Small Town Feel
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4/5/2007
Pretty much all of the comments that have been posted already are valid. I started out here as a student at the College of William and Mary and stayed after I graduated. In the 4 years I've lived as a "townie", I think I have some perspective on Williamsburg. Every year we see thousands and thousands of tourists and if you travel along Rt 60 down and into the Colonial Area you may feel overwhelmed. But this is not Williamsburg. The actual local residents have formed a nice small community. This is both good and bad. It means that gossip travels fast, but also that you will always run into folks you know at the grocery store. William and Mary has the feeling of an insulated campus, eventhough the students are fairly active in the community. One of the shining lights of Williamsburg is its public library: The Williamsburg Regional Library. It is one of the best in the country and spends more per capita in Williamsburg and James City County than most as well.
However, the housing market is inflated and only getting worse. It is very difficult to find housing "in-town" that isn't very expensive. Williamsburg is a great place to retire, (good hospital and several well-maintained and well-appointed retirement communities) which means if you don't have a lifetime of savings to spend, you'll have a hard time finding affordable housing. The majority of employees who work for James City County (which surrounds Williamsburg) live in Newport News, for example. It is not an easy town to get around in if you don't have a car. The bus transit system is designed mostly to be convenient for tourists and it can be frustrating to try and navigate it on a daily basis. And although some people bike, it is not a town that is laid out for biking- too much volume of traffic, even if it moves very slowly in the "downtown area"(though there isn't really a city center). It is also very hard to be a young adult in Williamsburg. Kids and teens from about 12-18 have very little to do in town. Because it is an aging community and a tourist economy, young people tend to get left out.
But, if you're interested in a small southern town that's not too southern (not every place has sweet tea), it might be a good fit for you. If you're willing to become involved in town life you can meet some great friends.
A. L. | Williamsburg, VA