I was there back when I was in that military industrial complex some time ago (not as long ago as I would like).

Basically, everyone that lives there is there because of the military in some way or another, whether it's working for it, or their parents or grandparents were in the military or shipyard workers. There are a ton of bases there (Norfolk Naval Base, Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Naval Air Base Oceania, Oceania Dam Neck Annex [combat systems training and SEALs], Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Langley Air Force Base on the north side of the bay, probably a couple more that I missed). It's a big part of the culture there.

Downtown Norfolk itself is kinda cool, and there is a bit of theatre and other culture that's actually pretty accessible price-wise. Mass transit is shitty in Norfolk and complete garbage everywhere else in Hampton Roads. Virginia Beach is full of old, rich racists that keep voting to keep mass transit out because they associate black with poor and hate both groups.

If you're heading down for a job in concerts/entertainment/theatre, don't. All of the event spaces are owned by a cartel that even ran IATSE out of town, and the workers are mostly racist old roadies.

It's a swamp that gets hit with hurricanes constantly, and, for fuck's sake, if you do move there, don't work on the other side of a bridge, tunnel, or bridge-tunnel from where you live because there is always an accident in the middle of it and you'll go nuts trying to get there.

More importantly, wages are depressed compared to cost of living due to the number of military retirees who are willing to work for lower wages because they're pulling a pension.

But, if you do go there, check out The Dirty Buffalo. It's the only part of that place that I miss.