Ocean View is a coastal region in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States. It has several miles of shoreline on the Chesapeake Bay to the north, starting with Willoughby Spit to the west and the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in the independent city of Virginia Beach on the east.
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The entire area of South Hampton Roads was part of Elizabeth River Shire when it was formed in 1634. From this original shire (or county), in 1636, New Norfolk County was formed, which was divided again into Upper and Lower Norfolk counties in 1637. Lower Norfolk County was split in 1691 to form Princess Anne County and Norfolk County.
The Ocean View area was to remain part of Norfolk County for over 225 years, until it and the adjacent Willoughby Spit area were annexed by the independent City of Norfolk in 1923. (Virginia has had independent city political subdivisions since 1871). A small portion of East Ocean View adjacent to the Little Creek Amphibious Base was added in a land-swap with the city of Virginia Beach in 1988.
The area which became known as Ocean View City was originally a 360 acre (1.5 km²) tract called the Magagnos Plantation which had extensive frontage on the Chesapeake Bay east of Willoughby Spit and west of Little Creek.
The Ocean View area was surveyed and laid out with streets and lots as Ocean View City in 1854 by William Mahone, a young civil engineer who was building the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad. Under the leadership of Walter H. Taylor, about 30 years later, a narrow gauge steam passenger railroad service was established between Norfolk and Ocean View, a 9-mile long line [1] crossing what was then known as Tanner's Creek (later renamed Lafayette River). Originally named the Ocean View Railroad, it was later known as the Norfolk and Ocean View Railroad. [2] A small steam locomotive named the General William B. Mahone hauled ever increasing volumes of passengers, primarily on the weekends. The steam service was later replaced by electric-powered trolley cars, becoming both a popular resort and a streetcar suburb of the City of Norfolk. Initially, the improvements consisted of the swimming beach and cottages. The location was quite popular for Sunday outings from Norfolk.
With the advent of additional electric streetcars in the late 19th century, an amusement park was developed at the end-of-the-line and a boardwalk was built along the adjacent beach area. These were a favorite of sailors on leave from the Norfolk Navy Base. Buses replaced the streetcars in the late 1940s. In the mid 20th century, for a number of years, AM radio station WGH broadcast live from a booth under the roller coaster.
Completion of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel in 1957 connected the Ocean View area to the Virginia Peninsula. However, it and other newer highways encouraged visitors to continue on to the Virginia Beach resort area on the Atlantic Ocean, a small city which boomed after merging with Princess Anne County in 1963. In particular, construction of nearby Interstate 64 and the Virginia Beach Expressway (now part of Interstate 264) made it easier for tourists from afar to bypass Ocean View en route to the Oceanfront area of Virginia Beach.
After some years of decline after World War II, Ocean View Amusement Park was closed in the 1970s and was torn down for a 1979 made for TV movie called The Death of Ocean View Park, which starred Mike Connors of "Mannix" fame and featured blowing up the landmark wooden roller coaster. While there had been popular concern as to the structural integrity of the famous wooden structure, early attempts to destroy it with explosives met with failure. Finally, the landmark relented, and became part of history. Also, the movie Rollercoaster (with Timothy Bottoms) features the "Rocket", Ocean View Amusement Park's famous roller coaster, in the opening sequences.
In the late 20th century, substantial portions of Ocean View were plagued with vice activity and related problems. In particular, the abundant number of sex offenders and gang members in the West and East Ocean View area.
In the early 21st century, as the entire coastal property market surged with new growth, redevelopment in the Ocean View community has resulted in new upscale residential properties replacing old beach cottages and small motels along the resort strip, and bay front property has regained and exceeded its past values.
Today, U.S. Highway 60 is the main roadway paralleling the bay along the resort strip on Ocean View Avenue. U.S. Highway 460 begins at its junction in front of the site of the former amusement park, where a city park is now located.
Not only was the Amusement Park so well known to the area, so was Harrison's Fishing Pier. Owned by Bill Harrison and managed by Charlie Woodard. It was completely destroyed during Hurricane Isabel in late 2003. A new pier has been built, called the Ocean View Fishing Pier. Now owned by Ron Boone Sr., it continues to be an Ocean View landmark and attraction.
This fishing pier is 1,690 feet long and is generally known as the longest fishing pier in America. [3]
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