Hampton Roads

This view from space in July 1996 shows portions of each of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads which generally surround the harbor area of Hampton Roads, which framed by the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel visible to the east (right), the Virginia Peninsula subregion to the north (top), and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel to the west (left) and the 3 branches of the Elizabeth River which drain into the harbor from the south (bottom), running through many communities of the South Hampton Roads subregion. The Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel runs along a strip of I-664 to I-64 across the James River. To the west of the harbor, are the mouths of the James River (upper left) and the Nansemond River (lower left). Crossing the James River, the 4-mile (6 km)-long James River Bridge is also clearly visible, connecting Newport News with Isle of Wight County. NASA photograph

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 year-round ice-free harbor, for United States Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, NASA, Marines, and Army facilities, shipyards, 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 biggest 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 dozens of cities, counties and towns on the Virginia Peninsula and in South Hampton Roads. Some of the more outlying areas from the harbor may or may not be included as part of "Hampton Roads", depending upon the organization or purpose. For a commonly used example, as defined for federal economic purposes, the Hampton Roads metropolitan statistical area (MSA) additionally includes one county in northeastern North Carolina and two counties in Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. Officially, the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA has a population of about 1.7 million, the 33rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

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. 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. Creating and maintaining adequate infrastructure has long been a major challenge. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (MMBT) are major harbor crossings of the Hampton Roads Beltway which links each of the largest Seven Cities of Hampton Roads. In 2007, the new Hampton Roads Transportation Authority (HRTA) was formed under a controversial state law to levy various additional taxes to generate funding for major regional transportation projects, including a long-sought and costly third crossing of the harbor of Hampton Roads, which claims to be "America's First Region."

History

The harbor area of Hampton Roads, from official state map of pre-civil war Virginia circa 1858. image from the Library of Virginia

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 14 May 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.

Main article: Jamestown, Virginia

Origin 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.

Hampton

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. In the easternmost part of the new colony, downstream from Jamestown, the early administrative center was known as Elizabeth Cittie [sic], named for Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of King James I, and formally designated by the Virginia Company in 1619. (The Elizabeth River was also named for the princess).

The town at the center of Elizabeth Cittie became known as simply "Hampton", and a nearby waterway was designated Hampton Creek (also known as Hampton River). The town (and later city) of Hampton was the county seat of Elizabeth City County for over 300 years, until they were politically consolidated into the current large independent city known as Hampton, Virginia in 1952. The City of Hampton thus became one of the large Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, of which four others also grew to the larger sizes by consolidating with neighboring jurisdictions such as counties and towns in the mid-twentieth century.

A land area to the north across the bay in what is now called "the Eastern Shore" became known as Northampton. Another area south of the James River became Southampton. As with Hampton, both of these names also remain in use in modern times.

Roads

The term "Roads" as applied to a water channel^[1] is used elsewhere. Examples include Castle Roads, in another of the Virginia Company's settlements, Bermuda, and Lahaina Roads, in Hawaii. Signifying the safety of a port, the word "roads" (also called roadstead) in nautical terminology of the day meant "a place less sheltered than a harbor where ships may ride at anchor."

Hampton Roads

The combination of the words as "Hampton Roads" was recorded as the channel linking the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers with the Chesapeake Bay in an act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1755.^[2] Perhaps by definition, the label "harbor" is technically incorrect. However, Hampton Roads 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 normally ice-free year round. The latter status is claimed with the notable exception of extraordinarily cold winter of 1917, which was the entire U.S.'s coldest year on record.

Although the designation initially applied to the water area, the region has also come to be known as "Hampton Roads", a label more specific than the term "Tidewater Virginia", which could by implication, include other areas of tidal lands in eastern Virginia. The U.S. Postal Service changed its postmark from "Tidewater Virginia" to "Hampton Roads, Virginia" beginning in 1983.^[2]

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.

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.

Main article: American Revolutionary War

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.

Main article: War of 1812

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

Main article: Fort Monroe

American Civil War, emancipation and education of former slaves

Main article: Battle of Hampton Roads

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 (13 km) below Richmond at Drewry's Bluff.

Main article: Peninsula Campaign

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.

Main article: Hampton Roads Conference

During the American Civil War (1861~1865), after the efforts of Francis P. Blair (Sr.), the Confederate president Jefferson Davis sent three Peace Commissioners in an effort to negotiate for peace. This unsuccessful attempt at peace lasted for four hours, and at the end of the Conference, the commissioners returned to Richmond.

Main article: Grand Contraband Camp

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

Sewell's Point: Jamestown Exposition and a Navy Base

Main article: Jamestown Exposition

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.

Main article: Naval Station Norfolk

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 United States Navy and is now known as the Naval Station Norfolk.

Military use of northern side of the Peninsula

Twice in the 20th century, families of mostly African American heritage were displaced in entire communities when land along the northern side of the Peninsula primarily in York County west of Yorktown was taken in large tracts for military use during World War I and World War II, creating the present-day U.S. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, which includes Cheatham Annex, and a former Seabee base which became Camp Peary.

Communities including "the Reservation", Halstead's Point, Penniman, Bigler's Mill, and Magruder were all lost and absorbed into the large military bases.

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 U.S. Army's land at Fort Eustis extends across Skiffe's Creek, although there is no direct access to either base).

See also: Grove, Virginia

Colonial Williamsburg

Main article: 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 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 continued longevity was at 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 (1.2 km²) 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 become the centerpiece of the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia. These were, of course, Jamestown, where the colony started, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, where independence from Great Britain 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 Historic 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

Other notable Hampton Roads "firsts"

In 1957, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was the first bridge-tunnel complex in the world, to be followed by the area's much longer Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in 1963.

In the 1960s, the first astronauts of Project Mercury trained at the NASA facility adjacent to Hampton's Langley Air Force Base. Local features including Mercury Boulevard commemorate this fact.

Land area defined

The land area which constitutes "Hampton Roads" varies depending upon perspective and purpose. Most of the land area of Hampton Roads is geographically divided into 2 smaller regions: the eastern portion of the Virginia Peninsula (the Peninsula) and South Hampton Roads (locally known as "the Southside"), which are separated by the harbor. When speaking of communities of Hampton Roads, virtually all sources (including the three discussed in the following paragraphs) include the seven major cities, two smaller ones, and three counties within those two subregions.

Some additional localities on the northern, southwestern, and southern edges are included in various definitions. Three entities with varying definitions are described in individual sections below. For example, the federal government defines the Hampton Roads MSA as a metropolitan area for statistical purposes, and even looks beyond a state line for common economic function, including a portion of North Carolina in the MSA for Hampton Roads. Officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA, the Hampton Roads MSA includes Currituck County, NC; Gloucester County, VA; Isle of Wight County, VA; James City County, VA; Mathews County, VA; Surry County, VA; York County, VA; Chesapeake city, VA; Hampton city, VA; Newport News city, VA; Norfolk city, VA; Poquoson city, VA; Portsmouth city, VA; Suffolk city, VA; Virginia Beach city, VA; Williamsburg city, VA. [1]

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) as defined by Virginia includes most (but not all) of that area, and also does not generally include areas in another state in its activities.

The Hampton Roads Partnership is a regional marketing entity, promoting "America's First Region" and uses a slightly different definition than either of the preceding two.

The Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (HREDA) is a regional economic development organization that focuses on attracting new businesses to the region and has a slightly different definition than any of the preceding.

To be informative, this article includes information on all of the localities included in any of these three descriptions. By May 2007, the Hampton Roads region had 400 years of rich history. 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.

Statistics: Hampton Roads MSA

The U.S. Federal Government's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definesMetropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for economic purposes. For statistical purposes, the single MSA for Hampton Roads includes the eastern portion of the Peninsula and all of South Hampton Roads. Two counties which are located in Virginia's Middle Peninsula region and a small part of North Carolina are also included in the Hampton Roads MSA definition.

The Hampton Roads MSA has a population of about 1.7 million and is the fifth largest metropolitan area in the southeastern USA after Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA, and Orlando-Kissimmee, FL MSA.

See also: List of U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) in Virginia

Hampton Roads Planning District Commission

Virginia defines regional planning districts by law. Generally, members are independent cities and counties; incorporated towns are located within counties in Virginia. Localities around the state are allowed to belong to more than one Planning District, as their constituents may have interests which crossover individual planning district boundaries.

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) currently includes 16 cities and counties, all in Virginia, and represents over 1.6 million people.

The 16 jurisdictions include: the Cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg, and the Counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Southampton, Surry, and York. It is noteworthy that there are incorporated towns located in three of the counties within the district (Isle of Wight, Southampton and Surry).^[3]

America's First Region

In late 2006, the Hampton Roads Partnership, a non-profit organization representing 17 localities (ten cities, six counties, and one town), 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 14 May 1607.

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.^[4]

Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (HREDA)

The mission of Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, non-profit organization, is business attracation—marketing the Hampton Roads region as the preferred location for business investment and expansion. The Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance represents the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and Franklin, as well as the counties of Gloucester, James City, Isle of Wight, York and Southampton County. [2]

Political subdivisions

Each of the following current cities, counties and towns is included by at least one of the three preceding organizations definition of "Hampton Roads"

Independent cities (current)

Hampton is a Hampton Roads community.

• Chesapeake
• Franklin
• Hampton
• Newport News
• Norfolk
• Poquoson
• Portsmouth
• Suffolk
• Virginia Beach
• Williamsburg

Counties (current)

• Currituck (North Carolina)
• Gloucester
• Isle of Wight
• James City
• Mathews
• Southampton
• Surry
• York

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
• Boykins in Southampton County

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

Defunct shires, counties, cities, towns

Main article: Lost counties, cities and towns of Virginia

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, nor are unincorporated towns. 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)

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 (42 km) 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.

Transportation

Overview

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 (second across the harbor) 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.

In 2007, the new Hampton Roads Transportation Authority (HRTA) was formed under a controversial state law to levy various additional taxes to generate funding for major regional transportation projects, including a long-sought and costly third crossing of the harbor of Hampton Roads. As of March 2008, although its projects were considered to be needed, the agency's future was in some question while its controversial sources of funding were being reconsidered in light of a Virginia Supreme Court decision.

Highways, bridges, tunnels, bridge-tunnels, ferry system

I-64 on the Hampton Roads Beltway, north of I-264

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 (90 km) 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.

Another major crossing of waterways is the James River Bridge, carrying US 17 US 258, and SR 32 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 (27 km)-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a toll facility which links the region with Virginia's Eastern Shore which carries US 13. The original Downtown Tunnel in conjunction with the Berkley Bridge were considered a single bridge and tunnel complex when completed in 1952, perhaps stimulating the innovative bridge-tunnel design using man-made islands when the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was planned, first opening in 1957.

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.

Although earlier ferry services across the Bay, the harbor, and various rivers were eventually supplanted in the 20th century by bridges, tunnels, and bridge-tunnels, a passenger ferry continues to operate between Norfolk and Portsmouth, and one major automobile ferry service also remains. 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.

Local public transportation

Local Public transit is provided by an bus network operated by the Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) and Williamsburg Area Transport (WAT), both of which are operations of government agencies. Several light rail service proposals are under development.

In Virginia, the region is notable in that it has 2 types of public transport services via ferrys. A passenger ferry is operated on the Elizabeth River between downtown areas of Norfolk and Portsmouth by HRT. A commuter bus route across the James River between Williamsburg and rural Surry County is provided via the vehicle-carrying Jamestown Ferry system.

Hampton Roads Transit

Main article: 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. The HRT service area include all of the large Seven Cities of Hampton Roads which are linked to each other by the Hampton Roads Beltway. Commuter service is provided through both major bridge-tunnels across the harbor helps reduce congestion in many other high traffic corridors. Many areas in adjoining communities are also served.

As the largest transit operator, 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 (960 km²) service area.

Williamsburg Area Transport

Main article: Williamsburg Area Transport

A line of WAT transit buses equipped with 2-way radios, wheelchair lifts and bike racks are seen ready for service at the Williamsburg Bus Facility on U.S. Route 60 in James City County, Virginia.

Williamsburg Transportation Center is an intermodal facility located in a restored Chesapeake and Ohio Railway station located within walking distance of Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area, the College of William and Mary, and the downtown area.

In the upper (western) Peninsula area known as the Historic Triangle, a 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.

The Williamsburg Transportation Center is located in a restored building which was formerly a Chesapeake and Ohio Railway station. Along the railroad line built to connect the Ohio River Valley with the new city of Newport News and the port of Hampton Roads by Collis P. Huntington in 1881, the station was originally built in 1935 with funding from John D. Rockefeller Jr. as part of the restoration of the colonial capital which became known worldwide as Colonial Williamsburg. During the heyday of the railroads, dozens of dignitaries arrived there, including Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower and Sir Winston Churchill. In modern times, the center offers good non-automobile driving alternatives for visitors and citizens, both getting there, and moving around locally, with rail service, intercity and local transit bus services.

Light rail, bus rapid transit, maglev projects

A light rail service to be known as The Tide is under construction in Norfolk. It is set to begin service in 2010. Operated by Hampton Roads Transit, it will become the first major light rail service in the region. It is projected to have a daily ridership of between 7,130 to 11,400 passengers a day upon completion.^[5]

There has also been a light rail 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. Using a new experimental technology, it was not yet operational as of 2008.

Intercity bus

Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines and Carolina Trailways.

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.

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 (68 km) west of Williamsburg and 8 miles (13 km) east of Richmond in Henrico County, Virginia.

Norfolk International Airport

Norfolk International Airport (ORF) 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, Tampa, 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 Airlines - Nonstop flights to Dallas-Fort Worth
• American Eagle - Nonstop flights to 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, Orlando, Boston, 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)

Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport

Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) (formerly known 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

Places of higher education

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

Two-year public

• Thomas Nelson Community College - Hampton, James City County
• Tidewater Community College - Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth
• Paul D. Camp Community College - Franklin, Suffolk, Smithfield

Four-year private

• Hampton University - Hampton
• Northrop Grumman Newport News Apprentice School of Shipbuilding - Newport News
• Regent University - Virginia Beach
• Virginia Wesleyan College - Norfolk
• ECPI College of Technology - Virginia Beach and Newport News
• ITT Technical Institute - Norfolk

Two year private

Bryant and Stratton College - Virginia Beach

Harbor: commerce, shipping, military

Hampton Roads from space

Hampton Roads has become known as the "world's greatest natural harbor". The port is located only 18 miles (29 km) 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.

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. BAE Systems, formerly known as NORSHIPCO, operates from sites in the City of Norfolk. There are also several smaller shipyards, numerous docks and terminals.

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).

Military

Hampton Roads is also a chief rendezvous of the United States 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 (150 m) the Federal government during 1902 through 1905 increased its minimum depth at low water from 25.5 feet (7.8 m) to 30 feet (9 m), and the channel has now been dredged to a depth of 55 feet (17 m) 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[3]

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.

Speech

The area is home to a non-rhotic Coastal Southern accent, distinct from the rhotic Tidewater accents spoken in surrounding areas.

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.^[6]

Area attractions and historical sites

Virginia's Historic Triangle

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.

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.

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.

Main article: 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 complementary to 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.

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).

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.

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 (11 km) west of Williamsburg in James City County.

Attractions

There's also a wealth of other points of history to explore in the Hampton Roads area.

Virginia Peninsula

• 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.

• 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.

• NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, the original training ground for the Mercury Seven, Gemini, and Apollo Astronauts.

• Peninsula Fine Arts Center is an art museum in Newport News.

• Virginia Air and Space Center (with a historic carousel adjacent) is in Hampton.

• Virginia War Museum is a museum devoted to the history of the United States in armed conflict and is located in Newport News.

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 of Art is in Norfolk.

• MacArthur Memorial Museum is in Norfolk.

• USS Cole 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.

• The Virginia Aquarium is in Virginia Beach.

• Contemporary Art Center of Virginia located in Virginia Beach features the significant art of our time.

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. [4]

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.

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.

MacArthur Center opened in March 1999, which made downtown Norfolk a prime shoppers destination, with the region's first Nordstrom department store anchor. MacArthur Center 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 MacArthur Center.

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".

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)

List of active malls

Sports, entertainment, and mass assembly venues

normal seating capacity in parentheses

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.

Collegiate and other indoor arenas

• Kaplan Arena at William & 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 Constant Convocation Center or "the Ted"
• Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall at Norfolk State University (8,500)
• Hampton Convocation Center at Hampton University (8,200)
• Robert Freeman Center at Christopher Newport University – Newport News (6,000)
• Old Dominion University Fieldhouse – Norfolk (5,955)
• Gills Gymnasium at Norfolk State University (4,000)
• Jerome H. 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)

Minor league sports stadiums

• Harbor Park – Norfolk (12,067) (opened in 1993), home of the Norfolk Tides AAA minor league baseball team

• Peninsula War Memorial Stadium – Hampton (5,125) (opened in 1948), home of the Peninsula Pilots Elite Collegiate Wood Bat baseball team

• Virginia Beach Sportsplex – Virginia Beach (11,541) (opened in 1999), home of the Hampton Roads Piranhas minor league soccer teams

Collegiate and other stadiums

• William "Dick" Price Stadium at Norfolk State University (30,000) football
• Alvin 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
• Samuel C. Armstrong Stadium at Hampton University (14,000) football
• John B. Todd Stadium – Newport News (11,000) football
• Joseph S. Darling Memorial Stadium – Hampton (8,000) football
• B. Herman Bailey Field – Yorktown (6,000) football
• Cooley Field - Williamsburg (3,000) 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) - football, opened in fall 2006
• 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

Convention centers

• Virginia Beach Convention Center 516,522 sq ft (47,986 m²) opened early 2007
• Williamsburg Convention Center 259,000 sq ft (24,100 m²) proposed
• Hampton Roads Convention Center – Hampton 258,000 sq ft (24,000 m²)
• Norfolk Executive Conference Center 73,000 sq ft (6,800 m²) planned
• Chesapeake Conference Center 37,000 sq ft (3,400 m²)
• Portsmouth Conference Center 37,000 sq ft (3,400 m²)
• Waterside Convention Center – Norfolk 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m²)
• City Center at Oyster Point Conference Center – Newport News (Under Construction)

Auditoriums and performing arts theatres

• American Theatre – Hampton
• Chrysler Hall – Norfolk
• Crispus Attucks Cultural Center – Norfolk
• Devary Theatre at Norfolk Naval Base - Norfolk
• Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts – Newport News
• Fort Monroe Theatre – Hampton
• Harrison Opera House – Norfolk
• Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center at Tidewater Community College – Norfolk
• L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center at Norfolk State University - Norfolk
• Music Theatre of Williamsburg (752)
• Norva Theatre – Norfolk
• Ogden Hall at Hampton University - Hampton
• Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at The College of William and Mary – Williamsburg
• Premiere Theatre (aka Granby Theatre) – Norfolk
• Regent University Performing Arts Center – Virginia Beach
• Riverview Theatre – Norfolk
• Rockwell Hall at Little Creek Amphibious Base – Virginia Beach
• Sandler Performing Arts Center – Virginia Beach
• Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts - Suffolk
• Wells Theatre – Norfolk
• Willett Hall – Portsmouth
• Yoder Dairy Barn Theater - Newport News

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)

Raceways

• Langley Speedway – Hampton (6,500)

Collegiate sports teams

• Old Dominion Monarchs and Lady Monarchs - Norfolk
• Norfolk State Spartans - Norfolk
• Hampton Pirates - Hampton
• William & Mary Tribe - Williamsburg
• Christopher Newport Captains - Newport News
• Tidewater Community College Storm - Various

Media

Print

Two major newspapers serve Hampton Roads: The Virginian-Pilot and The Daily Press. Smaller publications include 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.

Television

11 full-power television stations serve the Hampton Roads area.

Radio

See and stations in Hampton Roads.

Minor League Sports Teams

The Norfolk Nighthawks were a charter member of the Arena Football League's minor league, af2. They ceased operations in 2003 after their fourth season. Also, the Virginia Beach Mariners of soccer's USL First Division were active from 1994 until 2006.

In 1997, Norfolk presented a proposal to bring an expansion hockey team to Hampton Roads. But that initiative failed. The team was going to be called the Hampton Roads Rhinos.

In 2002, Norfolk presented a proposal to bring the Charlotte Hornets basketball team to southeastern Virginia, but New Orleans won the bid for the team, renaming it the New Orleans Hornets.

In 2005, Norfolk presented a proposal to bring the Montreal Expos baseball team to the metro area, but Washington, D.C. won the bid for the team, renaming it the Washington Nationals.

Music Scene

The Hampton Roads region has a thriving music scene, with a heavy concentration thereof in the Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk areas. Many clubs, venues, and festivals exist within the region, all playing host to a wide variety of musical styles. There are a few hundred bands that play routinely in the region, spanning multiple genres.

In addition, some of the more well known bands and artists to come out of the area are:

• Bruce Hornsby - Rock/Pop/Jazz
• Chad Hugo - Rap/Hip Hop
• Clipse - Rap/Hip Hop Duo
• Ella Fitzgerald - Jazz
• Gary "U.S." Bonds - Rock N Roll
• Gene Vincent - Rockabilly
• Juice Newton - Pop/Rock
• Keller Williams - Acoustic
• Mae - Rock
• Magoo - Rap/Hip Hop
• Missy Elliott - Rap/Hip Hop
• Nicole Wray - Rap/Hip Hop
• Pharrell Williams - Rap/Hip Hop
• Quan - Rap/Hip Hop
• Robert Cray - Blues
• Ruth Brown - Rhythm and Blues
• Seven Mary Three - Rock
• Teddy Riley - Rap/Hip Hop and R&B
• Steve Earle - Southern Rock/Country
• Timbaland - Rap/Hip Hop
• Tommy Newsom - Jazz

Tallest buildings

See also

• 2003 Virginia earthquake
• Colonial Williamsburg
• Historic Triangle
• Jamestown, Virginia
• List of famous people from Hampton Roads
• Lost counties, cities and towns of Virginia
• South Hampton Roads
• Virginia Peninsula

Notes

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

External links

• Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce
• Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance
• Nauticus, The National Maritime Center Norfolk, VA
• Norfolk City Historical Society
• Norfolk County Historical Society
• History of Willoughby – Norfolk Public Library
• City of Norfolk website, Local History
• Fort Wool History
• Roads to the Future - I-664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel
• About Ocean View website
• Ocean View Scene Magazine website

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