Hampton Roads
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Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the region of land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia in the USA. Hampton Roads is notable for its huge ice-free harbor, for U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force facilities, shipbuilding and repair yards, coal piers, and hundreds of miles of waterfront property and beaches, all of which contribute to the diversity and stability of the region's economy.
The water area known as Hampton Roads (informally known locally as "the harbor") is one of the world's greatest natural harbors, and incorporates the mouths of the Elizabeth River and James River with several smaller rivers and itself empties into the Chesapeake Bay near its mouth leading to the Atlantic Ocean.
The land area includes most of the cities, counties and towns in the southeastern corner of Virginia. The Virginia Peninsula and the South Hampton Roads subregions of Hampton Roads are sometimes collectively referred to as "Tidewater Virginia". However, that term properly applied also refers, geographically, to the entire coastal plain of Virginia including areas north of the Hampton Roads region.
There are also frequent references to the "Seven Cities," the latter after the region's seven major cities: Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach, each of which is linked by the circumferential Hampton Roads Beltway. However, the region also includes the smaller independent cities of Franklin, Poquoson, and Williamsburg, as well as a number of counties and towns beyond the boundaries of the cities.
The Hampton Roads metropolitan area (officially, the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA) has a population of about 1.6 million, making it the 33rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States (behind only Atlanta and Charlotte in the Southeast) and the largest metropolitan area in the United States without a professional major league sports team. (There are minor league teams and several Division I-AA college teams in the area.)
The area is steeped in 400 years of American history, and hundreds of historical sites and attractions in the area draw visitors from around the world each year. In late 2006, the Hampton Roads Partnership, a non-profit organization representing 17 localities, all local universities and major military commands as well as leading businesses in southeastern Virginia, commenced a campaign aimed at branding Hampton Roads as "America's First Region." (See additional information in separate section below.)
The harbor was the key to the Hampton Roads area's growth, both on land and in water-related activities and events. Ironically, the harbor and its tributary waterways were (and still are) both important transportation conduits and obstacles to other land-based commerce and travel. Yet, the community leaders learned to overcome them. Many early bridges were constructed and funded privately through the collection of tolls. Later, state-sponsorship was required to fund larger projects. The area came to be known for its bridge-tunnel complexes, each innovatively designed and funded with toll revenue bonds, including the longest in the world across the entire mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
In the 21st century, the conflicts between traffic on vital waterways and land-based travel continue to present the area's leaders with extraordinary transportation challenges. Public opinion polls seem to indicate that many citizens feel the accomplishments with the historic bridge-tunnels and the many other improvements since, such as the completion of the Hampton Roads Beltway and an additional bridge-tunnel in 1992, are indicative that the region's leaders will be capable of seeking and employing new transportation and funding solutions for the future, and that they will receive the necessary public support to do so.
[edit] History
[edit] 1607: the English colonists chose Jamestown
The first colonists arrived in 1607 when English Captain Christopher Newport's three ships, his flagship Susan Constant, the smaller Godspeed, and even smaller Discovery landed in April 1607 at Cape Henry along the Atlantic Coast in today's City of Virginia Beach, an event now known as the "First Landing." However, they moved on, under orders from the Virginia Company of London, the crews and new colonists sought a more sheltered area up one of the rivers. Their major concern was other European competitors such as the Spanish, who had earlier discovered the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia's rivers, and had even in 1570 begun a small settlement on the Virginia Peninsula known as the Ajacan Mission, which had failed.
During 18 days of exploring the area, they surely saw the enormous harbor of Hampton Roads, and some of the party must have appreciated its possibilities. However, after exploring the James River west at least as far as present-day Hopewell, they agreed upon Jamestown Island, where they established the first English speaking settlement to survive in the New World on May 14, 1607.
Despite the defensive advantages of that location against Spanish attacks, the low and marshy site at Jamestown proved a very poor choice in many other ways. More than five years of fragile existence and high mortality rates followed including the Starving Time of 1609-10 when over 80% of the 500 colonists perished before the future of the Virginia Colony began to appear more promising. The change came about with the just-in-time arrival of a new Governor, Lord Delaware, and a new colonist with a successful business idea named John Rolfe.
[edit] Source of the name "Hampton Roads"
The term "Hampton Roads" is a centuries-old designation that originated when the region was a struggling English outpost nearly four hundred years ago. The name is believed to originated from the combination of two separate words.
The word "Hampton" honors one of the founders of the Virginia Company of London and a great supporter of the colonization of Virginia, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton.
Signifying the safety of a port, the word "roads" in nautical terminology of the day meant "a place less sheltered than a harbor where ships may ride at anchor." Although perhaps by that definition the label "harbor" is technically incorrect, its name became "Hampton Roads" and it has become well-known as the "world's greatest harbor." This is partially because it is the northernmost major East Coast port of the United States which is ice-free year round (with the notable exception of extraordinary cold winter of 1917, which was the entire U.S.'s coldest year on record.
[edit] Values of the harbor: commerce, military control
For centuries, the harbor and rivers of Hampton Roads have been ideal locations for both commerce and for many major shipyards. Some were established as early as the late 17th century such as the Gosport Navy Yard in what is now the City of Portsmouth.
The harbor was also a key point for military control of the region. Even the earliest settlers created fortifications at Old Point Comfort by 1610 against potential attacks by ships of Spanish or other unfriendly European forces.
[edit] American Revolutionary War
Important conflicts of the American Revolutionary War involved Norfolk and Craney Island (at the mouth of the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth). It was at Norfolk where the last Royal Governor of the Virginia Colony, Lord Dunmore, departed mainland Virginia for the last time.
[edit] War of 1812
The first naval action of the War of 1812 took place on 8 July 1812, when the Bermuda sloop, HMS Whiting, its crew oblivious to the US declaration of war, lowered anchor in Hampton Roads. As its captain was being rowed ashore, the Royal Naval vessel was seized by the American privateer Dash, which happened to be leaving port.
[edit] United States
Under the new United States government, by the 1830s, the entrance from Chesapeake Bay was defended by Fort Monroe, built by the U.S. Army beginning in 1819 on Old Point Comfort, and by Fort Wool, built as Fort Calhoun in 1829, on a small island called the Rip Raps near the middle of the channel (and now adjacent to one of the manmade islands of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel). Much work in the building of these fortresses in the early 19th century was done by a 24-year old engineer in the U.S. Army, a Lieutenant named Robert E. Lee
[edit] American Civil War, emancipation and education of former slaves
During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the famous Battle of Hampton Roads between the first American ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimack) took place off Sewell's Point, on March 8-9, 1862. That battle was inconclusive, but later in 1862, Union forces took control of Hampton Roads, Norfolk, and the lower James River. However, their efforts to take the Confederate capital of Richmond via the James River with their vastly superior Navy were thwarted by a strong Confederate battery position high above a bend in the river about 8 miles below Richmond at Drewry's Bluff.
Fort Monroe was the launching place for Union General George McClellan's massive 1862 Peninsula Campaign, a land campaign of many months which began at Fort Monroe and advanced up the Virginia Peninsula, with a Siege at Yorktown and another battle at Williamsburg before the Union Army almost literally reached the gates of Richmond, ending at the Chickahominy River within earshot of the city's church bells, according to the journals of Union soldiers. However, the Confederates mounted a credible defense of their capital city, and McClellan's campaign failed to capture Richmond, ending in the Seven Days Battles, during which the Union Army withdrew, effectively extending the War for almost three more years.
Beginning in 1861, some of the former slaves found refuge near Fort Monroe, which remained in Union hands throughout the War. There, the commander, Union Army General Benjamin F. Butler, a lawyer by training, declared them to be "Contraband of war". On that legal basis, Union forces refused to return them to Confederate owners as would have been the practice even in many "free states" before Virginia seceded and declared itself a foreign power. Soon, word spread, and many slaves were understandably anxious to become "contraband."
Although many of the "contraband" men at Hampton and elsewhere during the War volunteered and became part of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), others and the women and children grew in increasing numbers near Fort Monroe in Elizabeth City County. From the wood and materials salvaged from the remains of the Town of Hampton, which had been burned earlier by retreating Confederates, they built the Grand Contraband Camp, near, but outside the protective walls of the Army base. It was the first self-contained African American community in the United States.
Close by, was (and still is) the Emancipation Oak, on the grounds of the school for them which grew to become Hampton University. Beginning as a normal school founded to train teachers, Hampton University was established by church groups and former Union Army officers. Early educators of the era included Mary Smith Peake and former Union Army General Samuel Chapman Armstrong, who was himself the son of missionaries, and had commanded a USCT force during the War. Among the earlier students was a young former slave named Booker T. Washington, who became a famed African-American educator and was the first head of present-day Tuskegee University. The Emancipation Oak is part of the official logo of the modern city of Hampton.
- See also: Hampton University and Booker T. Washington
[edit] Sewell's Point: Jamestown Exposition and a Navy Base
The Jamestown Exposition for the 300th anniversary of the 1607 founding of Jamestown was held at Sewell's Point in a rural section of Norfolk County in 1907.
President Theodore Roosevelt arrived by water in the harbor of Hampton Roads, as did other notable persons such as Mark Twain and Henry Huttleston Rogers, who both arrived aboard the latter's steam yacht Kanawha. A major naval display was featured, and the U.S. Great White Fleet made an appearance. The leaders of the U.S. Navy apparently did not fail to note the ideal harbor conditions, as was later proved.
Beginning in 1917, as the United States became involved in World War I under President Woodrow Wilson, formerly rural Sewell's Point became the site of what grew to become the largest Naval Base in the world which was established by the U.S. Navy and is now known as the Naval Station Norfolk.
[edit] Military use of northern side of the Peninsula
Twice in the 20th century, families of mostly African American heritage were displaced from entire communities when their land along the northern side of the Peninsula primarily in York County west of Yorktown was taken in large tracts for military use during WWI and WWII, creating the present-day US Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, which includes Cheatham Annex, and a former Seabee base which became Camp Peary.
Included in the creation of these large military bases were the entire lost towns of Virginia known as "the Reservation", Halstead's Point, Penniman, Bigler's Mill, and Magruder.
Although some left the area entirely, many of the displaced families chose to relocate nearby to Grove, an unincorporated town in southeastern James City County where many generations of some of those families now reside. From a population estimated at only 37 in 1895, Grove had grown to an estimated 1,100 families by the end of the 20th century. (To its north, Grove actually borders the Naval Weapons Station property and on its extreme east, a portion of the US Army's land at Fort Eustis extends across Skiffe's Creek, although there is no direct access to either base).
- See also: Grove, Virginia
[edit] Colonial Williamsburg
A dream of one Episcopalian priest to save his 18th century church building was to expand to create the world's largest living museum. Replacing Jamestown and the end of the 17th century, Williamsburg had been capital of the Colony and the new State of Virginia from 1699-1780. After the capital moved to Richmond in 1780, Williamsburg became a quieter and sometimes described as "sleepy" small town. It saw some action during the Battle of Williamsburg of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign during the Civil War. However, it was not located along any major waterway and did not have railroad access until 1881. Perhaps due to the secure inland location originally known as Middle Plantation, for Williamsburg, growth and great expansion of commerce in the 19th century did not occur as rapidly as in many other Virginia cities. The main activities were the College of William and Mary and Eastern State Hospital, each historic institutions in their own right. In addition to the city's historic past, quite a few buildings of antiquity from the 18th century were still extant, although time was taking a toll by the early 20th century.
The Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin of Bruton Parish Church initially had wanted merely to save his historic church building. This he accomplished by 1907. He was later served in Rochester, New York for many years. Upon returning to Williamsburg in 1923, he began to realize that many of the other colonial-era buildings also remained, but were in deteriorating condition, and their longevity was risk.
Goodwin dreamed of a much larger restoration along the lines of what he had accomplished with his historic church. A cleric of modest means, he sought support and financing from a number of sources before successfully drawing the interests and major financial support of Standard Oil heir and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. The result of their combined efforts was the creation of Colonial Williamsburg, which included a restoration of the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary and a change of much of the downtown Williamsburg area into a 301-acre Historic Area of restored and replica buildings and surrounds to celebrate the patriots and the early history of America.
By the 1930s, Colonial Williamsburg had became the centerpiece of the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia. These were, of course, Jamestown, where the colony started, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, where independence from England was won. The three points were joined by the U.S. National Park Service's Colonial Parkway, a remarkable accomplishment built over a period of 27 years. The Historical Triangle area of the Hampton Roads region became one of the largest tourist attractions in the entire world.
In Dr. Goodwin's words: "Williamsburg is Jamestown continued, and Yorktown is Williamsburg vindicated."
- See also: Historic Triangle
[edit] Other notable Hampton Roads "firsts"
In 1957, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was the first bridge-tunnel complex in the world. Yet an even bigger bridge-tunnel was the contemplated by the Virginians. Completed in 1963, the 17 mile-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, was named one of the "Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World" and connects the region with Virginia's Eastern Shore.
In the 1960s, the first astronauts of Project Mercury who took the United States into space with manned flights trained at the NASA facility adjacent to Hampton's Langley Air Force Base. Many local features, including Mercury Boulevard were name for them. More than 40 years later, work is ongoing at the NASA Research Center in Hampton.
[edit] America's First Region
In late 2006, the Hampton Roads Partnership, a non-profit organization representing 17 localities, all local universities and major military commands as well as leading businesses in southeastern Virginia, commenced a campaign aimed at branding land area of Hampton Roads as "America's First Region".
The new title is based on events in 1607 when English Captain Christopher Newport's three ships - the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery landed at Cape Henry along the Atlantic Coast at Cape Henry in what is today Virginia Beach. After 18 days of exploring the area, the ships and their crews arrived at Jamestown Island where they established the first English speaking settlement to survive in the New World on May 14.
Because the region's east-west boundaries (now the City of Virginia Beach and James City County) have not changed since 1607, the Partnership felt justified in labeling Hampton Roads "America's First Region". It unveiled the new brand before 800 people at the annual meeting of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce on December 13, 2006. A video shown that afternoon included endorsements from mayors and county board of supervisors chairs representing Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and James City County as well as the Governor of Virginia, Timothy Kaine.
The Hampton Roads region will have had 400 years of rich history by May 2007. For the detailed histories of the each of various communities which make up today's Hampton Roads region, please refer to the articles on the History of Virginia, Virginia Peninsula and South Hampton Roads subregions, and links which are located in the following sections to the individual articles for each shire, county, town, or city.
[edit] Statistics: Hampton Roads MSA
While combined into a single Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for economic purposes, most of the land area of Hampton Roads is geographically divided into 2 smaller regions: the Virginia Peninsula (the Peninsula) and South Hampton Roads (locally known as "the Southside".) A small portion of Virginia's Middle Peninsula region and a small part of North Carolina are also included in the MSA definition.
For statistical purposes, officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA, the Hampton Roads area has a population of about 1.6 million and is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the southeastern USA between the District of Columbia and Atlanta.
[edit] Political subdivisions
[edit] Independent cities (current)
- Chesapeake
- Franklin
- Hampton
- Newport News
- Norfolk
- Poquoson
- Portsmouth
- Suffolk
- Virginia Beach
- Williamsburg
[edit] Counties (current)
- Currituck (North Carolina)
- Gloucester
- Isle of Wight
- James City
- Mathews
- Southampton
- Surry
- York
[edit] Incorporated towns (current)
- Claremont in Surry County
- Courtland in Southampton County
- Dendron in Surry County
- Smithfield in Isle of Wight County
- Surry in Surry County (county seat)
- Windsor in Isle of Wight County
[edit] Unincorporated towns and communities not in cities (current)
- Gloucester Courthouse in Gloucester County
- Gloucester Point in Gloucester County
- Isle of Wight Courthouse in Isle of Wight County
- Rushmere in Isle of Wight County
- Rescue in Isle of Wight County
- Carrollton in Isle of Wight County
- Benns Church in Isle of Wight County
- Walters in Isle of Wight County
- Yorktown in York County
- Grafton in York County
- Tabb in York County
- Jamestown in James City County
- Ford's Colony in James City County
- Grove in James City County
- Lightfoot in James City County
- Toano in James City County
- Norge in James City County
- Seaford in York County
- Moyock in Currituck County
- Knotts Island in Currituck County
- Currituck in Currituck County
[edit] Defunct shires, counties, cities, towns
As the current communities in the Hampton Roads region were formed and grew from the Colonial period to statehood and modern times, the political structure of many areas in Virginia changed. Between 1952 and 1976, a wave of consolidations of local governments led to almost the entire southeastern portion of Virginia consisting of a group of adjoining independent cities, eventually numbering eight. (joining the Seven major cities of Hampton Roads was the comparatively tiny City of Poquoson, which had formerly been an incorporated town in York County).
Many incorporated (formally constituted) localities became legally defunct, though mostly not abandoned by their citizens, with the notable exception of Jamestown. For search of genealogical, land, and other historical records, it may be necessary to find these old names.
The following is a partial listing of defunct political subdivisions in the Hampton Roads area with approximate formation and dissolution dates. Note: Former towns which grew to became cities of the same name are not listed separately. More information about dates and dispositions may be found in most individual articles by following the links.
In order of date founded:
- Jamestown, Virginia (1607) largely abandoned as a Town after 1699
- Kecoughtan, Virginia (1610), became part of Town and City of Hampton
- James Cittie (sic) (1619-1624)
- Elizabeth Cittie (sic) (1619-1624)
- Middle Plantation (1632-1699), (changed name to Williamsburg in 1699, chartered as city in 1722)
- Elizabeth River Shire (1634-1643)
- Warwick River Shire (1634-1643)
- Charles River Shire (1634-1643)
- James City Shire (1634-1643)
- Warrosquyoake Shire (1634-1637)
- New Norfolk County (1636-1637)
- Lower Norfolk County (1637-1691)
- Upper Norfolk County (1637-1646)
- Norfolk County, Virginia (1691-1963)
- Princess Anne County (1691-1963)
- Elizabeth City County (1643-1952)
- Nansemond County (1646-1972)
- Warwick County (aka Warwick River County) (1643-1952)
- City of South Norfolk (1922-1963)
- Town of Berkley incorporated town until 1906 when annexed by City of Norfolk
- Town of Phoebus(1900-1952) (earlier known as unincorporated towns of Millwood, Roseland Farms and Chesapeake City)
- City of Warwick (1952-1958)
- City of Nansemond (1972-1974)
[edit] Geography
The water area known as Hampton Roads is a wide channel through which the waters of the James River, Nansemond River, and Elizabeth River pass (between Old Point Comfort to the north and Sewell's Point to the south) into the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
The region has extensive natural areas, including 26 miles of Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay beaches, the Great Dismal Swamp, picturesque rivers, state parks, wildlife refuges, and botanical gardens. Inland from the bay, the region includes Lake Drummond, one of only two natural lakes found in Virginia, and miles of waterfront property along the various rivers and waterways.
The land portion of Hampton Roads is primarily divided into two subregions, the Peninsula, on the north side of the harbor, and South Hampton Roads, on the south side, where the majority of the area's population lives.
In addition, the Middle Peninsula counties of Gloucester and Mathews, while not part of the geographical Hampton Roads area, are included in the vast metropolitan region's population. Also, a small portion of northeastern North Carolina (Currituck County) is included in the region's statistics. Due to a peculiarity in the drawing of the Virginia-North Carolina border, Knott's Island in that county is connected to Virginia by land, but is only accessible to other parts of North Carolina across waterways via a ferry system.
[edit] Transportation
Historically, from the earliest times, the harbor was the key to the Hampton Roads area's growth, both on land and in water-related activities and events. Ironically, the harbor and its tributary waterways were (and still are) both important transportation conduits and obstacles to other land-based commerce and travel. Yet, the community leaders learned to overcome them.
Many early bridges were constructed and funded privately through the collection of tolls. Later, state-sponsorship was required to fund larger projects. The best example of many was in 1957, when the world's first continuous bridge-tunnel complex was successfully completed across the mouth of the Hampton Roads harbor, innovatively designed and funded with toll revenue bonds. Soon, another even larger one was built across the entire mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, exceeding many expectations.
In modern times, the region has faced increasing transportation challenges as it has become largely urbanized, with additional traffic needs. In the 21st century, the conflicts between traffic on vital waterways and land-based travel continue to present the area's leaders with extraordinary transportation challenges, both for additional capacity, and as the existing infrastructure, much of it originally built with toll revenues, has aged without an adequate source of funding to repair or build replacements. The now-closed Kings Highway Bridge in Suffolk and the Jordan Bridge operating with severe traffic weight restrictions in neighboring Chesapeake, each built in the 1920s, are considered locally prime examples of this situation.
Public opinion polls seem to indicate that many citizens feel the accomplishments with the historic bridge-tunnels across the harbor and nearby Chesapeake Bay and the many other improvements since, such as the completion of the Hampton Roads Beltway and a third bridge-tunnel in 1992 are indicative that the region's leaders will be capable of seeking and employing new transportation and funding solutions for the future, and that they will receive the necessary public support to do so.
[edit] Highways, bridges, tunnels, bridge-tunnels, ferry system
The Hampton Roads area has an extensive network of Interstate Highways, including the Interstate 64, the major east-west route to and from the area, and its spurs and bypasses of I-264, I-464, I-564, and I-664.
The Hampton Roads Beltway extends 56 miles on a long loop through the region, crossing the harbor on two toll-free bridge-tunnel facilities. These crossings are the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel between Phoebus in Hampton and Willoughby Spit in Norfolk and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel between Newport News and Suffolk. The Beltway connects with another Interstate highway and three arterial U.S. Highways at Bower's Hill near the northeastern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp.
Other major east-west routes are U.S. Highway 58, U.S. Highway 60, and U.S. Highway 460. The major north-south routes are U.S. Highway 13 and U.S. Highway 17.
A third crossing of Hampton Roads is the James River Bridge, carrying US 17 from Newport News to Isle of Wight County.
There are also two other tunnels in the area, the Midtown Tunnel, and the Downtown Tunnel joining Portsmouth and Norfolk, as well as the 17-mile-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a toll facility which links the region with Virginia's Eastern Shore which carries US 13.
The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge is a major toll bridge connecting U.S. Highway 17 on the Peninsula at Yorktown with Virginia's Middle Peninsula region.
The Jamestown Ferry (also known as the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry) is an automobile ferry system on the James River connecting Jamestown in James City County with Scotland in Surry County. It carries State Route 31. Operated by VDOT, it is the only 24-hour state-run ferry operation in Virginia and has over 90 employees. It operates four ferryboats, the Pocahontas, the Williamsburg, the Surry, and the Virginia. The facility is toll-free.
[edit] Local public transportation
Local Public transit is provided by an bus network operated by the Hampton Roads Transit and Williamsburg Area Transport, both of which are operations of government agencies. Several light rail service proposals are under development.
[edit] Hampton Roads Transit
A regional transit bus system and paratransit services are provided by Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), a regional public transport system headquartered in Hampton.
Hampton Roads Transit is southeastern Virginia's most reliable mobility source, serving over 17 million annual passengers in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. HRT currently serves 1.2 million people within its 369 square mile service area.
[edit] Williamsburg Area Transport
A smaller transit bus system and paratransit services are provided by Williamsburg Area Transport (WAT), based in the Williamsburg area, which serves Williamsburg, James City County, and a portion of York County. The system offers a connection with the much larger Hampton Roads Transit system at Lee Hall, Virginia and at the Williamsburg Transportation Center.
[edit] Light rail, bus rapid transit, maglev projects
A light rail service within the city is in planning stages in Norfolk. There has also been a study in the Hampton - Newport News areas.
The resort city of Virginia Beach had been considering a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system similar to that in use in Las Vegas, but the lack of any subsidiary transit systems (i.e. light rail or a substantial network of local bus routes) with which to connect contributed to the project's abandonment while in the planning stage. City officials stated that other projects may be considered in the future.
There is a small very experimental Magnetic levitation project under development on campus at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
[edit] Intercity bus
Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines and Carolina Trailways.
[edit] Passenger rail
The area is served by passenger rail service provided by Amtrak, with stations in Williamsburg and Newport News, and connecting bus service to Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation has studies underway for extending high speed passenger rail to the Virginia Peninsula and South Hampton Roads areas with a rail connection at Richmond to both the Northeast Corridor and the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor.
[edit] Air
The Hampton Roads is served by two major commercial airports: Norfolk International Airport and the smaller Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport. Alternatively, some travelers from the Peninsula and Williamsburg area also sometimes use Richmond International Airport, located 42 miles west of Williamsburg and 8 miles east of Richmond in Henrico County, Virginia.
[edit] Norfolk International Airport
Norfolk International Airport is the main air passenger and cargo transport hub in the region. Offering nearly 200 arrivals and departures daily to major cities throughout the USA, Norfolk International presently ranks in the country's top 65 airports in terms of passengers served annually, with an average of 3.5 million. The airport is served by 11 airlines, with flights to 25 nonstop destinations:
- Southwest Airlines - Nonstop flights to Baltimore-Washington, Chicago (Midway), Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Nashville
- US Airways - Nonstop flights to Charlotte and Philadelphia
- US Airways Express - Nonstop flights to Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Philadelphia, Washington (Reagan), New York (LaGuardia) and Pittsburgh
- American Eagle - Nonstop flights to Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago (O'Hare) and Miami
- American Connection - Nonstop flights to St. Louis
- Continental Express - Nonstop flights to Cleveland, Houston (Intercontinental) and Newark
- Delta Air Lines - Nonstop flights to Atlanta and Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky
- Delta Connection - Nonstop flights to Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky, Fort Lauderdale and New York (Kennedy)
- Northwest Airlines - Nonstop flights to Detroit
- Northwest Airlink - Nonstop flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul
- United Express - Nonstop flights to Chicago (O'Hare) and Washington (Dulles)
[edit] Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (formerly know as Patrick Henry Field) is a major regional air passenger transport hub in southeastern Virginia. The airport, which is among the fastest growing airports in the country (by passenger volume), serves an average of 1.5 million annual passengers, and is served by four (4) airlines, with flights to a number of nonstop destinations:
- AirTran Airways - Nonstop flights to Atlanta, Boston, New York (LaGuardia), Orlando, and others
- Delta Air Lines - Nonstop flights to Atlanta and others
- Delta Connection - Nonstop flights to Orlando and others
- US Airways Express - Nonstop flights to Charlotte, Philadelphia, and others
[edit] Places of Higher Education
[edit] Four-Year Public
- Christopher Newport University - Newport News
- College of William and Mary - Williamsburg
- Eastern Virginia Medical School - Norfolk
- Norfolk State University - Norfolk
- Old Dominion University - Norfolk
[edit] Two-Year Public
- Commonwealth College - Hampton
- Thomas Nelson Community College - Hampton
- Tidewater Community College
[edit] Private
- Hampton University - Hampton
- Northrop Grumman Newport News Apprentice School of Shipbuilding - Newport News
- Regent University - Virginia Beach
- Virginia Wesleyan College - Virginia Beach
[edit] Harbor: commerce, shipping, military
Hampton Roads has become known as the "world's greatest natural harbor". The port is located only 18 miles from open ocean on one of the world's deepest, natural ice-free harbors. Since 1989, Hampton Roads has been the mid-Atlantic leader in U.S. waterborne foreign commerce and is ranked second nationally behind the Port of South Louisiana based on export tonnage. When import and export tonnage are combined, the Port of Hampton Roads ranks as the third largest port in the country (following the ports of New Orleans/South Louisiana and Houston. In 1996, Hampton Roads was ranked ninth among major U.S. ports in vessel port calls with approximately 2,700. In addition, this port is the U.S. leader in coal exports. The coal loading facilities in the Port of Hampton Roads are able to load in excess of 65 million tons annually, giving the port the largest, most efficient and modern coal loading facilities in the world.
It is little surprise therefore that the Hampton Roads region's economic base is largely port-related, including shipbuilding, ship repair, naval installations, cargo transfer and storage, and manufacturing related to the processing of imports and exports. Associated with the ports' military role are almost 50,000 federal civilian employees.
The harbor of Hampton Roads is an important highway of commerce, especially for the cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Newport News.
[edit] Shipyards
Northrop Grumman Newport News (formerly Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company), the world's largest shipyard, is located a short distance up the James River. In Portsmouth, a few miles up the Elizabeth River, the historic Norfolk Naval Shipyard is located. NORSHIPCO operates from sites in the City of Norfolk. There are also several smaller shipyards, numerous docks and terminals.
[edit] Coal piers
Massive coal piers and loading facilities were established in the late 19th and early 20th century by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W), and Virginian Railway (VGN). The latter two were predecessors of the Norfolk Southern Railway, a Class I railroad which has its headquarters in Norfolk, and continues to export coal from a large facility at Lambert's Point on the Elizabeth River. CSX Transportation now serves the former C&O facility at Newport News. (The VGN's former coal facility at Sewell's Point has been gone since the 1960s, and the property is now part of the expansive Norfolk Navy Base).
[edit] Military
Hampton Roads is also a chief rendezvous of the US Navy. The Hampton Roads area has the largest concentration of military bases and facilities of any metropolitan area in the world. The area is home to the Allied Command Transformation, which is the only major military command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Langley Air Force Base is home to Air Combat Command (ACC). The Norfolk Navy Base is located at Sewell's Point near the mouth, on the site used for the tercentennial Jamestown Exposition in 1907. For a width of 500 feet the Federal government during 1902 through 1905 increased its minimum depth at low water from 25.5 feet to 30 feet, and the channel has now been dredged to a depth of 55 feet in some places.
Other area military facilities (alphabetically) include:
- Camp Peary in York County
- Fleet Training Center Dam Neck in Virginia Beach
- Fort Eustis in Newport News
- Fort Monroe in Hampton (scheduled to be closed by 2011)
- Fort Story in Virginia Beach
- Langley Air Force Base in Hampton
- Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach
- Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach
- Naval Weapons Station Yorktown in York County
- Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth (not to be confused with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, in Kittery, Maine)
- Saint Julian Creek Naval Depot Annex in Chesapeake
- Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Portsmouth[1]
[edit] Non-military federal agencies
NASA's Langley Research Center, located on the Peninsula adjacent to Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, is home to scientific and aerospace technology research. The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (commonly known as Jefferson Labs) is located nearby in Newport News.
[edit] Speech
The area is home to the Tidewater Accent, also known informally as a "southern drawl."
[edit] Area attractions and historical sites
[edit] Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown
The Historic Triangle is located on the Virginia Peninsula and includes the colonial communities of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, with many restored attractions linked by the Colonial Parkway.
[edit] Colonial Parkway
The National Park Service's Colonial Parkway joins the three popular attractions of Colonial Virginia with a scenic and bucolic roadway carefully shielded from views of commercial development. This helps visitors mentally return to the past, and there are often views of wildlife and waterfowl. This two lane roadway is the best (but not quickest) way to move between the three points. Near the James River and York River ends of the parkway, there are several pull-offs, where some families allow their children to feed bread to the seagulls. (Warning: No trucks are allowed).
For an even better experience, approach the area from the south by water from Surry County with a ride aboard one of the Jamestown Ferrys, which include the Pocahontas and Williamsburg. As passengers cross, they can walk about the boat or go up to an enclosed viewing level with restrooms. Weather and daylight permitting, passengers usually see Jamestown Island much as the first colonists may have approached it. In fact, the replicas of Christopher Newport's the three tiny ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery are docked near the northern ferry landing at Glass House Point. Both the Jamestown Ferry and Colonial Parkway are toll-free.
[edit] Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement in the New World which was established at Jamestown in 1607. The 350th anniversary celebration at Jamestown Festival Park in 1957 was so popular, tourism has been continuously increasing ever since. The 400th anniversary is being celebrated with an 18-month long celebration called Jamestown 2007.
Today, at Jamestown, you can visit recreations of an American Indian village and colonial fort, and archaeological sites where current work is underway by archeologists from the Jamestown Rediscovery project, with recently recovered archaeological artifacts in a new display building. Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery are docked nearby.
The two major attractions, which are complimentary to each each other, are the state-sponsored Jamestown Settlement near the entrance to Jamestown Island, and the National Parks Service's Historic Jamestowne, on Jamestown Island itself.
[edit] Williamsburg
In 1699, the first capital of Virginia was moved to Middle Plantation at the suggestion of students from the College of William and Mary (established 1693). It was soon renamed to Williamsburg, but became a largely forgotten little town after the capital was moved to Richmond in 1780. Largely due to the 20th century preservation efforts of the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church and the generosity of Standard Oil heir John D. Rockefeller Jr., today Colonial Williamsburg is a large living museum of early American life. It has dozens of restored and recreated buildings and reenactors. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The Visitor's Center (right off the Colonial Parkway) features a short movie and is an excellent place to start (and leave automobiles, which are restricted from the restored area, where wheelchair-accessible shuttle bus service is provided).
[edit] Yorktown
The third point of the triangle is Yorktown where General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington in 1781, ending the American Revolution. There are two large visitor centers, battlefield drives, and a waterfront area.
[edit] Commercial enterprises
Notwithstanding the amazingly successful efforts to provide a non-commercial atmosphere at the three Historic Triangle areas (and on the Colonial Parkway between them), there are many hotels, motels, campgrounds, restaurants, shops and stores, gasoline stations, and amusements close by.
- Busch Gardens Europe is a major theme park located near Williamsburg in James City County.
- Williamsburg Pottery Factory is also nearby on U.S. Highway 60, seven miles west of Williamsburg in James City County.
[edit] Other points of history
There's also a wealth of other points of history to explore in the Hampton Roads area.
[edit] Virginia Peninsula
- Mariners' Museum is in Newport News. The USS Monitor Center (of Battle of Hampton Roads fame) is there, along the thousands of nautical artifacts from all over the world.
- Virginia Air and Space Center (with a historic carousel adjacent) is in Hampton.
- Casemate Museum (where former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned) is at Fort Monroe in the historic Phoebus area at Old Point Comfort in Hampton.
- Harbor tours departing from Hampton and Newport News provide access to Fort Wool and Northrop Grumman Newport News, the world's largest shipyard.
- NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, the original training ground for the Mercury Seven, Gemini, and Apollo Astronauts.
[edit] South Hampton Roads
- Cape Henry site of the first landing of the English settlers in 1607 and two lighthouses is at Fort Story in Virginia Beach.
- Norfolk Navy Base at Sewell's Point in Norfolk is the largest naval facility in the world.
- Norfolk Botanical Garden is in Norfolk.
- The Chrysler Museum is in Norfolk.
- MacArthur Memorial Museum is in Norfolk.
- Nauticus, The National Maritime Center and the Battleship USS Wisconsin are near downtown Norfolk.
- Children's Museum of Virginia in Portsmouth has one of the largest collection of model electric trains and other toys.
- Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth is one of the oldest shipyards and has the first dry dock on display.
- Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (in Suffolk and Chesapeake) is accessed from U.S. Route 17 in Chesapeake.
- Suffolk-Nansemond Museum is in the restored Seaboard and Virginian Railway passenger train station in Suffolk.
- Isle of Wight Museum is in Smithfield.
- The Virginia Zoo is in Norfolk, Virginia.
- Contemporary Art Center of Virginia located in Virginia Beach features the significant art of our time.
[edit] Major commercial and retail centers
The area's experiences with commercial and retail centers began early in 1918. Afton Square, located in the Cradock naval community of Portsmouth, was the first planned shopping center in the USA and has served as template for future developments throughout the nation. [2]
Hampton Roads experienced tremendous growth during and after World War II. In the 1950s, a trend in retail was the shopping center, a group of stores along a common sidewalk adjacent to off-street parking, usually in a suburban location.
In 1959, one of the largest on the east coast of the USA was opened at the northeast corner of Military Highway and Virginia Beach Boulevard on property which had formally been used as an airfield. The new JANAF Shopping Center, located in Norfolk, featured acres of free parking and dozens of stores. Backed by retired military personnel, the name JANAF was an acronym for Joint Army Navy Air Force.
During the 1950s and early-1960s, other shopping centers in Hampton Roads were developed, such as Wards Corner Shopping Center, Downtown Plaza Shopping Center and Southern Shopping Center in Norfolk; Mid-City Shopping Center in Portsmouth; Hilltop Shopping Center (now known as The Shops at Hilltop) in Virginia Beach; Riverdale Shopping Center in Hampton and the Warwick-Denbigh Shopping Center in Newport News. The flagship building of RK Auto Group was built on Virginia Beach Boulevard in 1964[1]. RK Auto Group is the authorized Chevrolet dealer for Virginia Beach from 1964 to the present. [2]
[edit] Indoor shopping malls
In the late-1960s, a new type of shopping center came to Hampton Roads: the Indoor Shopping Mall. In 1965, South Hampton Roads broke ground on its first shopping mall in Virginia Beach, known as Pembroke Mall. The mall opened in 1966, and became Hampton Road's newest indoor shopping destination. The Virginia Peninsula had its first indoor shopping mall in 1973, with Coliseum Mall. Coliseum Mall drew so much traffic from Interstate 64, that a towering flyover was built at the Mercury Boulevard and Coliseum Drive intersection, to accommodate eastbound mall traffic, from the Mercury Boulevard interchange. Also in the 1970s, Tower Mall was built in Portsmouth. In Norfolk, Military Circle Mall on Military Highway was built across Virginia Beach Boulevard from the large JANAF Shopping Center with its own high-rise hotel right in the center. In 1981, Greenbrier Mall gave Chesapeake a shopping mall of its own as well, and Virginia Beach got the massive Lynnhaven Mall the same year.
In 1999, urban shopping returned back to downtown Norfolk in the form of a shopping mall like no other in Hampton Roads. MacArthur Center Mall opened in March 1999, which made downtown Norfolk a prime shoppers destination, with the region's first Nordstrom department store anchor. MacArthur Center Mall is compared to other downtown malls, such as Baltimore's Harborplace, Indianapolis' Circle Centre Mall, Atlanta's Lenox Square Mall and most comparably to The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City near Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Virginia.
Currently, Virginia Beach's Lynnhaven Mall is the region's largest shopping center with nearly 180 stores, and is one of the region's biggest tourist draws, with the Virginia Beach oceanfront, Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens Williamsburg: The Old Country and the MacArthur Center Mall.
For a long time, the indoor shopping malls were seen as largely competitive with small shopping centers and traditional downtown type areas. However, in the 1990s and since, the "big-box stores" on the Peninsula and Southside, such as Wal-mart, Home Depot, and Target have been creating a new competitive atmosphere for the shopping malls of Hampton Roads.
Several older malls such as Pembroke and Military Circle have since their grand openings have been renovated several, and others have been closed and torn down. Newmarket North Mall is now NetCenter, a business center. Coliseum Mall, in Hampton, is being redeveloped in a new style, in step with the latest commercial real estate trend: the nationwide establishment of "lifestyle centers".
[edit] Defunct malls
- Mercury Mall in Hampton (converted to Mercury Plaza Shopping Center in the mid-1980s, then completely torn down in 2001).
- Newmarket North Mall in Hampton (Opened in 1975, and then converted in 2002 to NetCenter a business complex).
- Tower Mall in Portsmouth (Built in the early 1970s, then torn down in 2001).
- Coliseum Mall in Hampton (Closed in January 2007, as part of the area redevelopment)
[edit] List of active malls
| Shopping Mall | Location | Number of Stores | Square Feet | Year Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynnhaven Mall | Virginia Beach | 180 | 1.4 Million | 1981 |
| MacArthur Center Mall | Norfolk | 140 | 1.1 Million | 1999 |
| Chesapeake Square Mall | Chesapeake | 130 | 800,000 | 1989 |
| Greenbrier Mall | Chesapeake | 120 | 809,017 | 1981 |
| Patrick Henry Mall | Newport News | 120 | 644,000 | 1987 |
| The Gallery at Military Circle | Norfolk | 120 | 944,447 | 1970 |
| Pembroke Mall | Virginia Beach | 100 | 650,000 | 1966 |
[edit] Sports, entertainment, and mass assembly venues
normal seating capacity in parentheses
[edit] Major indoor arenas
- Norfolk Scope Arena (12,600; 13,800 festival seating), current home of the American Hockey League's Norfolk Admirals. The arena opened in 1971.
- Hampton Coliseum (10,761; 13,800 festival seating), location of the annual Virginia Duals wrestling events, and the annual Hampton Jazz Festival. The arena opened in 1970.
[edit] Collegiate and other indoor arenas
- William and Mary Hall at The College of William and Mary – Williamsburg (10,300)
- Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University – Norfolk (9,650) sometimes known as the Ted Constant Convocation Center or Constant Convocation Center or (to locals) "the Ted"
- Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall at Norfolk State University (8,500)
- Hampton University Convocation Center (8,200)
- Freeman Center at Christopher Newport University – Newport News (6,000)
- Old Dominion University Field House – Norfolk (5,955)
- Gills Gymnasium at Norfolk State University (4,000)
- Holland Hall at Hampton University (3,000)
- Anderson Field House at Fort Eustis – Newport News (2,200)
- Jane P. Batten Student Center at Virginia Wesleyan College – Virginia Beach (2,120)
[edit] Minor League sports stadiums
- Harbor Park – Norfolk (12,067) (opened in 1993), home of the Norfolk Tides AAA minor league baseball team
- Virginia Beach Sportsplex – Virginia Beach (11,541) (opened in 1999), home of the Virginia Beach Mariners minor league soccer team
- Peninsula War Memorial Stadium – Hampton (5,125) (opened in 1948), former home of the Peninsula Pilots minor league baseball team
[edit] Collegiate and other stadiums
- Dick Price Stadium at Norfolk State University (30,000) football
- A.H. Foreman Field at Old Dominion University – Norfolk (20,300) football and field hockey
- Walter J. Zable Stadium at The College of William and Mary – Williamsburg (15,279) football
- Armstrong Stadium at Hampton University (14,000) football
- John B. Todd Stadium – Newport News (11,000) football
- Darling Memorial Stadium – Hampton (8,000) football
- Bailey Field – Yorktown (6,000) football
- Old Dominion University Soccer Stadium – Norfolk (6,000)
- Union Kempsville Stadium – Virginia Beach (5,100) football
- Anheuser-Busch Field at The College of William and Mary – Williamsburg (4,450) soccer
- Pomoco Stadium at Christopher Newport University – Newport News (4,200) football
- District Park Sports Complex – Williamsburg (4,000) proposed
- Powhatan Stadium – Norfolk (4,000) under construction - football
- Bud Metheny Sports Complex and Old Dominion University – Norfolk (3,000) baseball
- Marty L. Miller Baseball Field at Norfolk State University (1,600)
- Joe Plumeri Park at The College of William and Mary – Williamsburg (1,200) baseball
- Mark McCormack-Betsy Nagelsen Tennis Center at The College of William and Mary – Williamsburg
[edit] Convention Centers
square feet of exhibition space in parentheses
- Virginia Beach Convention Center (600,000) (opened early 2007) Construction)
- Williamsburg Convention Center (259,000) (Proposed)
- Hampton Roads Convention Center – Hampton (258,000)
- Norfolk Executive Conference Center (73,000) (Planned)
- Chesapeake Conference Center (37,000)
- Portsmouth Conference Center (37,000)
- Waterside Convention Center – Norfolk (35,000)
- City Center at Oyster Point Conference Center – Newport News (Under Construction)
[edit] Auditoriums and Performing Arts Theatres
- Hampton Roads Shakespeare Festival - Virginia Beach
- Chrysler Hall – Norfolk (2,503)
- Willett Hall – Portsmouth (2,000)
- Ogden Hall at Hampton University (1,960)
- L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center at Norfolk State University - Norfolk (1,900)
- Rockwell Hall at Little Creek Amphibious Base – Virginia Beach (1,756)
- Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts at Christopher Newport University – Newport News (1,750)
- Sandler Performing Arts Center – Virginia Beach (1,700) under construction
- Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison Opera House – Norfolk (1,650)
- Williamsburg Performing Arts Center - Williamsburg (1,500) proposed
- Norva Theatre – Norfolk (1,500)
- Premiere Theatre (aka Granby Theatre) – Norfolk (1,200)
- Riverview Theatre – Norfolk (1,100)
- Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center at Tidewater Community College – Norfolk (1,000)
- Crispus Attucks Cultural Center – Norfolk (900)
- Music Theatre of Williamsburg (752)
- Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts - Suffolk (650) under construction
- Regent University Performing Arts Center – Virginia Beach
- Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at The College of William and Mary – Williamsburg
- Devary Theatre at Norfolk Naval Base - Norfolk
- Wells Theatre – Norfolk
- American Theatre – Hampton
- Fort Monroe Theatre – Hampton
- Yoder Dairy Barn Theater, Denbigh (Newport News)
[edit] Amphitheatres
- Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheatre - Virginia Beach (20,000)
- nTelos Pavilion at Harbor Center – Portsmouth (7,500)
- Le Palais Royal Theatre at Busch Gardens – Williamsburg (5,600)
- Lake Matoaka Amphitheatre at The College of William and Mary – Williamsburg (2,400)
[edit] Raceways
- Langley Speedway – Hampton (6,500)
[edit] Collegiate sports teams
- Old Dominion University Monarchs - Norfolk
- Norfolk State University Spartans - Norfolk
- Hampton University Pirates - Hampton
- The College of William and Mary Tribe - Williamsburg
- Christopher Newport University Captains - Newport News
- Tidewater Community College Storm - Various
[edit] Media
[edit] Print
Two major newspapers serve Hampton Roads: The Virginian-Pilot and The Daily Press. Smaller publications include the The Williamsburg-James City County area's twice-weekly Virginia Gazette, the state's oldest newspaper and the Smithfield Times publishes a weekly edition in the Isle of Wight County town of the same name.
Hampton Roads Magazine serves as the region's only city and lifestyle glossy magazine. The publication is bimonthly and covers all of Hampton Roads, Williamsburg and the Eastern Shore.
[edit] Television
11 full-power television stations serve the Hampton Roads area.
| Television Station | Affiliation | City of License | Signed On |
|---|---|---|---|
| WUND 2 | UNC-TV/PBS member station | Edenton, NC | 1965 |
| WTKR 3 | CBS | Norfolk | 1950 |
| WSKY 4 | Independent | Manteo, NC | 2001 |
| WAVY 10 | NBC | Portsmouth | 1957 |
| WVEC 13 | ABC | Hampton | 1953 |
| WHRO 15 | PBS member station | Hampton | 1961 |
| WHRE 21 | TBN | Virginia Beach | 2006 |
| WGNT 27 | The CW | Portsmouth | 1953 |
| WTVZ 33 | MyNetworkTV | Norfolk | 1979 |
| WVBT 43 | FOX | Virginia Beach | 1993 |
| WPXV 49 | i | Norfolk | 1989 |
[edit] Minor League Sports Teams
Note: the Norfolk Nighthawks were a charter member of the Arena Football League's minor league, af2. They ceased operations after their fourth season, in 2003.
Also, Norfolk presented a proposal to bring the Montreal Expos baseball team to town, but Washington, D.C. won the bid for the team, renaming it the Washington Nationals.
[edit] Flag
In 1998, a flag representing the Hampton Roads region was adopted. The design of the flag was created by a contest. The winner, sixteen year-old Andrew J. Wall of Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach, raised the new regional flag for the first time on the mast of a ship moored in the harbor.
As conceived by student Andrew Wall and embellished by the selection committee, his flag is highly symbolic:
- The ring of sixteen white stars stands for the cities and counties that comprise the region of Hampton Roads. The blue upper panel refers to the sea and sky, recalling the first European settlers at Jamestown in 1607, the first battle between ironclad ships in 1862, the importance of shipbuilding and ship repair in the area, as well as maritime commerce, fishing, recreational boating, and the major military and government installations around the area’s shores. Agriculture, the environment, tourism, industry, and a healthy quality of life are suggested by the lower panel of green. The wavy white central band with three crests suggests past, present, and future. The wave also recalls the surf and sand dunes of the area as seen from the sea. Water is the central theme. It touches all the components and binds them together. [3]
[edit] Tallest buildings
| Name | Stories | Height (in feet) | City | Year Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town Center Westin Hotel (Under Construction) | 37 | 508 | Virginia Beach | 2007 |
| Granby Tower (Under Construction) | 31 | 450 | Norfolk | 2008 |
| Armada Hoffler Tower | 23 | 396 | Virginia Beach | 2002 |
| Dominion Tower | 26 | 340 | Norfolk | 1987 |
| Bank of America Center | 23 | 304 | Norfolk | 1967 |
[edit] Trivia
- The callsign of WGH, a radio station in Newport News, stands for World's Greatest Harbor.
- The 3.5 mile long Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was the first bridge-tunnel complex in the world when it first opened as a two-lane toll facility in 1957.
[edit] See also
- List of famous people from Hampton Roads
- South Hampton Roads
- Virginia Peninsula
- Historic Triangle
- Jamestown, Virginia
- Colonial Williamsburg
- Lost counties, cities and towns of Virginia
[edit] External links
- OnHamptonRoads - an online arts and events magazine for Hampton Roads features area reviews and articles on theatre, movies, art, music, and much more
- "You know you're from Hampton Roads when.." A humorous look a one of America's largest metropolitan areas
- Hampton Roads Pet
- Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance
- Mr. Lincoln an+d Freedom: Hampton Roads Conference
- Hampton Roads Visitor Guide
- USS Monitor Center and Exhibit Newport News, Virginia
- Nauticus, The National Maritime Center Norfolk, VA
- Mariner's Museum, Newport News, Virginia
- Hampton Roads Naval Museum
- Norfolk City Historical Society
- Norfolk County Historical Society
- Norfolk Public Library – History of Willoughby
- Norfolk Public Library – History of Weather Events
- City of Norfolk website, Local History
- Civil War and the Battle of Sewell’s Point
- Civil War Naval History
- Fort Wool History
- 1907 Jamestown Expo held at today's Norfolk Navy Base
- Naval Station Norfolk website
- Roads to the Future - I-664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel
- Hampton Roads - Official State Tourism Website & Map
- Hamptonroads Connect - Local forums and info
- NASA Langley Research Center
- Hampton Roads Magazine, city magazine
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
|
Hampton Roads, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Middle Peninsula: | |
| Virginia Peninsula: |
Hampton | James City County | Newport News | Poquoson | Williamsburg | York County |
| South Hampton Roads: |
Chesapeake | Isle of Wight County | Norfolk | Portsmouth | Suffolk | Surry County | Virginia Beach |
| Northeast North Carolina: |
