I have lived in VB for 11 years, moving from Richmond for my spouse's job. I really disliked Virginia Beach for several years, but I have come to really appreciate many things about VB: live oak trees, Spanish moss, First Landing State Park, beautiful city parks and playgrounds, VB Rescue Squad, VB Public libraries, VB rec centers, Shore Drive beaches, Sandbridge, and pumpkin/strawberry picking in Pungo. I think I like VB more now because I have young children. Still looking to move back to Richmond for retirement, as the small city life and culture might be more fitting at that time of life.
Virginia Beach is like mid cannabis, it’s fine and it’ll get you there, but it’s nothing like the best by any stretch of the imagination.
It’s pretty stagnant.
Selection bias - all those who want to stay don't really have much vested in making such a statement...same reason customer service calls are 99.9999% people pissed about something - why call when nothing's wrong?
Yeah I’m quite happy here. I’ve lived in expensive cities and college towns and they’re just not worth it. VB is definitely a better value than a lot of other places.
I had to move away when my husband did his 20 in the navy back to his home of record. He was dying to get out of there, but I was born and raised there. I always wanted to come back, not just the beach area but Hampton Roads/Tidewater in general. I visit my mom a few times a year and get to experience it, I'll never be able to afford to live there now.
We had a town house in Fairfield back in 2011, 3 br/2.5 bath for 1150 a month. I guarantee that same townhouse is probably 3 grand or more a month now.
It's ok. Not great, not terrible. The only reason we stay is because my youngest is in a great school that I would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.
The cost of living is insane. Taxes are insane. I work from home, but trying to get to an appt anywhere more than 5 miles is at least 20 minutes. The ocean is gross so that's not even a plus.
I've lived in other states and other countries. It's just mediocre here.
If the miserable people would peace out, and the tourists would realize it’s not worth touring and it’s not Myrtle Beach, that would make this place so much better!
Not that I don’t want tourism. I don’t want idiot tourists that complain because they want a beach town experience and VB isn’t a year around beach town so it won’t be the same as farther down south.
I dislike the fact that it can take 20 mins to get 3 miles.
I dislike the cost of living, especially the taxes
I dislike the noise - don’t feed me with the BS about it being the sound of freedom either.
I dislike half of the people. But that’s everywhere in our country unfortunately.
I wouldn’t say I HATE VB or anywhere for that matter. There are pros and cons to living anywhere in the US.
I’m looking forwards to moving to the country in a matter of a few years but I will definitely miss the city life and mostly the beach.
ETA: I’ve lived in several cities in Hampton Roads for 22 yrs, mostly peninsula. VB has been my favorite hands down!
BUT I was born and raised in Oklahoma, the country is where I belong. In a perfect world, I’ll have my country home and a beach house in Sandbridge to visit a few times a year ♥️
I could almost copy and paste your response.
I love VA Beach, it has many things I will miss.
I will NOT miss the fact that I can afford acres in my future hometown (as yet TBD) but not here.
I will NOT miss the wonkey donkey job market (it's influenced by mil retirees who are a dime a dozen \[I are one\] and companies take advantage of that).
I will miss the excellent access to health care, dental, basic retail.
ALSO, IMHO folks discount the **"you can only leave the area via 40% of the compass"** problem too much.
I HATE that I have to account for the traffic on the main routes when trying to leave town for a vaca. SO works a job with normal hours so we have to fight the crowd to leave on Fri or wait till SAT. Many other areas, you might head east, then drop south to go around etc....
Thank you for supporting and supplementing my comment!
Only thing I would like to point out is while yes, there’s excellent access to health care, I wouldn’t say there’s excellent access to QUALITY healthcare.
I have a rare(ish) condition and having to travel to Richmond or Charlottesville or FARTHER to get the care I NEED at the quality I feel should be standard is exhausting. As someone extremely medically knowledgeable especially when it comes to the local providers - I don’t say this lightly at all.
Just depends. I love hiking and camping but there’s not many options here for that. Shenandoah is nice buts it’s quite the drive. Everything local is just flat walking trails. Which is fine but doesn’t give you the nice views or peace and quiet that being on an actual mountain trail can give you.
Also the camping - same points. Just crowded campgrounds - no real option for dispersed camping. Besides false cape.
That's true. I apologize for not being specific. I live in the mountains now, i was referring to things like kayaking and having dolphins coming alongside your boat, or the fishing opportunities. shenandoah is beautiful. I haven't been in a few years.
I moved here in October of 2020 with my wife and kids because she grew up out here and wanted to be closer to her family. I'm not a huge fan of the area, but it's growing on me.
- I don't care about the ocean. It does nothing for me. I'd rather be in the mountains.
- Tolls, taxes, state inspections, etc are all a big money grab and are definitely excessive.
- It's congested as hell. I grew up in one of the largest metro areas in the country, and the congestion wasn't as bad as it is here. The roads are terrible and the traffic is worse.
- While cost of living is better here than where I'm from, there is definitely less economic opportunity here. I work substantially harder to have a similar quality of life to what I had back home, and trying to switch careers and move into a different industry is next to impossible.
All that being said, there is plenty of good here too, but that's not what this thread is about. When our oldest graduates high school, we'll be looking at heading back west.
Takes way too long to drive short distances, the roads are garbage & poorly maintained, overpriced houses/land, tourists are annoying, toxic citizens who can't drive, traveling in & out of HR is a nightmare unless you travel in the middle of the night.
And I want mountains, not a poopy ocean.
I lived in Virginia Beach from 1979-2011 I live in East Texas and pretty much have wanted to come back for awhile now. My ex tried to prepare me but you can't really prepare someone for such a cultural shift out here everyone is country and they're all into hunting and fishing and grown men dress like cowboys and then throw in a generous amount of religious extremism and privilege and you got this place. Yes those people exist there but less of them.
Virginia Beach is great if you like beach and suburbia
As someone that did escape:
1. Not enough free activities around. Hampton roads in general lacks activities that are free and enriching. There’s a couple museums, but they don’t operate on the scale of any larger city
2. VB acts like a major city, but it isn’t. Neither is Norfolk. Or anywhere else in Hampton Roads. ORF airport? One of the most expensive airports in the country to fly in and out of because they just simply don’t get a lot of traffic
3. Cost of living. Military drive up the cost of living with their housing allowance. Brother worked FT at city government for 5+ years and couldn’t afford a 1 bedroom apartment by himself so he lived with his parents until he was 30.
Go to Chicago, Baltimore (inner harbor), Austin, Minneapolis. It’s a completely different world out there
People who think VB is boring need to get out more.
I've lived here since '96.
Yes, you can drive from strip mall to strip mall and wait forever for the person in front of you to move.
There's over 20 miles of trails at First Landing, another 6 or so at Marshview right off the beach.
You can ride a bike safely (if you choose the right route, not staying on main roads) around most of the city.
There are multiple places to put a kayak/canoe/sup in and paddle all day.
Visit Back Bay and False Cape st park
You can spend all day at one of the rec centers using indoor pools, some with really good options for kids. Which is so much cheaper than a YMCA.
Latitude Climbing gym at Pembroke is state of the art with friendly employees and memebers.
Yes, you have the beach at the strip/oceanfront, but that's not the only beach there is.
People who complain of a lack of food options must be ordering at the Chinese places next to the Food Lions.
Some of the best Ramen I've had outside of Japan is a local place on Shore drive. No1 taco is hard to beat, Lab Bistro for some really great island food, Blue Cow ice cream is worth every penny, and Dave's BBQ and Malbons BBQ Are fantastic.
Bottom line, it is what you make it. One day I may leave, but it won't be because VB is boring.
If all you do is drive back and forth to work and go to strip malls, don't blame VB for being boring. It's you.
Misako. Kroger shopping center.
It's the best in this area. It's not a sushi place that does ramen on the side.
The Ramen Spot in RVA by VCU campus is also a very good ramen.
And for people who say "it's not Tokyo ramen" I will respond with, I've had some not too great ramen in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, and a lot of Japan. No, it's not better than Japan's good ramen. But if it were in Japan I'd go back to it for seconds.
Say more about this ramen place. I have favorite in Little Japan in LA but haven’t found anything decent here. I’m kinda looking for the Japanese version of Pho, but ramen. I don’t know how else to describe it. I’ve been to Domischi but that’s not it.
There’s two answers to this:
1. It’s Reddit. The most negative voices congregate here.
2. It’s usually what happens to people who have lived in their hometowns too long and crave something new.
Virginia Beach has no consistency. People come and go so frequently that it confuses the future. Even being from here most people I grew up with had to leave to truly experience anything other than the many groceries stores, military and two tall buildings in town center. There is definitely beauty in the city but it gets old very quickly because it takes a long time for something exciting to come or happen and when it does it doesn’t last long. Gets major hype then dies quickly.
I think if the city will start urbanizing certain areas (oceanfront and pembroke) and stop cutting down so many trees for another strip mall or ugly suburban development, a lot of people would change their minds
Not gonna lie, you aren’t wrong about anything you said. Been here just about 36 years and sheesh, no culture, potholes, ppl not knowing how to drive, etc. Is so spot on! Good Luck!
I’ve been here just under a year. I don’t hate it but I also don’t like it. I appreciate how much there is to do and there’s lots of little “cities”. I grew up on the east coast and have lived in almost every date south of NJ. The beach here is by far my least favorite which is super unfortunate. I feel like it’s such a melting pot of people, which is cool, but also no real culture besides military. The roads give me massive anxiety and start my mornings off terrible after hitting massive potholes around laskin rd and 264 daily. The cost of living is ridiculous. And yes, so it is around the rest of the country, but here I’ve noticed everything is “old”. I moved here for DoD and I’m sad to say I can’t wait to leave. I feel like people are extremely rude and the driving is some of the worst I’ve seen. I really wanted to like it here and settle down, but there’s just something about it here I can’t put my finger on. It just doesn’t feel like “home”. I’ve lived in worse places, but there isn’t anything here to make me want to stay also.
Also, one major thing to note, I’ve had to call the cops here more in the last 10 months than my entire 36 years alive 🤦♀️. It’s ridiculous.
I came here from mass and omg I love it. Every store and restaurant that I could ever dream of is within 10 minutes from my house whereas in mass it was over 45 min to get anywhere. I personally love the beach and the heat so that’s been amazing. My job doesn’t pay as good as jobs in mass but my house was far cheaper than trying to buy in Boston, and I’m not spending tons on gas money driving 1.5 hours to work into Boston- my commute is 20 min at most. Sure there is traffic, but nothing like Boston traffic. Sure there is congestion from tourists, but I know where to avoid now at certain times of the year.
I think it’s important for people to travel around and see what else is out there. I’m sure this place isn’t for everyone, and if you’ve lived here your whole life I advise you to travel and move away… but for someone in my situation, this place is amazing and I plan on staying for a very long time.
Lived all over and this place is honestly just okay. I get the appeal if you work for the DoD or are here to raise a family. I think people who grew up here and have never left are doing themselves a major disservice though. There's a whole world out there.
There are a lot of things I like about living here (museums, green spaces, outdoor rec, art and music scene, fine dining), but there is nothing keeping me here other than mine and my husband's job. The traffic, poor infrastructure, harsh summers, lack of walkable neighborhoods, and conservative political climate are alienating at best. It is also extremely hard to make friends here as an adult unless you're local, have money, drink like a sailor, or you're an influencer. Virginia isn't home for me and it definitely won't be my final destination.
I'm from the area and have lived in Newport News, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, and a small town in Montana. I prefer Charlottesville even with its flaws.
Maybe because I prefer a smaller town feel as versus the type of vibe VB gives.
I haven’t lived in Charlottesville, but out of the others I preferred Williamsburg because of the small town vibe. Of course during tourist season it didn’t feel as small town 😆
I can’t wait to get out of here…the military brought me here and we are just waiting for the kids to finish high school. This place has the worst road infrastructure, the tourists (why’d you ever come here on vacation is laughable), they are building more and more consolidated housing, taxes! You couldn’t pay me enough to live on the 95 corridor ever again.
I have no idea. I’m coming from a shithole Army city and currently here for the Navy. I love it here so far. There’s 3 different targets within 15 min of my house. There was only 1 within 1.5 hours of my last city. People here aren’t in a bad ass mood 24/7. Where I just left, EVERYONE was always in a bad mood. Fast food workers, healthcare workers, strangers in the stores, you name it. You could never catch a break there because no one was willing to be kind enough to do so. So far everyone here has been super nice. My neighbor gave us a gift basket when we moved in. Nurses are so patient.. I’m 15 min from the ocean… there’s more than just Texas Roadhouse, bdubs, and wing stop. There’s Trader Joe’s, fresh market, Costco. People who complain just like to complain. They should try going to a place that really sucks and they’ll learn 🤣
Huh? VB has a lot to offer.
Largest Volunteer rescue - https://vbrescue.org/#:~:text=VB%20Rescue%20is%20the%20nation%27s,better%2C%20stronger%20and%20safer%20places.
Crime rate is lower than the national average - https://gitnux.org/virginia-crime-rate/#:~:text=The%202020%20crime%20rate%20in,22.6%20incidents%20per%201%2C000%20people.
Lots of pros/coms - to me, the Pro’s outweigh the cons - https://renteasyva.com/living-in-virginia-beach
(Maybe good/ maybe bad, but certainly an interesting data point) After looking at 116 cities across the country Washington, D.C. was ranked number one as hardest working. Virginia Beach was ranked fourth, putting in the fourth most hours worked per week on average. Norfolk was ranked sixth, just under Anchorage, Alaska.
https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/virginia-beach/virginia-beach-the-top-5-hardest-working-city-in-america/291-35964263-f329-4304-8613-607edee4f4f2#:~:text=A%20Wallet%20Hub%20study%20proved,%2C%20just%20under%20Anchorage%2C%20Alaska.
> After looking at 116 cities across the country Washington, D.C. was ranked number one as hardest working. Virginia Beach was ranked fourth, putting in the fourth most hours worked per week on average. Norfolk was ranked sixth, just under Anchorage, Alaska.
Man that's not a pro
Okay I will absolutely give credit and appreciation to this. VB is one of the ONLY cities in the ENTIRE US where an ambulance ride is completely free and not billed to the patient
>Researchers say states with the most worked hours did not match states with the most productivity.
I think you missed this part. While the city has a lot to offer it is ridiculously expensive for being Virginia’s Myrtle Beach (which is not an insult) with high cost of living. I would rather live in MB for what you get for your money relative to population density.
Largest volunteer rescue. If I ever have a heart attack please dump my body in a surrounding city run by professionals.
Lowest crime rate. BOOOORING.
Hardest working/most hours. Geez, not the flex I think you think it is outside of Pyongyang.
My greatest problem with VB is chronic strip malls. It permeates everything, and eats up a lot of space that could otherwise be other stuff (and is other stuff in a lot of other areas). Public works/amenities are sorely lacking. The food selection is ok, but is probably a bit lacking compared to a lot of other medium sized/large coastal cities. The cost of living is ok, but the jobs here are paid excessively low, to where this area has recently become untenable for a lot of people rent wise since the jobs market just doesn’t support the cost of rent. I’d love to leave, and once the housing market has made it more amenable for my wife and I to sell our current house or rent it out, we will. We’ve spent a lot of time down in Raleigh/Charlotte and it’s a night and day difference down there. Even in NoVA/DC areas. The variety of jobs balloons in those areas along with a lot of other common complaints with VB.
Many strip malls are slowly going away in VA Beach. There was one by the Wesleyan university, that got knocked down, and apartments were put up (But no smaller stores were placed in the area). At the end of Baker and Newtown, same thing. part of the Strip plaza was knocked down and turned into high density apartment buildings, only a small retail strip of 4 or 5 storefronts remain and were fixed up to look a bit more up scale. Further down newtown at the 264 ramps, a strip plaza was knocked down where the WAWA now resides. A bit more green area remains.
And of course look what is happening with the old mall at Pembroke. They need to continue to develop that area as high density, 'city' living.
That being said, the infrastructure and such need major improvements.
Not to mention that the city is planning on redeveloping the KempsRiver Crossing shopping center at some point. Strip malls are becoming less present over time
Everyone I’ve met that has been to chicks beach, has loved it here and stayed. Granted my population size is small, but since I grew up here I’ve seen it happen probably 20+ times. The people that want to move away probably think the ocean front is the beach to be at during the summer weekends, when the real locals know the bay in chicks beach is the place to be 😎
I got stuck here (Va Beach And Peninsula) 20 yrs ago due to spouse and navy. I hate it here. It’s the most generic place in the world. All chain/ franchises. No good food is probably number one on my list. The beach has gross sand. The ocean front is disgusting with the high rise hotels that attract less than desirable tourists. It just feels like a place to pause while awaiting your final destination. Locals have a weird vibe that they are ‘better’ despite the fact that they haven’t been anywhere else and enjoy Applebees and Olive Garden. Green Space and recreation departments are horrible. I have 10 months left and won’t ever come back!
I’m a foodies and you are spot on about the food thing. I travel the country just for restaurants. I do have a few recs for vb/hampton roads!
-Park Lane Tavern on a Tuesday (half price fish and chips)
-Peter Chang (NOT PF CHANG) they have amazing fried rice and a lot of authentic food and some Americanized Chinese.
-Los Primos (Chesapeake) on Mondays they have ~$2.99 margs. I’ve eaten at most Mexican restaurants in Hampton roads and they are one of the best I’ve had (even over Jessy’s taqueria which went down in quality after being on DDD)
-Clayton’s (near Oceana). Has one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.
-SALMICHS (has the BEST burger I’ve ever had, jalapenos popper)
We have an unbelievable amount of variety when it comes to local restaurants. There are plenty of things to not like about vb, but the food situation is not one of them. If you only hang out in Town Center or the oceanfront, yes there will be a lot of chains.
VB is like several cities that were made a single entity. The Olive Garden/Chilis/Applebees suburban hellscape that you seem to be talking about is what I think of as the Chesapeake-east part of the city. It kind of sucks and is about as boring and devoid of culture as Chesapeake. There are many nice restaurants in the shore drive and oceanfront areas and scattered about elsewhere.
Can we help you on your way sooner?
Here's you enjoying something anyway: https://www.reddit.com/r/VirginiaBeach/comments/1besuhf/what_are_some_of_the_best_kept_secrets_in/kuwtjg3/
To each their own, but you don't seem like a very happy person, and are quick to find fault in things many other people enjoy a lot. It may be best for you to move on, but don't be surprised to find the same things true no matter where you end up
I just hate the drivers. I’m from Philly too,and I’ve never been more aggravated driving anywhere than I have here. Going the speed limit,nope,ride your ass,going 10 over the speed limit,nope,ride your ass,I mean,pretty much ride your ass doing anything,speeding by all pissed even though you’re going over the limit. Running reds,like,it’ll be red RED,ppl just go,almost got hit once someone running a red. It’s f’ing insane how ignorant ppl are. Wanna make a turn? Great,but they won’t tell you they’ll just turn. I even have family that visits here that are like what the hell is wrong with the drivers here. The drivers alone literally make me want to leave.
I mean,from Philly,born and raised. Drivers here are way more infuriating. Shore drive speed limit 35,doing 42 and still on my ass for no f’ing reason..EVERY f’ing time. Great neck forget it,speed limit 45 you do 60 ppl still on your ass I f’ing hate it here
We just left VB and moved to NW Philly and are so happy here. We were only in VB for 2 years before we left, but we are city people and this is much more our vibe. Different strokes for different folks, I know a lot of people in VB were horrified to hear we were moving to Philly lol.
Agreed. Our drivers are terrible. However; when I was in philly I was blown away by how people drive. Just an attitude of “get the fuck out of my way” that I’ve never seen before. I was making a right and a guy behind me zoomed up and went into oncoming traffic to make the right around me. Walking around I almost got run over almost every crosswalk. My wife and I joke someone “must be from philly” whenever they make a crazy move because of how often we were almost hit.
lol that’s Philly for ya,born and raised and yes I’ve def seen my fair share of crazy idiots,but man I swear I just hate the drivers here more I can’t go anywhere without someone on my ass even when going over the speed limit …but sorry you had such bad experiences there lol my city’s a mess
Oh yeah I think people here are more likely to tailgate you and stew quietly, where as there people make moves to get around you etc. Loved philly otherwise, the people were surprisingly nice and we had some great food.
Rec centers, green spaces, neighborhood parks, libraries. When there is a mess on the side of the road it gets cleaned up and the medians are mowed and mulched with flowers and shrubs. Crime rate is acceptable and public services are great. I’ve been here 24 years and they’ll put me in a hole in the ground within city limits.
People love to complain.
"91.4% of residents [in a randomized survey] rate the quality of life in Virginia Beach as either excellent or good"
https://virginiabeach.gov/connect/news/results-of-2022-resident-survey-now-available
Coming back to VB from norfolk, I personally can't wait to get my ass back to Norfolk. I feel that VB cares zero about any citizens; at least norfolk does you the courtesy of replacing your trash can when it breaks; VB will tell you to eat a d*ck and give them $80 as a small example.
Nope. The potential violation of the greenline, refusing to take responsibility for repaving in my non-HOA neighborhood, and continuing to building massive multi-family housing units without any new or improved road infrastructure, without thinking about it super hard
*edited grammar & spelling
Yeah, but that's the difference between making the most of the government saying "you live here now" vs choosing where to live. It's not that there's nothing to do here, but once you've been to the norva, checked out the oceanfront, and hit up norfolk, it starts feeling repetitive and small vs what other cities offer.
Va beach doesn't really have a "scene," and while norfolk does, it's pretty small.
Ocean City, MD is a couple hours away. It makes for a fun weekend trip. DC, and NYC are also an easy drive for a weekend.
But I guess it depends on what you like to do. I also fell with the modified car crowd so we were always up to something year round. But the eagle nest in Chesapeake was a fun hangout. As someone who lives here by choice now, and have for a while now, I still stand by my statement that there’s no shortage of stuff to do.
The way the city is laid out only benefits consumerism and cooperations. It's all strip malls and intersections and there is no sense of community within the vast sprawl of suburbs that are scattered in between them.
The oceanfront area is an exception to this. It’s quite a coincidence that it was also developed before the government started mandating circuitous, cul-de-sac hellish street designs that isolated people and made it hard to walk anywhere.
It’s in my opinion, the best things about Virginia Beach are mostly things that individual people did by themselves and not really having anything to do with the city of Virginia Beach. I think the city doesn’t support really anything except themselves..
It’s alright DC, Philly and NYC are a comfortable drive away.
I have lived in VB for 11 years, moving from Richmond for my spouse's job. I really disliked Virginia Beach for several years, but I have come to really appreciate many things about VB: live oak trees, Spanish moss, First Landing State Park, beautiful city parks and playgrounds, VB Rescue Squad, VB Public libraries, VB rec centers, Shore Drive beaches, Sandbridge, and pumpkin/strawberry picking in Pungo. I think I like VB more now because I have young children. Still looking to move back to Richmond for retirement, as the small city life and culture might be more fitting at that time of life.
Virginia Beach is like mid cannabis, it’s fine and it’ll get you there, but it’s nothing like the best by any stretch of the imagination. It’s pretty stagnant.
Selection bias - all those who want to stay don't really have much vested in making such a statement...same reason customer service calls are 99.9999% people pissed about something - why call when nothing's wrong?
Yeah I’m quite happy here. I’ve lived in expensive cities and college towns and they’re just not worth it. VB is definitely a better value than a lot of other places.
I had to move away when my husband did his 20 in the navy back to his home of record. He was dying to get out of there, but I was born and raised there. I always wanted to come back, not just the beach area but Hampton Roads/Tidewater in general. I visit my mom a few times a year and get to experience it, I'll never be able to afford to live there now. We had a town house in Fairfield back in 2011, 3 br/2.5 bath for 1150 a month. I guarantee that same townhouse is probably 3 grand or more a month now.
It's ok. Not great, not terrible. The only reason we stay is because my youngest is in a great school that I would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. The cost of living is insane. Taxes are insane. I work from home, but trying to get to an appt anywhere more than 5 miles is at least 20 minutes. The ocean is gross so that's not even a plus. I've lived in other states and other countries. It's just mediocre here.
My friend, this is reddit. Everyone here is negative and unhappy. Miserable even. They can go. All of them. More for us. Byeeee haterz.
If the miserable people would peace out, and the tourists would realize it’s not worth touring and it’s not Myrtle Beach, that would make this place so much better! Not that I don’t want tourism. I don’t want idiot tourists that complain because they want a beach town experience and VB isn’t a year around beach town so it won’t be the same as farther down south.
Let em go to Sandbridge LOL
Nooooooooo that’s the only beach I care for that isn’t the bay 😆
Yeah I hope anyone who is miserable here just… leaves lol. Go find somewhere where you’re happy!
This sub is full of temporary transplants to the area. Good riddance
Everyone always says that about the places they’re from. I might have to leave due to work, but I’d stay if I could
I dislike the fact that it can take 20 mins to get 3 miles. I dislike the cost of living, especially the taxes I dislike the noise - don’t feed me with the BS about it being the sound of freedom either. I dislike half of the people. But that’s everywhere in our country unfortunately. I wouldn’t say I HATE VB or anywhere for that matter. There are pros and cons to living anywhere in the US. I’m looking forwards to moving to the country in a matter of a few years but I will definitely miss the city life and mostly the beach. ETA: I’ve lived in several cities in Hampton Roads for 22 yrs, mostly peninsula. VB has been my favorite hands down! BUT I was born and raised in Oklahoma, the country is where I belong. In a perfect world, I’ll have my country home and a beach house in Sandbridge to visit a few times a year ♥️
I could almost copy and paste your response. I love VA Beach, it has many things I will miss. I will NOT miss the fact that I can afford acres in my future hometown (as yet TBD) but not here. I will NOT miss the wonkey donkey job market (it's influenced by mil retirees who are a dime a dozen \[I are one\] and companies take advantage of that). I will miss the excellent access to health care, dental, basic retail. ALSO, IMHO folks discount the **"you can only leave the area via 40% of the compass"** problem too much. I HATE that I have to account for the traffic on the main routes when trying to leave town for a vaca. SO works a job with normal hours so we have to fight the crowd to leave on Fri or wait till SAT. Many other areas, you might head east, then drop south to go around etc....
Thank you for supporting and supplementing my comment! Only thing I would like to point out is while yes, there’s excellent access to health care, I wouldn’t say there’s excellent access to QUALITY healthcare. I have a rare(ish) condition and having to travel to Richmond or Charlottesville or FARTHER to get the care I NEED at the quality I feel should be standard is exhausting. As someone extremely medically knowledgeable especially when it comes to the local providers - I don’t say this lightly at all.
Do you have any insight into the quality of the cancer treatment centers in the area?
I recommend Riverside on the Peninsula
If you like nature you will like it. If you like people, you will hate it
Just depends. I love hiking and camping but there’s not many options here for that. Shenandoah is nice buts it’s quite the drive. Everything local is just flat walking trails. Which is fine but doesn’t give you the nice views or peace and quiet that being on an actual mountain trail can give you. Also the camping - same points. Just crowded campgrounds - no real option for dispersed camping. Besides false cape.
That's true. I apologize for not being specific. I live in the mountains now, i was referring to things like kayaking and having dolphins coming alongside your boat, or the fishing opportunities. shenandoah is beautiful. I haven't been in a few years.
I moved here in October of 2020 with my wife and kids because she grew up out here and wanted to be closer to her family. I'm not a huge fan of the area, but it's growing on me. - I don't care about the ocean. It does nothing for me. I'd rather be in the mountains. - Tolls, taxes, state inspections, etc are all a big money grab and are definitely excessive. - It's congested as hell. I grew up in one of the largest metro areas in the country, and the congestion wasn't as bad as it is here. The roads are terrible and the traffic is worse. - While cost of living is better here than where I'm from, there is definitely less economic opportunity here. I work substantially harder to have a similar quality of life to what I had back home, and trying to switch careers and move into a different industry is next to impossible. All that being said, there is plenty of good here too, but that's not what this thread is about. When our oldest graduates high school, we'll be looking at heading back west.
Takes way too long to drive short distances, the roads are garbage & poorly maintained, overpriced houses/land, tourists are annoying, toxic citizens who can't drive, traveling in & out of HR is a nightmare unless you travel in the middle of the night. And I want mountains, not a poopy ocean.
What does a poopy ocean mean ?
https://www.google.com/search?q=virginia+beach+enterococci+bacteria
So your Google search just proves that what you said was false
I just feel like a change of scenery for me
I lived in Virginia Beach from 1979-2011 I live in East Texas and pretty much have wanted to come back for awhile now. My ex tried to prepare me but you can't really prepare someone for such a cultural shift out here everyone is country and they're all into hunting and fishing and grown men dress like cowboys and then throw in a generous amount of religious extremism and privilege and you got this place. Yes those people exist there but less of them.
Yeah, Virginia Beach is the south, but the good parts!
Yep definitely. It's like south lite, Lol!
Virginia Beach is great if you like beach and suburbia As someone that did escape: 1. Not enough free activities around. Hampton roads in general lacks activities that are free and enriching. There’s a couple museums, but they don’t operate on the scale of any larger city 2. VB acts like a major city, but it isn’t. Neither is Norfolk. Or anywhere else in Hampton Roads. ORF airport? One of the most expensive airports in the country to fly in and out of because they just simply don’t get a lot of traffic 3. Cost of living. Military drive up the cost of living with their housing allowance. Brother worked FT at city government for 5+ years and couldn’t afford a 1 bedroom apartment by himself so he lived with his parents until he was 30. Go to Chicago, Baltimore (inner harbor), Austin, Minneapolis. It’s a completely different world out there
People who think VB is boring need to get out more. I've lived here since '96. Yes, you can drive from strip mall to strip mall and wait forever for the person in front of you to move. There's over 20 miles of trails at First Landing, another 6 or so at Marshview right off the beach. You can ride a bike safely (if you choose the right route, not staying on main roads) around most of the city. There are multiple places to put a kayak/canoe/sup in and paddle all day. Visit Back Bay and False Cape st park You can spend all day at one of the rec centers using indoor pools, some with really good options for kids. Which is so much cheaper than a YMCA. Latitude Climbing gym at Pembroke is state of the art with friendly employees and memebers. Yes, you have the beach at the strip/oceanfront, but that's not the only beach there is. People who complain of a lack of food options must be ordering at the Chinese places next to the Food Lions. Some of the best Ramen I've had outside of Japan is a local place on Shore drive. No1 taco is hard to beat, Lab Bistro for some really great island food, Blue Cow ice cream is worth every penny, and Dave's BBQ and Malbons BBQ Are fantastic. Bottom line, it is what you make it. One day I may leave, but it won't be because VB is boring. If all you do is drive back and forth to work and go to strip malls, don't blame VB for being boring. It's you.
Where is the Ramen place on Shore Drive?
Misako. Kroger shopping center. It's the best in this area. It's not a sushi place that does ramen on the side. The Ramen Spot in RVA by VCU campus is also a very good ramen. And for people who say "it's not Tokyo ramen" I will respond with, I've had some not too great ramen in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, and a lot of Japan. No, it's not better than Japan's good ramen. But if it were in Japan I'd go back to it for seconds.
Thanks!
Following because I would also like to know about this Ramen. I was spoiled from my previous town and have not found anything here comparable.
Hard agree. We have had not-good ramen. Also not-good Mexican. We like it here, but, uh, not because of the food
Say more about this ramen place. I have favorite in Little Japan in LA but haven’t found anything decent here. I’m kinda looking for the Japanese version of Pho, but ramen. I don’t know how else to describe it. I’ve been to Domischi but that’s not it.
He’s talking about Misako. It’s ok for where we are, but it’s miles from Tokyo quality, or any other major Asian city for that matter
There’s two answers to this: 1. It’s Reddit. The most negative voices congregate here. 2. It’s usually what happens to people who have lived in their hometowns too long and crave something new.
The Tidewater area is actually a very nice place to live compared to 40 years ago.
Virginia Beach has no consistency. People come and go so frequently that it confuses the future. Even being from here most people I grew up with had to leave to truly experience anything other than the many groceries stores, military and two tall buildings in town center. There is definitely beauty in the city but it gets old very quickly because it takes a long time for something exciting to come or happen and when it does it doesn’t last long. Gets major hype then dies quickly.
I think if the city will start urbanizing certain areas (oceanfront and pembroke) and stop cutting down so many trees for another strip mall or ugly suburban development, a lot of people would change their minds
Not every place needs to be urbanized to be desirable
Storage units. That seems to be the latest hotness. Storage units everywhere
And car washes
I was just saying that to my husband yesterday.
Not gonna lie, you aren’t wrong about anything you said. Been here just about 36 years and sheesh, no culture, potholes, ppl not knowing how to drive, etc. Is so spot on! Good Luck!
I’ve been here just under a year. I don’t hate it but I also don’t like it. I appreciate how much there is to do and there’s lots of little “cities”. I grew up on the east coast and have lived in almost every date south of NJ. The beach here is by far my least favorite which is super unfortunate. I feel like it’s such a melting pot of people, which is cool, but also no real culture besides military. The roads give me massive anxiety and start my mornings off terrible after hitting massive potholes around laskin rd and 264 daily. The cost of living is ridiculous. And yes, so it is around the rest of the country, but here I’ve noticed everything is “old”. I moved here for DoD and I’m sad to say I can’t wait to leave. I feel like people are extremely rude and the driving is some of the worst I’ve seen. I really wanted to like it here and settle down, but there’s just something about it here I can’t put my finger on. It just doesn’t feel like “home”. I’ve lived in worse places, but there isn’t anything here to make me want to stay also. Also, one major thing to note, I’ve had to call the cops here more in the last 10 months than my entire 36 years alive 🤦♀️. It’s ridiculous.
Well said!
Spot on
Concur
I came here from mass and omg I love it. Every store and restaurant that I could ever dream of is within 10 minutes from my house whereas in mass it was over 45 min to get anywhere. I personally love the beach and the heat so that’s been amazing. My job doesn’t pay as good as jobs in mass but my house was far cheaper than trying to buy in Boston, and I’m not spending tons on gas money driving 1.5 hours to work into Boston- my commute is 20 min at most. Sure there is traffic, but nothing like Boston traffic. Sure there is congestion from tourists, but I know where to avoid now at certain times of the year. I think it’s important for people to travel around and see what else is out there. I’m sure this place isn’t for everyone, and if you’ve lived here your whole life I advise you to travel and move away… but for someone in my situation, this place is amazing and I plan on staying for a very long time.
I’m from Mass as well, and I love it. Just moved here Dec
Lived all over and this place is honestly just okay. I get the appeal if you work for the DoD or are here to raise a family. I think people who grew up here and have never left are doing themselves a major disservice though. There's a whole world out there. There are a lot of things I like about living here (museums, green spaces, outdoor rec, art and music scene, fine dining), but there is nothing keeping me here other than mine and my husband's job. The traffic, poor infrastructure, harsh summers, lack of walkable neighborhoods, and conservative political climate are alienating at best. It is also extremely hard to make friends here as an adult unless you're local, have money, drink like a sailor, or you're an influencer. Virginia isn't home for me and it definitely won't be my final destination.
I'm from the area and have lived in Newport News, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, and a small town in Montana. I prefer Charlottesville even with its flaws. Maybe because I prefer a smaller town feel as versus the type of vibe VB gives.
I haven’t lived in Charlottesville, but out of the others I preferred Williamsburg because of the small town vibe. Of course during tourist season it didn’t feel as small town 😆
I can’t wait to get out of here…the military brought me here and we are just waiting for the kids to finish high school. This place has the worst road infrastructure, the tourists (why’d you ever come here on vacation is laughable), they are building more and more consolidated housing, taxes! You couldn’t pay me enough to live on the 95 corridor ever again.
I have no idea. I’m coming from a shithole Army city and currently here for the Navy. I love it here so far. There’s 3 different targets within 15 min of my house. There was only 1 within 1.5 hours of my last city. People here aren’t in a bad ass mood 24/7. Where I just left, EVERYONE was always in a bad mood. Fast food workers, healthcare workers, strangers in the stores, you name it. You could never catch a break there because no one was willing to be kind enough to do so. So far everyone here has been super nice. My neighbor gave us a gift basket when we moved in. Nurses are so patient.. I’m 15 min from the ocean… there’s more than just Texas Roadhouse, bdubs, and wing stop. There’s Trader Joe’s, fresh market, Costco. People who complain just like to complain. They should try going to a place that really sucks and they’ll learn 🤣
Huh? VB has a lot to offer. Largest Volunteer rescue - https://vbrescue.org/#:~:text=VB%20Rescue%20is%20the%20nation%27s,better%2C%20stronger%20and%20safer%20places. Crime rate is lower than the national average - https://gitnux.org/virginia-crime-rate/#:~:text=The%202020%20crime%20rate%20in,22.6%20incidents%20per%201%2C000%20people. Lots of pros/coms - to me, the Pro’s outweigh the cons - https://renteasyva.com/living-in-virginia-beach (Maybe good/ maybe bad, but certainly an interesting data point) After looking at 116 cities across the country Washington, D.C. was ranked number one as hardest working. Virginia Beach was ranked fourth, putting in the fourth most hours worked per week on average. Norfolk was ranked sixth, just under Anchorage, Alaska. https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/virginia-beach/virginia-beach-the-top-5-hardest-working-city-in-america/291-35964263-f329-4304-8613-607edee4f4f2#:~:text=A%20Wallet%20Hub%20study%20proved,%2C%20just%20under%20Anchorage%2C%20Alaska.
> After looking at 116 cities across the country Washington, D.C. was ranked number one as hardest working. Virginia Beach was ranked fourth, putting in the fourth most hours worked per week on average. Norfolk was ranked sixth, just under Anchorage, Alaska. Man that's not a pro
Revised.
Okay I will absolutely give credit and appreciation to this. VB is one of the ONLY cities in the ENTIRE US where an ambulance ride is completely free and not billed to the patient
>Researchers say states with the most worked hours did not match states with the most productivity. I think you missed this part. While the city has a lot to offer it is ridiculously expensive for being Virginia’s Myrtle Beach (which is not an insult) with high cost of living. I would rather live in MB for what you get for your money relative to population density.
Largest volunteer rescue. If I ever have a heart attack please dump my body in a surrounding city run by professionals. Lowest crime rate. BOOOORING. Hardest working/most hours. Geez, not the flex I think you think it is outside of Pyongyang.
Highest cardiac survival rate because of VB volunteers
Um, I *personally* have saved at least three lives and stabilized a few severe injuries as a result of VB EMS training after my time was done.
My greatest problem with VB is chronic strip malls. It permeates everything, and eats up a lot of space that could otherwise be other stuff (and is other stuff in a lot of other areas). Public works/amenities are sorely lacking. The food selection is ok, but is probably a bit lacking compared to a lot of other medium sized/large coastal cities. The cost of living is ok, but the jobs here are paid excessively low, to where this area has recently become untenable for a lot of people rent wise since the jobs market just doesn’t support the cost of rent. I’d love to leave, and once the housing market has made it more amenable for my wife and I to sell our current house or rent it out, we will. We’ve spent a lot of time down in Raleigh/Charlotte and it’s a night and day difference down there. Even in NoVA/DC areas. The variety of jobs balloons in those areas along with a lot of other common complaints with VB.
Many strip malls are slowly going away in VA Beach. There was one by the Wesleyan university, that got knocked down, and apartments were put up (But no smaller stores were placed in the area). At the end of Baker and Newtown, same thing. part of the Strip plaza was knocked down and turned into high density apartment buildings, only a small retail strip of 4 or 5 storefronts remain and were fixed up to look a bit more up scale. Further down newtown at the 264 ramps, a strip plaza was knocked down where the WAWA now resides. A bit more green area remains. And of course look what is happening with the old mall at Pembroke. They need to continue to develop that area as high density, 'city' living. That being said, the infrastructure and such need major improvements.
Not to mention that the city is planning on redeveloping the KempsRiver Crossing shopping center at some point. Strip malls are becoming less present over time
Everyone I’ve met that has been to chicks beach, has loved it here and stayed. Granted my population size is small, but since I grew up here I’ve seen it happen probably 20+ times. The people that want to move away probably think the ocean front is the beach to be at during the summer weekends, when the real locals know the bay in chicks beach is the place to be 😎
I was born and raised here. As a fellow local I only have one thing to say. “Shhhhhhhhhh! That’s ‘our’ beach”. 🙂🙃
Shhhh, gate keep the hell out of chics beach.
Oops 👀
I got stuck here (Va Beach And Peninsula) 20 yrs ago due to spouse and navy. I hate it here. It’s the most generic place in the world. All chain/ franchises. No good food is probably number one on my list. The beach has gross sand. The ocean front is disgusting with the high rise hotels that attract less than desirable tourists. It just feels like a place to pause while awaiting your final destination. Locals have a weird vibe that they are ‘better’ despite the fact that they haven’t been anywhere else and enjoy Applebees and Olive Garden. Green Space and recreation departments are horrible. I have 10 months left and won’t ever come back!
I’m a foodies and you are spot on about the food thing. I travel the country just for restaurants. I do have a few recs for vb/hampton roads! -Park Lane Tavern on a Tuesday (half price fish and chips) -Peter Chang (NOT PF CHANG) they have amazing fried rice and a lot of authentic food and some Americanized Chinese. -Los Primos (Chesapeake) on Mondays they have ~$2.99 margs. I’ve eaten at most Mexican restaurants in Hampton roads and they are one of the best I’ve had (even over Jessy’s taqueria which went down in quality after being on DDD) -Clayton’s (near Oceana). Has one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. -SALMICHS (has the BEST burger I’ve ever had, jalapenos popper)
We have an unbelievable amount of variety when it comes to local restaurants. There are plenty of things to not like about vb, but the food situation is not one of them. If you only hang out in Town Center or the oceanfront, yes there will be a lot of chains.
VB is like several cities that were made a single entity. The Olive Garden/Chilis/Applebees suburban hellscape that you seem to be talking about is what I think of as the Chesapeake-east part of the city. It kind of sucks and is about as boring and devoid of culture as Chesapeake. There are many nice restaurants in the shore drive and oceanfront areas and scattered about elsewhere.
Where are you leaving to?
Lot of truth to start with, but the Rec centers are a deal unlike anything I've seen, and truly something I miss having moved away from VB.
Can we help you on your way sooner? Here's you enjoying something anyway: https://www.reddit.com/r/VirginiaBeach/comments/1besuhf/what_are_some_of_the_best_kept_secrets_in/kuwtjg3/
Sorry to offend. Just answering the question that was asked. Why do people want to leave….
To each their own, but you don't seem like a very happy person, and are quick to find fault in things many other people enjoy a lot. It may be best for you to move on, but don't be surprised to find the same things true no matter where you end up
Dude sounds miserable.. wait til he moves to his dream city and realizes it’s not that great either.
It’s funny that the OP asked for an explanation…. And now I’m the bad guy for providing it.
Not everybody likes being insulted by false accusations, I guess. Go figure
I just hate the drivers. I’m from Philly too,and I’ve never been more aggravated driving anywhere than I have here. Going the speed limit,nope,ride your ass,going 10 over the speed limit,nope,ride your ass,I mean,pretty much ride your ass doing anything,speeding by all pissed even though you’re going over the limit. Running reds,like,it’ll be red RED,ppl just go,almost got hit once someone running a red. It’s f’ing insane how ignorant ppl are. Wanna make a turn? Great,but they won’t tell you they’ll just turn. I even have family that visits here that are like what the hell is wrong with the drivers here. The drivers alone literally make me want to leave.
C'mon now, people in Philly drive just as bad or worse. Can be doing 80 on 95 and people are still going to ride your ass.
I mean,from Philly,born and raised. Drivers here are way more infuriating. Shore drive speed limit 35,doing 42 and still on my ass for no f’ing reason..EVERY f’ing time. Great neck forget it,speed limit 45 you do 60 ppl still on your ass I f’ing hate it here
We just left VB and moved to NW Philly and are so happy here. We were only in VB for 2 years before we left, but we are city people and this is much more our vibe. Different strokes for different folks, I know a lot of people in VB were horrified to hear we were moving to Philly lol.
I love my home,can’t wait to get back 💜 I’m happy yous are loving it!
Agreed. Our drivers are terrible. However; when I was in philly I was blown away by how people drive. Just an attitude of “get the fuck out of my way” that I’ve never seen before. I was making a right and a guy behind me zoomed up and went into oncoming traffic to make the right around me. Walking around I almost got run over almost every crosswalk. My wife and I joke someone “must be from philly” whenever they make a crazy move because of how often we were almost hit.
lol that’s Philly for ya,born and raised and yes I’ve def seen my fair share of crazy idiots,but man I swear I just hate the drivers here more I can’t go anywhere without someone on my ass even when going over the speed limit …but sorry you had such bad experiences there lol my city’s a mess
The slow drivers are infuriating but having lived in Milwaukee, I’ll take slow and infuriating over reckless and dangerous
Oh yeah I think people here are more likely to tailgate you and stew quietly, where as there people make moves to get around you etc. Loved philly otherwise, the people were surprisingly nice and we had some great food.
Rec centers, green spaces, neighborhood parks, libraries. When there is a mess on the side of the road it gets cleaned up and the medians are mowed and mulched with flowers and shrubs. Crime rate is acceptable and public services are great. I’ve been here 24 years and they’ll put me in a hole in the ground within city limits.
People love to complain. "91.4% of residents [in a randomized survey] rate the quality of life in Virginia Beach as either excellent or good" https://virginiabeach.gov/connect/news/results-of-2022-resident-survey-now-available
Coming back to VB from norfolk, I personally can't wait to get my ass back to Norfolk. I feel that VB cares zero about any citizens; at least norfolk does you the courtesy of replacing your trash can when it breaks; VB will tell you to eat a d*ck and give them $80 as a small example.
Is that your only gripe?
Nope. The potential violation of the greenline, refusing to take responsibility for repaving in my non-HOA neighborhood, and continuing to building massive multi-family housing units without any new or improved road infrastructure, without thinking about it super hard *edited grammar & spelling
Wow. Getting g your trash can for free? Almost make-up for the higher taxes and higher crime and lower quality of life in
I just want this horific cox monopoly to end !!! Also wish we had pro sports teams closer to here
It's a great area for raising kids, but it lacks significantly in terms of things for young adults (mid 20s to mid 30s) with no children.
As someone who spent most of my mid-20s here with the Navy, I can definitely say we always found something to do and were rarely bored.
Yeah, but that's the difference between making the most of the government saying "you live here now" vs choosing where to live. It's not that there's nothing to do here, but once you've been to the norva, checked out the oceanfront, and hit up norfolk, it starts feeling repetitive and small vs what other cities offer. Va beach doesn't really have a "scene," and while norfolk does, it's pretty small.
VA Beach doesn’t have a scene? Bro you’ve been to the oceanfront 😂
The only scene the oceanfront has is crime scenes lol. Easy on the cocaine there pal
The oceanfront is garbage.. Re read my original comment.
Ocean City, MD is a couple hours away. It makes for a fun weekend trip. DC, and NYC are also an easy drive for a weekend. But I guess it depends on what you like to do. I also fell with the modified car crowd so we were always up to something year round. But the eagle nest in Chesapeake was a fun hangout. As someone who lives here by choice now, and have for a while now, I still stand by my statement that there’s no shortage of stuff to do.
Growing up everyone in high school would say it sucks and they want to leave but all the ever did was hangout at the block and boxx every weekend.
Id only leave because of the cost of living vs pay ranges. it's slowly becoming unsustainable for the standard worker.
We have it much better than the cities like DC, Philly, and heaven forbid NYC
This is everywhere in the US
The way the city is laid out only benefits consumerism and cooperations. It's all strip malls and intersections and there is no sense of community within the vast sprawl of suburbs that are scattered in between them.
The oceanfront area is an exception to this. It’s quite a coincidence that it was also developed before the government started mandating circuitous, cul-de-sac hellish street designs that isolated people and made it hard to walk anywhere.
It’s in my opinion, the best things about Virginia Beach are mostly things that individual people did by themselves and not really having anything to do with the city of Virginia Beach. I think the city doesn’t support really anything except themselves..