Pros and Cons of Living in Virginia Beach VA
Want to know the good and the bad of living in Virginia Beach? Do you want a balanced perspective of what living here is like? I’ll tell you everything!
First of all, so you know who’s telling you this info — my name is Sam Sansalone and I’m a native of Virginia Beach and the area of Hampton Roads. I’ve never moved out of the area and know the area and the streets better than just about everything except my wife. So let me get into this and start with the things I like about this area and there are quite a few things (nope, not biased).
1. Beach!
It’s in the Virginia Beach name, but it’s a reality that the beach is a pretty big deal here. Many people often picture the Virginia Beach Oceanfront when they think of the beach here, but as a matter of fact there are quite a few beaches of varying sizes and crowded…ness.
THE OCEANFRONT (this is where the 3.1-mile boardwalk is)
CROATAN BEACH (just south of the Boardwalk, tucked away, locals like this one)
THE NORTH END (another local favorite beach, north of the oceanfront, it’s quieter up there)
SANDBRIDGE (this is a secluded destination spot for many, farther south along the east coast)
CAPE STORY BY THE SEA (many people forget about this one, small but a goodie)
CHIC’S BEACH (a true beach community, nothing like it in Va Beach)
Now is probably a great time for me to tell you that I am absolutely not a beach person. Shocker, right? And I’ll tell you that many locals spend years here and many rarely see the beach. I guess when you’re used to knowing it’s there, you forget about it. Anyway, we have plenty of all sorts of beaches and this is a huge plus and reason why people come here. Check out one of many of my YouTube videos about the beaches in Virginia Beach.
2. We’re a Big/Small Town.
What does that mean? Well, Virginia Beach is a population of just over 500,000 people. That’s big compared to a lot of places, but we aren’t the size of any of the top-30 major cities in the US. And you know what that means? Just small enough to never have been able to attract a major sports team. But we’ll go into that later. The great parts of this is a) there is no place that feels so overwhelming (the downtown areas aren’t big), b) it doesn’t feel super congested in most places, and c) you have many chances to meet long-time residents and get to know your community, because there are plenty of people.
3. THE OUTSIDE!
Oh boy, if you like staying inside Virginia Beach might not be your thing. There are so many outdoor activities all through the city that fit various tastes. Virginia Beach has over 300 publicly-funded parks, for starters. First Landing State Park is a wonderful place to hike and run on the northeast tip of the city. Back Bay Wildlife Refuge is another great option for canoeing, kayaking, hiking, fishing, the gamut! You’re only about 30 minutes east of the Great Dismal Swamp, which is far from dismal. It’s an incredible oasis that’s perfect for a calm hike in nature around Lake Drummond. But one of my favorite things about the city is those parks because it shows how much importance the city places on relaxation and peace.
4. School systems are the bomb!!
Want to bring your kids to some of the best school districts in the entire state of Virginia? Virginia Beach is the place. We have several schools that are top-ranked through the state, including Ocean Lakes, Princess Anne, Salem, not to mention so many others that would be the best in other cities if it wasn’t for the fact that the top of the pack are so highly ranked. Others include First Colonial, Landstown, Cox, Kellam, Tallwood, and Kempsville!
5. Well Fortified
If you’re in the military, there’s a decent chance that you’ll eventually end up being stationed here. Virginia Beach is the home to many military bases, including the Ocean Naval Air Station. Though Virginia Beach is also surrounded by other bases such as the Little Creek Joint Expeditionary Base, The Norfolk Naval Base (the largest Navy base in the world!), Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, The Coast Guard, Fort Eustis and Langley Air Force Base up north. We’re surrounded! And is a HUGE part of the local economy and keeps the real estate market healthy!
6. AWESOME Houses (and lots of safe neighborhoods).
Because this area is so rich in history, you find many houses that are built back a lonnnng time ago. Not to mention, many of the neighborhoods in Virginia Beach were built during a time when brick was a thing, instead of the vinyl that’s often used now. There are many well-wooded neighborhoods with sprawling lots and wide streets. Plenty of unique areas, so while there are plenty of those cookie-cutter spots, for every one of those there is also a secluded, tree’d neighborhood where you can hear the leaves on the branches clash. And WalletHub actually ranked Virginia Beach #2 in Best Places To Live in the US and ranked us #4 in the US for safety. And the average sales price in Virginia Beach for housing is $418,000. That might sound high, but also know that there are many neighborhoods worth over $1 Million and plenty that are in the $200,000 and $300,000 price range, also. So Virginia Beach has every type of neighborhood there is!
THE CONS TO LIVING IN VIRGINIA BEACH
We don’t like talking about the negatives. But we must, because it’s just as real as the positives!
1. THE JET NOISE!
Truth. Many locals don’t care, but some do. See, the Va Beach Oceana Naval Air Station has a runway/landing strip on the east side of Virginia Beach. And this runway runs NE/SW along that east side of Va Beach. And depending on where you live near the flight paths of the jets as they circle around the base you could get random blasts of “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE” flying right above you. Many times you have to literally stop the conversation you’re having with your friend and stand around awkwardly waiting about 30 seconds until the jet is gone. What’s funny is many locals get used to it, but it doesn’t mean it’s not a reality. Many people (including myself) avoid living in the sections of the city where this is a problem. DISCLAIMER: It’s not a problem all over town, just very specific spots. Do not be dismayed.
2. The locals think the traffic is bad.
I worded this very carefully because while yes, the traffic can be frustrating. But what’s almost as bad as the traffic itself is how much the locals complain about it. I catch myself, too. I mean yes, the traffic can be annoying. Trips that you think should take 15 minutes sometimes take 25. But when people from almost any other larger metropolitan city hears us talk about the traffic it turns into a comedy session. Nobody feels bad for us because it really isn’t THAT bad. However, I do think there’s one section that others agree is really bad — which is driving across the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in neighboring Norfolk/Hampton. It can take an hour to get 3 miles sometimes. And the times it happens proves to the locals that they can complain about the traffic everywhere else all the time. I’ve come to realize traffic frustration here is all about expectations. Virginia Beach locals get most frustrated because they travel with an expectation that they’ll get somewhere normally in about 30% less time than it sometimes actually takes. And that gets annoying. But not the end of the world.
3. The Roads Are Confusing (still stuck on the traffic thing)
Traffic or not, looking at a map of Virginia Beach can give people headaches. First of all, the interstates near Virginia Beach lie to you. Interstate 64 East and West run North and South (because of course they do), and then Interstate 264 East and West actually run East and West. And to make matters even more awesome, I’m positive that the Virginia Beach city planning department must have collaborated to ensure that every road in the city connects at weird angles and few of them go in straight lines. There are spots in the city that still make me feel like I’m walking into a Bermuda Triangle of sorts, I still get lost. Maybe that’s a me problem.
4. Flooding
This isn’t actually a problem in spots that you might expect. Many places in Virginia Beach near the water actually don’t have flooding problems. Many places inland do, as well as on the southeastern section of the city. So, the reason why many coastline areas don’t have a huge flooding problem is due to the height of much of the land on the shorelines. Many houses are built up off sea level high enough to where water never really is much of a constant issue. That being said, going down near Sandbridge and an area called Pungo can cause a problem. That’s an area that local over there have gotten used to streets flooding during bad storms. Also, the biggest flooding issue around the whole area is in parts of Norfolk, about 20–30 minutes west of many parts of Virginia Beach. Which leads to….
5. The Threat of Tropical Storms/Hurricanes (and sometimes actual ones)
Yes, the bark can often be stronger than the bite. We hear forecasts of potential hurricanes blowing through the area and the collective town loses their minds. Though, most of those storms end up either a) not coming, or b) becoming a shell of what it was by the time it comes to shore. One large reason for this is due to where Virginia Beach is situated along the coastline. As hurricanes blow up from the Caribbean low pressure systems that come across the country from the west often push the storms back out to sea. Sometimes that means the storms never reach shore. Other times it hits the coast, but as it curves it normally weakens over land by the time it comes to us. So often storms are windy and a lot of rain, but not the drastic impact that many people see on the national news.
While there are a lot of nuanced pros and cons that might also influence the specific areas in which you might choose to live in Virginia Beach, you now have a well-balanced assessment of life here in Virginia Beach from a local who literally knows nothing except his own town. And real estate in his own town.
