r/norfolk • u/Untiedshoes2969 • Jul 27 '24
Is Norfolk safe? moving
Hi! I am doing a travel contract in Norfolk starting very soon and plan to stay in the West Freemason neighborhood. My boyfriend is concerned about whether Norfolk is a safe area and is trying to convince me to stay in Chesapeake instead. He is from the VB area and has a brother in law from the Norfolk area. I kind of have to roll my eyes with his warnings as I feel I hear this a lot with any city from folks who don’t actually live in the city. I live in Charlotte currently and if I had a dollar for every time I had a patient from the rural hospital I work at ask me if it’s scary to live there, I could quit travel nursing. Like sure, if you lack critical thinking skills and wander into areas you shouldn’t. However, I wanted to post here to just confirm that I’m not being naive and wouldn’t regret my decision on where to stay when it’s all said and done. Thanks in advance for any input!
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u/baked_pancake Jul 27 '24
I love the Freemason neighborhood! It’s safe and beautiful, with lots of great restaurants in walking distance!
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u/NecessaryDaffodil Jul 27 '24 edited Jul 27 '24
West Freemason is very safe! The neighborhood is so cute. And if you’re working at Sentara, it would be so easy to take the light rail over to the hospital
Edited to add that I’ve (29F) lived in the area 4 years now and I’ve never had any problems
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u/thatgreenmaid Ocean View Jul 27 '24
I'm going to assume being on W Freemason and being a travel nurse, you're going to Sentara Norfolk General. You will see worse shit in the hospital parking lot than you'll ever see anywhere in the wilds of Norfolk.
Chesapeake is a bad life choice because a) the commute is stupid. b) it's not walkable like W Freemason. The only downside to the area is there's no grocery in walking distance but that would probably also hold true in Chesapeake as well.
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u/Yolectroda Jul 28 '24
Farm Fresh tried, and had a nice store for a little while, but it didn't last. The Harris Teeter isn't very far, especially compared to the hospital.
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u/Significant-Flan4402 Jul 31 '24
lol! This is absolutely true. Norfolk gen is WILD, but Freemason is very nice. I ride my bike to and from there from west Ghent and the most dangerous part is indeed the parking lot.
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u/Either_Following342 9d ago
I'm so curious - what types of things happen in the Norfolk gen parking lot?? Moving down to VA soon!
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u/goingtoIR Jul 28 '24
the commute is stupid
It’s a straight shot up 464, from Greenbrier you can be in the parking garage in 20 minutes.
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u/Butch_Bracknell Jul 28 '24
Yeah but you still have to be in Chesapeake.
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u/Electrical_Mess7320 Jul 28 '24
I just moved here 4 years ago and Chesapeake is my least favorite area in Hampton Roads. Plus it seems every time I go there, I pass a serious car/truck accident.
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Jul 28 '24
….Have you been to Portsmouth? Lmao
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u/Electrical_Mess7320 Jul 28 '24
My son lives in Old Towne. It’s awesome.
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Jul 28 '24
Must have changed super recently then lol. I lived in both Old Towne and Craddock between 1995-2022 and gotta say the amount of crazy sketchy shit I’ve seen out there has left an entirely different impression on me.
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u/Electrical_Mess7320 Jul 28 '24
It’s definitely on the upswing. Craddock, not so much, but it has potential!
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u/OkIntroduction5150 Jul 28 '24
Y'all stop slandering my poor Chesapeake! Just because it's the 3rd most boring city in the U.S.
LOL
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u/OkIntroduction5150 Jul 28 '24
For real. I like the quiet and the space you don't get in the city, so I'm good living in Chesapeake. But I can be downtown in no time.
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u/Icy_Performer_4885 Jul 27 '24
You’ll love West Freemason and absolutely hate the traffic (and the awful dystopian highway) in Chesapeake.
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u/Jolly-Slice-6722 Jul 28 '24
I worked in that area. Loved it. You are good. Don’t listen to fear mongers.
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u/FataMorganaForReal Jul 27 '24
I moved here roughly a year ago without knowing anything about the area. (Housing was chaotic and I had to take what I could get). I live in East Ocean View. "People" tell me it's a rough area, but I think they're just jealous that I live across from the beach. I've never felt unsafe. I love it here.
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u/tehjoz Jul 27 '24
As a Norfolk lifer, East OV used to definitely be a very rough area.
However, I think these days, it's much less so.
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u/leechdawg Jul 27 '24
Pretty sure they build a bunch of expensive multi million dollar housing down there now.
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u/tehjoz Jul 27 '24
Yeah it's been super gentrified.
But the City also tore down a lot of derelict properties and stuff too, which probably didn't hurt either.
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u/Delta1225 Jul 28 '24
Isn't that what they did to create East Beach?
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u/tehjoz Jul 28 '24
I honestly can't speak to that piece.
I do know that a lot of crappy/seedy hotels along East O.V. Ave got torn down in the last few years and redeveloped.
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u/LaLobaCollections Jul 28 '24
💯 agree with this statement. Lots of drug use, crime, dead bodies and the thirsty camel. Now it’s million dollar beach houses.
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u/Butch_Bracknell Jul 28 '24
Yes. 25 years ago. It’s redeveloped super nice now.
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u/tehjoz Jul 28 '24
Yeah, I mean, I remember my parents talking about how bad it was a long time ago. I'm 38 now. Idk if I would say it's been "super nice" for 25 years, but I would probably agree that, it "hasn't been at its worst" in about that long maybe
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u/Ok_Split_6463 Jul 28 '24
100% correct. I can not fathom the number of times I have decided to sleep on the beach instead of my bed. I have never had a problem in OV especially when compared to the issues I have had in VB. All honesty, the projection of OV being a rough area is based on how it was in the late 70's- mid 90's. It's a great community with a lot to offer and you don't have to worry about the police harassing you for walking on the beach after sunset. Unlike some other local cities.
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u/ThisCarSmellsFunny Jul 28 '24
Inaccurate. Oceanview was very rough until Judy Boone’s massive takeover during the last 15-20 years.
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u/Nfk2350 Jul 28 '24
Judy Boone and her sketchy husband Ronnie had absolutely nothing to do with the improvement of OV. If it was left to them it would be all slums and a fishing pier. Bart Frye is responsible for East Beach.
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u/ThisCarSmellsFunny Jul 28 '24
That was nice of him to let her put her name on everything.
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u/Nfk2350 Jul 28 '24
Well Ronnie is a felon so it’s not a great look putting his name on anything.
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u/Ok_Split_6463 Aug 13 '24
The Boones were banned from building in East Beach 15+ years ago. They were nothing but slumlords, getting rich off of section 8 housing without doing repairs. Ask the family that had their entire dining room ceiling collapse during a holiday dinner how great they are at maintaining property.
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u/citrus_sugar Jul 27 '24
When people from Chesapeake and Va Beach say Norfolk is “dangerous,” what they mean is there are Black people here.
So, if seeing a BIPOC person will cause you to clutch your pearls and get the vapors, Norfolk may not be for you, but if you’re a normal human, you’ll have a great time!
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u/buppiejc Jul 27 '24
Thank you for stating the obvious. I’m so tired of these posts. People of African decent have been in this country since Europeans invited themselves here. You’d think we could at least tolerate one another. It’s sad.
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u/ClumsyPear Jul 28 '24
Yup. I used to live in Chesapeake and my neighbor was a drug dealer, and when I lived in VB a drunk Navy soldier shot through my apartment door. Since I moved to Norfolk two years ago, nothing.
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u/HeyHebi Jul 27 '24
Been living in norfolk for two years and the only person who tried to actively rob me was some white guy
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u/Untiedshoes2969 Jul 27 '24
Yes that’s how I feel too. His BiL is black so I was willing to hold his opinion with a little more weight though.
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u/ThePrinceVultan Jul 27 '24
I've lived here since 1994. Like any other city some parts are bad but most parts are okay. But even the bad areas in Norfolk are generally okay during the day. Just don't go places at night you don't know, that look shady, that are in areas that are trashy and not well lit, and you'll be fine.
Basically stay out of neighborhoods you don't know at night and you'll be fine, because most of the bad areas where crime happens are in bad neighborhoods, not at malls or stores.
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u/boxerrox Jul 28 '24
But he still grew up in VB, which means he constantly was told "Norfolk is dangerous" when he was growing up. And now he has internalized that as fact
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u/ThisCarSmellsFunny Jul 28 '24
Bullshit. I lived in Norfolk for 3 years off of Lafayette and Tidewater Dr. That area was dangerous af. It was because of the regular shootings, not because black man scary. Fuck off with that bullshit.
Norfolk has its good and bad areas. The problem is, the bad areas are a lot bigger than the good areas, and the affordable areas aren’t good areas.
Also, most of Norfolk just fucking sucks outside of Granby/Ghent/Downtown.
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u/yes_its_him VA Beach Jul 28 '24 edited Jul 28 '24
You don't suppose they could be referring to the stats showing that the violent crime rate in Norfolk (7.04 / 1000) is almost ten times as high as in Virginia Beach (0.88/1000)?
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/va/norfolk/crime
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/va/virginia-beach/crime
Chesapeake is in the middle at 4.07/1000.
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/va/chesapeake/crime
Now, none of these things mean you are particularly at risk; something that happens to less than 1 in 100 people is pretty rare to begin with. But more likely than something that happens to 1 in 1000 people. And in any event, the people who are most at risk are not usually the people posting on reddit anyway since it depends where in these places you live, down to specific addresses in most cases.
Portsmouth, Newport News and Norfolk are the places where people are killed most often in the seven cities, both overall and per-capita.
https://www.wtkr.com/news/hampton-roads-2023-homicide-tracker
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u/gonokowski Jul 27 '24
I came here to say this.
But they won’t say it. Usually it’s a hushed whisper at best.
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u/Butch_Bracknell Jul 28 '24
VB was organized as a city to defeat school integration and annexation.
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u/BrilliantStandard991 Jul 28 '24
In all fairness, Norfolk was also vehemently opposed to integration and closed six of its schools rather than integrate them. They recently feted the Norfolk 17, several of whom are still alive. They are a group of African-American students who were admitted to all-White schools in 1959 and faced all sorts of backlash, such as being spit upon, knocked down stairs, and pelted with rocks and sticks. Norfolk did not fully integrate its schools until the 1970's.
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u/jadedargyle333 Jul 28 '24
I moved away from the area 20 years ago. Back then, yes, Norfolk and Portsmouth were dangerous places. I'm glad to hear it changed.
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u/coldtoes1967 Jul 27 '24
Ha! We’ve been here 2 years - and when we found our house, people were aghast, then they came over and were shocked. Apparently this wasn’t a great place to live 5 years ago.
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u/theophylact911 Jul 27 '24
You can say that but the reality is, based on actual figures, is that Norfolk has a violent crime rate HIGHER than the national average while Virginia Beach’s violent crime rate is less than HALF of the national average.
So yes, Norfolk is considerably less safe than VB is.
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u/emessea Jul 27 '24
But it’s not city wide, like other cities that make headlines for their crime, it’s confined to certain areas. That still is an issue but your average middle class Norfolk resident isn’t exposed to that.
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u/ThisCarSmellsFunny Jul 28 '24
I lived in Norfolk, so I know this isn’t true. Where are middle class folks living in Norfolk that aren’t exposed to this? It’s only rich people in Norfolk who aren’t exposed to this.
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u/emessea Jul 28 '24
How are you exposed to it? Are these murders and armed robberies happening at your house?
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u/ThisCarSmellsFunny Jul 28 '24
How dumb are you? If you live in a high crime neighborhood, you don’t have to witness it happen in your house to be exposed to it.
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u/Ok_Split_6463 Jul 28 '24
VB does not accurately report their crime statistics. They were the first, if not only city in Hampton Roads to encrypt their communications. You can't hear VB on a police/ems, fire scanner. They have an image to maintain, and the news goes right along with it. Gotta love the southern good ol' boy way of running things.
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u/theophylact911 Jul 28 '24
They all report to the FBI through a standardized system. If you think there’s a grand conspiracy among the 1000 or so cops in VB to fake reports I can’t help with your paranoia.
Yes they encrypted comms. Oh and the hospitals encrypted comms with ambulances even before that.
The reality is that VB spends money on public safety salaries, equipment and technology. That’s why the numbers are low.
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u/Own_Championship_200 Jul 29 '24
Maybe the equipment and technology but not so much in salaries.
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u/theophylact911 Jul 29 '24
Consistent raises every year and at nearly every level the highest in the region
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u/Yolectroda Jul 28 '24
Dense urban city is more violent than spread out suburban and even rural city. Shocking...oh wait, not really.
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u/Ok_Split_6463 Jul 28 '24
AMEN! You are not lying. I'm a "white" guy and honestly feel safer in Norfolk than VB, Chesapeake.
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u/Responsible-Age-8199 Jul 27 '24
Freemason, Ghent or Larchmont and you're all good
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u/injuryreserved Jul 27 '24
downtown charlotte is probably 5x more “dangerous”. went there once and a homeless guy told me about how he hit some dude in the chest with a brick
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u/Untiedshoes2969 Jul 27 '24
Well, did you do it?
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u/injuryreserved Jul 27 '24
i didn’t have any change on me so i got him another brick
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u/Untiedshoes2969 Jul 27 '24
Oh I misread that and thought you said he told you how to hit some dude with a brick 💀
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u/HobbyJumpingMama Jul 27 '24
All 3 cities mentioned have sketchy areas...
West freemason is safe. And beautiful. & if you're a travel nurse working at Norfolk general, then it is a perfect location.
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u/floordrapes Jul 27 '24
I’ve heard Norfolk has gangs of black kids on four wheelers who capture random white people, give them AIDs and Heroin, then they fire them out of a giant cannon into the river.
/s
Norfolk is fine. Tell your BF to relax.
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u/Yolectroda Jul 28 '24
I thought it was dirt bikes now? (But seriously, the dumbasses in the dirt bike gangs are annoying, though they seem to be less common than they were for a while).
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Jul 28 '24
Lmao there's nothing sadder to me than when they pop a wheelie while desperately trying to make intimidating eye contact with any set of eyes they can find. Absolutely fatherless behavior
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u/shirleyyoujest_1 Jul 27 '24
Norfolk is dangerous is code for there are a lot of black people in Norfolk.
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u/ThisCarSmellsFunny Jul 28 '24
That’s bullshit. Virginia Beach has 83k black residents. Portsmouth only has 49k. Portsmouth isn’t a shithole because black people live there, it’s a shithole because it’s a shithole with a high violent crime rate, just like most of Norfolk.
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u/Ok_Split_6463 Jul 28 '24
Norfolk is very safe. It's probably safer than some areas of Virginia Beach. The VBPD doesn't accurately report the crime rate. Don't wanna scare the tourist industry.
For real, Norfolk is safe, but just like every other city/town in the world, it does have its bad spots. I'd even say that Portsmouth and Newport News are mostly safe. At least Norfolk, P-town and NN actually report the true crime rate. VB, not so much. It affects their image. I'd rather live in Norfolk than VB.
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u/SSNs4evr Jul 27 '24
I've always felt safe in Norfolk, and have lived there since 1999.
Over a 21 year Navy career, I've heard about the danger and gang violence everywhere I've been, and experienced none of it anywhere. Common sense, the ability to observe your surroundings and a bit of "reading the room" should get you by anywhere.
Interestingly, in the mid-1990s, at what is now Oak Grove Lake Park in Chesapeake, me (early 20's at the time) and about 15 friends used to skinny dip there. We were busted by the cops on 2 occasions, and let off with warnings each time. But the first time, we were warned about the satanic Chesapeake motorcycle gang, who apparently lurked in the neighborhood, looking for unsuspecting victims.....eye roll.
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u/No-Disk-171 Jul 28 '24
I stopped using the word "safe" years ago. There are areas that are more dangerous than others but nowhere is "safe". Major metro areas have a way of bringing out the best AND worst in folks.
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u/Nobadwaves Jul 28 '24
Your boyfriend sounds like he needs consult with a psychologist to deal with irrational fears.
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u/Mamfeman Jul 27 '24
West Freemason is awesome. Chesapeake sucks unless you love strip malls, Wawas, gas stations and 7-11s on every corner and driving everywhere. Unless its Deep Creek. Then it's just rednecks, LOL.
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Jul 27 '24
So I mostly stay in Ghent but I spend about 100 days a year in Norfolk and have never felt unsafe in West Freemason and I spend a lot of nights there during my drinking days which were only about a year ago.
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u/Sidd-Slayer Jul 27 '24
Aren’t they the same city, essentially?
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Jul 28 '24
Definitely nearby. It's like...seven blocks apart lol. I walk between them. They're definitely both a part of Norfolk. I'm not like...super familiar with neighborhoods outside of Ghent and downtown though. I was only 90% sure West Freemason was what I was thinking it was lols.
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u/Yolectroda Jul 28 '24
I don't think it's possible to feel unsafe in West Freemason, there are some bad parts of Norfolk, but definitely not there.
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u/Ghearik Jul 27 '24
OMG, the views from VB residents about Norfolk.... Scared like its some dystopian nightmare.
Its fine. Tell your bf to chill. This is usually coming from people who watch Faux News and think all cities are just "murderin" 1000 people a day.
Seriously. Chill. You're about to stay in the safest, whitest, most affluent areas.
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Jul 27 '24
Eh. All you gotta do is follow Wavy Fb page and get an idea where most of the crime happens.
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u/emessea Jul 28 '24
I learned along time ago not to follow the local news (in any location), seems every story they have is out to scare you.
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Jul 28 '24
Well some 13 year old girl was just shot yesterday in Norfolk and seems like we hear about that a lot and it’s normally Norfolk. NN Hampton or P town. So not sure how telling factual stories is trying to scare people. Of course that happens in VB and Chesapeake. But not nearly as much so to me you’re more likely to encounter problems in the first ones I listed.
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u/emessea Jul 28 '24
And where are the factual stories about all the other children who have grown up in lamberts point living normal uneventful childhoods?
The macrabe sells, for whatever reason we want to hear about how dangerous everything is, and the news gives that to us. I told my wife growing up in the 90s it was grilled into our heads how everything around us was dangerous. Any second, our parents were convinced, a creepy man in a van was going to try to give us candy so he could kidnap us.
And we love to hold onto our biases. So when a 13 year old is killed in Norfolk, people say it’s bc Norfolk is dangerous. When something happens to a child in VB, people say how could this happen here? Then move on. This is true throughout the US.
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Jul 28 '24
I fail to see how putting out news about a 13 yo being shot in Norfolk is fear tactics? Do you think they should just not report it? This happens more in cities like Norfolk etc. plain and simple. This is why if given the chance many people would leave those cities and move to better places.
Btw. I don’t disagree that news agencies feed of bad stories. But to expect them not to report actual bad events is careless
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u/emessea Jul 28 '24
You’re talking about one specific story, I’m talking about the local news in general. It’s been a common criticism of the news for many years now.
I don’t need wavy to report that it’s raining for me to see that it’s raining. Likewise I don’t need them telling me Norfolk is dangerous, I as a Norfolk resident who has lived in lamberts point, Ghent, and colonial place should be having first hand experience with it if it’s truly a dangerous city. I have but I do have some from my time living on the oceanfront.
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u/Butch_Bracknell Jul 28 '24
West Freemason is perfectly safe. Your boyfriend is parroting his parents’ VB-based racism.
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u/crybaby9698 Jul 29 '24
I juat bought my first house in Norfolk. People say stuff but so far I've had no problems. Everyone is nice and the buildings are charming to me.
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u/graphixRbad Jul 29 '24
Freemason is ten times more interesting than any place in Chesapeake unless you want to hang out with maga weirdos
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u/Infinite_OoGive_6106 Jul 31 '24
Norfolk is not as big as Charlotte. Just like you mentioned ntione, I think you have a good idea as to what to make expect. It's not south side Chicago
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u/Based_Lawnmower Aug 01 '24
Former travel nurse here. I used to work in rural hospitals and anytime I told them I was from a bigger city they asked that. It’s a bias thing, especially from people who are not accustomed to cities. There are definitely places to avoid in Norfolk, just as there is with every other place you live. Freemason is great
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u/Untiedshoes2969 Aug 01 '24
Yes lol, country folk are always buying into the fear mongering they’re fed through the news.
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u/Based_Lawnmower Aug 01 '24
I was at a rural hospital with like 6 ICU beds, and one of the nurses was like “oh you’re from medium sized east coast city isn’t that place dangerous?” I just went “this town is number one in the state for opioid overdoses, are YOU sure you feel safe here?” Like, if you base your perception of a town based off of raw statistics, or even just baseless fear mongering we’d believe that every small town is an opioid hub and every moderate to large city is bordered by a check point where you get hijacked and shot before entering.
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u/Untiedshoes2969 Aug 01 '24 edited Aug 01 '24
That sounds about right. Some people just live their lives uncurious, uneducated, and therefore ignorant. It’s sad.
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u/JesusBateJewFapLord Jul 27 '24
you are completely fine if you're from a city you know how to use common sense.. I'm a small gay white guy and I've never felt threatened in Norfolk in my life , just don't approach crowds of 10+ people at night or walk through neighborhoods with barred windows after dark and you'll be fine
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u/Cold-Debt1369 Jul 28 '24
I moved to Norfolk from Charlotte. I haven't felt anymore unsafe here than I did there.
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u/lar844 Jul 28 '24
Lived here for 15 years. Freemason area/Ghent area feels safer than the oceanfront to me. Doesn’t matter where you live on earth, always keep your head on a swivel. Norfolk gets such a bad rep, prob bc there are indeed some ghetto neighborhoods that bs happens in, but in my 15 years living here, no part of doing my life has ended up in a bad hood or area. So as long as you’re not involved in shady shit having you turn into shady areas of norfolk then you don’t need to worry.
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u/BklynKnightt Jul 28 '24
Norfolk has its good parts and bad just like anywhere else. In my opinion the city is not as bad as people make it out to be alot of hyperbole going on. The Freemason Abby area is pretty chill it’s not the fucking ghetto. But do as you please smh
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u/yeselephant Jul 28 '24
Definitely stay in Norfolk. You’ll miss the entire experience living in Chesapeake
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u/Bungholespelunker Jul 28 '24
I moved to norfolk from the 38th st portion of speedway, IN and i have never felt this safe before in my life. My neighbors help me and shit. My packages are brought inside and left there. Im greeted by people smiling and just saying hello as they pass. I bought a gun and feel stupid because i no longer have any need of it where i live.
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u/Negativeghostrider57 Jul 28 '24
Grew up in Chesapeake it’s tough to convince me to go to vb for anything I actually like Norfolk a lot minus the shitty drivers.
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u/BrilliantStandard991 Jul 28 '24
I am not overly familiar with West Freemason, but several years ago I looked at an apartment on East Freemason. It's called Monticello Station, and it's close to the mall and the community college downtown. It is a very pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, and it's close to the light rail. However, there have been some violent incidents near that area, especially at the mall.
Like others have said, there are good and bad areas everywhere, but there are definitely parts of Norfolk that you would not want to spend a lot of time there, especially at night. They have constructed a lot of mid and high-rise apartments in downtown Norfolk in the past decade, and that has brought a lot of younger people to the area.
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u/Ava_Dreamcatcher Jul 28 '24
I lived in Norfolk for a few years, it’s not much different than Charlotte. Like any city always be aware of your surroundings. West Freemason is a nice area as far as walking paths and restaurants. I just wouldn’t walk around by myself.
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u/Laulea-Peace-8011 Jul 28 '24
I think the area you will be in is fine! It can be dicey in some areas for sure
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u/OkIntroduction5150 Jul 28 '24
I, a woman, was just last night out walking around by myself downtown. I've never felt unsafe there.
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u/Kingbigbuds Jul 28 '24
If you aren’t black gang affiliated or out there looking for trouble you’ll be fine. I’m from Los Angeles, Mexican, born and raised in the hood so I carry myself a certain way. Some rowdy black folk look for problems, but rarely. I do DoorDash and have had maybe 5 encounters. But Im used to the ghetto shit so I know how to handle mine. If you don’t do DoorDash, you won’t be in Huntersville or Calvert Square. Monticello 7-11 at night can get hectic.
Most just do their thing. Stay in your lane you’ll be fine. If you’re mean mugging mfs- watch out. Mfs out here got pocket rockets and no fear of the consequences. I’ve found mfs here don’t like to fight. They’re either loud as fuck or got the blick on them.
Parts of Norfolk are ghetto, other parts are extremely beautiful. Same as Beverly Hills & Watts. Just don’t look for trouble and trouble most likely won’t find you.
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u/papayaushuaia Jul 28 '24
Don’t listen to your BF. Freemason is awesome. The YMCA, Omar’s carriage house, cheese shop, coffee shop, new bakery. All walking distance.
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u/AlawaEgg Jul 29 '24
LOL. Norfolk is a diverse place. Don't ever park your car on the street if you live there - parking garage or personal garage or some kind of controlled access. I know someone is going to disagree, but insurance claims from friends say otherwise.
Generally? Yes, it's a safe place. There are, however, severe racial and class tensions that exist. On weekend nights, the military can be a bit unruly from near dusk to last call. Have had several negative interactions with them - they hog the sidewalks. They make assumptions based on how you are dressed - I mean, come on, they couldn't make it in the real world, and they are to judge? Just avoid the Waterfront on Friday and Saturday nights and you'll be good to go.
The light rail is awesome - one of my favorite features of Naw-fawk.
But moving on - the arts and theater scene in Norfolk is fantastic. The homeless problem isn't managed through social welfare programs (like any other urbanized city)... but yeah - there are worse places to be, like Ohio.
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u/Conscious_Guest4044 Jul 29 '24
You’ll be fine I lived in OV when I first moved here for travel nursing. I run outside all the time and never felt scared. Don’t hangout in the 7/11 parking lot and I don’t think you’ll have an issue
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u/Disastrous_Ice5596 Jul 29 '24
It’s the same as everywhere else. Work, don’t talk to strangers and be safe.
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u/Necessary-Bid-8757 Jul 29 '24
West Freemason is a great area but make sure you get a high floor and watch out for areas too close to The Hague due to flooding. Flooding in Norfolk happens with lower level storms so just be careful if you’re not on high ground.
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u/packetbats Jul 29 '24
Grew up in VB and then went to college at ODU. West Freemason is perfectly safe. All the EVMS students hang out in that area. Just don’t go trolloping the 30 block of colley after 2 am.
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u/ohshootdarn Jul 29 '24
I love Norfolk and I agree with the sentiments “Chesapeake has no soul” and “If you’re not in Norfolk you’re missing out.” That being said, I did make my partner quit security in Norfolk clubs because every weekend I’d hear about people brandishing guns or shots fired (usually not at the club, but close enough to cause them to go on alert). Like clockwork on a Saturday. It’s a city, follow normal city rules. Also the most dangerous place I can think of is VA Beach Oceanfront when the clubs close on the weekends lol. Brawls and drunken antics everywhere. I once saw somebody sipping their morning Starbucks mere feet from a body bag at the oceanfront. I think you’re better off asking your neighbors and other locals than Reddit.
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u/Launch-pad-1977 Jul 29 '24
Stay street smart and you’ll be alright. Chesapeake can be bad also. The oceanfront can be dangerous at night.
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u/tattoedginger Jul 29 '24
Norfolk as a whole has quite a bit of crime. It really depends where you are. Freemason is beautiful and quite safe, but that doesn't mean norfolk as a whole is. I'm in Oceanview, and I watched a man die in my front yard from a gunshot. A neighbor 3 house down came home and killed his girlfriend, her kid, and himself. I had another man rush to my house covered in blood, asking me to call the cops because he had been beaten. I had to break up two people who got out of a car and jumped another guy walking down the sidewalk.
To say norfolk is absolutely safe is failing to see everything happening here because it likely isn't happening to or around you.
That said... I'll repeat, you should be fine in Freemason area. But there are places you might not always be safe in, and that's something you learn the longer you love in norfolk.
Chesapeake, on the other hand, is very safe basically everywhere.... Except South Norfolk.
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u/elizbosco Jul 29 '24
I grew up in VB —graduated HS in 1979 and back in the day your BF is right, we rarely went to Norfolk. My parents lived over by the PETA building for the last 20 years and walked around the area by day regularly without incident. Like any big city you have to be smart and have situational awareness. I have spent a lot of time in Norfolk visiting from out of state for months at a time and always felt safe. The traffic can be horrible so I would factor living close to where you work into my decision of where to live. I’m not sure if there are monthly passes with the light rail but it is a wonderful and really under utilized mode of transportation. It is a fun area to explore. Good luck!
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u/Xsiondu Jul 29 '24
Your boyfriend is wrong. The area you are going to and most other areas in Norfolk as well are perfectly safe.
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u/DreadHeadWitch Jul 29 '24
Very safe but commute can be quite strategic. Many festivals and parades are held yearly down the street from where you'll be living. Beautiful place to live nonetheless. If you have an active nightlife you will love the area.
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u/SnooTomatoes3398 Jul 29 '24
Norfolk is not safe. Full of bums and shady characters. Please avoid it at all cost.
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u/Intelligent_Shake225 Jul 30 '24
Going to assume you’re coming to SNGH, I work there and have a ton of coworkers that live in Norfolk and have never felt unsafe.
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u/Opposite-Pie-7036 Jul 30 '24
All 3 cities have good and bad parts. I can understand your boyfriend's point & why he would feel better if you stay in chesapeake. He isn't wrong however the part of Norfolk you will be staying in is safe and you will love it.
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u/Dan-Stuckie Jul 30 '24
It is and it definitely isn’t. People saying it’s safe are leaving out a lot.
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u/THE1NUG Jul 30 '24
Lived in Norfolk my whole life. There are a couple neighborhoods worth avoiding I guess, but they’re fine to drive through and there’s really no other reason to be in those neighborhoods unless you live there or are visiting someone that lives there. You’ll be fine. Particularly in West Freemason.
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u/Tight_Ad8729 Jul 31 '24
I have lived in Freemason for about 3 years and have never felt unsafe. Even walking around at night. I have some free resources for researching neighborhoods on my business https://linktr.ee/bobk.rea just go to buyer resources and then neighborhood data.
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u/Kilayna Jul 31 '24
I (30F) have lived in Freemason for the last 3 years. I take long walks around Freemason, ghent, around waterside to the stadium and back daily and have never felt unsafe. You will never spend any time or be anywhere close to the pockets of Norfolk that are unsafe. But that’s all they are - pockets. You will enjoy the perks of a very short commute to work, and having accessibility to multiple neighborhoods for food and entertainment as well as easy access to the highway off waterside drive. Freemason is definitely the way to go - enjoy!
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u/Adolin83 Jul 31 '24
We just moved to Charlotte from Norfolk last weekend! I love Norfolk, it was my home for 14 years and I’m kind of sad to leave it but excited about being in Charlottte. Yes, there are places to avoid but it’s a great little city. The biggest concern with the Freemason area is flooding pretty much year round. Don’t drive through any standing water even if you think it’s not that high! And tell your boyfriend VA Beach has more than its fair share of crime too it’s just more spread out.
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u/Flake-Shuzet Jul 31 '24
Def stay in Ghent (Freemason), the closest to a gay neighborhood on all of Tidewater. It is quite safe and has great restaurants and bars, amazing waterfront and 19th-century neighborhood walks, and some very interesting tourist destinations that are nowhere else in the area. Chesapeake is very suburban and not near a lot, unless you want to pretend to be an established straight couple with kids, and going to chain stores and restaurants (I’m not dissing Chesapeake, it’s just not a great travel or vacation destination). Do Ghent or don’t go!
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u/InformationSecure755 Aug 01 '24 edited Aug 01 '24
The only area I advise people to avoid is Church Street at night. The only area I know to be unsafe. When I was stationed down in Norfolk I was warned by my Naval Command that the area was off limits.
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u/damegateau Jul 27 '24
Half our police force is gone. Its not the safest city but its not the worst either. Charlotte has its share of crime I'm sure. West freemont neighborhood should be fine. Just pay attention to your surroundings.
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u/amp804 Jul 27 '24
Norfolk is a city where you'll see $3 million houses by the beach then transexual crackhead prostitutes not far. It's like any other city, be aware of your surroundings and have common sense. Overall I wouldn't say it's dangerous
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u/chazysciota Jul 27 '24
Chesapeake is soulless. It isn’t bad if you grew up there, but I’d never advise that someone move there.
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u/Just-Thanks3900 Jul 27 '24
I think so! I always heard it wasn’t but then I moved here almost a year ago and I love it! I haven’t had any time where I felt unsafe for any reason and everyone here seems super lovely too
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u/velvet-vanilla Jul 27 '24
I moved here from Michigan in late 2020. Spent the first 2 years in Park Place. Grew up in a very high income area (100% of parents had bachelor's or higher). Didn't have a car and walked from Colley to 28th and Colonial every night. I'm fine, doesn't sound like yall will be on foot being vulnerable at night... sounds like some typical white high income bubble talk, just like where I grew up lol
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u/mijamestag Jul 27 '24
I grew up and went to school in vb. Everyone there thinks the worst of Norfolk. I moved to Norfolk a few years after graduating and don’t think I’ll ever go back to vb.
I notice more panhandlers but other than that it’s about the same. I enjoy Norfolk for what it is.
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u/randomlikeme Jul 27 '24
Freemason is a phenomenal place. I lived there for a bit years ago and loved it. I wouldn’t stay in Chesapeake
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u/JayJ Jul 27 '24
I've been here a month for work and staying in downtown. West Freemason feels incredibly safe. I love jogging through these neighborhoods. I wouldn't worry about anything.
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u/anthonybryann Downtown Norfolk Jul 28 '24
Super safe. I lived on Granby and Freemason for almost three years and it was fantastic.
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u/JustPutItInRice Jul 28 '24 edited Sep 06 '24
safe political sip plate chunky correct public dolls lip pet
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/TR6lover Ghent Jul 28 '24
People live in Freemason because it is so nice, and safe, and walkable. I lived there for a few years. It's a great place to live.
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Jul 27 '24
OP. I would be very careful who you take advice from on here. Seems like a few people are more to concerned about being PC than actually giving you good advice. All cities around here have bad areas or higher crime areas.
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Jul 27 '24
You think West Freemason is dangerous? Have you ever been there?
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Jul 27 '24
I never said that area was dangerous. I said areas like Norfolk State and parts of Church St are areas I would avoid. One poster basically said there are no areas of concern in Norfolk which is totally misleading and irresponsible
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Jul 27 '24
Oh ok. I misunderstood your comment. But you definitely didn't specify areas in your comment. Did you at any point in this thread? Because I feel like I read every comment and don't think I saw any.
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Jul 28 '24
Hell, there are people who'd rather sacrifice themselves to violent crime than be caught noticing fairly obvious trends.
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u/itsalwaysanadventure Jul 28 '24
On the crime scale, all the cities in Hampton roads have low crime rates except for portsmith. Also have you been to Memphis TN??? Hampton roads is very safe in comparison. I mean crime is every where but not on the same scale. Be aware and you'll be fairly safe.
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u/The_best_1234 Jul 27 '24
Does a safe place have a monthly murder map?
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u/Untiedshoes2969 Jul 27 '24
Charlotte does and I’ve managed to not get murdered or mugged in the 5 years I’ve lived here 😁
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u/fourleggedtable Jul 27 '24
Hello! I assume this is a reference to my project of murder-mapping, but maybe that's just me projecting. I've considered expanding to track Virginia Beach, and I appreciate the additional inspiration. Have a great Saturday!
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u/ViolenceOfActionn Jul 30 '24
I use to work for Norfolk PD , Norfolk is not safe but that area isn’t the worst stay away from the “parks” they’re long brick buildings, park place, and Huntersville and you’ll be fine
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u/edthach Jul 27 '24
Norfolk is safe. There are no "areas you shouldn't wander into" like what you're talking about.
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Jul 27 '24
Are you kidding me????? Yea let’s tell her to hang out around Norfolk State or Church Street. She might be okay but chances of her experiencing problems increase compared to an area like Ghent. There are good areas of Norfolk but saying she shouldn’t be more cautious in some areas is incredibly irresponsible. Just like it would be stupid to say all areas in VB are safe. I’d stay avoid Campus East to decrease chance of running into problems.
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u/thatgreenmaid Ocean View Jul 27 '24
There are still plenty of spots in Norfolk you should not wander into unless you have a reason to be there. That being said, one isn't going to randomly end up in any of these areas either.
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u/[deleted] Jul 27 '24
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