redbeard

There has been much discussion about the Newport News neighborhood of CNU. NN has been described as an "armpit" or 'bad newz' or other negative terms. Those who have not visited CNU can be forgiven if they wonder about the need for a bulletproof vest just to tour the campus.

So, I decided to start a little discussion about the physical location of CNU. I'll post my opinions, and I'm sure that others will voice theirs.

But, first, a little background. Newport News is an elongated city along the southwest coast of a penninsula that juts into Hampton Roads. Here's a google map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Newpor...0.696671&hl=en
CNU is by Lake Maury.

The NN streets and railroad run NW/SE from Ft. Eustis to the tip of the Penninsula. The James River forms the Soutwestern shore, and I-64 forms the Eastern border of the city.

The principal road, Warwick Blvd., runs from Williamsburg to the tip of the penninsula. Down at the tip is the largest shipyard in the US, Newport News Shipbuilding. Nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines are built there, and have been for generations. That area is highly industrial, as you might guess.

CNU is located near the shore, about halfway up the penninsula. Warwick Blvd runs along the border of campus, and a small portion of CNU spills over to the Northeast side of the road.

I've driven or biked around the CNU campus. The neighborhood can best be described as established suburban. There's a country club one block to the Southwest, and the Virginia Mariners Museum one block to the Southeast. Other than those landmarks, the rest of the area is indistinguishible from the suburbs of any major city.

Warwick Blvd is, to be sure, one of the dismal "miracle mile" roads, complete with car dealers, strip malls, fast food stands, strip malls, banks, car dealers, supermarkets, strip malls, churches, strip malls... well, you get the pic. I think that most suburban colleges have similar circumstances.

There are high-crime areas of Newport News. They tend to be several miles away, closer to the shipyard, and in the regions that border on Hampton--the other city on the penninsula. I can't think of any reason a CNU student would go down there.


By comparison, VCU is located in a truly high crime region. VCU is in the "fan" district of Richmond. This area has a checkerboard character: one block is gentrified while the next is run down. There are lots of dark alleys, and there is cause for parents to worry about their kids' safety. VCU students tend to like the gritty atmosphere, and nobody at VCU is "surprised" that their surroundings require a little more attention to personal safety. For VCU students, it's a tradeoff.


Now, it appears that the students on this board have a different impression of the CNU locale. I'd like to explore other opinions. Try to focus on specifics: Why do you think the area is so depressing? What generates this strong response?