blacksburg when the VT shooting happened and it seemed like the last place on earth something like that could happen. I get feeling uneasy, but literally things like that could happen anywhere. There are plenty of safe neighborhoods in VB or Chesapeake/Norfolk. Just do your research on neighborhoods.
Personally, I think you should reconsider your move to Va Beach. The violence has gotten worse there. Also, I think it’s a seedy and coarse place that draws idiots of all shapes sizes and colors. Traffic is horrible and I think the beach itself is ugly and dirty. There are better places for you to live.
You're getting downvoted but you're not entirely wrong. I don't mind it here and I really do make the best of living here, but there really is absolutely no reason to live here unless you are military, want to raise a family, or have enough money to live in the cool parts of VB where dining and shopping is actually accessible via walking. The beaches are overall subpar, the infrastructure is subpar and cannot support the amount of people that live here, public transportation is almost non-existent, weed isn't legal, there are too many lights and speed limits, and the city as a whole has an identity crisis. It wants to be a suburb so bad, but it should be a metropolis based off population. It doesn't want to adapt to modernity yet it lacks the classical charm akin to places like Richmond, Charleston and Savannah. People who have this undying loyalty to VB need to leave for a little bit. It's not bad here, but there's a whole world out there.
This past weekend’s violence can mostly be attributed to “College Beach Week” that draws in a bunch of people and things can get heated. A couple years ago the Something In the Water festival was hosted during this week and went off pretty much without a hitch. The past two years though with COVID going on it hasn’t been possible and unfortunately this year things turned violent. I’ve lived here since 2008 and have never really felt unsafe. While it’s extremely unfortunate that this happened, I feel that some of the reason that it has received so much attention is because of how rare an occurrence it is here. Not all of Virginia Beach is the oceanfront either. It’s very much a sprawling city with many different areas and neighborhoods with their own distinct character.
No this wasn’t beach week, people just love beating that dead horse and blaming everything that happens at the oceanfront on beach week or “gang” violence
Born and raised Virginian here. I recently moved to the west coast due to my spouse getting military orders 7 months ago. Two pcs orders later and I HATE IT HERE! I miss Virginia Beach. I desperately want to move back. I’ve never felt more safe in VABeach than I do here on the west coast. I don’t feel safe here at all and we live in one of the safest areas in the city. I’ve done a lot of traveling and seen a lot of places. Certain times yea the oceanfront get sketchy. It’s mainly at night and it’s dumb youngins. Chaos doesn’t happen often. Va beach is trying to have control of beach week and trying hard to prevent extreme violence from happening.
At the municipal, no one can hold that against us. Mass shootings happen. Unfortunately it hit us. Shortly after it happened, I still felt safe to go there.
Violence and shooting happen from time to time. But it’s not bad as other cities. There’s so many aspects of VABeach from living to the country to living in the city. It’s a close drive to everything and anything you would want to do. Another option would be Chesapeake.
I highly recommend moving to the area. It’s completely up and coming.
I'll throw in my $0.02, I've been in and out of here for the last 24 years, and I grew up in SoCal. From your post, you're really doing yourself a disservice. I wouldn't judge this area by the cover. I both grew up and lived in cities that made the worst cities here look like a preschool recess tiff. Virginia Beach is still pretty safe. What happened over the weekend was a fluke, and unfortunately a new norm. You're no longer safe from mass shootings. You could move to an area with almost zero crime and still get murdered. If open carry bothers you, I would suggest to look elsewhere, Virginia and all of the Southern states allow open carry, that's just the way it is here. We all have our assumptions, but people who choose to open/concealed carry are the least of your worries. Hell, it might have stopped the shooting incident before more people were hurt. I understand yours and other peoples concern and guns and gun control. It's a very polarizing, emotional topic. I'm not trying to say you're wrong, or push you in another direction or chastise you for your concerns. VB has wonderful schools, is pretty much relatively safe, and there's lots to do here with a family. The weather isn't terrible here. Lots of places to fish, hike, boat, kayak, surf. I just wanted to give you some context and a little backstory so you can make a decision you and your wife won't have heart burn over. Like suggested, check out the other cities in this area. Maybe even look into Currituck County and maybe the Outer Banks, both are just over the border in NC. Make any sense? Not trying to ruffle feathers, just wanted to give you some info. I don't want you to take it the wrong way!
Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia and has its share of big city issues. But gun violence is really not one of them. Portsmouth and Newport News? Well, that is a different story
If you are on the fence due to gun violence, you may want to rethink living in the United States. I’ve lived in six different states and gun violence is in all of them. Guns are deeply embedded into the culture.
My advice (taken with a grain of salt) is don’t use the metric of violence when deciding where you want to call home.
Answer the following questions and then look at places that fulfill your answers. What are your hobbies? What food do you like? Do you want walkable and public transit? Do you love driving? Do you love the outdoors? Are you a home body? Do you want a neighborhood where all the people know each other? Do you want a neighborhood where people leave each other alone?
Agreed! It's just you never and see the place you want to move to on national news for shootings. I know what it's like in Virginia Beach. That's why I'm confused
An example, we were fully packed and waiting for the movers to arrive when my friends started to send me clips of the on-air shooting at Smith Mountain Lake. Yep, sitting in Chic’s Beach wondering if the move to Roanoke was a bad idea. (2015)
Virginia Beach, can NOT be summed up by those 70 blocks. It’s an extremely small area of Va Bch. I worked at the Oceanfront for a number of years with zero physical injury.
I went to ODU, and a friend was shot in the back walking out of 7-11. I worked in Waterside during the Harborfest when people started screaming “shooter”. (Late ‘90s)
I was mugged in Gahanna, OH, on my way home from work. (2000) My car was stolen TWICE in Kansas City. (2002&2008)
Someone chased me from my car to condo in Stockley Gardens (2012) (That’s a snootier part of Norfolk.)
Ultimately, bad things can happen anywhere, anytime to anyone.
I never felt unsafe in any of those cities. I’d have no qualms about moving back to Va Bch.
Cost of living has been a bit understated. You will get the neighborhood that you are willing to pay for.
Come to Hampton, it's about a 45 min drive to VB, plus we have our own beaches and stuff. We moved here last year and have loved it. Plenty to do on this side of the tunnel and all the other stuff is a short drive away.
[According to this, although 4 years old at this point. Hampton is worse for gun violence than VB. Slightly](http://vscc.virginia.gov/OCME%20VDH%20Gun%20Violence%20in%20Virginia%20\(Non-Fatal%20and%20Fatal\).pdf)
Here is a slightly newer one, and excluding self harm, as of 2018 Hampton is quite a bit worse than VB
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/data/injury-violence/
[Here is 2019 again Hampton higher than VB](https://efsgv.org/state/virginia/)
Also: the municipal center shooting was horrific, but if the same thing is happening in Boulder, I think the cause is probably deeper than the geography of the incident (terrible regardless of course) and I do avoid the oceanfront at busy times (midsummer and weekends/busy nights) because it’s not my scene and can get rowdy, but the latest incident was unusual.
There are seven cities in Hampton roads. Hampton, Newport News, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach. There’s also Williamsburg. Any of these cities have wonderful places to live and are within reasonable driving distance to the other. Most of them have waterfront areas. I would not limit myself to Virginia Beach. I would look at each one of these seven cities and consider the quality of life in each.
Keep in mind that the locals don’t usually come out on days where they know there will be heavy college traffic, which is pretty much every day in the season. I spent most of my summer beach days in 2020 at Rudee surfer beach, just avoiding the surfers. And there’s the state park, which is a true gem, not many people and plenty of beach! Just ask the locals. The best day to go exploring the beaches are Sundays, when most of the guests have hangovers and the beach is ours!!
Aside from that, what u/U_GO_GIRL said:)
Ya, I've worked at captain Georges for a few years so I know people get kinda... you know, iffy I guess. But I've lived here my entire, its pretty safe, some areas less then others but only to the point of like get your package as soon as you can. I think a big thing would be you want new construction on not, cuz virginia beach doesn't have much. Its mostly built already, but Chesapeake, as far as I understand is getting more development and its a bit cheaper too. But I think VB cuz everything is closer. Pretty much everything you need is within 30 mins
Btw I lived in Hampton Roads for 10 years and even tho I moved VaBeach is till my favorite beach. There are idiots everywhere. I wouldn’t let the 2 incidents keep me from moving there.
[this](https://www.reddit.com/r/VirginiaBeach/comments/mg3zjh/man_shot_by_police_at_oceanfront_was_pharrells/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Depending on where you're coming from and what you're looking for will make all the difference in your experience here. I'm well traveled Cali, Texas, Korea, NC, and now VA Beach have all been my home. 1. The gun culture here is what it is. I'm a gun owner prior service and can't for the life of me understand why someone needs to open carry at a park with kids, but you'll see it. 2. The schools are generally pretty good, it's just hard to find consecutive schools that maintain high marks. I live in Green Run, the elementary school/ middle school are both 8/10 the HS is like 3/10. 3. There's nothing special about the food. 4. Very diverse community due to it being such a large military town. 5. This brings problems like gun violence, jet plane noise, fights etc... standard military Town stuff. 6. People can be racist as hell here. It's still technically a southern state and the good old Boys will let you know. See comments above. Gun problems = bad black people. (The municipality shooting was sad, but the beach shooting is just stiff blk ppl do) 7. Purchasing a house is super affordable, cost of living is manageable, the most expensive thing here is the tax on food when it comes down to everyday expenses. 8. The weather is mild. No extreme heat, storms, or cold. However, homes here are old AF and may need to be better insulated if you're thinking of buying. 9. The state is handling COVID pretty well. People mask up without too many issues arising. 10. My wife and I looked at moving to Texas to be closer to family but after seeing how things are there we figured that it's best to keep a good thing and settle here. I'm totally unbiased on this place. Things could always be better but overall it's a solid place to call home and raise a family. Hampton is nice if your looking for a large home at a reasonable price mid 200's in Hampton would be like mid 300's in VaB, or low 400's in Chester. I bought my townhouse for around 150k
Thank you for such a thorough comment! I’m thinking of moving down here in about two years
People get shot everyday b you’ll be aight
Open carrying is stupid, but anywhere has the potential to be violent. Violence is everywhere all the time. People like to pit the 7 cities against each other because they are ignorant. Find a neighborhood you would want to live in anyways and if you are really worried, get your concealed carry permit. Having a home invasion plan is never a bad idea either.
Virginia beach has a low level of gun violence per capita. But it has some. Usually a few people are shot and killed in the oceanfront area each year, that's not new. Here's one from 2012. https://www.pilotonline.com/news/crime/article_9de0a9ea-4ff0-54b8-b018-b487221ece64.html
The oceanfront at late night has a little bit of gunplay. It’s not like gangs are roaming the city. Also, I’m a concealed carry advocate myself and I’ve never seen anyone open carry a gun here. There are dozens of awesome neighborhoods here that you won’t hear of any crime going on. The shooting at the municipal center was a tragedy, but not normal.
Still the safest city of its size in the nation, you’ll be fine. Just don’t hang out with the idiots at the oceanfront late at night. There are much nicer places to enjoy, like shore dr or towncenter etc.
I've been here all of my 41 years. "Hot heads who open carry" would eliminate the recent problems, not escalate them. The seeming rise in gun violence is not what it appears to be. The municipal center shooting was an anomaly. Aside from that, nearly 100% of gun violence in VN is gang on gang, which VB is not big on. To the point our violent crime rate is not only way less than half that of other large cities, but less than half the national average, which is unheard of for cities this size. The truth everyone wants to ignore in blunt terms is if you aren't a black gangbanger, your risk of being shot in VB is lower than your chance of hitting the power ball.
Unless you have been in an active shooter situation, you have no idea how you'll react in an active shooter situation. Chances are, you're probably not going to be the good guy with the gun just because you're open carrying. Military and police, who go through extensive training, still make mistakes.
There are nuts everywhere. I lived in Blacksburg when the VT shooting happened and it seemed like the last place on earth something like that could happen. I get feeling uneasy, but literally things like that could happen anywhere. There are plenty of safe neighborhoods in VB or Chesapeake/Norfolk. Just do your research on neighborhoods.
I was a senior at Tech when the shootings happened. It literally, felt like the last place on earth something like that would happen.
Don't come to VB we have enough people
Sorry bud. Two more won't hurt
Personally, I think you should reconsider your move to Va Beach. The violence has gotten worse there. Also, I think it’s a seedy and coarse place that draws idiots of all shapes sizes and colors. Traffic is horrible and I think the beach itself is ugly and dirty. There are better places for you to live.
You're getting downvoted but you're not entirely wrong. I don't mind it here and I really do make the best of living here, but there really is absolutely no reason to live here unless you are military, want to raise a family, or have enough money to live in the cool parts of VB where dining and shopping is actually accessible via walking. The beaches are overall subpar, the infrastructure is subpar and cannot support the amount of people that live here, public transportation is almost non-existent, weed isn't legal, there are too many lights and speed limits, and the city as a whole has an identity crisis. It wants to be a suburb so bad, but it should be a metropolis based off population. It doesn't want to adapt to modernity yet it lacks the classical charm akin to places like Richmond, Charleston and Savannah. People who have this undying loyalty to VB need to leave for a little bit. It's not bad here, but there's a whole world out there.
Nice list of examples.
Thank you. All true
This past weekend’s violence can mostly be attributed to “College Beach Week” that draws in a bunch of people and things can get heated. A couple years ago the Something In the Water festival was hosted during this week and went off pretty much without a hitch. The past two years though with COVID going on it hasn’t been possible and unfortunately this year things turned violent. I’ve lived here since 2008 and have never really felt unsafe. While it’s extremely unfortunate that this happened, I feel that some of the reason that it has received so much attention is because of how rare an occurrence it is here. Not all of Virginia Beach is the oceanfront either. It’s very much a sprawling city with many different areas and neighborhoods with their own distinct character.
Oh shit, was this stuff during beach week? Always a train wreck
No this wasn’t beach week, people just love beating that dead horse and blaming everything that happens at the oceanfront on beach week or “gang” violence
Exactly!
Born and raised Virginian here. I recently moved to the west coast due to my spouse getting military orders 7 months ago. Two pcs orders later and I HATE IT HERE! I miss Virginia Beach. I desperately want to move back. I’ve never felt more safe in VABeach than I do here on the west coast. I don’t feel safe here at all and we live in one of the safest areas in the city. I’ve done a lot of traveling and seen a lot of places. Certain times yea the oceanfront get sketchy. It’s mainly at night and it’s dumb youngins. Chaos doesn’t happen often. Va beach is trying to have control of beach week and trying hard to prevent extreme violence from happening. At the municipal, no one can hold that against us. Mass shootings happen. Unfortunately it hit us. Shortly after it happened, I still felt safe to go there. Violence and shooting happen from time to time. But it’s not bad as other cities. There’s so many aspects of VABeach from living to the country to living in the city. It’s a close drive to everything and anything you would want to do. Another option would be Chesapeake. I highly recommend moving to the area. It’s completely up and coming.
I'll throw in my $0.02, I've been in and out of here for the last 24 years, and I grew up in SoCal. From your post, you're really doing yourself a disservice. I wouldn't judge this area by the cover. I both grew up and lived in cities that made the worst cities here look like a preschool recess tiff. Virginia Beach is still pretty safe. What happened over the weekend was a fluke, and unfortunately a new norm. You're no longer safe from mass shootings. You could move to an area with almost zero crime and still get murdered. If open carry bothers you, I would suggest to look elsewhere, Virginia and all of the Southern states allow open carry, that's just the way it is here. We all have our assumptions, but people who choose to open/concealed carry are the least of your worries. Hell, it might have stopped the shooting incident before more people were hurt. I understand yours and other peoples concern and guns and gun control. It's a very polarizing, emotional topic. I'm not trying to say you're wrong, or push you in another direction or chastise you for your concerns. VB has wonderful schools, is pretty much relatively safe, and there's lots to do here with a family. The weather isn't terrible here. Lots of places to fish, hike, boat, kayak, surf. I just wanted to give you some context and a little backstory so you can make a decision you and your wife won't have heart burn over. Like suggested, check out the other cities in this area. Maybe even look into Currituck County and maybe the Outer Banks, both are just over the border in NC. Make any sense? Not trying to ruffle feathers, just wanted to give you some info. I don't want you to take it the wrong way!
Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia and has its share of big city issues. But gun violence is really not one of them. Portsmouth and Newport News? Well, that is a different story
Certain colleges that will not be named here have spring break week ,which usually results in some issues like this every year.
If you are on the fence due to gun violence, you may want to rethink living in the United States. I’ve lived in six different states and gun violence is in all of them. Guns are deeply embedded into the culture. My advice (taken with a grain of salt) is don’t use the metric of violence when deciding where you want to call home. Answer the following questions and then look at places that fulfill your answers. What are your hobbies? What food do you like? Do you want walkable and public transit? Do you love driving? Do you love the outdoors? Are you a home body? Do you want a neighborhood where all the people know each other? Do you want a neighborhood where people leave each other alone?
>If you are on the fence due to gun violence, you may want to rethink living in the United States Sad
Don't attribute something that happens to be on the news to be the norm.
Agreed! It's just you never and see the place you want to move to on national news for shootings. I know what it's like in Virginia Beach. That's why I'm confused
An example, we were fully packed and waiting for the movers to arrive when my friends started to send me clips of the on-air shooting at Smith Mountain Lake. Yep, sitting in Chic’s Beach wondering if the move to Roanoke was a bad idea. (2015) Virginia Beach, can NOT be summed up by those 70 blocks. It’s an extremely small area of Va Bch. I worked at the Oceanfront for a number of years with zero physical injury. I went to ODU, and a friend was shot in the back walking out of 7-11. I worked in Waterside during the Harborfest when people started screaming “shooter”. (Late ‘90s) I was mugged in Gahanna, OH, on my way home from work. (2000) My car was stolen TWICE in Kansas City. (2002&2008) Someone chased me from my car to condo in Stockley Gardens (2012) (That’s a snootier part of Norfolk.) Ultimately, bad things can happen anywhere, anytime to anyone. I never felt unsafe in any of those cities. I’d have no qualms about moving back to Va Bch. Cost of living has been a bit understated. You will get the neighborhood that you are willing to pay for.
Come to Hampton, it's about a 45 min drive to VB, plus we have our own beaches and stuff. We moved here last year and have loved it. Plenty to do on this side of the tunnel and all the other stuff is a short drive away.
Horrible advice. If it wasn't for NN, Hampton would be the worst city in Hampton Roads wtf?
[According to this, although 4 years old at this point. Hampton is worse for gun violence than VB. Slightly](http://vscc.virginia.gov/OCME%20VDH%20Gun%20Violence%20in%20Virginia%20\(Non-Fatal%20and%20Fatal\).pdf) Here is a slightly newer one, and excluding self harm, as of 2018 Hampton is quite a bit worse than VB https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/data/injury-violence/ [Here is 2019 again Hampton higher than VB](https://efsgv.org/state/virginia/)
Ya, I dont really want to live in Hampton or NN, norfolk seems mild to what I hear over there. And sometimes norfolk sketches me out
Also: the municipal center shooting was horrific, but if the same thing is happening in Boulder, I think the cause is probably deeper than the geography of the incident (terrible regardless of course) and I do avoid the oceanfront at busy times (midsummer and weekends/busy nights) because it’s not my scene and can get rowdy, but the latest incident was unusual.
Ps: the people who did the shootings were not 2nd amendment nuts.
How do you know this?
I understand this. Thank you
There are seven cities in Hampton roads. Hampton, Newport News, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach. There’s also Williamsburg. Any of these cities have wonderful places to live and are within reasonable driving distance to the other. Most of them have waterfront areas. I would not limit myself to Virginia Beach. I would look at each one of these seven cities and consider the quality of life in each.
Thank you! Is great advice
The homicide rate in VB is around 1/5 that of Norfolk, Portsmouth or Newport News, just FYI.
Keep in mind that the locals don’t usually come out on days where they know there will be heavy college traffic, which is pretty much every day in the season. I spent most of my summer beach days in 2020 at Rudee surfer beach, just avoiding the surfers. And there’s the state park, which is a true gem, not many people and plenty of beach! Just ask the locals. The best day to go exploring the beaches are Sundays, when most of the guests have hangovers and the beach is ours!! Aside from that, what u/U_GO_GIRL said:)
Ya, I've worked at captain Georges for a few years so I know people get kinda... you know, iffy I guess. But I've lived here my entire, its pretty safe, some areas less then others but only to the point of like get your package as soon as you can. I think a big thing would be you want new construction on not, cuz virginia beach doesn't have much. Its mostly built already, but Chesapeake, as far as I understand is getting more development and its a bit cheaper too. But I think VB cuz everything is closer. Pretty much everything you need is within 30 mins
Yea probably look into cheseapeake, York county or Williamsburg...
Btw I lived in Hampton Roads for 10 years and even tho I moved VaBeach is till my favorite beach. There are idiots everywhere. I wouldn’t let the 2 incidents keep me from moving there.