Introduce yourself

[BFG]

21 hours ago, chris722 said:

This is a nice area though.  Just not a very exciting one.  Not sure that it really has to be though sometimes people that complain aren't that interesting themselves, so it is what it is. 

I agree...I think it's all in what you make it. I've had fun spending a Friday night on Granby, at Town Center, or at a friend's house playing board games. 

I do think entertainment options outside of bars and clubs would help though. We're getting there.

[chris722]

3 hours ago, carolinaboy said:

Welcome.

I live in the surrounding region but not in Hampton Roads proper. Believe me, anywhere in Hampton Roads is more exciting than the general surrounding areas. I love the area because there is plenty to do even though sometimes it may not seem like it. When my wife and I are empty nesters I could very well end up in a downtown Norfolk apartment. That was hard to say twenty or thirty years ago.

Is Downtown Norfolk more desirable now than it was twenty years ago?

[BFG]

42 minutes ago, chris722 said:

Is Downtown Norfolk more desirable now than it was twenty years ago?

NFKjeff answered this, but I'll add that the opening of MacArthur Center in 1999 was what sparked the revitalization of downtown Norfolk. I was in high school at the time and lived in Chesapeake, so I can't answer too much, but I don't think you had the nightlife we see now, 20 years ago. From what I remember (and I could be wrong), there was Waterside, and not much else.

[chris722]

12 hours ago, BFG said:

NFKjeff answered this, but I'll add that the opening of MacArthur Center in 1999 was what sparked the revitalization of downtown Norfolk. I was in high school at the time and lived in Chesapeake, so I can't answer too much, but I don't think you had the nightlife we see now, 20 years ago. From what I remember (and I could be wrong), there was Waterside, and not much else.

I haven't returned to Waterside since it reopened. 

[carolinaboy]

14 hours ago, chris722 said:

Is Downtown Norfolk more desirable now than it was twenty years ago?

Yes, absolutely. The difference is astounding. Norfolk has made a lot of progress (and some mistakes) both on the public and private sides. In my opinion downtown Norfolk today is a very desirable place to live for those who want to live in an actual urban environment. 20 years ago downtown was OK to visit (Waterside, Admirals and Tides games, a few other things) but not really to live (for me anyway). Now........I would live there in a heartbeat.

[chris722]

1 hour ago, carolinaboy said:

Yes, absolutely. The difference is astounding. Norfolk has made a lot of progress (and some mistakes) both on the public and private sides. In my opinion downtown Norfolk today is a very desirable place to live for those who want to live in an actual urban environment. 20 years ago downtown was OK to visit (Waterside, Admirals and Tides games, a few other things) but not really to live (for me anyway). Now........I would live there in a heartbeat.

Is Ghent a desirable urban environment?  Seems like the Brooklyn of the area.  

[BFG]

Very desirable. That's where I stay, but it's very active over there. 

[Cjnfkvb]

Just signed up, so I guess I should introduce myself.  Im 27. I moved to Norfolk, from Florida against my will in 2010. I thought I would hate this place, because of some bad childhood memories I had in Virginia Beach, but I have grown to love this place over the years. It amazed me how much this place changed since I moved away around 2002, and it really amazes me how much this place has changed since I have moved back. I am exited to see what the future holds.

[vdogg]

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here. 

[baobabs727]

Welcome Cjnfkvb! Please post and post often!

[urbanvb]

Welcome! 

[BFG]

I don't think I ever actually "formally" introduced myself.

I'm 36, born in Norfolk, raised in Chesapeake (Indian River C/O 2000), and attended HU (C/O 2005).  While I'm always open to living elsewhere, the 757, specifically Norfolk, has my heart, hence my avi. I've come to terms with the idea of living here, but traveling more and having a "second home" elsewhere. What keeps me here more than anything is the potential, and knowing that there are people both on-and-off this forum who know what it takes to get Hampton Roads to the next level. There's been a lot of change in the last 10 years, and I think even more changes are ahead, esp. if city leaders can get out of their own way and stop listening to the NIMBYs.

We got IKEA. Now if only we could get that light rail expansion and a Big-4 or MLS team!

[vdogg]

Haha, D.C. is pretty much my “second home “. I go there often. It’s close enough that I can go and get more of a city vibe on the weekends and be home for the work week. Don’t know if I could move though, I’d miss being near the beach too much.

[BFG]

Unless I hit the lottery, the cost of living would keep me out of DC lol. Maybe the MD suburbs, but for now, I'm perfectly okay with the regular visits up there.

[Mountain_Junior]

Hi everyone. I'm 37 and live in Chesapeake, but I'm not from the area originally. I moved here first in 2004, lived in Hampton, then moved to Virginia Beach when I got married and my wife didn't want to drive through the tunnel for her work. Then moved away for work in 2006, then back to the area in 2014 to Chesapeake. Been there for almost 5 years now I guess. Now my wife is bugging me to move to Norfolk or Portsmouth (she wants to live in a walkable neighborhood), so I might soon be able to say I've lived in 4 of the 7 core Hampton Roads cities. Anyway, since moving back here in 2014, I started getting more interested in my community, and began reading and learning about the area, going to city council meetings, HRTPO meetings, got Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press subscriptions, listening to Hearsay and other radio shows, etc. As I learned more and began to see articles and such talking about harmful competition between the region's cities, I began to wonder, like many people do, why the region never became a single city. I have an undergrad degree in political science, so I kind of knew where to look and what to look for. I started digging and haven't come up for air since. It's how I found this forum. Eventually, I went out and got memberships to the ODU, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach libraries, so I could look over old newspapers. I bought a couple of books. And now I know enough to really turn people off in conversation. But my real motivation for all that reading was to have some context and some facts in these discussions. Too often when I talk to people about consolidation/merger/regionalism etc, it becomes a conversation of "I think this" vs "I think that" and since there's no accounting for taste, it just ends there, both realizing that we disagree and that's about it. While an exchange of outlooks is important, I like to get to facts, reports, surveys, and data. So, in short, sorry if I go hard with sources and citations on my posts. It's just how I think. Anyway, I love it here and will be trying my very best not to move any time soon. I've lived quite a few places in my life, but Hampton Roads feels really different. 

I'll close with this: When I told my wife about this forum, she said "oh good, you've found your people", so I'm obviously happy to be a member here.

[carolinaboy]

1 hour ago, Mountain_Junior said:

Hi everyone. I'm 37 and live in Chesapeake, but I'm not from the area originally. I moved here first in 2004, lived in Hampton, then moved to Virginia Beach when I got married and my wife didn't want to drive through the tunnel for her work. Then moved away for work in 2006, then back to the area in 2014 to Chesapeake. Been there for almost 5 years now I guess. Now my wife is bugging me to move to Norfolk or Portsmouth (she wants to live in a walkable neighborhood), so I might soon be able to say I've lived in 4 of the 7 core Hampton Roads cities. Anyway, since moving back here in 2014, I started getting more interested in my community, and began reading and learning about the area, going to city council meetings, HRTPO meetings, got Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press subscriptions, listening to Hearsay and other radio shows, etc. As I learned more and began to see articles and such talking about harmful competition between the region's cities, I began to wonder, like many people do, why the region never became a single city. I have an undergrad degree in political science, so I kind of knew where to look and what to look for. I started digging and haven't come up for air since. It's how I found this forum. Eventually, I went out and got memberships to the ODU, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach libraries, so I could look over old newspapers. I bought a couple of books. And now I know enough to really turn people off in conversation. But my real motivation for all that reading was to have some context and some facts in these discussions. Too often when I talk to people about consolidation/merger/regionalism etc, it becomes a conversation of "I think this" vs "I think that" and since there's no accounting for taste, it just ends there, both realizing that we disagree and that's about it. While an exchange of outlooks is important, I like to get to facts, reports, surveys, and data. So, in short, sorry if I go hard with sources and citations on my posts. It's just how I think. Anyway, I love it here and will be trying my very best not to move any time soon. I've lived quite a few places in my life, but Hampton Roads feels really different. 

I'll close with this: When I told my wife about this forum, she said "oh good, you've found your people", so I'm obviously happy to be a member here.

Welcome. Looking forward to your contributions to this community.

[vdogg]

23 hours ago, Mountain_Junior said:

Hi everyone. I'm 37 and live in Chesapeake, but I'm not from the area originally. I moved here first in 2004, lived in Hampton, then moved to Virginia Beach when I got married and my wife didn't want to drive through the tunnel for her work. Then moved away for work in 2006, then back to the area in 2014 to Chesapeake. Been there for almost 5 years now I guess. Now my wife is bugging me to move to Norfolk or Portsmouth (she wants to live in a walkable neighborhood), so I might soon be able to say I've lived in 4 of the 7 core Hampton Roads cities. Anyway, since moving back here in 2014, I started getting more interested in my community, and began reading and learning about the area, going to city council meetings, HRTPO meetings, got Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press subscriptions, listening to Hearsay and other radio shows, etc. As I learned more and began to see articles and such talking about harmful competition between the region's cities, I began to wonder, like many people do, why the region never became a single city. I have an undergrad degree in political science, so I kind of knew where to look and what to look for. I started digging and haven't come up for air since. It's how I found this forum. Eventually, I went out and got memberships to the ODU, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach libraries, so I could look over old newspapers. I bought a couple of books. And now I know enough to really turn people off in conversation. But my real motivation for all that reading was to have some context and some facts in these discussions. Too often when I talk to people about consolidation/merger/regionalism etc, it becomes a conversation of "I think this" vs "I think that" and since there's no accounting for taste, it just ends there, both realizing that we disagree and that's about it. While an exchange of outlooks is important, I like to get to facts, reports, surveys, and data. So, in short, sorry if I go hard with sources and citations on my posts. It's just how I think. Anyway, I love it here and will be trying my very best not to move any time soon. I've lived quite a few places in my life, but Hampton Roads feels really different. 

I'll close with this: When I told my wife about this forum, she said "oh good, you've found your people", so I'm obviously happy to be a member here.

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here. 

[Norva757]

Welcome to the forum!

[Maine-via-Ptown]

Hi, folks! I'm originally from Portsmouth and am an ODU graduate. Emigrated Downeast many, many years ago but my roots remain deep in Tidewater, Hampton Roads, Coastal Virginia or whatever nom-de-chaos the region is calling itself these days. 

[carolinaboy]

On ‎3‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 8:42 PM, Maine-via-Ptown said:

Hi, folks! I'm originally from Portsmouth and am an ODU graduate. Emigrated Downeast many, many years ago but my roots remain deep in Tidewater, Hampton Roads, Coastal Virginia or whatever nom-de-chaos the region is calling itself these days. 

Welcome.

[mintscraft56]

Hello, lads! Im originally from Norfolk, VA. I seem to be a younger member of this site at the age of 16 and attending High School. I am obsessed with City and economic development hence why I enjoy learning about upcoming and current city related developments. I usually hang around Downtown Norfolk taking pictures that I usually post on this site. I also have a part-time job in Norfolk. Its nice to meet yall!

[urbanvb]

Great to have you, minescraft56!