Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the state of Virginia. It is very spread out with a different feel to each area. The different areas in this guide are: Oceanfront Area, Chesapeake Bay Area near Little Creek, Town Center Area, NAS Oceana Area, Courthouse/Amphitheater, Indian River, South Holland Road, and Kempsville Area.
Best Neighborhoods in Virginia Beach
1. OCEANFRONT AREA
Virginia Beach is surrounded by water on 2 sides. The Atlantic Ocean provides a typical beachy area with a boardwalk lined with restaurants and bars. The Oceanfront’s boardwalk has been in transition for the past 10 years. Some parts are a bit trashy while other parts, closer to 32nd street have been cleaned up with nice boutique shops and restaurants. This area is very touristy so it can be very crowded and overpriced. Rudee’s Inlet is a fun place to grab a bite to eat on the water and avoid some of the tourists.
➢ Neighborhoods near the Oceanfront:
Click to read reviews for neighborhoods within a 5 mile radius of the Oceanfront.
➢ Commute:
Norfolk Naval Station: 30 minutes
Little Creek Base: 20 minutes
NAS Oceana/Dam Neck Base: 5-10 minutes
Portsmouth Naval Hospital: 20-25 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Joint Forces in Suffolk: 45+ minutes, tunnel and a toll
Langley AFB/Ft Eustis – Must use a tunnel. Read about the tunnel systems and traffic patterns.
2. THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA NEAR LITTLE CREEK BASE
The North side of Virginia Beach is the Chesapeake Bay. This area is where more locals live and the bay water is perfect for small kids. There aren’t waves or an undertow to worry about. If you are a big surfer, this area is not for you. There isn’t a boardwalk up this way, but instead residential areas with pathways to the beach. Chick’s Beach and the Shore Drive area are very popular with locals. When looking on a map, ‘shore drive area’ is typically Shore Drive between the Lessner Bridge and First Landing State Park, while Chick’s Beach is west of Lessner Bridge off Pleasure House Road. This area is very desirable because it’s close to the water and has lots of restaurants and nightlife. Schools are great here and there is quick access to water, which makes home prices a little bit more pricey around the Chesapeake Bay. A good mix of singles, couples without kids, and families with kids live in this area.
➢ Neighborhoods near the Bay:
➢ Commute:
Norfolk Naval Station: 20-25 minutes
Little Creek Base: 10 minutes
NAS Oceana/Dam Neck Base:15-20 minutes
Portsmouth Naval Hospital: 25-30 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Joint Forces in Suffolk: 40 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Langley AFB/Ft Eustis – Must use a tunnel. Read about the tunnel systems and traffic patterns.
3. TOWN CENTER AREA
Virginia Beach doesn’t have a typical downtown area, however they have cleaned up and remodeled the Pembroke area off Virginia Beach Blvd, called Town Center. Some people refer to this as the downtown of Virginia Beach. Town Center has it all, from big chain restaurants to little boutique shops. This was built about 5 years ago with the intent to clean up the Pembroke Mall area. Since this revitalization, they are remodeling the mall and just added a Target and Old Navy. I really like Town Center because it’s centrally located and architecturally pleasing. It’s not a big area but it’s packed with lots of great shops and restaurants.
➢ Neighborhood near Town Center:
Click to read reviews for neighborhoods within a 5 mile radius from Town Center
➢ Commute:
Norfolk Naval Station: 20-30 minutes
Little Creek Base: 10-15 minutes
NAS Oceana/Dam Neck Base: 15-20 minutes
Portsmouth Naval Hospital: 35 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Joint Forces in Suffolk: 40 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Langley AFB/Ft Eustis – Must use a tunnel. Read about the tunnel systems and traffic patterns.
4. AREAS NEAR NAS OCEANA BASE
Another popular area of Virginia Beach is South of NAS Oceana. This area has a mix between old homes built in the 50s and newer construction. Red Wing Park is a great place to throw the football and run around. The areas south of Oceana look like typical suburbia, however there are some nice planned communities, as well. This area is constantly growing. Pungo, a more rural town, touches this area of Virginia Beach.
➢ Neighborhoods Southeast of NAS Oceana:
Click to read reviews for neighborhoods within a 5 mile radius of NAS Oceana.
➢ Commute:
Norfolk Naval Station: 40 minutes
Little Creek Base: 25 minutes
NAS Oceana/Dam Neck Base: 5-10 minutes
Portsmouth Naval Hospital: 35 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Joint Forces in Suffolk: 45+ minutes, tunnel and a toll
Langley AFB/Ft Eustis – Must use a tunnel. Read about the tunnel systems and traffic patterns.
5. COURTHOUSE/AMPHITHEATER AREA
Another area is called the Courthouse Area or Amphitheater Area. This area is off Princess Anne Road and there are a lot of new developments going up in this area. Landstown Commons Shopping Center is close by. Since building this shopping center, this area has built up a lot in the past 3 years. For convenience there is a new Princess Anne Hospital and ER just across the street. If there is a chance your spouse could change bases within Hampton Roads then this is a great area to live. You will be centrally located to everything within a 20 minute radius.
➢ Neighborhoods near the Courthouse and Amphitheater:
➢ Commute:
Norfolk Naval Station: 25-30 minutes
Little Creek Base: 30 minutes
NAS Oceana/Dam Neck Base: 20-25 minutes
Portsmouth Naval Hospital: 20-25 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Joint Forces in Suffolk: 40 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Langley AFB/Ft Eustis – Must use a tunnel. Read about the tunnel systems and traffic patterns.
6. SOUTH INDIAN RIVER ROAD AREA
The Indian River area of Virginia Beach is a large area with new planned communities and new construction homes. This area has had huge growth over the past couple of years. Some areas don’t have easy access to the highways, however you can get a bigger home for a reasonable price. You may pass some farms in between the growing areas as the newer construction is taking over.
➢ Neighborhoods Near Indian River:
Click to read reviews for neighborhoods within a 5 mile radius from South Indian River Road Area
➢ Commute:
Norfolk Naval Station: 30 minutes
Little Creek Base: 25 minutes
NAS Oceana/Dam Neck Base: 25 minutes
Portsmouth Naval Hospital: 20-25 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Joint Forces in Suffolk: 45+ minutes, tunnel and a toll
Langley AFB/Ft Eustis – Must use a tunnel. Read about the tunnel systems and traffic patterns.
7. SOUTH HOLLAND ROAD AREA
The South Holland Road area is centrally located with many amenities nearby such as Landstown Commons Shopping Center and Lynnhaven Mall shopping area. There are many different neighborhoods located off South Holland Road (see map). While this area is centrally located between many different bases, it’s far from highway access, which can cause longer commutes when dealing with stop lights.
➢ Neighborhoods Off Holland Road:
Click to read reviews for neighborhoods within a 5 mile radius of South Holland Road Area.
➢ Commute:
Norfolk Naval Station: 35 minutes
Little Creek Base: 30 minutes
NAS Oceana/Dam Neck Base: 30 minutes
Portsmouth Naval Hospital: 30-35 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Joint Forces in Suffolk: 45+ minutes, tunnel and a toll
Langley AFB/Ft Eustis – Must use a tunnel. Read about the tunnel systems and traffic patterns.
8. KEMPSVILLE AREA
Kempsville is a more central area, which encompasses a lot of neighborhoods and newer constructed planned communities. It is a great location if your spouse will be going to different bases in the area. It also seems to have more reasonable home prices. Providence Road and Indian River Roads have a lot of strip malls with restaurants and shopping. This area doesn’t have as much character as some of the other areas, but it’s still a nice place to live.
➢ Neighborhoods near Kempsville:
Click to read reviews for neighborhoods within a 5 mile radius from Kempsville area.
➢ Commute:
Norfolk Naval Station: 30 minutes
Little Creek Base: 25 minutes
NAS Oceana/Dam Neck Base: 25 minutes
Portsmouth Naval Hospital: 20-25 minutes, tunnel and a toll
Joint Forces in Suffolk: 45+ minutes, tunnel and a toll
Langley AFB/Ft Eustis – Must use a tunnel. Read about the tunnel systems and traffic patterns.
Virginia Beach Public Schools
Virginia Beach Public Schools are very good. They have an academy system where students can test into different academies located within the walls of the other public High Schools. Read more about Virginia Beach Academies, Virginia Beach Public School Ratings
Was this information helpful? For more information, download our PCS Guide to Hampton Roads (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and surrounding areas).
