Norfolk, Virginia's Worst and Best Areas

For this video, I took I-264 north into the city of Norfolk Virginia to explore one of our nation’s oldest communities. It was a partly cloudy autumn day with highs in the mid 60s, and as we crossed over the Chesapeake, the clouds were increasing. The day was Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 3 pm.

One this trio, we’re going to begin in one of Norfolk’s nicer communities, on the northwest side of town. Then, we’re going to drive into downtown Norfolk, and then wind up in the worst part of Norfolk. The goal is to give you some perspective on the good and bad areas of town, all in one nearly continuous shot - so you can see how the city is laid out.

We’ll begin up here in the Ghent neighborhood, and drive towards downtown. The Ghent neighborhood here is part of the city’s historic district. Homes here run anywhere from $250,000 to $600,000. This is kind of an arts community, and they hold festivals here throughout the year. Much of this neighborhood was laid out in the 1920s, and has remained mostly in tact ever since. In the 70s and 80s, parts of this neighborhood fell into disrepair. But much effort has been made to restore this community, and now, it’s considered one of the coolest neighborhoods in all of Hampton Roads. Here’s the rest of one of Norfolk’s finest neighborhoods, as we make our way towards downtown.

Now, we’re getting closer to downtown. Norfolk in a very old city, founded in 1682. That’s a long time ago.

In the 1970s, the population here in Norfolk reached more than 300,000 people. However, over the last 40 years, it’s gone down tremendously. Now, the population is 240,000 people, which is a 17% decline. It is still the third most populous city in the state of Virginia. Norfolk is part of the Hampton Roads region of the state, and it sits in a natural harbor at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. It’s widely considered the historic, urban, financial, and cultural center of the region.

The city has a long history as a strategic military and transportation point. The largest naval base in the world, Naval Station Norfolk, is located in Norfolk along with one of NATO's two Strategic Command headquarters.

Back in the day, Norfolk was major shipping port for British ships, and saw many battles during both the American Revolution and the Civil War.

Today, the population here has stabilized after a middle class white flight which happened in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Most of the families who left wanted newer and nicer homes and more diverse shopping and dining options. The city spent a great deal of effort to renovate rundown and antiquated warehouses and piers, which has helped renew SOME interest in the downtown area.

Hampton Roads is a major military center, particularly for the United States Navy. The naval station here is the headquarters of the United States Fleet Forces Command, which compromises over 62,000 active duty personnel, 75 ships, and 132 aircraft. The base also serves as the headquarters to NATO's Allied Command Transformation.This is also a very important region for shipping.

However, being so close to the Chesapeake means Norfolk has been battling the early signs of rising seawater. In addition, it can be hard to attract modern workers so a city that’s not new and innovative. This community can only rely on military personnel for so much.

Now, we’re going to head north of downtown into one of the worst neighborhoods in Norfolk, an area called Olde Huntersville. This part of town has some of the most rundown and crime ridden parts of Norfolk. It’s about an 8 minute drive from downtown proper. We’ll jump ahead to the action.

Homes in this part of town average about $140,000, which is about half of what an average home costs in the rest of Norfolk. Now, they’re slowly trying to gentrify this part of Norfolk, but it’s been really slow going. The housing stock here has suffered due to struggling economic and social conditions over the years along with the mindset that “narrow” homes like these were less desirable.

This led to the demolition or conversion of properties throughout the neighborhood, resulting in scattered vacant lots with minimal new construction. But the high crime and overall rundown feel has made this part of town a real eyesore.

Okay, so that’s Norfolk. A super old community with a lot of history, and a big military presence. Like many older cities, Norfolk is trying hard to remain modern and relevant, as it attempts to attract a new generation of home owners, workers and businesses.

#norfolk #virginia

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[mr.haynes]

In Norfolk you're always a few streets away from either being in a good or bad area of the city...even the bad areas aren't that bad...as long as you go about your business...you really shouldn't run into any problems

[prayonkreutz]

Dang that brought back Memories! Partying at ODU, Going to concerts at the Scope & Bessie's Boathouse, My car breaking down in an alley behind the Family Dollar! Fireworks at the Waterside, Jellyfish at Willoughby Spit...Good Times!! I remember Brambleton being "The Hood"!

[ajh]

It’s not every day that your favorite YouTuber drives right by your home!!!

[kazeryu]

Wow, never expected to see a video of you rolling through my city. I love living here.

[mikeyt]

Riverview, River Pointe, East Beach, million dollars homes... some of the best areas of Norfolk.. all you showed was downtown areas.... not much of a tour of Norfolk..

[kiyanacofield]

Thank you so much ! I'm moving to Norfolk, Virginia in the fall and it's great to get an idea of the layout

[shyloh-symonebailey]

My city <3 I've travelled a lot but Norfolk is unique. It's a mix of southern folks and people from elsewhere.

[Userqwerty-kybf]

Norfolk's poorest neighborhood would be considered middle class in various small town coal mining areas in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Good on Norfolk! Turns out living in a Military and port town can lead to better accommodations. Opportunity works.

[timothymacdonnell]

I remember the Ghent neighborhood in the 90s. It was a cool place back then. I was stationed here and went to the Naro Theater.

[kimberlil]

As an avid US traveler and map geek that is looking for a new city/state to move to, I really enjoy your videos!

[brendajackson]

Yes. I live in Huntersville Norfolk VA. We are trying to bring this area to a more livable and safe area. Born and raised.

[Sherrell_S]

I used to go to Norfolk city council meetings with my grandma back in the 80s and 90s where many of the so called "poorer" people would ask the City to help improve their areas in various ways. They would always get a NO. And give some excuse about zoning or permits or no funding. But as soon as the generational wealthy suburban hipsters got bold enough to move in, all of a sudden the City of Norfolk had the money, the permits and the zoning readily available. The Park Place area is a huge example of gentrification. Park Place is located right next to Ghent just over the train tracks.

[mikedrown]

I was stationed here in '66 '67 and '68. So much has changed

[itskevinzerbe]

Grew up in Norfolk and this video tour gets most of it right. Ghent is a true gem and so well preserved. You can see the efforts toward modernization in Downtown (some of it successful, some not), which means much of the historical character is lost. Huntersville has long struggled with crime and poverty, like much of old Norfolk. For those traveling through or moving to Norfolk, also look into Freemason, Colonial Place, Riverview, and Larchmont if you want a historical but well-kept area. Just be sure to check the flood maps because he’s right, the rate of sea level rise in Norfolk is second only to New Orleans.

[pyellard]

The 'worst area' looked pretty good to me.. The vast majority of housing looking reasonably well maintainted. No obvious derlicts or crumbling facades.. Streets mainly clear of rubbish.. The area might be high crime but many a UK public housing estate looks considerably worse..

[honeybfly]

How pretty! Love the weather. Some sunshine, beautiful blue skies and big puffy clouds!! ❤️

[arhythmatek-]

You skipped Berkley and Ocean View. The two hidden gems of Norfolk.

Berkley is a small community tucked away on the other side of downtown that no one knows is there and Ocean View
is an affordable beach town connected to Virginia Beach and on the other side of the bridge from Hampton/Newport News.

[singleladyable]

I lived in Virginia Beach for 3 years and worked at the Sandbridge Walmart.I spent some time in Norfolk for I volunteered for the Red Cross there and my ex worked for them teaching first aid and CPR classes.Nice folks.I really miss them.❤️

[AlphaBiker]

I just moved from South Jersey to Portsmouth, a short ferry trip from Norfolk a year ago. I have seen a few comments belittling Portsmouth. Portsmouth does have a couple of not so great high crime areas, but most of it is quiet and safe middle-class neighborhoods. The high crime areas get all the attention, causing people to believe it's the whole city. There are many single story home neighborhoods with very large lots, unlike in Norfolk where the homes are on small lots a close together. There is a area with million dollar homes owned by black citizens. I travel to Norfolk mostly for shopping and dining. I really haven't seen much outside of the downtown area, but I'm going to check it out along with the other Hampton Roads cities.

[williamperryjr]

Norfolk is a beautiful place! I been on a cruise in Norfolk in 2001 on the Elizabeth River when I was on a 4 day trip with my school. I stayed in Virginia Beach!