There’s a lot more to Virginia Beach than the beach but you’ll never escape that this is first and foremost a seaside town. For starters, it just so happens to be the longest pleasure beach in the world. It’s also a city from which the beach vibe and experiences are inescapable. Amazing seafood restaurants are everywhere, the dress code is all-year casual, and in addition to lounging on the beach, you and the family can also enjoy fishing, boating, and any number of beach and water sports. If you’d like your children to grow up experiencing a life outdoors in the sun and sand Virginia Beach is an ideal spot.

The Oceana Naval Air Station is based in Virginia City and while the site of the F-18 Super Hornets overhead can be inspiring they make a serious racket. You get used to them but for newbies, the 118 decibels, the equivalent of a Metallica concert at full blast, can distract from the beauty of the beach and the ocean.



Sky Above, Sand Below, Peace!

LookyLOO Review of Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach is all about that outdoor lifestyle although that does not mean you have to go into the water if you prefer dryland. The city has over 300 publicly-funded parks including  First Landing State Park and Back Bay Wildlife Refuge. These are amazing places to hike, run, canoe, kayak, hike, and fish if those are your preference. 

This incredible variety of public parks illustrates how critical experiencing the outdoors is to the city and its residents. Hitting the beaches, of which there is an incredible variety, is at the top of the outdoor lifestyle pyramid though and you’d have to fight pretty hard to avoid them as a regular part of your daily experiences. 

If you want to see what locals do for fun in VaBeach check out the [calendar of events](https://www.visitvirginiabeach.com/explore/events/).

We highly recommend visiting Virginia Beach and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://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.

Lifestyle 

The [Virginia Beach City Public School District](vbschools.com) is highly rated, receiving an ["A" grade on niche.com](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/virginia-beach-city-public-schools-va/). The district receives its highest grades for College Prep, Clubs & Activities, and Diversity. 

Students are assigned to schools based on geography but families can apply for out-of-zone schools and will be approved based upon space available. 

The district is filled with "A" rated schools, so while it is always important to check out local schools in neighborhoods you're considering, most families find good choices for their kiddos. Some of the most notable schools include: 

-[Ocean Lakes High School](oceanlakeshs.vbschools.com) is the #1 rated public high school in the area. It receives an ["A" grade on niche.com](https://www.niche.com/k12/ocean-lakes-high-school-virginia-beach-va/?map) with high grades for Academics, Teachers, Clubs, and College Prep. Ocean Lakes is home to the Mathematics & Science Academy which is a magnet for students throughout the district interested in STEM education. 
-[Princess Anne High School](https://princessannehs.vbschools.com/) is the #2 rated public high school in the area with an ["A+" on niche.com](https://www.niche.com/k12/princess-anne-high-school-virginia-beach-va/). Princess Anne is particularly revered for the International Baccalaureate Magnet Center that draws students from all schools in Virginia Beach. 

Schools

Virginia Beach ranked #3 in a recent WalletHub study among the best large cities for finding a job with real estate, defense and tourism the big employer sectors. Several US Military bases call Virginia Beach home with the Navy’s NAS Oceana the largest employer in the entire city. Over 50% of the locals work within the city, making it a tight-knit community. If you’re working outside the city you’re likely commuting to Norfolk or Chesapeake to one of the other region’s military bases like the US Navy’s Atlantic Fleet Base in Norfolk. 


Worklife 

With a number of different single family home options, highly rated public schools, and a ton of family friendly activities, Virginia Beach is replete with good reasons to move here if you’re settling down. It’s a lot cheaper than a lot of West Coast beach towns as well despite providing pretty much the same amenities. The great weather and opportunities to enjoy it aren’t going anywhere as well, so Virginia Beach should be near the top of your list for a number of reasons, but especially if living near a beach is something that you’re interested in.


Great for the Whole Family

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**wake2dream**
Living in Virginia Beach
1y ago
✭✭✭✭


It’s a city, that functions like a suburb. Its not a traditional stacked, condensed city. It’s more spread out. You get a little of everything. There are built up, urban areas. Then drive 20 minutes out, and you can be in a rural, undeveloped, scenic area. LOTS of parks and free things to do. Not to mention the Beach. And choice of beaches. Lots of entertainment, restaurants, and lots of grocery stores to choose from. We have specialty grocery stores you won’t find anywhere else. From the big names, to the high end, mom and pop, and everything in between. A diamond in the rough. The cost of living is increasing quickly. But if you buy a home now, it is sure to appreciate in value.

It’s a great place to raise a family. I am personally grateful for the elite, gifted, art education that I received for free from Old Donation Center, as a kid. I feel privileged that I was accepted and to have had that opportunity.

Something that I personally love and no one else has mentioned, is that VA Beach has one of the most plentiful and diverse bird species in the country. We are a bird watchers dream destination. Especially for rare, Coastal birds. I love to wake up every morning to the sounds of birds chirping. And I have a Mockingbird who lives in my yard that sings to me daily. Sometimes even at night. Lots of mockingbirds

First Landing (old Seashore) State Park off shore drive is a sight to behold and rich with history. Native Americans originated here. There is a haunting, old cemetery here. This is as far North as Spanish Moss grows up the east coast. From Florida, to this tip. It hangs majestically from the Bald Cypress trees dotting the trails. Did you know the Cypress trees all share a one major root system?

For more reviews of what living in Virginia Beach is like from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/virginia-beach/reviews)


The Noise Might Get Ya

Reviews of Virginia Beach from Locals

**The Best Thing About Virginia Beach?**  Sky Above, Sand Below, Peace!

There’s a lot more to Virginia Beach than the beach but you’ll never escape that this is first and foremost a beach town. For starters, it just so happens to be the longest pleasure beach in the world. It’s also a city from which the beach vibe and experiences are inescapable. Amazing seafood restaurants are everywhere, the dress code is all-year casual, and in addition to lounging on the beach, you and the family can also enjoy fishing, boating, and any number of beach and water sports. If you’d like your children to grow up experiencing a life outdoors in the sun and sand Virginia Beach is an ideal spot. 

**The Worst Thing About Virginia Beach?**  The Noise

The Oceana Naval Air Station is based in Virginia City and while the site of the F-18 Super Hornets overhead can be inspiring they make a serious racket. You get used to them but for newbies the 118 decibels, the equivalent of a Metallica concert at full blast, can distract from the beauty of the beach and the ocean. 

**How You Living?**  We Are Family!

While there are many beach cities that cater primarily to surfers and a party scene, Virginia Beach is not one of them. This is first and foremost a family-focused place. Even neighborhoods that line the long coastline are built for families: with beautiful old beach cottages, vacation homes, and newly built mansions. There are “downtown” places to live in areas like Pembroke  but for the most part if you’re moving to Virginia Beach you’re moving for a family friendly beach-centric or suburban neighborhood. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?**  Let’s Get Educated

Given the challenges of education during the pandemic families are hungry for great schools for their little ones. Virginia Beach is one of the best public school districts in the state and gets A ratings across many of the schools. If you’re looking to move the family to a beautiful city and get the kids into great schools at the same time consider Virginia Beach. 


Virginia beach is in a subtropical climate range but the winters are cool with some light snowfall. It occupies a unique location relative to the path of most central and southeastern storms. It’s south of the northern storms and north of the southern storms so the central location makes it safer from that damage that strikes North Carolina to the south and New Jersey to the north. This makes it ideal for locals and really nice for tourists who at least don’t have to panic so much about a destructive storm destroying their vacation plans. The proximity to the rest of the south and central east coast pulls in a lot of tourists but it also means you can drive to all sorts of other cities, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond and D.C. in just a few hours. 


The Area

Town Center is a dense commercial area previously known as Pembroke. Filled with shops, restaurants, bars, an arts scene and office complexes it is one of the hottest spots in the city for young professionals. Living a walk from work or a night out is the ideal scenario and Town Center hits the mark. Surrounding Town Center is the Little Neck area, which includes Town Center, and Thalia and Kings Grant. All three of these neighborhoods should be on the short list of a youngster looking for a place to live. Apartment and condo living combined with good walkscore access to nightlife makes these the starting point. 
- Town Center
- Thalia
- Kings Grant


Young Professionals

Town Center

Alanton/Baycliff is a hugely popular neighborhood for families in Virginia Beach. Big homes, large lots and direct access to Chesapeake Bay and the ocean means you get the best of both worlds here. Safe, suburban living without sacrificing access to water. The neighborhood is tight and a popular community pool seems to bring everyone together. Laurel Cove is another great option. Not as close to the beach but more affordable as a result it has some of the best public schools in the city and a great community.
- Alanton/Baycliff
- Laurel Cove
- Ashville Park
- Middle Plantation


Families

Alanton/Baycliff

Virginia Beach

**baobaobooboo**
Living in Virginia Beach
1y ago
✭✭✭

Having lived in Virginia Beach 50 years whilst visiting family and friends in Northern Virginia my entire life, I can say the following: traffic here is much better, the people here are nicer, the pace here is slower, it's generally safer here although there are very safe places up there, the schools are very good here just maybe not quite as shiny as those in Fairfax, there's plenty to do here for no or low cost and lots of natural beauty, the houses are probably less than half.... But there are pockets of Virginia Beach where the houses are more.. and many more where the houses are much less. Lots of recreational activities for kids, lots of rec league sports. You of course will be trading Big League amenities of the metro area up there for smaller yet nice amenities here and a more relaxed atmosphere. Over the years, I have known and worked with dozens of people who have moved here from New York, from New Jersey and metro DC,, and almost 100% of them were happier here.

**DLHorses4Reps**
Lived in Virginia Beach
1y ago
✭✭

Grew up and lived in Virginia Beach for 30+ years but moved elsewhere. That said, Virginia Beach is actually pretty great for some things:

Raising a family.

Retiring.

Low crime rate.

People are generally pleasant. The drivers are OK. There will be a rogue instance of bad manners or rude drivers but it shouldn't negatively color your outlook of the population there.

General stability. “Good” schools, predictable routine, slower paced. You can pretty much live out the rest of your days in relative peace and harmony.

Some honest negatives on why we kinda earned the awkward moniker of being “The Walmart of the Region:”

The monoculture. Or perhaps the lack of a culture. The population here is mostly fluid and transient because of the military and tourism. Thus, nothing new ever really sticks. The majority of people that DO make up the culture here are, well, people settling down and raising their families.

**baobaobooboo**
Living in Virginia Beach
10mo ago
✭✭✭

What industry are you in op? The pros would be family friendly, great outdoor activities and natural amenities, clean air and clean water, relatively inexpensive cost of living compared with major metropolitan areas, Great schools, short driving proximity to Washington and New York, a cruise terminal in norfolk, decent cultural arts for an area of this size, safe, friendly people for the most part. The cons would be slow economic growth, lower than average pay, you don't get a lot of the big league entertainment amenities of a major metropolitan area, traffic is bad at tunnels.

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Resort City

Looklyloo Score: 87