Observations from an expatriot
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9/24/2006
I grew up in Va Beach from 1967-1987, went to VB public schools, graduated fromCox H.S.(top HS in VB) and attended Tidewater Community College. It was a good place to grow up and raise a family. The military bases brought alot of people in who stayed permanently. For many people, especially those from the northeast(NY,NJ etc) it was a bargain. I have spent the last 19 years in the N.E. and Midwest(see my comments on Toledo)and it is just mind boggling to see how the Tidewater area has changed. The growth rate is staggering. Every square inch of Va.Beach is covered with condo's and shopping centers. You can't even get near the beach for all the 3-4story condo's covering the sand dunes. I hope these folks have good insurance. The city did a wonderful job transforming the resort strip along Atlantic Ave. from a ticky-tacky honky tonk to something that is really attractive. The old family owned hotels have been replaced with 8 story mega-hotels so forget about sunning after 3:00pm. Downtown Norfolk and downtown Portsmouth used to se slums from hell but have been transformed into attractive areas with shopping and lots of condo's. Thoe downside to all this is that housing prices have more than doubled in the past 6 years. Even if I wanted to move back I couldn't afford to pay 8-1100$$ per month on a 2 BR apartment. The traffic is horrendous and Virginia being a commonwealth has a pay-as-you-go mentality to building roads. The I-264 interstate between Norfolk and Va.Beach used to be a toll road that charged you .25 cents until one of the brilliant Republican governors found the idea of a 25 cent "TAX" unacceptable. Bottom line is Virginia Beach is still a good place to live with lots of things to do but be prepared to put up with crowds and pay an arm and a leg for housing.
Stephen | Toledo, OH