Observations from A Native VB Animal Lover
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12/29/2006
Definitiely read the comments from Expatriot, because he describes much of what I have trouble with regarding Virginia Beach. I was BORN here, raised here, and enjoyed the simple life Virginia Beach once possessed for its military people as well as locals, the very way of life that brought so many visitors and tourists here in the summer as well. There used to be lots of trees, shade, not too much traffic, and a neighborly way of being.
Now however in the last 30 years, VB has turned into a sprawling, overgrown mockup of the big city, with a mainly greedy, conscienceless city council. They cater to the wealthy, and there is an unspokenly LARGE homeless community that this city council is doing nothing to help but sweep them under the carpet and jail them whenever they can. They concentrate around the oceabfront area because there is noplace else for them to go but the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center and a couple of churches down there that feed them.
The razing of forested areas in Va Beach leaves nothing but a bare, blazing horizon with little shade or protection from storms. It is SHAMEFUL what this city council has been doing to our once-beautiful, easy-going Va Beach. Traffic is horrendous, people moving in from so many states all the time.
Dont move here, people! Military is expected and welcome. But its not a great place for the average person. Its not warm & friendly. You'll get lost here and people are not friendly as they used to be.
Animal Control has not been updated for decades here. Its the same tiny brick building, depressing and a sad place for anyone's pet to end up at. City Council has not addressed this for so long its as though the animal residents here have been forgotten.
They spend thousands and more a year on flowers and landscaping, building and razing, road widening and all, but they dont care for the homeless spend even what the National average is on students per head, or look out for our pets or the other animals who have lost their way.
Its pathetic. The place I grew up has become a place I have come to loathe.
So take it from a VB native.....This is NOT the great place to live that our city council's advertising people make it out to be. They just want to suck more people into living here to bleed more taxes from the people for their "beautifying" and such, forgetting the important things, and the important lives.
Kathleen | Virginia Beach, VA