Talk:Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Contents

[edit] To-Do List

This article is more or less a stub, so there's a lot of development to do here. I've redone the Infobox in the upper right-hand corner, following the same format as many other cities (see Richmond, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia, and Louisville, Kentucky as examples. One thing that should be added to the Infobox is a picture of the city flag, if someone can find that.

As the two major cities in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, I think Norfolk and Virginia Beach should stand out and have the most information overall. They're almost like the twin cities of Minnesota, although they're not called that. But there is a lot of overlap in infrastructure, culture, climate, etc. So we need to consider carefully the quality of these two cities first, before we get into many of the other cities of Hampton Roads. But ultimately, all cities should overall agree with each other in format, style, and accuracy.

A suggested organization for the major sections of this article might be:

  • History
  • Geography and Climate
    • Cityscape
    • Climate
  • Pronunciation
  • People and Culture - Perhaps the culture section could link to a separate article on the culture of Hampton Roads in general, since a lot of culture seems to overlap with other cities.
    • Demographics
    • Annual cultural events and fairs
    • Museums and Art Collections
    • Media
    • Parks and Outdoor Attractions
    • Performing Arts
    • Sports
  • Economy
  • Infrastructure
    • Government
    • Education
    • Transportation
    • Utilities
  • Sister cities
  • See also - links to various lists (famous celebrities, mayors, schools, etc)
  • References - textbook and other references
  • External links

See the Wikipedia:Featured articles of Seattle, Washington and San Jose, California for guidelines. The article on Louisville, Kentucky is also well organized.

[edit] Sports and The Lack of Actual Facts

A number of contributers continue to state opininated reasons, rather than facts, about why the Hampton Roads region does not have any major league sports teams.

The region's population of over 1.6 million is often stated as being too small, yet there are 11 smaller metro areas with major league teams (some of which have two teams!):

  • Buffalo (NFL Bills and NHL Sabres)
  • Charlotte (NFL Panthers and NBA Bobcats)
  • Green Bay (NFL Packers)
  • Indianapolis (NFL Colts and NBA Pacers)
  • Jacksonville (NFL Jaguars)
  • Memphis (NBA Grizzlies)
  • Milwaukee (MLB Brewers and NBA Bucks)
  • Nashville (NFL Titans and NHL Predators)
  • New Orleans (NFL Saints and NBA Hornets)
  • Raleigh (NHL Hurricanes)
  • Salt Lake City (NBA Jazz)

Corporate support is noted as being non-existent, yet the MLB Expos relocation effort garnered over 120 commitments for suites and Smithfield Foods signed on as the corporate naming rights sponsor for the proposed NBA Hornets arena in downtown Norfolk (Smithfield Foods Center).

Traffic is often cited as a reason as well, yet there are no studies to indicate one way or the other the effect that the roads, tunnels, bridges, and parking would have on attendance at major league sporting events.

Additionally, the NHL Rhinos campaign reached over 7500 commitments for individual season tickets in a three-week period and the Expos campaign received almost 11,000 commitments.

Please leave out opinions when writing why the Hampton Roads region does not have a major league team. And please leave it out of the Virginia Beach section.

[edit] Photo Requests

The article is a bit lacking in the photography department. A good photo to include in the Parks and Outdoor Recreation section would be of either Mt. Trashmore or the Boardwalk. A photo of one of the golf courses would be good to add to the Sports section, as well. Dr. Cash 15:59, 29 July 2005 (UTC)

I can provide some photos of Va Beach... Boardwalk, Trashmore, and also some general cityscape photos... the Boulevard, Ft. Story, etc. Will try to upload them by 2005-w1-7. --UED77 04:01, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

Is it really so hard to have a sunny picture of the oceanfront here?

-Please add a photo with palmetto palm trees if possible to highlight Virginia Beach's humid subtropical climate (even if they're in the background, that would be cool.). Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.224.0.128 (talk) 17:28, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Greekfest 1989

The Virginian-Pilot June 11, 2004: "The encyclopedia's descriptions of other South Hampton Roads cities includes information on the 1989 Virginia Beach Greekfest riot.

Even that description is debatable.

"Many people predicted a riot weeks in advance, and this came to pass," according to the encyclopedia. "Unbiased observers suggest that the city went out of its way to make the students feel unwelcome; that the students rioted not out of anger, but out of a simple greed for the clothing displayed in the shops along the boardwalk; and that the police were out of control, attacking anyone who was black, looter or not."

The article seems to me to be fairly balanced about the 1989 Greekfest incident. The basis for the conflict had been growing for several years and apparently no plans were explored to reduce rather than increase the potential for a riot, although there had been basically a small one the previous year.

In the past, and often when any groups of students hit the beach, there are many who do not have lodging of their own. This time, more that the customary number of property-owners took measures such as requiring proof of room registrations to get past their lobbies, and the city refused to allow rental of public facilities, all of which exacerbated the bigger problem of lots of people with no place to go (peaceful or not). It's hard not to draw the analogy to frequent hurricane preparations in the area: No one can keep it from happening or minimize it, and board up and just brace yourselves, folks.

In fairness , there was plenty of fault on the student side of the issue as well. Leaders of the youth groups apparently did little (if anything) to avoid what at least some of these highly-educated individuals must have seen was a gathering on a collision course with the community. They were well-aware that community leaders were fearful, and logically were also aware that these public officials have police powers and responsibilities.

It's too bad it took a mini-version of war and a lot of damage and injuries for at least some to figure out that everyone loses in a calamity like this. It had been over 20 years since mobs had rioted in Virginia (when Dr. King was assassinated). It's hard to say how far this ugly incident set back widespread public opinion of Virginia Beach, police, the National Guards, African Americans, and college students in the minds of many. Undoubtedly, race relations and tolerance each took a hit, at least initially. We can hope that 15 years has provided adequate time for reflection should such a storm be as clearly forecast again.

Anyone who can suggest a better presentation than we have should at least discuss it here on the Talk page if you don't want to edit the article. Vaoverland 01:04, May 25, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Two questions about factual content

Two statements in this article concerned me.

One would be in the "Cityscape" section, where the author states that "most of the southern half of the city is occupied by the Great Dismal Swamp." That is blatantly false -- while the southern half of Virginia Beach is less developed than the northern, most of the southern land is taken up by agriculture, not swamps. The Virginian portion of the Great Dismal Swamp is contained mostly within Suffolk and Chesapeake, several miles to the west of the Va. Beach border.

Most ppl mistake the Back Bay and International Coastal Ways as being part of the swamp. The Refuge for the Swamp has no part within Va Beach. Good catch. Here is there brochure for reference:page 6 --Terry 14:42, 15 August 2005 (UTC)

And under "Sports," the author asserts that there are two major golf courses in Virginia Beach. It should probably be noted that there are at least 10 public courses (I'll check the facts and change this tomorrow) in addition to two or three country clubs. Also, no list of "major" courses in the area would be complete without mentioning the TPC of Virginia Beach, which plays host to a Nationwide Tour event each year and is by far the most expensive public course in the city.

I will make these changes tomorrow when I get the chance.

- Chris 05:35, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Communities

This section was added by an anonymous user and I personally think it should be removed as there is zero information provided by it. The only item linked points to an article that only says it is a community in virginia beach. Very sub-par.

If we do want this, I suggest we move it as a sub-heading under another header and that only add communities that content is provided for or currently exists. Also, if we leave this list as is, it isnt complete and we will end up seeing a list of 100+ communities with nothing posted about them.

The information should be merged into the Geography & Climate: Cityscape section. Some communities (or neighborhoods) are already mentioned there. Wiki-links should not be provided unless the particular neighborhood already has a wiki-page, though a brief mention of the neighborhood is appropriate. Dr. Cash 14:51, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] NAB Little Creek

Terrybader said, "Little Creek is actaully in Norfolk, VA".
But globalsecurity.org says, "The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, the largest base of its kind in the world, ... is sited at the extreme northwest corner of Virginia Beach." And http://topozone.com/map.asp?... seems to confirm this.
—wwoods 17:02, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

  • interesting; I know for a fact is considered part of Norfolk. I was stationed there and our address was Norfolk, VA.
    • Funny though, they have an address with Virginia Beach, VA on their home page [1] but resolution on any mapping service

(Google, Yahoo, Mapquest) it resolves to 2600 Tarawa Court, Norfolk, Va and there is no Tarawa Court in Virginia Beach.

    • themilitaryzone.com has a mailing address of NAB Little Creek, Norfolk, VA 23521-3229
    • USPS using the 23521 says that it is associated with Norfolk, VA and NABLC which says to use the Norfolk listing. Since USPS is the Zip Code provider, I would say this is the number one option to determine municipiality (sp?)
    • Another piece: According to Mapquest [2] If you look at the City lines, it clearly shows it on the Virginia Beach side, but yet the address clearly says Norfolk, VA.
    • http://gis.norfolk.gov/ Only highlights 1/2 of the real estate that is Little Creek as being Norfolk. However I have also found that address on the unhighlighted portions have Norfolk, VA (ie. the Commisary on Ambphibious Dr, Norfolk, VA)
    • www.vbgov.com] shows all Little Creek as being within Virginia Beach.
    • http://factfinder.census.gov seems to show it as on VaBeach land.
I will continue to get a definitive answer though... ...and the answer is...

how the hell do we decide if it is in a city or not, addesses all say Norfolk, Va some maps show as it being split and others show it as VaBeach. The 2 government sites contradict each other USPS says the zip is Norfolk but that area seems to fall under VaBeach for demographics.

Trying to put a NPOV here but I think we might as well put a VaB POV on it for location wise and reword the paragraph.

--Terry 18:11, 9 September 2005 (UTC)
Maybe for some reason the base's mail goes through a post office, and therefore zip code, in Norfolk?
—wwoods 23:03, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps to help address the confusion (or add to it?): The line was moved following a landswap between Norfolk and Virginia Beach involving part of the area north of the base now known as East Ocean View within the past 30 years. Some maps may still show this area as Virginia Beach, or even Princess Anne County. Norfolk Public Library website has information to verify this. Mark in the Historic Triangle Vaoverland 01:21, September 10, 2005 (UTC)

Funny. I guess this is our great federal government at its finest! LOL! Having lived in the Hampton Roads area for about 6 years or so in the early 90s, I've always thought that Little Creek was in Norfolk, as most of the people you'd talk to at the time considered it in Norfolk, yet close to the border. And the USPS definitely supports that argument. But if the base website seems to think that they're in Va. Beach, well, maybe they are. Or perhaps, more realistically, the base was built in land donated by both Norfolk & Va. Beach, so it's really in both cities.
Either way, does it really matter? The base is a military installation, and the operation of such is under the jurisdiction of the US Navy. Neither Norfolk nor Va. Beach have control or jurisdiction over the land, and do not derive any taxes from it either. So it sounds to me more like bragging rights,... Also, if you look at many cities in the country, there are a lot of adjacent suburbs which technically operate as a separate government, but when mailing to them, their address is still in the city itself. An example would be some of the suburbs adjacent to St. Louis, MO. There's a lot of businesses in nearby St. Louis County, which is adjacent, but not the city itself. However, many of the businesses in the suburbs still maintain the St. Louis, MO address, because the city is the larger entity and it makes more business sense for them to be associated with the larger city. I believe Circuit City falls into this category in Richmond as well (they are actually based in Glen Allen, in Henrico County, but maintain that they are located in Richmond, Va., since that's the central city). Of course, this argument is probably shot to hell in the decentralized conglomeration of cities in Hampton Roads, with several cities all vying for that principal role as the central city,... Dr. Cash 16:15, 11 September 2005 (UTC)

Todd Grissom sayeth, "Okay, sorry if I posted in the wrong place, won't be the first and won't be the last time either. I work for the City of Virginia Beach, actuatually for the Virginia Beach Center for GIS. You can verify via tgrissom@vbgov.com or cvbgis@vbgov.com. Little Creek is in VB in its entirety. The land swap is the truth, just a little cleanup up of a long standing border dispute. Physical location is not decided by the democratic process and the USPS is non-authoritative on the issue. The best place to get the answers if you do not want to take my word forit, which based on the controversy you won't want to do is check with the base and the two localities in question; CVB: assessor@vbgov.com or (757) 427-4601, Norfolk: real.estate@norfolk.gov or 757-664-4732, Little Creek: Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek Public Affairs Office at (757) 462-8423. Also, someone previously made the claim that the City of Norfolk Web Mapping application displays Little Creek within the City of Norfolk. If the Norfolk web site (http://gis.norfolk.gov/website/htmlviewer/genmap/viewer.htm) is checked I think you will find that this isn't true. Everything east and southwest of the inlet (the base area) is displayed distinctly as not Norfolk. The City of Virginia Beach does provide Fire and Emergency Medical support to NAB Little Creek. If you search the VB emapping application (http://vbgov.com/e-gov/emapping/access/default.asp?searchComplexity=advanced) for Street Segments begining with LC you will see a full listing of street address ranges on the base. Further, its more than political bragging, it federal dollars to local schools and roads, not to mention the land reverts if the base is ever vacated. I will also note that the CGIS website has a border error on it. It improperly displays the East Ocean View segment as still being within the CVB boundary, which is part ofthe Little Creek land swap, we'll get that fixed."
Todd Grissom

[edit] Populations over the last 10 Years

  • 1995: 397,049
  • 1996: 400,792
  • 1997: 404,678
  • 1998: 431,000
  • 1999: 429,617
  • 2000: 425,298
  • 2001: 424,295
  • 2002: 427,648
  • 2003: 421,051
  • 2004: 434,994
  • 2005: 440,098

Apparently, and anonymous user added this information. Where did this data come from? There's no source to it. Anyway, I've removed it from the main page and listed it here. It didn't seem to go in it's own major category heading. There's already a table listing historical populations under the demographics subheading, so it would probably be better adding it to that table. Although I'm not too happy with the table under demographics (right-hand column); it seems a bit long to be there. What about moving the table to its own page, something like, "Historical Populations of Virginia Beach", or something like that, and listing it there? Dr. Cash 22:12, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Cursing ban

I reverted an inaccurate edit about Virginia Beach and a supposdely unique ban profanity in public. The source cited provides the applicable State Code section 18.2-388, not a city code. This is an old law (like many on the books). It doen't appear the legislature had made any changes since at least 1990, but the law predates that substanially.

From Code of Virginia:

§ 18.2-388. Profane swearing and intoxication in public; penalty; transportation of public inebriates to detoxification center.

If any person profanely curses or swears or is intoxicated in public, whether such intoxication results from alcohol, narcotic drug or other intoxicant or drug of whatever nature, he shall be deemed guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. In any area in which there is located a court-approved detoxification center a law-enforcement officer may authorize the transportation, by police or otherwise, of public inebriates to such detoxification center in lieu of arrest; however, no person shall be involuntarily detained in such center.

(Code 1950, § 18.1-237; 1960, c. 358; 1964, c. 434; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1979, c. 654; 1982, c. 666; 1983, c. 187; 1990, c. 965.)


Vaoverland 04:37, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Virginia Tech also operates a satellite campus in Virginia Beach. I added this.


Note: I have been to Virginia beach many times, and there are signs along the street saying that it is illegal to use profane language in public.

[edit] Largest Suburban Cities

Please cite Claim for being 3rd largest suburban city in the United States. Also what would define Virginia Beach as a Suburb and what would it be a suburb of. If it is a twin cities situation much the same as Dallas Fort Worth or Minneapolis St. Paul it should not be considered a suburb unless you would like to consider Fort Worth (with a population of 535,000) a suburb of Dallas. - Bfjksig201 3/1/2006 1720 cst

The Suburb article on wikipedia lists the largest suburbs in North America as: The five largest suburbs in North America, in order, are Mississauga, Ontario; Long Beach, California; Mesa, Arizona; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Surrey, British Columbia; and Laval, Quebec. So Virginia Beach would be fourth, after Mesa, Arizona. Though this article does state any reference for that information, either. Dr. Cash 16:12, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

Virginia Beach is very close to Norfolk long considered the economic engine that drove this part of VA, when it merged with the county it's population past Norfolk's population thus the suburb of Norfolk became the larger city. Since Virginia City does not drive the economic area like Norfolk does, it is a suburb of Norfolk despite it's greater population, which only comes from the fact it annexed an entire county.

[edit] VirginiabeachLive

WWW.VIRGINIABEACHLIVE is a great resource for travelers interested in gaining information on the area. We have an expert message board that allows visitors to ask VB-related questions. Extensive listings include attractions, events, dining, and online hotel reservations.

Wikipedia is not a site for advertising. Do not linkspam Wikipedia. Pollinator 23:08, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

216.54.110.130 13:44, 28 March 2006 (UTC) melanie.scott@goldkeyresorts.com

[edit] Points of interest

This section seems somewhat redundant, since so many are already described in other sections. Comments? Vaoverland 22:49, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

It does seem redundant. A catagory called Virginia Beach already exists. --Starionwolf 20:59, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] History section: Getting a bit long?

The history section appears to be getting a little long, particularly the section dealing with the GreekFest riots. Does anyone think it might be time to create a separate History of Virginia Beach article and shorten this section a bit? Dr. Cash 21:46, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't think the history as a whole is overlong, and I think it's appropriate here rather than split out. However, the GreekFest section has grown long and it probably belongs in a separate article. Lord Bodak 00:43, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
I concur. How about a separate article just about GreekFest? Vaoverland 01:38, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
Yes, a separate GreekFest riots article would be good. Not sure what exactly to call it, though. Dr. Cash 02:39, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
On that note, I think that any GreekFest riots article would need some cleanup and. Right now parts of it kind of reads like a middle school term paper.--Pythagras 03:16, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Move Greekfest 1989?

Seems that Greekfest 1989 deserves it own article, while a significant amount of the Virginia Beach article is focused on this event. Perhaps that section should get its own article, with a limited overview on the VB article.

Probably a good idea. Better yet, the entire 'history' section probably should go into creating a History of Virginia Beach article, as is commonly done with many other city articles. Dr. Cash 21:01, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Moved and cleaned up I-64 location information

I-64 is located INSIDE not OUTSIDE the westernmost boundary of Virginia Beach. The area of College Park (which straddles the Virginia Beach/Chesapeake city border) is the largest area of Virginia Beach "Inside the beltway" because of that (I know... I grew up in that part of Virginia Beach and lived there from 1968-1992; even graduated from Kempsville High School with Mr. Grissom, who spoke up about the location of Little Creek). Woodstock is also in that part of the city. Military Highway (US-13) also enters Virginia Beach in that small section of the city. 207.132.147.88 20:54, 12 December 2006 (UTC)William Ward 12/12/06

[edit] Immigration Criticisms section should probably be removed

"Several laws are in place to protect illegal immigrants who provide cheap labor to help the tourism industry in Virginia Beach."

This line is not supported by any citation and is patently false. There are no laws in place to protect illegal immigrants. The "Several laws" that this line refers to is a 2005 policy instituted by the Virginia Beach Chief of Police which said that if someone was charged with a misdemeanor, they would not be asked their immigration status. This policy was instituted in 2005 and in 2006 the Congressional Research Service issued a report entitled, "Enforcing Immigration Law: The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement"[3] In CRS-26, 32 cities are named that have active sanctuary policies and Virginia Beach was not one of them. The difference being that the Virginia Beach policy restricts the officer from asking the status of the person however there is no attempt to circumvent or outright ignore requirements to report illegals to the INS.

There is also no citation here supporting the claim that illegal immigrants in Virginia beach provide "cheap labor to help the tourism industry." This is a smaller concern but it is a spring/summer tourist season and the industry seems to be more supported by high school and college students. If there is a high number of illegals there it is more probable that they are involved in agricultural work, landscaping, construction, etc...

"It has been called a sanctuary town by many people for the fact that criminals can not be asked about their immigration status, meaning that even after several arrests, the local government will never report illegal immigrants to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

This line is also misleading. Following the Chief of Police's policy criminals won't be asked their status if they are charged with a misdemeaner, however if they are charged with a felony their status can be questioned. The second half however is false. The local government can and does report illegal immigrants. The policy that the author is alluding to is only about questioning status not reporting illegals. If Virginia Beach had any active policies barring the reporting of illegals then the city certainly would have been listed in the above referenced CRS report as a sanctuary city.

"This has lead to a large uprising recently as an illegal immigrant with three prior arrests killed two teenage girls while driving drunk.[8]"

The cited source doesn't mention any "large uprising." It refers only to Bill O'Reilly. While Bill certainly did a good job of being outraged, he does not constitute a "large uprising" as the author so states. The way it is worded as well makes it sound as though his three prior arrests all happened in Virginia Beach. I haven't found any sources citing in which city 2 of the 3 crimes occurred however this illegals previous DUI happened in a different city. The penalty in that DUI was ridiculously light, however I checked the wikipedia article for that city and there was no mention of it being a sanctuary city for drunk drivers.

"After the deaths of the two girls Virginia Beach came under heavy national attention and scrutiny by the Fox News program The O'Reilly Factor. Bill O'Reilly criticized the mayor and chief of police for being too lax on illegal immigrants and therefore not protecting the residents of the city. [9]"

These may be the only 2 true sentences in the section. All of the "large uprising" and national attention directed to this event has been created by Bill O'Reilly. The authors 2 citations lead back to Bill O'Reilly. According to the CRS and Bill O'Reilly's own website Virginia Beach doesn't qualify as a sanctuary city. The article written by Bill O'Reilly that is used as citation [9] is factually erroneous itself. O'Reilly should be considered a rather dubious source as well since he has said several times that his show is not a news show but rather a news opinion or news analysis show, so it's questionable if he has actually researched any of the claims he makes.

Given that this is supposed to be an encyclopedia article about a city, it doesn't seem logical to include a reference to 1 drunk driving accident that has been politicized by a tv talk show pundit whose contribution to the "debate" and "criticism" of Virginia Beach City officials is that the mayor "should be baking pies, not running a major city", and that she "is, with all due respect -- I'm trying not to be insulting here -- limited in her intellectual capacity" and that the police chief is "an arrogant incompetent."

The irony is that there are several cities that actively identify themselves as Sanctuary Cities for various reasons. 2 of these cities are Cambridge Massachusetts and Takoma Park Maryland...There are absolutely no references to illegal immigration on either of their wikipedia pages.

Bill O'Reilly has every right to be outraged and talk about this event on his TV show, radio show and website all he pleases, but that does not make it suitable for an encyclopedia article. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.160.160.112 (talk) 20:54, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Massive Resistance

The following text was removed from article because of non-sourcing and WP:POV concerns.

deleted text follows:

"The decision to consolidate Princess Anne County and Virginia Beach came about during the period of Massive Resistance which defined not only school integration schemes but also divided communities across Hampton Roads.

"The City of Norfolk attempted to annex land from Princess Anne County to better integrate its school system however the citizens of the county resisted annexation. Citizens in Princess Anne County, like their counterparts in other surrounding counties, could devise no better way to stay segregated than to incorporate as independent cities. The result was essentially a "black out" in what used to be Princess Anne County as well as other Hampton Roads counties like Nansemond, which became Suffolk, and Norfolk County which became Chesapeake. [citation needed]"

rationale:

I posted the fact flag 60 days ago; no response. I have searched myself and can find no published source, but I did find conflicting information. Do we have a source for these statements? The political consolidation issues were many faceted, and this may have been one aspect in some situations. Even so, the Nansemond-Suffolk situation as stated certainly wasn't motivated by such in any case, occuring many years later and not even involving Norfolk at all.

It is an undisputed fact that, for whatever motivations, the City of Norfolk expanded and annexed its neighbors at what anyone would consider an astounding rate, and this sent three of the four jurisdictions running for cover. The final annexation attempt against Norfolk County before the consolidations would have completely surrounded the City of South Norfolk. The author of at least one detailed book claims to have looked for and failed to find racial motivation as a major factor behind any of the many changes in Hampton Roads between 1952 and 1976.

Source: Temple, David G. Merger Politics: Local Government Consolidation in Tidewater Virginia (1972), University Press of Virginia; Charlottesville, Virginia

This is not to say that Massive Resistance was not a factor in the area which had a profound impact upon the public schools and race relations; merely that, in this article, we cannot make such broad, unsourced, and questionable statements as I edited out. Mark in Historic Triangle 13:03, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] NPOV check request 11 Nov 2007

Reverted edits by 82.5.172.110 11 Nov 2007 because edits clearly indicated a POV, but flagged article because current version may not be as NPOV as possible. Request someone familiar with topic to review. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jackollie (talk • contribs) 23:04, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] My Two Cents on Transport history

Ladies & Germs: In an effort to add some historical context, I have added data drawn from the Old Dominion Chapter - NRHS volume on train depots in the state, to show the development of Virginia Beach. Although I haven't seen any period maps, I would bet real money that Atlantic and Pacific Avenues are on the alignments of the abandoned rail connections! The volume, Virginia Railway Depots, authored by Donald R. Traser, and published by the Richmond chapter, is an in-house effort, printed by Walsworth Publishing Company, Marceline, Missouri, 1998, and apparently has no ISBN number. Thank you, you've been a great audience. Don't forget to tip your waiters.... Mark Sublette (talk) 04:31, 6 December 2007 (UTC)Mark SubletteMark Sublette (talk) 04:31, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] City Departments?

I've reverted the 'city departments' addition to its own main section in this article. It's really just way too much information for an encyclopedia article like this, and wikipedia is not a directory of services. If it's added back, it should be seriously condensed and paraphrased, with just brief mentions of some of the city services, and it shouldn't be in its own section -- add it to the 'government' section, since they're part of the city government. Dr. Cash (talk) 02:37, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Successful GA nomination

I am glad to report that this article nomination for good article status has been promoted. This is how the article, as of April 17, 2008, compares against the six good article criteria:

1. Well written?: Pass
2. Factually accurate?: Pass
3. Broad in coverage?: Pass
4. Neutral point of view?: Pass
5. Article stability? Pass
6. Images?: Pass

If you feel that this review is in error, feel free to take it to Good article reassessment. Thank you to all of the editors who worked hard to bring it to this status, and congratulations.

It is really difficult to find fault in such a well written, well referenced and comprehensive article. Congratulations. --Michael Johnson (talk) 03:39, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

There's still a couple of little issues, so I am going to recommend a thorough copyedit at this point. Currently, I see a couple of formatting/wikifying issues (full dates -- month day, year -- should be wikilinked per the manual of style). Reference citations should be placed immediately following punctuation (like this.[1] not like this. [2] [3]) -- there should be no spaces between punctuation marks and reference citations, and no spaces between citations themselves.
There's also a lot of red links throughout the article, almost to the point of being 'too much'. For example, do we really need red links going to potential future articles of individual neighborhoods -- half of the neighborhoods mentioned in the geography section go to nonexistant articles (I'm not even sure that neighborhoods really need an article anyway, so these links can be removed). There's also some links to corporations listed that should be addressed, and wikipedia format usually does not put the "corp." or "inc." in a corporation's name -- simply link to the article on that company, if there is one (but make sure to follow the guidelines of notability, and make sure a corporate article is not spam).
As far as being complete, the article does address the topic reasonably well, and it is well cited. It basically just needs a very good copyedit at this point, and I would not have passed it prior to that stage. Dr. Cash (talk) 03:56, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
I did take a copyedit with your suggestions. Eventually, I hope this can get to FA. Thank you for your help! Chrisfortier (talk) 13:51, 21 April 2008 (UTC)