So, it looks like a job opportunity for my fiancé is going to send us to Newport News, VA. Before I give the nod to the whole plan, I wanted to ask what everyone thinks of VA, and the Newport News area?
Places to shoot? Places to live?
Places to avoid?
Any and all feedback is welcome. I can see from a run through of the MidSouth forum that I’m already going to love finally being able to have an SBR (farewell to WA and their ridiculous prohibition)… What else can I look forward to or should I look out for.
Not looking forward to a personal income tax, but I guess that I will get to write it off on my Fed taxes, so all is not lost there.
It’s hot, it’s humid, there are lots of bugs, and it’s harder to get good food and beer compared to the PNW. But VA is pretty nice overall. Newport News is like any place, there are good and bad spots, but it’s nice overall. You will be very close to some nice beaches as well in VA and NC. There are also some very nice shooting facilities in the VA Beach area, as well as Hampton. Been a while since I was down there other than just passing through though.
I lived and worked in the Hampton Roads area for 12 years before I escaped. I left in 07 so my info is a little old but I would avoid the east end it was pretty dangerous. The west end and Hampton aren’t bad, and the weather is terrible
Hampton is worse than NN. There are 3 precincts for NN, the further north (away from Norfolk), the safer the area. Downtown is a rough spot - if its there, I’d avoid it. I believe where I am is in the central district, right by CNU. There are some decent parts mixed in with some rougher looking parts, and one very nice area (right on the James River, again near CNU). Of the rough parts, I have been here for 4.5 years and never had a problem. Again, the more central or north, the better. VA’s gun laws are pretty solid, though our new Democrat governor will probably do what he can to limit our freedoms. I moved here from San Diego, and hated it initially, mostly because I thought the drivers were slow and stupid and the roads were confusing. I have come to love it though, the history is great and the people for the most part are as well - much better than the assholes in CA. For shooting, NN doesn’t have a whole lot. If you’re military, that gets you access to Camp Allen - nothing special but a decent option. VA Beach has C2 Shooting Center which is supposedly very nice, but at least an hour away (closer to 1.5 I think). Your best bet is Lafayette Gun Club. Private, and not accepting applications last I heard but I’m leaving in a few months so maybe they’d let us switch or something. It has its own pros and cons I can go into if interested, but do check out their site. Oh, and you are within about 3-4 hours (at most) of a shit ton of training from all of the big names.
I do like the concept of being close to more training than I have here in the PNW. I am flying out there next week to look at houses and figure out what/where.
The concept of not having a range close by (even in downtown Seattle I am less than a half hour from four right now) absolutely sucks. I will have to appreciate range time more I guess.
Interesting to hear about neighborhoods being good/bad. Definitely will have two stamps for SBRs applied for the moment I am officially a resident. Had to laugh about needing to show “legal presence” to get an ID. The concept of having to prove you’re legally in the country would cause my neighbors to recoil in horror at the implicit racism. Made me smile.
Look for a place to live in York county or Poquoson, maybe Newport News towards Williamsburg.
Other places would be across the James river bridge (Suffolk, Isle of Wight county, etc). More rural out there, and a longer commute, but worth it to some.
Areas of hampton are ok, but the good places will be just as far away from Newport News as Suffolk and York.
Lafayette gun club is in York county and is great if you can get in (24x7 indoor range)
I could check with my son on specific areas to avoid , when he returns from deployment, he is stationed there. When are you planning on visiting/moving?
VA is Big on 2nd amendment rights… although that is a never ending battle, and there are some good schools and job opportunities, but that’s the reason you are going there, right?
I don’t have any specific areas for you, just an overview of the area. Well it aint always Hot N Humid, cold and lots of snow right now. Close to a lot of good fishing too, Bass and saltwater if that interests you. Not far from Nags Head NC Beaches and Fredericksburg civil war battlefields. I wouldn’t worry about places to shoot/ranges/training facilities. I am sure you know, but lots of military. BUT Traffic sucks ASS, especially in the summer time, you have not only the base traffic to deal with, but the VA beach, Williamsburg and Busch Gardens as well. But traffic in the entire VA beach/Hampton roads to Baltimore area traffic Sucks ASS!
Definitely check specific areas, because there are some that are Big time GHETTO areas! AI/Vick mentality, That are was there stomping grounds! I am sure there were lots of good people that came from there as well.
Depending upon where in NN the squeeze will be working, New Kent may be an option if you don’t mind being out in the sticks a little.
It takes me about 25-30 minutes to get to Costco. (Jefferson Ave near Int. 64)
During the summer time, well…that’s a different story. Traffic on 64 sucks ballz Friday through Sunday.
Like others have said, there are nice and bad places everywhere. However, (when I worked in Newport News) I found a greater concentration of “nice places to live” closer to the Williamsburg area. The weather can really suck at times (hot and HUMID to cold and humid). Traffic also sucks, especially at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT). So if working on the peninsula (Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, etc) it’s best to live on the peninsula and not the south side (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth…) the commute can really suck. The exception is north Suffolk; not too bad from there and you avoid the HRBT. C2 has a really nice facility out in the sticks of Virginia Beach, but ALL rifles must be shot from either the sitting or prone position (on the public range) thanks to some assholes ruining it for everyone else. They do rental ranges where that does not apply. You also have Academi (formerly Blackwater) which is not too far away either.
Got some feedback from Wake, and the the lady is in a good spot for work. North west of the city, and apparently there are some good residential spots out there too.
I fly out next Friday and I’ll spend the weekend finding something to buy. I’m fine being out of the city a bit if it means a nicer neighborhood.
Is sharpshooters on industrial drive not open anymore? It’s been a few yrs since I lived there, but you could shoot rifle and they have pretty competitive pricing.