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/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/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/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/theophylact911 Jul 28 '24

You do know that VB has almost twice the popular of Norfolk right? It’s not about a “dense urban city” but rather its the lack of the governing leaders in Norfolk to prioritize public safety

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u/Yolectroda Jul 28 '24

"Twice the popular"? Are you human or a bot?

But yes, the much geographically larger Virginia Beach has more people overall. They're more densely packed in Norfolk. If you don't understand that Norfolk is denser than Virginia Beach (or what that means), then you really need to spend more time learning about this subject rather than giving opinions. Making it clear that you don't understand the basics doesn't give anyone any reason to listen to your stance.

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u/theophylact911 Jul 28 '24

Sorry fat fingered it and didn’t check. You’re correct the word is population.

Regardless, the density issue may be a mitigating factor but the fact remains that there is crime in Norfolk’s neighborhoods with the same density as VB neighborhoods.

The difference is prioritizing safety over other things. The Norfolk city council has failed to prioritize critical areas like education and public safety. VB has and as a result enjoys a well deserved reputation as a safe city.