Newport News, Virginia

Since the early 2000s, schools in Newport News have managed to solidify themselves as staples in Newsweek’s annual list of the best in the nation. In addition to the amenities of a typical public school system, Newport News has several alternative schools including an international education school, an aviation and engineering school, and a business school for troubled youths. After the last bell rings, families will be thrilled to know that a variety of nice parks and museums are right in town to help occupy the kids, and mild weather by southern standards allows you to enjoy everything the city offers more comfortably.

Newport News has, unfortunately, acquired the nickname “Bad News” in recent years due to crime issues. Some neighborhoods have reputations of being far safer than others, but the city as a whole has been trending in an undesirable direction this century in terms of crime statistics. Those used to smaller southern towns may be surprised to hear that locking cars and houses is necessary in much of Newport News.

Residents in Newport News are regarded as friendly and supportive of long-timers and newcomers. Locals take advantage of the local parks, museums, and trails to keep themselves entertained. Newport News Park isn’t just large by local standards but is one of the largest parks in the U.S. The Mariners Museum and the Virginia Living Museum are the two big museums in Newport News. The former hosts a wide range of maritime artifacts and distinguishes itself as one of the largest maritime museums in the world while the latter is home to an aquarium, science museum, planetarium, and botanical preserve.

Restaurants and shopping centers are highly rated in the area but Newport News isn’t ripe with nightlife, particularly for those in their twenties. Residents of all ages often lament that you have to drive at least thirty minutes out of town for some excitement.

If you want to check out all that's happening in Newport News here is the calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Newport News and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

Many jobs in Newport are at large companies like Huntington Ingalls Industries, America's largest military shipbuilding company, and Ferguson Enterprises, one of the largest wholesale distributors of residential and commercial plumbing supplies. Nearby universities like Christopher Newport University also employ large numbers of locals. Richmond is an hour away but Newporters do make that commute.