Moving to VA - Williamsburg? (Newport News, Hampton: rentals, insurance, condo)

[Crispy_Critter]

Hello all! First and foremost, I want to say thank you for taking the time to read this and for any response/advice you may be able to provide. As the title states, I am moving to VA in the very near future, and it has been very interesting trying to figure out where we should live. I figure it's easiest to use the template that was provided in the sticky, so here goes.


When are you moving? November timeframe
Where are you coming from? Japan
Why are you moving? Work
Where will you be working? Newport News general area
Have you been here yet? No

Will you buy or rent? We would prefer to buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? House
How much can you spend? $425-$450k

Are you married or single? Married
Do you have children? Yes
Do you prefer public or private schools? Public
Do you have pets? No
Do you want or need a yard? Absolutely want, would list as need
Are you keeping a car? We will be purchasing
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Calm and quiet

What do you want to be closest to? Shopping, Basic Services

That's pretty much it. If I had to sum it all up, I'd say we're looking for a larger home, 4-5 bedroom, with a quarter acre or more, in a semi-quiet neighborhood that is family focused, and safe.

Priorities(in this order):

1.) Safety (low crime, etc)
2.) Schools
3.) Neighborhood vibe
4.) Yard size
5.) House size
6.) Cost

[spencgr]

I would re-post this in the Hampton Roads subforum for better responses.

[Steve19605]

I would say my choice would be Gloucester then Williamsburg second.

Rent first for a year.

Williamsburg does have some nice private communities. But you have more of the crowd from Hampton and Newport news moving there so drags it down. With crime and schools. Especially Hampton used to be very nice at one time.

I believe Gloucester is more on the upswing but Williamsburg heading downhill.

[webster]

I suggest renting. There is much to consider beyond what an agent would tell you. Schools, taxes of course. But look at the long range plans each community has for rising water levels. The area is dealing with two problems at the same time, rising seas and the natural sublimation of the area. It would be a terrible thing to buy a home where they are expecting more frequent flooding. The sea level in Tidewater rose 6 inches in the past 26 years; it is expected to increase another 6 inches in the next 13.

You can locate forecast maps:

http://ccrm.vims.edu/climate_change/...HRPDC_York.jpg

https://www.vims.edu/ccrm/research/c...maps/index.php

[Crispy_Critter]

Originally Posted by spencgr

I would re-post this in the Hampton Roads subforum for better responses.

Thank you, will do.

Originally Posted by Steve19605

I would say my choice would be Gloucester then Williamsburg second.

Rent first for a year.

Williamsburg does have some nice private communities. But you have more of the crowd from Hampton and Newport news moving there so drags it down. With crime and schools. Especially Hampton used to be very nice at one time.

I believe Gloucester is more on the upswing but Williamsburg heading downhill.

Interesting, thank you for the information. Is there data to support the higher crime in Williamsburg? From what I've been seeing/reading, most of the areas we're looking at (West and SW areas) are pretty nice. I do see that the eastern side tends to be a bit more active in terms of crime. We're definitely trying to stay away from all of that, but we also don't want to be TOO close to the water, dealing with flood insurance and high risk of flooding, etc.

Originally Posted by webster

I suggest renting. There is much to consider beyond what an agent would tell you. Schools, taxes of course. But look at the long range plans each community has for rising water levels. The area is dealing with two problems at the same time, rising seas and the natural sublimation of the area. It would be a terrible thing to buy a home where they are expecting more frequent flooding. The sea level in Tidewater rose 6 inches in the past 26 years; it is expected to increase another 6 inches in the next 13.

You can locate forecast maps:

http://ccrm.vims.edu/climate_change/...HRPDC_York.jpg

https://www.vims.edu/ccrm/research/c...maps/index.php

Thanks for the info. We're actually seriously considering renting at this point...I wanted to post on here and say that. Just because we don't know how long we'll be there and not sure if it'd be worth it. We'll look around for rentals and see.

[Steve19605]

Originally Posted by Crispy_Critter

Thank you, will do.



Interesting, thank you for the information. Is there data to support the higher crime in Williamsburg? From what I've been seeing/reading, most of the areas we're looking at (West and SW areas) are pretty nice. I do see that the eastern side tends to be a bit more active in terms of crime. We're definitely trying to stay away from all of that, but we also don't want to be TOO close to the water, dealing with flood insurance and high risk of flooding, etc.

Thanks for the info. We're actually seriously considering renting at this point...I wanted to post on here and say that. Just because we don't know how long we'll be there and not sure if it'd be worth it. We'll look around for rentals and see.

Just a simple goggle search shows

per 1K population - violent crimes

Williamsburg = 1.41

Gloucester = 0.34

I had not looked it up before myself. Just familiar with the migration pattern for the area since the 70's.
Whole area was great back then except 2 very small areas.
My opinion is Williamsburg is the next area to start declining.

The bridge to get to Gloucester seems to act like a little barrier in some way.

And yes, stay clear of flood areas. Fema is getting out of the business of subsidizing flood insurance. So can expect the rates to increase.

But like in Gloucester point on the water. There are some areas you have to look 30 ft down to see the water. So there are areas with no risk.

[Crispy_Critter]

Originally Posted by Steve19605

Just a simple goggle search shows

per 1K population - violent crimes

Williamsburg = 1.41

Gloucester = 0.34

I had not looked it up before myself. Just familiar with the migration pattern for the area since the 70's.
Whole area was great back then except 2 very small areas.
My opinion is Williamsburg is the next area to start declining.

The bridge to get to Gloucester seems to act like a little barrier in some way.

And yes, stay clear of flood areas. Fema is getting out of the business of subsidizing flood insurance. So can expect the rates to increase.

But like in Gloucester point on the water. There are some areas you have to look 30 ft down to see the water. So there are areas with no risk.

That's interesting. I used this site:

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
Not sure if it's accurate or the data is old but it doesn't even have just "Gloucester", rather having "Gloucester Point" and "Gloucester Courthouse"...both of which show a higher property crime number than Williamsburg, though "Gloucester Courthouse" does show a 10.8 vs 11.2 violent crime when compared to Williamsburg. This is on a scale of 1 - 100, and is based on FBI data apparently.

I also saw where I think you pulled your stats from:

Williamsburg - Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

Gloucester - Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

My issue with this data is that you're talking about 2,900 people in Gloucester. I mean, really? Who lives here? Williamsburg crime is for the WHOLE city, which is both the significant portion that has almost no crime, and the surrounding areas that are less than ideal. The crime there is very easy to pinpoint and isolated to very specific areas, even on the website you listed. Not hard to stay away from those areas IMO. Again, look at the western and southwestern parts of Williamsburg (going down towards Jamestown). Almost no crime to speak of.

Now, Gloucester. Not to sound like a complete jerk, but I've been doing a bit more digging and man oh man. We're not looking for a "closed-minded" town that doesn't appreciate culturally diverse people "bringing it down". There is too much of that crap elsewhere, and it's exhausting. I always want to give people a "chance", but with only 2,900 people...and the elementary schools showing 77% to almost 90% white...I think I get a pretty good idea of what's going on there. My family is multi-cultural and multi-racial, and we're used to being bastards anywhere we go. So we're just looking for somewhere quiet and easy to raise a family. We're not looking for "trouble" or to plant ourselves somewhere we aren't welcome.

Again, this is based on my research, not from living there, so please don't tear me apart too badly. If that's not the culture there, I apologize!