Written by Bryoney Hayes
Sure, there may be a very large selection of homes around Old Dominion, but most students seem to agree that they aren’t of the best quality. Rent is cheap, and utilities are cheaper—a person can get a one-bedroom apartment for as little as $600 a month (this includes rent, water, gas, electric, food, and television) and still have money left over to do some shopping—or haggling—at MacArthur Center. But why spend money on a place that’s about to fall in on itself?
Finding homes in Ghent, Little Creek, and Ocean View (which seem to be student favorites) isn’t really all that difficult difficult if the student has transportation and is willing to spend a little more money. Rent for one-bedroom apartments on Little Creek can be as much as $600 without including utilities. In situations like these, it might be wisest to look into roommates. At the same time, off-campus students may find they are missing out on the part of the “college experience” they were expecting—the part where they get to complain about the crappy campus apartments and horrible neighbors. Still, dollar for dollar, off-campus life will provide a student with a greater value for the money spent, which is a good reason to look into them. Most of the neighborhoods are fairly calm, but there are a few hot spots to be wary of. Anything between 35th street and Ghent or 42nd and Killam might not be a great place to live, but overall the neighborhoods are pretty calm. Still, some of the neighborhoods can appear shabby. Most of them are just full of people who have lived in Norfolk their whole lives and do not have a high income, however.