Reviews & Comments
Hampton, VA
Hampton-Not the best far from the worse -
8/23/20091. Diverse (may be a plus or minus depending on your mindset)
2. Dc(3hrs), Md(3hrs), Bush Gardens/Water Country/Williamsburg Shopping Outlets (Polo-Nautica-Hilfiger-DKNY-etc) (30m away),
VaBeach (45m), Vb ampitheater-Hampton Coliseum, Multiple airports (Newport News-Williamsburg(15m), Norfolk(30m), Richmond(1hr), ODU Womens Hoops(30m)
Direct Cruises that leave out of Norfolk to places like the Bahamas
all of the normal stuff like mall, movies, bowling allies, carnivals
3. Average crimerate (don't believe me? check U.S. News most recent 2009 survey about best places to retire, they rate every major city in each state)
I've been doing alot of research regarding different places to live because Im thinking of relocating(gotta leave sometime). In doing so, I realized just how fortunate I was to be raised in such a family oriented place. Are there bundles of affordable cites, with no crime, and lots to do in the U.S.? If there were would we even need this website? You can raise a family here without worry and check other websites to verify any claims on this one.
4. Strong military presence (Langley, Fort Eustis, Fort Monroe, Norfolk Naval)
5. Average priced housing (there are still houses that go for 150000)
6. Educated population (CNU-Hampton University-ODU-Norfolk State-William and Mary all within 45m or less drive)
7. How could I forget football? Washington Redskins/Baltimore Ravens are 3hrs away. I think the Carolina Panthers are a little further out.
Is Hampton perfect? No. Any place with 150000 people will have a few knuckleheads. My friend stays out in rural VA where there are absolutely no people and I turn on the news and heard about METH heads committing crimes. Don't base your decision on the news, base it on data and evidence. I was raised in Hampton. I was never robbed, never experienced overt racism, never had to fear for my life because of gang violence, never had to worry about out of control drug violence and had access to solid medical facilities.
That being said Virginia is a commonwealth so there will be more taxes. Unless you are a teacher, military, shipyard worker, or work for the city, you will most likely have to commute to VA Beach or Williamsburg (except for of course docs-lawyers or something like that). Hampton can get boring sometimes but you have access to other things and your children will be safe. I love to gamble personally but there are no casinos (sucks). My elderly grandma rides through hampton at night from her weekly bingo games and she's been here forever! Nothing has happened to her lol. My whole family lives in Hampton and none of them have been victims of violent crime. I cant even begin to count how many New Yorkers, Philadelphians, & the like we would have to literally kick out because it got too hectic in their communities (of course they always say Ny is the best lol, but stay for 80 years lol). My point is Hampton isnt the greatest but it aint the worse!
Hampton, VA
re: Hampton has too many gangs. - 11/2/2008 -
8/23/2009I've been reading a lot of posts about various cities. I saw so many negative opinions about different places I began to wonder whether these opinions were really accurate. I decided to check the comments about a place I am very familiar with. I was raised in Hampton from the age of 11 to 24, so I know of what I speak. When I saw the post of "Hampton has too many gangs," I had to laugh. My first thought was well this is obviously a person who isn't used to diversity...but I wanted to check further. You never discuss the city of Hampton in your comments. The "airport near the base" is Norfolk Va which has a HIGH crime rate. Bush Gardens is in Williamsburg and like you say, it is a great place to stay. The "gangs" in the parking lot are probably just black teenagers visiting the park lol. The crime rate of Hampton is 5/5 and has 146000 people. Niceville Fl has a crime rate of 2/3 and has...12,000 people. Niceville also is 87% white, so I can understand how seeing a group of black people might alarm you. Hampton is diverse and is a good place to raise a family. It's also cheap by comparison and has a good educational system. I can't vouch for Williamsburg also...which you would probably feel more comfortable in since it's much less diverse. I completely understand your point of view. If I moved to Niceville I would probably feel uncomfortable as well. I guess that's just a product of our media programming lol. Anyone interested in moving here I urge to look at ALL the comments and not rely ONLY on this website in making your final moving decision. For example U.S. News lists the crimerate in Hampton as Average, as well as Williamsburg. The only places with low crime rate in this day and age are places like Niceville that have no people. Once you get to over 100000 people you'd be hard pressed to find many U.S. cities with low crimerate with that many people. We have the beach, theaters, shopping, and plenty of good eats. If you get bored there is Williams Shopping Outlets, Bush Gardens, Water Country, D.C.(3hrs)Md(3hrs) Charles town WV Casinos(3hrs) Va Beach(45min) ODU girls basketball, events at the Hampton Coliseum, VaBeach Ampitheater....man I could go on and on. The only reason I left was because I was tired of constantly meeting people I knew and having to say hi (apparently they never wanted to leave lol).