Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Virginia Beach

You think about moving to Virginia Beach but want to learn more about the city, overall quality of life, job prospects, housing market and much more before making your final decision?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of living in Virginia Beach in the following chapters.

Living in Virginia Beach – Overview

Advantages of Living in Virginia Beach

1. Virginia Beach has a strong economy
2. Income level is pretty high in Virginia Beach
3. Unemployment rate is rather low
4. Good medical infrastructure in Virginia Beach
5. Easy to get around by car
6. Virginia Beach is not a crowded city
7. People in Virginia Beach are relaxed
8. Virginia Beach is a tolerant city
9. Easy to socialize in Virginia Beach
10. Virginia Beach is located at the coast
11. You can enjoy nice sunsets
12. Many recreational spaces in Virginia Beach
13. Population in Virginia Beach is growing
14. Decent future outlook for the city of Virginia Beach
15. Many leisure activities to choose from in Virginia Beach
16. You will find everything you need in Virginia Beach
17. Easy to travel from Virginia Beach
18. Decent air quality in Virginia Beach
19. Property prices and rents are still affordable for the average person
20. Virginia Beach may still be a rather secret spot
21. You can reach other big cities within a few hours
22. Virginia Beach as a decent art scene
23. You can build a strong business network in Virginia Beach
24. Virginia Beach is a pretty safe city
25. Virginia Beach is a bike-friendly city
26. Virginia Beach is a dog-friendly place

Virginia Beach has a strong economy

One advantage of living in Virginia Beach is that the city has a pretty strong economy and you will find many big corporations to work for.

Hence, no matter what your qualification is, chances are that you will be able to succeed in almost every field as long as you have solid education and are also willing to work hard.

Income level is pretty high in Virginia Beach

You should also know that you can make pretty good money in Virginia Beach.

In fact, median household income in Virginia beach is significantly above national average and it is relatively easy to make a six-figure income for people who have skills urgently needed in the labor market right now.

Unemployment rate is rather low

Another benefit of living in Virginia Beach is that unemployment rate is pretty low and this means that you will likely find a decent job rather soon and also don’t have to worry about getting laid off as people living in Detroit or other cities where unemployment rate is much higher.

Good medical infrastructure in Virginia Beach

You will also find many good doctors and hospitals in Virginia Beach and in case you get sick, you can be sure to find good medical treatment so that you can get cured of your disease in an efficient manner and can recover as quickly as possible.

Easy to get around by car

Since traffic is not a big problem in Virginia Beach yet, it is also pretty easy to get around by car since you will not get stuck in traffic jams as much as people living in L.A. or other big cities where streets are often quite crowded and you will therefore have more time to spend on nicer things instead.

Virginia Beach is not a crowded city

You should also note that Virginia Beach is not the most crowded city and this gives you many opportunities to hang out in public without running into people on a regular basis and you will therefore have enough time to be on your own during times you just want to think about your life or have to deal with complex problems that need to be solved without being distracted by others.

People in Virginia Beach are relaxed

Another benefit of living in Virginia Beach is that people in this region are pretty laid-back and will also take time to have conversations with you while people in bigger metropolitan areas are often more career-focused and are not willing to get in touch with you unless you provide value for their professional life.

Virginia Beach is a tolerant city

Moving to Virginia Beach can also make quite a lot of sense if you want to live in a tolerant city where people are welcome from all over the world.

In fact, you can meet many interesting people in this town and can also experience many different cultures which gives you the opportunity to learn quite a lot about life in general and to grow as a character in the long run.

Easy to socialize in Virginia Beach

Since people in Virginia Beach are friendly and tolerant, it is also easy to find many people to socialize and you will just have a great time together and can make many new friends pretty quickly after moving to Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach is located at the coast

Since Virginia Beach is located at the coast, there can also go surfing or do many other water sports on a regular basis and your friends living in Chicago or in many other cities that are not located at the beach will secretly envy you in this regard.

You can enjoy nice sunsets

You can also watch pretty nice sunsets in Virginia Beach after work.

In fact, this can be a great way to relax from a stressful workday and see life from a different perspective.

Many recreational spaces in Virginia Beach

Another upside to moving to Virginia Beach is that there are many recreational spaces where you can spend your leisure.

Not only will you have the beach but also many nice parks where you can relax and reload your batteries for the stressful times yet to come.

Population in Virginia Beach is growing

Since population in Virginia Beach is growing, this is another indicator that the city becomes increasingly attractive to people from all over the US and even the world and Virginia Beach may therefore become an even more attractive place to live and work just a few years from now.

Decent future outlook for the city of Virginia Beach

Since Virginia Beach is the biggest city in Virginia and population is growing, the state will most likely make sure that it will be an attractive place to stay for many decades and you may therefore never have to move again after moving to Virginia Beach since you will be able to enjoy high quality of life for the rest of your life.

Many leisure activities to choose from in Virginia Beach

Another benefit of moving to Virginia Beach is that you will have more than enough leisure activities to choose from.

Not only can you go surfing or do other water sports, but you can also do many things you are used to from other big cities like going to the movies, bowling and all sorts of other stuff and you will therefore never run out of ideas in this regard.

You will find everything you need in Virginia Beach

Since Virginia Beach has decent public infrastructure, you will also find most things for daily life at almost every corner and this gives you the opportunity to live your life in a pretty efficient manner and overall supply of material goods is pretty decent as well.

Easy to travel from Virginia Beach

Since Virginia Beach is close to Norfolk International Airport, you will have a rather easy time traveling to various parts of our planet and moving to Virginia Beach can therefore also be great for globetrotters who want to travel the world on a regular basis but still want to have a great time when they are at home.

Decent air quality in Virginia Beach

Compared to other major cities, Virginia Beach also has pretty decent air quality and this will make it less likely that you suffer from serious health conditions in the long run compared to other more polluted regions where your risk in this regard would be much higher.

Property prices and rents are still affordable for the average person

Another upside to moving to Virginia Beach is that rents and property prices are still rather low compared to other major cities and while people moving to Washington D.C. or other more expensive regions often have to spend lots of money on paying down their mortgage, you will have a more relaxed time in this regard in Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach may still be a rather secret spot

While Virginia Beach is a major city, it is still a rather secret spot and not as popular as NYC or other major metropolitan regions.

In turn, you may still be able to make a real bargain when it comes to buying a property before the region becomes more popular and prices may increase quite a lot in the long run.

You can reach other big cities within a few hours

While Virginia Beach has a lot to offer and chances are that you will never get bored in this city, you will still have other cities pretty close to Virginia Beach and you can therefore make nice day trips to Richmond or Washington D.C. and have a great time if you want to experience something new.

Virginia Beach as a decent art scene

There are also many great artists in Virginia Beach and you can therefore hang out with many like-minded and interesting people while you can also spend your time in nice museums and galleries.

You can build a strong business network in Virginia Beach

Another benefit of moving to Virginia Beach is that thanks to the robust job market, you can also make many important business contacts and can build a strong network of influential people in the long run which can help you succeed in the corporate world.

Virginia Beach is a pretty safe city

Compared to many other big cities, Virginia Beach is also a pretty safe place to stay and while people living in Indianapolis and other rather unsafe regions often have to worry about their well-being, you will not have to worry in Virginia Beach in this regard much and can also provide a pretty safe environment for your kids to grow up.

Virginia Beach is a bike-friendly city

Virginia Beach is also a bike-friendly city where you can get around by bicycle in a pretty efficient manner and may not even need a car if you live close enough to the city center where distances are usually pretty short and this can save you lots of money on gas and can also be great for our environment in the long run.

Virginia Beach is a dog-friendly place

Moving to Virginia Beach can also be great in case you are a dog lover since dogs are welcome at the beach and at various other places and you will also be able to get in touch with many other dog owners on a daily basis and can make many good friends in the long run.

As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Virginia Beach.

However, it is still not all sunshine and we also have to talk about the drawbacks of living in Virginia Beach in the following so that you can make a more profound decision regarding whether you still want to move to Virginia Beach or rather want to live in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Virginia Beach

1. Nightlife in Virginia Beach is not great
2. Hard to find really good education in Virginia Beach
3. Public transport in Virginia Beach is rather poor
4. Virginia Beach is not the most popular city
5. Not as much entertainment as in other major metropolitan regions
6. You may miss fancy shopping opportunities
7. Housing shortage may become a serious problem in the future
8. Living costs in Virginia Beach are relatively high
9. You may not like cold winters
10. Gap between the poor and the rich is increasing
11. Homelessness may become a serious problem
12. Tap water quality is not great in Virginia Beach

Nightlife in Virginia Beach is not great

One problem with living in Virginia Beach is that even though you will find some decent bars and clubs, nightlife is not as great as in many other bigger cities and if you are a party person, you may be better off moving to Las Vegas instead of Virginia Beach.

Hard to find really good education in Virginia Beach

While there are some decent schools in Virginia Beach, you will still not find the same world-class education as people living in Boston and you may therefore not be able to provide the best education possible to your kids.

Public transport in Virginia Beach is rather poor

Another downside to moving to Virginia Beach is that public transport is rather poor and you often need a car to get around, especially if you don’t live close to the city center but rather want to move to the outskirts of Virginia Beach where buses are pretty unreliable.

Virginia Beach is not the most popular city

You should also know that Virginia Beach is not the most popular and glamorous city and if you want to be at the center of the universe and want to have action all day and night long, chances are that you would be better off moving to NYC instead.

Not as much entertainment as in other major metropolitan regions

While you will find many things to do with your leisure, you will still not have many fancy sports events or other exciting things to do and you may therefore miss entertainment options you may be used to from other big cities.

You may miss fancy shopping opportunities

Another disadvantage of living in Virginia Beach is that there are also not as many fancy boutiques to go shopping as in other fancier cities and Virginia Beach may therefore also not be your best option if you are a shopping queen and need lots of stuff in this regard.

Housing shortage may become a serious problem in the future

While property prices and rents are still affordable for the average person, demand for housing is about to increase and this will also drive prices in the future and may lead to serious housing shortage in Virginia Beach in the long run.

Living costs in Virginia Beach are relatively high

Living costs in Virginia Beach are also pretty high compared to other cities of this size and you will therefore have to spend significant amounts of money on drinks and other things and may not be able to save as much for retirement or other important things as people living in cheaper regions.

You may not like cold winters

You should also know that it can be pretty cold in Virginia Beach during winter and if you don’t like the cold at all and rather want to live in a warmer region, you should consider moving to Austin instead.

Gap between the poor and the rich is increasing

Another problem with moving to Virginia Beach is that overall level of inequality is about to increase and if this trend continues even further, this will lead to all sorts of social problems and may lower overall quality of life in the long run.

Homelessness may become a serious problem

Since many people may no longer be able to afford to pay rent in the future, many people may also get evicted from their properties and homelessness may become a serious problem in Virginia Beach.

Tap water quality is not great in Virginia Beach

Compared to many other big cities, tap water quality in Virginia Beach is rather poor and you may therefore have to rely on bottled water from the store and this may cost you lots of time and money in the long run.

Top 10 Moving To Virginia Beach Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Virginia Beach A Good Place To Live?

While you can make pretty good money, crime rates are low and overall quality of life is pretty high in Virginia Beach, you should also know that living costs are high as well and you will also not have as much entertainment as in other major cities and may get bored in this regard in the long run.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you don’t want to move to Virginia Beach anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Raleigh

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Colorado Springs

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Memphis

Sources

https://www.vbgov.com/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/virginiabeachcityvirginia/PST120221

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.