ODU student

[canderso7]

I was recently accepted to ODU's physical therapy school and will be moving to Norfolk soon. Is there any places to shoot that anyone would recommend? Also, any information on where to live would be greatly appreciated. My wife and I have been looking and are trying to take in any recommendations to stay out of bad areas.

[VACoastie]

What kinda budget are ya on rent-wise? Anywhere near McArthur Mall is nice, but its pretty pricey. That'll help us give ya a bang for your buck. As far as shooting, I've been in contact with Kent at C2 Shooting Center in VA Beach, they have nice ranges and a great staff there. Membership is 400.00 which is steep but you get what you pay for. They even have a 300 yd range.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[allingeneral]

Welcome aboard, canderso7

Topic moved to "Tidewater area" forum.

[GeneFrenkle]

Welcome!

[skeeterss0]

bob's gun shop and range is in downtown Norfolk, close to ODU.

[gunderwood]

[canderso7]

Thanks everybody!

VACoastie, from everything I have looked at it seems like I am going to be in the 800-1200 dollar range for rent. At the $1200 dollar mark, I would hope to have like internet, water, and cable, included which a lot of apartment complexes do. I am not too worried about price; I am more concerned with just the safety of the area for my wife. Price doesn't matter too much because I am already going to have to take out a ton of student loans for the first year so that extra $200 isn't a big deal. Physical therapy is a nice profession because thee is such a need for it most places will pay roughly 30K on your student loans a year in addition to pay. A lot of people said in Norfolk stay away from Ghent, or make sure you are north of 38th street. I am familiar with big cities and that one street can be fine and the next one over is ghetto. So, I am trying to feel out the areas as best as I can.

It's going to be rough leaving my current situation for shooting. I live on 36 acres that I can shoot up to 125 yards in my backyard. Is the area near Bob's good? sorry if I sound ignorant. I actually was up there over the weekend and drove down near Bob's but Ganby street had a lot of construction going on and near Bob's was closed off. I might have to save up for the C2 shooting center, that place looks awesome! Do they have steel plates set up?

Again, thanks for all the info!

[Palladin]

[gfost1]

Howdy, C

Google rentals in 23325

Duplex and single family homes in Norfolk Highlands, a Chesapeake neighborhood 7-1/2 miles from ODU. 'bout 30 min drive most days, depending on traffic. The downside is that the most direct route takes you thru the rough part of Norfolk. CC aint permitted on campus, but we're working on that.

Regards,

George

[canderso7]

Thanks George! We are still looking. My uncle was stationed there in the navy and he told me to stay away from newport news and military circle.

[canderso7]

How is Ocean View Ave as far as crime? A couple of the apartments we are looking at are on this street.

[SHMIV]

Newport News isn't that bad, neither is Hampton. My sister bought a house in NN last year, and her neighborhood isn't bad, at all. Her neighbors are all friendly, and they all mind their own business. I used to install DirecTv in that area; some places are safe and quiet, others are not. I have found that you can generally guage the quality of an area by the grounds. Pay close attention to the playground and other common areas. The better they are maintained, the better the neighborhood, usually.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[jasonallen127]

I was recently accepted to ODU's physical therapy school and will be moving to Norfolk soon. Is there any places to shoot that anyone would recommend? Also, any information on where to live would be greatly appreciated. My wife and I have been looking and are trying to take in any recommendations to stay out of bad areas.

ODU alum and former Norfolk resident here... first off, congrats on becoming a Monarch! The PT program at ODU is an excellent one.

Traffic in Norfolk sucks, and you don't really want to commute very far, especially during rush hour, or during anything more than drizzling rain. As Norfolk is at sea level, many roads in the area flood out, particularly of significance to you, Hampton Blvd, the main road to and from ODU's campus.

I lived in some great spots and some terrible spots while I was in Norfolk. I moved up to Northern VA about 3 1/2 years ago, but I visit there regularly still.

Pull up the Norfolk campus of ODU on Google maps, and here's what I can tell you:
If you want to stay near campus, there are a lot of great options where you'd feel comfortable with your kids playing in the yard, and some areas where you will want nothing less than Level IV plate armor and a locked 'n' loaded AR15 and air support on standby.

First: Draw a big box from the corner of Hampton & 38th street, 38th & Granby, Monticello & 21st, and Hampton blvd & 21st. DO NOT LIVE THERE, DO NOT GO THERE. This is where you will get mugged, car jacked, or beat up by crack heads. Nothing good happens in this box. If I weren't carrying, I would have been carjacked here in my old POS Toyota. Many people I know learned lessons in street smarts the hard way near, or in, this area.

Next: If you're OK living near undergrad students, draw a box from Powhattan ave & w 38th street to 49th street & Colley ave. The farther north you go, the nicer the apartments and house rentals are. There will be loud parties, drunken students walking around and littering beer cans in your yard, but ODU police and Norfolk PD has a presence here, so it'll be safe. Proximity to campus will be walking distance, and it's perfectly safe to walk until late at night. I lived in this area for about 4 years along 49th street. Petty theft is the worst you have to worry about here, so don't leave your bike outside unlocked overnight.

Better options are North of campus in the Larchmont/Edgewater neighborhood. Lots of nice houses near the water here, but potential for flooding of side streets during storms. Colonial Place/Riverview to the East is really nice. I lived at the corner of New York Ave @ Newport Ave for 2 years. Again, potential for street flooding, but you can detour around unless it's a hurricane/tropical storm. Very low crime here.

A bit farther off campus, Ghent is nice, but West Ghent is just as nice, and a bit cheaper. There are some great buildings for rent off of Westover Ave. Anywhere south of 21st street and West of Monticello Ave is OK. Don't go East of Monticello below 21st.

As far as shooting goes, Bob's Gun shop has an indoor range - I went there often, and bought 3 of my guns from them. There are a few trap & skeet ranges near the naval bases... not sure about outdoor rifle or pistol shooting, as I didn't own a rifle when I lived there.

I hope this helps! Feel free to drop me a line directly with any q's about the area.

[canderso7]

Thanks a lot jason. I just read this. I had been busy getting ready for the move and tying up loose ends. My wife and I actually got a place in larrymore acres off E little creek road. Thanks again for the box of streets to stay away from. I grew up in atlanta before moving to the country in Georgia so Norfolk seems fairly tame compared to Atlanta. Atlanta traffic is terrible if you have ever been through there. Everything around here seems pretty manageable so far comparatively, but if i had only lived in middle Ga before here it would seem crazy.

[SHMIV]

I drive through Hot-lanta frequently. Spent some time at the bus depot there, too, a while back. Not a fan of that place.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Tzupp86]

Bob's in downtown Norfolk.
Superior Pawn and Gun - Little Creek Rd (closest location to Ghent), Virginia Beach Blvd, and they also have a location near lynnhaven mall.

C2 is an excellent outdoor facility, a bit of a drive, but definitely worth it.

Norfolk County Rifle Range in Chesapeake, is a private club, but they do hold public events such as matches etc. Very nice facility as well.

[WileyC]

Ghent is not a bad place to look. Pretty quiet, close to campus, and usually can find some places with reasonable rent.

Bit of a drive to get to C2 but great range. Bobs is a great indoor range not far at all from ODU. Superior has several locations within 15-20 minutes drive from there also. Indoor range with pretty good rates be it one time or yearly memberships. Welcome to the 757!

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]