Tell Me About Virginia's Eastern Shore

[Karl/PA]

We're selling our Reedville house and beginning to look at Virginia's Eastern Shore to move to. What's good and what's bad and where to stay away from?

I will never go back to Maryland.

 

[NathanJ]

Well other than the arsonist that has started over 70 fires in abandoned buildings down there and the fact that it is an economically depressed area it's not too bad if you want rural. Thought about it myself.

 

[bigjohn]

only 2 gun stores that i know of. peacetoken and jacksons hardware

 

[bkuether]

Well, its kinda like Maryland's Eastern shore, but further south. Ok what do you want, I'm a geographer......

 

[m32]

only 2 gun stores that i know of. peacetoken and jacksons hardware

Also Eastern Shore Outfitters in Exmore.

 

[Mark75H]

Biggest minus ... its a long way from everywhere. A buddy of mine lives down there. He's bored out of his mind. Always begging us to come down and visit, but its so far away we only make it a couple time a year.

Plus side, deer ticks down there don't seem to carry Lyme disease yet

 

[shoreshot]

Nice if you like rural. Like was said, a long way from anywhere. Schools arent that great if u got kids.

 

[marko]

Onancock is a pretty town. Closest fishing is 'the cell'.
Cape Charles is way down there - but great fishing.
I thought about moving there, but it really is too slow
for my tastes.
Chincoteague is a ways off the beaten path.
Watchapreague and nearby are great spring flounder fishing areas - THEN WHAT?
I have a place in Reedville as well and am trying to sell it.
Nothing to do.
How about Rehobeth? It's Delaware, at least.

 

[Seagrave1963]

If you are introverted, you will love it!

 

[BlackBart]

Pretty quiet, if you want a "town" Onancock. Back woods.... beware, it's pretty swampy in areas. Cape Charles right at the bridge/tunnel SUPER fishing and if you do want Big City, Va Beach and Norfolk are only 14 dollars away, one way.

 

[ocsnapper]

Hey don't forget all the chickens..... Think of it this way there's one main road that runs north/south, if it's not near ya you got a ride ahead of you. As others have said nice and quite.

 

[Bradw410]

I have family in cape Charles . Only reason why I am not there is because of lack of work there and I haven't heard great things a out the schools either. Granted homeschooling isn't really a option either because of work

 

[Karl/PA]

Should have mentioned that I'm retired and my wife is retiring next week. We do like rural. Someone told us about Onley and Sanford and not too far from Pocomoke for shopping.

 

[BlackBart]

You have the world by the balls......... Horntown is just over the line. Closest real hospital would be Atlantic General in Berlin (AGH - Ain't goin Home) Or in Salisbury there is Peninsula General which IMO is as good as most any. TONS of specialist in Salisbury.

 

[Biggfoot44]

It is what it is , and it's not in Md.

 

[Walker]

Should have mentioned that I'm retired and my wife is retiring next week. We do like rural. Someone told us about Onley and Sanford and not too far from Pocomoke for shopping.

I live in Pocomoke. If you consider Walmart (and the usual stores that come with a Walmart parking lot) and Lowes shopping then this is your place lol Salisbury is were you'll find better shopping places but the problem with Salisbury is it can be pretty congested. The shore, as everyone said, is really rural and it sounds like that's what you want so come on over. I usually go to Salisbury for movies, shopping, etc.

 

[K31]

If you aren't born there you'll always be an outlander.

As said, plenty of fishing opportunities. Hunting as well. Not too far from Delmarva Sporting Clays (and rifle range). No traffic to speak of except during pony penning.

They were attempting to make Chincoteaque more touristy and so real estate went up around the area. A lot of that went bust. Broadband used to be a problem. I think they are finally putting fiber down from the north along rt. 13. Whether it makes it far off of there...?

Yeah, lots of chickens and chicken plants. Make sure if you buy you don't buy downwind.

Flat. Hurricane and tsunami risk.

 

[rustyrustic]

On top of what others have said, it doesn't take a hurricane to cause problems. When I lived down that way, you used to be able see ducks swimming in people's driveways after a heavy rain. Drainage can be nonexistent in places.

Some areas have a very high crime rate to go with the economic depression. Again, when I was there, over 1/3 of the adults were illiterate, so don't expect much in any form of services. Costs on some things are higher because of shipping distance from main thoroughfares.

As much as I loved the area when I first moved there to work at Wallops, I couldn't wait to transfer out after a couple years. It might have been different if I was retiring.

 

[ShoreShooter]

Great place to hunt and fish. That is pretty much it.

No healthcare. No shopping of any kind without several hours of drive time. No normal retirement pastimes like dining or the movies.

Big population of illegal immigrants. The schools quite dreadful. Real estate is easy to buy but impossible to sell. At any price.

There are only 3 spots where anything happens at all. Chincoteague, which is dominated by several very large campgrounds. Onancock, and Cape Charles.

Newbies flock to the ocean side. Don't. Very aggressive and very large green flies will carry you away one chomp at a time. The locals head to the bay side and you should too.

It is very very rural and very poor. Think Appalachia by the water.

If you are considering it, rent for a year first. If you buy you will never be able to sell and get out.

 

[ShoreShooter]

Oh, and by the way, never ever buy a home there in the winter. You just have to be there in the summer to experience how bad the biting bugs are in that spot. Yeah, they can be really bad.