Apartments for Rent in Hampton, VA - 186 Rentals available

Welcome to Hampton, Virginia! This coastal city on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula is the heart of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, comprising a total of seven cities. Money magazine recognized Hampton as one of the best places to live, and the city is considered a national model for youth development and civic engagement. The quality of life is exceptional in this waterfront city, partly due to its mild climate, but the low crime rates also mean it is one of the safest cities in Virginia. The city has been named one of the top 20 hot spots for young professionals to live and work by Next Generation Consulting, and the Center for Digital Government has consistently placed it on the list of the most technology-advanced cities in the nation for more than a decade.

Hampton is a forty-minute drive from Norfolk, Virginia; an hour drive from Virginia Beach, Virginia; a three-hour drive from Alexandria, Virginia; and a three-and-a-half hour drive from Washington, DC. Its nearest airport is Norfolk International Airport, and its nearest Amtrak train station is the Newport News Station.

Weather in Hampton is temperate and pleasant, with an average annual temperature of a balmy 70 degrees. Hampton experiences four seasons, with a drawn out summer that often extends from May into October. Summers are hot and humid with cool evenings, and Hampton is the warmest city in Virginia during the summer months. Winters are generally mild and the city receives an average of 6 inches of snowfall each year, which is below the national average. Hampton is also geographically positioned outside the region’s major storm tracks, meaning that the area typically does not see hurricanes or tropical storms. July is the hottest month, with an average high of 87 degrees, and January is the coldest, with an average low of 32 degrees.

Public transit in Hampton is provided by the Hampton Roads Transit system. Standard bus and light rail fare in Hampton is $1.75. For seniors, children under 17, and passengers with disabilities, fare is $0.75. Children under 38 inches tall ride free on Hampton public transit.

The average commute time for Hampton residents is 22 minutes, which is just under the national average of 25.4 minutes.

A meal for 2 people in a mid-range Hampton restaurant may cost anywhere between $25 and $70, and a regular cappuccino goes for about $4.

For a 915-square-foot apartment, Hampton residents pay on average $160 for utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage removal, etc.), which is higher than the national average of $147 in monthly utility expenses.

Hampton, Virginia, boasts pleasant year-round weather and close proximity to the Virginia coast for beach getaways, fishing, and boating. Its prime location along Virginia’s major ports makes Hampton a good city for jobs in the shipping, ship repair, and manufacturing industries.

A downside of living in Hampton, VA, can be the traffic: the harbor and waterways have complicated Hampton’s road and transportation developments, and commuters often face congestion as a result.

As of the most recent census, the population of the Hampton Roads region, which includes Hampton, is majority Caucasian, with about 60% of the population identifying as white, 31% black, 5% Hispanic or Latino, and 4% Asian.

A visit to Fort Monroe tops many lists of things to do in Hampton, VA. Fort Monroe is a former military installation used as early as 1609 by the first English settlers in Virginia. Today Fort Monroe is a national monument and a popular historic site for visitors and locals alike. The Fort Monroe Casemate Museum highlights the area’s history during the Civil War period, and visitors to Fort Monroe can see the prison cell occupied by the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis and the quarters that General Robert E. Lee and President Abraham Lincoln stayed in as guests. For its great historical value, Fort Monroe is certainly a great free thing to do in Hampton.

Another popular activity for families in Hampton is a visit to the Virginia Air & Space Center, which is designed with kids in mind and features an array of interactive exhibits and a state of the art IMAX Theater. For those looking for free family fun in Hampton, Bluebird Gap Farm is a 60-acre farm with 150 domestic and wild animals. The petting zoo is sure to be a hit with young children, and Bluebird Gap Farm also regularly puts on special events, including an outdoor family movie series and the annual Blackbeard Festival, complete with historically accurate pirate re-enactors roaming Hampton’s waterfront!

Hampton is also a great city for those who love the outdoors. Sandy Bottom Nature Park offers scenic walking and jogging trails, paddle boating, and picnic and playground areas for outdoor exploring. Buckroe Beach and Park is the area’s small local beach, equipped with waterside grills, kayaks for rent, and a pavilion for events and concerts. Boat tours are also a popular activity in Hampton, with several local companies offering chartered leisure cruises and themed tours of the city’s harbors.

For shoppers, Peninsula Town Center in Virginia Beach is a large commercial and shopping development in Hampton with over 1 million square feet of retail space. Located in the Coliseum Central Business Improvement District in Hampton, Peninsula Town Center is the largest redevelopment project in the city’s history.

Among Hampton restaurants, buffet chain Golden Corral and country-style pub PBR & Tapps, which boasts a mechanical bull, are local favorites. The Buffalo Wild Wings and Olive Garden in Hampton are also hot spots for families and date nights, as are dinner and a movie at CinéBistro, a theater with reserved seating, leather recliners, and full service bistro meals and cocktails. Moviegoers in Hampton are in luck - there are two additional theaters in the city, the AMC Hampton Towne Centre 24 and the Cinema Café, which also offers a full menu of comfort food items and alcoholic beverages for the over-21 crowd.

Among Hampton’s cultural venues, the Hampton Coliseum is a large multi-purpose arena that can accommodate up to 13,800 guests for concerts and sporting events. Just across the street is the Hampton Roads Convention Center, whose white awnings are suspended to look like the sails of a ship in line with Hampton’s nautical theme. The Convention Center boasts 344,000 square feet of exhibit space and can fit over 14,000 guests, and draws thousands to Hamptons for meetings and conventions annually.

Shipbuilding and repair are major industries in the Hampton area due to the city’s proximity to Virginia’s ports. Government, education, healthcare systems, and the military are other critical sectors in the region.

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (a shipbuilding and manufacturing company), Sentara Healthcare, and the Riverside Health System are the three leading employers in the Hampton regional area. Within the city of Hampton proper, the largest employers are the NASA Langley Research Center (NASA’s oldest aerospace field center), the Hampton City Public Schools, and TE Connectivity, Ltd. (a manufacturing operation producing sensors and sensor-based systems for the aerospace industry).

The Hampton City Schools public school system serves over 20,000 Hampton students in its 18 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 4 high schools. The district also has a gifted center for advanced students in grades 3-8, plus schools with focus programs in engineering and biotechnology/medicine and a magnet middle school. At the high school level, Hampton City Schools offer a non-traditional learning environment at the computer- and project-based Performance Learning Center, an alternative education program through Bridgeport Academy, and Adult GED classes. There are also 19 private schools in Hampton serving over 2,000 students. The majority of Hampton private schools are religiously affiliated with Christian and Baptist faiths.

Hampton University, a private, progressive institution of higher education, is located in Hampton, Virginia. With deep roots in American history and the African-American experience, Hampton University offers a wide range of technical, liberal arts, and graduate degree programs. Thomas Nelson Community College is a two-year college that is part of the Virginia Community College System and has campuses in Hampton, Newport News, and Williamsburg, Virginia. Bryant and Stratton College also has a campus in Hampton.

Other colleges and universities located within a short distance of Hampton include: Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University in Norfolk, and The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg.

The Virginia Landlord-Tenant Act details the rights and responsibilities of Hampton tenants and landlords. Renters in Hampton are covered by the Landlord-Tenant Act if they live in an apartment building, any multi-family housing unit where services are shared with other residents, or a single family home that is one of over ten similar properties your landlord rents in your county (or four similar properties he or she rents in Hampton).

Under the Landlord-Act, tenants cannot charge more than two months’ rent for security deposits. If the landlord plans to withhold the security deposit at the conclusion of a lease, the renter must be notified within 30 days; otherwise, the security deposit should be returned to the tenant within 45 days with an itemized list of any deductions or charges. Your landlord is also legally required to give you a receipt any time you pay your rent by money order or cash - even if this isn’t directly written into your lease.