Norfolk offers a lot of what bigger cities can do while still feeling like a smaller town. People are friendly but transitory due to so many being in the military - friends you make today may not live here next year. Norfolk is a fairly solid second tier for concert tours, etc. No major league teams, but you can see just about any sport if you don't mind minor league or college teams. Richmond, Washington DC, North Carolina's Triangle, and the Outer Banks are all easily accessible.
 
There’s BBQ, homemade ice cream, she-crab soup, in-town breweries, an urban winery, and The Hampton Roads Pridefest. And duck races! Maybe most important to some of you: Norfolk has more Dog Parks per capita than any city in the US other than Portland, OR. 

Final note: All the bridges/tunnels can easily become bottlenecks. Construction to relieve the problems has been funded with tolls. Summer means high humidity and temperatures. Minor rainstorms cause massive flooding, and water levels are rising. 

We highly recommend visiting Norfolk and staying in the community in a [**VRBO**](vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) 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**](expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well.


Doggos!!!

The Best Thing About Norfolk?

Military is really big here and a huge percentage of people here are either in the military or connected to it somehow. Military culture is pervasive. Young professionals flock to and rave about the neighborhood called Ghent. It’s walkable (or bikeable) to Sentaro RMH Medical Center and great indie boutique shopping. Downtown is similar and the young professionals also like Chelsea.

Colonial Place has a similar feel from what you'll find in Ghent (slightly less expensive) but It is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Lafayette River. It is a relatively racially mixed area that includes mostly single family homes and a few apartment buildings.
Other neighborhoods of note; The Larrymore Lawns neighborhood, parts of Ocean View (beware of flooding), North Meadowbrook and Larchmont (Both are close to Sentaro.) Camellia Gardens is safe, but you’re fewer apartments to rent (more homes to rent.) 

A less expensive alternative is Ward's Corner which is attempting a revitalization but it is going in fits and starts. Talbot Park is further from Downtown but  a nice, quiet neighborhood. Old Towne Portsmouth is a ferry ride across the river.

If you want to know what is happening in Norfolk check out the calendar of events: https://www.downtownnorfolk.org/


Lifestyle of Norfolk 

Big skies, rolling hills, swathes of green fields, and plenty of wildlife to watch.
It’s great for military families, the cost of living is decent and the food is yummy. Lots of local businesses and pride. 


Wildlife

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**edielux**
4mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

I love that it’s less pretentious than many places I’ve lived. There are good restaurants (unless you’re from California and only want to eat Mexican food apparently 😂). I’ve managed to make a cool group of friends. I didn’t expect to come here, my partner is from here and we ended up moving back four years ago. In my opinion most places are what you make them, and I’ve lived in a few different places with varying degrees of happiness. I’m happier here than I was in the Bay Area.

I do agree with the comments about mountains; it’s hella flat but you can get to the mountains easily, but if you want to live in the mountains definitely head west. I don’t like driving here and the general overall conservatism of Hampton Roads.


For more reviews of Norfolk from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/norfolk/reviews).

Bridges/Tunnels

Reviews of Norfolk from Locals

**The Best Thing About Norfolk?** 

Norfolk offers a lot of what bigger cities can while still feeling like a smaller town. People are friendly, but transitory due to so many being in the military - friends you make today may not live here next year. 
 
Norfolk is a fairly solid second tier for concert tours etc. No major league teams but you can see just about any sport if you don't mind minor league or college teams. Richmond, Washington DC, North Carolina's Triangle and the Outer Banks are all easily accessible.
 
There’s BBQ, homemade ice cream, she-crab soup, in-town breweries, an urban winery and The Hampton Roads Pridefest. And duck races!


**The Worst Thing About Norfolk?** 
All the bridges/tunnels can easily become bottlenecks and construction to relieve the problems have been funded with tolls. Summer means high humidity and temperatures. Minor rainstorms cause massive flooding and water levels are rising. 

**How You Living?** 
Military is really big here and a huge percentage of people here are either in the military or connected to it somehow. Military culture is pervasive.

Young professionals flock to and rave about the neighborhood called Ghent. It’s walkable (or bikeable) to Sentaro RMH Medical Center and great indie boutique shopping. Downtown is similar and the young professionals also like Chelsea.

Colonial Place has a similar feel from what you'll find in Ghent (slightly less expensive) but It is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Lafayette River. It is a relatively racially mixed area that includes mostly single family homes and a few apartment buildings.

Other neighborhoods of note; The Larrymore Lawns neighborhood, parts of Ocean View (beware of flooding), North Meadowbrook and Larchmont (Both are close to Sentaro.) Camellia Gardens is safe, but you’re fewer apartments to rent (more homes to rent.) 

A less expensive alternative is Ward's Corner which is attempting a revitalization but it is going in fits and starts. 

Talbot Park is further from Downtown but  a nice, quiet neighborhood.

Old Towne Portsmouth is a ferry ride across the river.

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

Big skies, rolling hills, swathes of green fields, and plenty of wildlife to watch.

It’s great for military families, the cost of living is decent and the food is yummy. Lots of local businesses and pride. 


Colonial Place is a hotspot for college students. It’s a great choice for anyone who likes a beautiful historic neighborhood with a chill vibe, but the youngsters love it for the walkability to a great social scene, affordable housing and safe streets all right next to Old Dominion University. Breweries, good cheap eats, and water play on the Lafayette River makes it ideal for a fun lifestyle. 
- Colonial Place


College Students

Colonial Place

As with many cities, Downtown is the place to be for young professionals. It is home to Town Point Park, where great festivals happen every year. It’s also home to Harbor Park, the ballpark for the AAA Baltimore Orioles’ team, and the Norfolk Scope Arena, an amazing complex which hosts the Norfolk Admirals hockey team, and also has Chrysler Hall, a performing arts theater, and a 10,000 sq-ft exhibition hall. In addition to all this action, you also get the center of the restaurant and bar scene in the city. All of this within walking distance for those who pick a downtown condo or apartment. 
- Downtown
- Colonial Place


Young Professionals

Downtown

Granby Street is an LGBTQ+ nightlife hotspot for Norfolk. Plenty of cool bars and clubs run by and for the community have made Granby Street the place to be since the 1970’s. Ghent is another good neighborhood option. The community is progressive and it features a number of LGBTQ+-owned businesses. The homes are older but proudly well-kept and beautiful.
- Granby Street
- Ghent
- Lafayette


LGBTQ+

Granby Street

Larchmont is a stunning place to start for families. Located on the Elizabeth River and bordering beautiful Old Dominion University. Huge historic homes, some dating back to the 1800s alongside bungalow options for younger/smaller families. Quiet, with tree-lined streets and water views it is close to Downtown for when you need some action or if someone in the family works there. Waters Edge and Larrymore Lawns are more suburban style neighborhoods, with smaller more affordable homes, but also filled with gardens for quiet play. 
- Larchmont
- Waters Edge/Larrymore Lawns
- North Shore


Families

Larchmont

Norfolk

**Outrageous-Cup-8905**
4mo ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉

It’s neat, small and humble. Much like another poster said, it’s not a pretentious city so you won’t feel like an outsider against a clique of locals. A lot of people in this sub like to criticize Norfolk for being a military town (it’s home to the biggest naval station in the world in case you didn’t know), but it’s pretty easy to live/exist in the area without feeling any overbearing military presence.

It’s rich with historic sites and neighborhoods with plenty of cool little restaurants, coffee shops in the downtown area and generally the western portion of the city (Ghent, Freemason, NEON District, the Railyard). Life in this area of the city, based on the time I’ve spent there, is fairly relaxed and nowhere near the speed of your traditional “big” city, which could be a perk if you’re looking for a more relaxed place to live.

Live music is definitely present in the area, most notably at the Norva (which is admittedly pretty small) and the arena known as the Scope located downtown, which usually attracts celebs with semi-decent to decent stardom. We’ve also attracted big names like Kevin Heart and Jerry Seinfeld so while Norfolk isn’t a big destination for ultra popular entertainers, they can still get their hands on some notable people if that matters to you. 

**edielux**
4mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

I love that it’s less pretentious than many places I’ve lived. There are good restaurants (unless you’re from California and only want to eat Mexican food apparently 😂). I’ve managed to make a cool group of friends. I didn’t expect to come here, my partner is from here and we ended up moving back four years ago. In my opinion most places are what you make them, and I’ve lived in a few different places with varying degrees of happiness. I’m happier here than I was in the Bay Area.

I do agree with the comments about mountains; it’s hella flat but you can get to the mountains easily, but if you want to live in the mountains definitely head west.

I don’t like driving here and the general overall conservatism of Hampton Roads.

**albertnormandy**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

The biggest problem with Hampton Roads in my opinion is the traffic. The area is heavy on urban sprawl, especially VA Beach, Chesapeake, and Suffolk. Combine that with natural bottlenecks at every river crossing and you have a traffic nightmare.

As long as you strategically choose where to live based on where you work the traffic can be somewhat mitigated, though never completely.

Norfolk is the most “urban” of everything south of the James River while the surrounding cities are more suburban. Good school districts are peppered around the area. Being near the water is certainly appealing. Lots of navy people since Norfolk is the biggest Naval Station in the world. Likely to be on the short list of places that get nuked in WWIII. Millions of people live there and seem happy about it.

**omaolligain**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

West Ocean View
When I moved to the area I lived near Waterside. And while my neighborhood (freemason) as absolutely beautiful - I definitely had an amazing dog walk down cobblestone streets, through the oriental garden, past the battleship Wisconsin and then home. That said, I found downtown really underwhelming. I paid a lot to live downtown but ultimately their are only a couple bars IMO that were worth going to, many of the restaurants have unpredictable and absurd hours, and there is no retail outside of the mall. There were some bright spots, of course (Cure coffee, Granby Bistro, Jack Browns, Canvas Cuisine, etc...) but mostly it's lunch spots with short hours and a couple college hangouts. Not for me. But, Waterside does have a lot of little festivals in the park, which are fun. But, you hardly need to live there for it.

Ghent is very cool, much more activity, more retail, better bars and restaurants and it's cheaper. Lucky for you it's a walk from downtown; and an even shorter scooter ride.

Norfolk, Virginia

The Waterfront City For Lovers

Looklyloo Score: 85