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76-843: The Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek is the largest base of its kind in the world. It comprises four locations in three states, including almost 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) of real estate. Its Little Creek location in Virginia Beach, Virginia , totals 2,120 acres (860 ha) of land. Outlying facilities include 350 acres (140 ha) located just north of Training Support Center Hampton Roads in Virginia Beach and 21 acres (8.5 ha) known as Radio Island at Morehead City, North Carolina , used for U.S. Coast Guard ships and personnel as well as serving as an amphibious embarkation and debarkation area for U.S. Marine Corps units at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . It

152-569: A man on the moon . The air station became Recovery Control Center Atlantic, which provided command, control, and communications for the ships and aircraft that participated in the recovery operations of Apollo 7 . Due to the end of the Cold War , a drawdown began in the 1990s, and the Navy began reducing shore installations to help with operating costs. Due to this, the Navy merged the separate Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Air Station Norfolk into

228-623: A Norfolk address. NAS Oceana is the largest employer in Virginia Beach; it was decreed by the 2005 BRAC Commission that NAS Oceana must close unless the city of Virginia Beach condemns houses in areas designated as "Accident Potential Zones." This action has never been the position of the United States Navy; indeed, the Navy had not recommended NAS Oceana to the BRAC Commission for potential closure. Both NAS Oceana and Training Support Center Hampton Roads are considered to be

304-582: A United States Government web page whose contents are in the public domain. 36°55′1.2″N 76°9′50.4″W  /  36.917000°N 76.164000°W  / 36.917000; -76.164000 Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach , officially the City of Virginia Beach , is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at

380-643: A commissioning date of August 10, 1945. It was designated a permanent base in 1946. Growing over the years to meet the needs of the amphibious force, the base has developed into one of the most modern in the Navy. Thousands of men and women from all branches of the Armed Forces, as well as military students from foreign nations, now pass through the gates of the Naval Amphibious Base yearly for training in amphibious warfare. Today nearly 13,000 sailors, Marines, and civilian employees are assigned to

456-468: A household was $ 83,245, with family households having a median income of $ 103,451 and non-family households $ 54,258. The per capita income was $ 44,287. Out of the 447,930 people with a determined poverty status, 10.0% were below the poverty line . Further, 14.4% of minors and 8.8% of seniors were below the poverty line. In the survey, residents self-identified with various ethnic ancestries. People of English descent made up 11.7% of

532-529: A hub of international commerce, as nearly 200 foreign firms have established a presence, an office location or their North American headquarters in Hampton Roads. Twenty internationally based firms have their U.S. or North American headquarters in Virginia Beach, including companies like Stihl , London Bridge Trading Company , Busch Vacuum Solutions, IMS Gear , and Sanjo Corte Fino. Other major companies headquartered in Virginia Beach include Amerigroup ,

608-644: A leading citizen of the area. In 1629, he was elected to the House of Burgesses for Elizabeth Cittie [ sic ], one of four "cities" (or incorporations) which were subdivided areas established in 1619. In 1634, the Colony was divided into the original eight shires of Virginia , soon renamed as counties . Thoroughgood is credited with using the name of his home in England when helping name " New Norfolk County " in 1637. The following year, New Norfolk County

684-400: A male householder with no partner present, and 28.1% had a female householder with no partner present. The median household size was 2.49 and the median family size was 3.08. The age distribution was 21.7% under 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37.8 years. The median income for

760-502: A municipal parking lot and potential future development. Real estate, defense, and tourism are major sectors of the Virginia Beach economy. Many local public and private groups have maintained a vested interest in real-estate redevelopment, resulting in a number of joint public-private projects, such as commercial parks. Examples of the public-private development include the Virginia Beach Convention Center,

836-488: A popular vacation spot. Virginia Beach gained status as an independent city in 1952, although ties remained between it and Princess Anne County. In 1963, after voters in the two jurisdictions passed a supporting referendum, and with the approval of the Virginia General Assembly , the two political subdivisions were consolidated as a new, much larger independent city, retaining the better-known name of

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912-467: A sailor and a civilian. The shooting occurred around 11:20 p.m. EDT aboard USS  Mahan . Security forces shot and killed the civilian who had allegedly shot the sailor aboard the vessel. The base was closed for a short time after the shooting on USS Mahan . On 26 July 2022, a severe thunderstorm with winds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and over caused nine helicopters assigned to Naval Station Norfolk to be damaged. Damaged aircraft include

988-545: A single installation to be called Naval Station Norfolk, which became official on 5 February 1999. Following the attack on USS Cole in October 2000 and the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, the base had some major upgrades to its security gates, costing more than $ 12.5 million. On 26 January 2017, Naval Station Norfolk celebrated its centennial at the Pennsylvania House, a historical building built for

1064-546: Is humid subtropical ( Köppen : Cfa ). For the Trewartha climate classification the climate is the northern limit of Cf ( subtropical ). Much of the year in Virginia Beach is mild to warm. The long summer season from late May through late September is often hot and humid, with frequent (but brief) late day thundershowers. Winters are cool with little frozen precipitation, and snowfall is light. The official weather statistics are recorded at Norfolk International Airport on

1140-464: Is 84 °F (29 °C) from July 1942, while a normal year's warmest night averages 80 °F (27 °C). Additionally, the geographic location of the city, with respect to the principal storm tracks, is especially favorable which is why it has earned the reputation as a vacation destination. It is south of the average path of storms originating in the higher latitudes, and north of the usual tracks of hurricanes and other major tropical storms, with

1216-723: Is also home to the Naval School of Music. On October 1, 2009, Little Creek and the U.S. Army 's Fort Story completed a two-year merger into one joint base, officially named Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story . On July 16, 1942, a U.S. Navy truck drove off Shore Drive, the scenic highway along the south shore of the Chesapeake Bay between the resort areas of Ocean View in Norfolk and Virginia Beach in Princess Anne County . The resort town

1292-511: Is summer, specifically July to early September, with August the single wettest month, averaging over 5.5 inches of rain. From October to June, average monthly precipitation is remarkably consistent, ranging between 3.1 and 3.7 inches. Virginia Beach averages 2200 hours of sunshine annually, higher than the USA average. The highest recorded temperature to date was 105 °F (41 °C) in July 2010, and

1368-405: Is the most populated city within the metropolitan area, it functions as a suburb . Virginia Beach is 19 miles (31 km) east of Norfolk, Virginia , 24 miles (39 km) northeast of Chesapeake, Virginia , 208 miles (335 km) south of Washington, D.C. , 107 miles (172 km) southeast of Richmond, Virginia , and 200 miles (320 km) northeast of Raleigh, North Carolina . When

1444-596: Is widespread. Other plants like the Windmill Palm , Sabal palmetto , Butia odorata (in protected locations), and Oleander are successfully grown here while they succumb to the colder winter temperatures to the north and inland to the west. The hardiness zone is 8b along the coast and in Urban areas, and 8a inland and to the northwest. On April 30, 2023, an EF-3 tornado struck the Great Neck neighborhood in

1520-451: The 2010 Census , the racial composition of Virginia Beach was as follows: As of the 2000 Census , there were 425,257 people, 154,455 households, and 110,898 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,712.7 inhabitants per square mile (661.3/km ). There were 162,277 housing units at an average density of 653.6 units per square mile (252.4 units/km ). There were 154,455 households, out of which 38.8% had children under

1596-591: The 2020 census . Located on the southeastern coast of Virginia, it is the sixth-most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic and the 43rd-most populous city in the U.S . Located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay , Virginia Beach is a principal city in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the 37th-largest metropolitan area in

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1672-525: The Christian Broadcasting Network and Operation Blessing International . Other major employers include GEICO , VT and Navy Exchange Service Command . In addition, Virginia Beach is home to a number of small, innovative companies, such as Morphix Technologies , who cater for military industry. In September 2023, it was announced that Amazon will build 2 new operational delivery facilities in Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach

1748-696: The European theater . The Amphibious Training Base (also known as "Little Creek") was the center for all types of amphibious training and the training of ship's crews for landing ship medium , landing craft infantry , and landing craft utility ; landing craft mechanized and landing craft vehicle personnel boat crews were also trained at Little Creek. In a few months, the trained men who were to land fighting forces from Africa to Normandy were ready for sea. During World War II, over 200,000 Naval personnel and 160,000 Army and Marine Corps personnel trained at Little Creek. The four bases were partially inactivated at

1824-663: The Hampton Roads peninsula known as Sewell's Point . It is the world's largest naval station, with the largest concentration of U.S. Navy forces through 75 ships alongside 14 piers and with 134 aircraft and 11 aircraft hangars at the adjacently operated Chambers Field . Port Services controls more than 3,100 ships' movements annually as they arrive and depart their berths. Air Operations conducts over 100,000 flight operations each year, an average of 275 flights per day or one every six minutes. Over 150,000 passengers and 264,000 tons of mail and cargo depart annually on Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft and other AMC-chartered flights from

1900-679: The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge opened in 2018. The Chesepian were the historic indigenous people of the area now known as Tidewater in Virginia at the time of European encounter. Little is known about them but archeological evidence suggests they may have been related to the Carolina Algonquian , or Pamlico people. They would have spoken one of the Algonquian languages . These were common among

1976-619: The MH-60 Seahawk and MH-53E Sea Dragon , according to the Navy. Naval Station Norfolk is home port of four carrier strike groups and their assigned ships. In addition, the Naval Station plays host to several Military Sealift Command ships, as well as the submarines of the Atlantic Fleet . As of October 2022, the following operational units are headquartered or homeported at Naval Station Norfolk: In addition to

2052-547: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 497 square miles (1,290 km ), of which 249 square miles (640 km ) is land and 248 square miles (640 km ) (49.9%) is water. It is the largest city in Virginia by total area and third-largest city by land area, and by far the largest by water area. The average elevation is 12 feet (3.7 m) above sea level . A major portion of

2128-528: The 1883 arrival of rail service to the coast. The Virginia Beach Hotel was opened and operated by the Norfolk and Virginia Beach Railroad and Improvement Company at the oceanfront, near the tiny community of Seatack . The hotel was foreclosed and the railroad was reorganized in 1887. The hotel was upgraded and reopened in 1888 as the Princess Anne Hotel. In 1891, guests at the new hotel watched

2204-583: The Green Line, an urban growth boundary dividing the urban northern and rural southern sections of the city. Infill and development of residential neighborhoods has placed a number of operating constraints on Naval Air Station Oceana , a major fighter jet base for the U.S. Navy. While the airbase enjoys wide support from Virginia Beach at large, the Pentagon Base Realignment and Closure commission has proposed closure of Oceana within

2280-473: The Jamestown Exposition, located on the base. On Easter (3 April) of 1988, members of the anti-nuclear group Plowshares boarded the battleship USS  Iowa with visitors for a ship's tour and left their group to do symbolic damage to the ship's empty Tomahawk missile launchers, using hammers and their own blood. On March 24, 2014, a shooting at NS Norfolk resulted in the death of

2356-727: The Merchant Adventurers Guild of London, he immigrated from Rotterdam of the Netherlands , where he had been in international trade. He settled on land on the north side of the Elizabeth River , east of what developed as Norfolk . Following the increased settlement, in 1691 Lower Norfolk County was divided to form Norfolk and Princess Anne counties. Princess Anne, the easternmost county in South Hampton Roads, extended from Cape Henry at

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2432-732: The New World on the mainland, where the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. They named it Cape Henry, after Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales , the eldest son of King James I of England . These English colonists of the Virginia Company of London moved on from this area, as they were under orders to seek a site further inland, which would be more sheltered from ships of competing European countries. They created their first permanent settlement on

2508-621: The Oceanfront Hilton Hotel, and the Virginia Beach Town Center . The city assisted in financing the project through the use of tax increment financing: creating special tax districts and constructing associated street and infrastructure to support the developments. The Town Center opened in 2003, with related construction continuing. The Convention Center opened in 2005. The city has begun to run out of clear land available for new construction north of

2584-640: The U.S. Virginia Beach is a resort city with miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants along its oceanfront . Near the point where the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet, Cape Henry was the site of the first landing of the English colonists who eventually settled in Jamestown ; modern Virginia Beach was established in 1906. It is home to several state parks, protected beaches, and military bases. Virginia Wesleyan University , Regent University , Christian Broadcasting Network ,

2660-644: The U.S. headquarters of Stihl , and the Association for Research and Enlightenment are based in Virginia Beach. It also hosts the annual East Coast Surfing Championships and Neptune Festival . The city is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the longest pleasure beach in the world. It is located at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel , which was the world's longest bridge-tunnel complex until

2736-466: The Virginia Beach resort. The Alan B. Shepard Civic Center ("The Dome"), a significant building in the city's history because of the many famous musical acts played there, was constructed in 1958, and was dedicated to the career of former Virginia Beach resident and astronaut Alan Shepard . As the area changed, the Dome was frequently used as a bingo hall. The building was razed in 1994 to make room for

2812-533: The age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.14. The age distribution was 27.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

2888-577: The airfield's AMC Terminal. The area where the base is located was the site of the original 1907 Jamestown Exposition . In 1915, the Headquarters of the 5th Naval District was established. In April 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I , a bill was passed for the purchase of the land, and money was set aside in the amount of $ 1.6 million for the development of the base. The Naval Operating Base (NOB) and other facilities were established. By 1918, there were 34,000 enlisted men at

2964-406: The base's Guam Road-Amphibious Drive bridge , once served the defunct Little Creek-Cape Charles Ferry which transported passengers and motor vehicles across the mouth of the bay to Cape Charles and Kiptopeke until replacement in 1964 by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel . See: Ferry Road bisecting NABLC This article incorporates material from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek’s History ,

3040-452: The base. However, by the war's end, the base was reduced in personnel and put into a "standby mode." When World War II began in Europe in 1939, the base became more active again. New facilities were built, including new runways for aircraft , part of Naval Air Station Norfolk . It also had ramps built to be used by seaplanes to be operated by the Navy during the war. About 400 acres

3116-695: The city a murder rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people. For 2007, Virginia Beach had 16 murders, for a murder rate of 3.7 per 100,000 people. That was lower than the national average that year of 6.9. The city's total crime index rate for 2007 was 221.2 per 100,000 people, lower than the national average of 320.9. According to the Congressional Quarterly Press '2008 City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America, Virginia Beach, Virginia ranks 311th in violent crime among 385 cities containing more than 75,000 inhabitants. 34.4% of

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3192-585: The city drains to the Chesapeake Bay by way of the Lynnhaven River and its tributaries. The city is located at the southeastern corner of Virginia in the Hampton Roads area bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The Hampton Roads metropolitan area (officially the Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA–NC Metropolitan Statistical Area) is the 37th largest in the United States, with a total population of 1.7 million. While Virginia Beach

3268-411: The city rejected several further development proposals. This rejection was significant from two perspectives. First, cities reject building very rarely, demonstrating the shift in public perception. Second, these rejections led to lawsuits by the developers. The rejection of these lawsuits in the courts provides precedent for other sorts of local climate change adaptation efforts in the future. Discussing

3344-576: The city was 60.3% White, 18.8% Black or African American, 7.2% Asian, 2.9% some other race, 0.3% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 0.3% Native American or Alaskan Native, with 10.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 9.0% of the population. Of the 179,752 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.2% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 7.1% were couples cohabitating, 18.0% had

3420-437: The city's population is affiliated with religious congregations, compared to the 50.2% nationwide figure. There are 146,402 adherents and 184 different religious congregations in the city: Virginia Beach is composed of a variety of industries, including national and international corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturers, defense contractors and locally owned businesses. The city's location and business climate have made it

3496-574: The city. Farmers are able to sell their goods and products at the city's Farmer's Market. Virginia Beach is home to several United States Military bases. These include the United States Navy 's NAS Oceana and Training Support Center Hampton Roads , and the Joint Expeditionary Base East located at Cape Henry. Additionally, NAB Little Creek is located mostly within the city of Virginia Beach but carries

3572-563: The end of hostilities of World War II. Shortly thereafter, however, the bases at Little Creek, because of their central location on the Atlantic coast, excellent and varied beach conditions, proximity to the naval facilities of Norfolk , berthing facilities for amphibious ships through the size of LSTs, and other advantages, were consolidated into the present installation and renamed the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek with

3648-426: The exception of Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Because of the moderating effects of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Virginia Beach is the northernmost location on the east coast in which many species of plants (both subtropical and tropical) will reliably grow. Spanish moss , for example is near the northernmost limit of its natural range at First Landing State Park , and is the most northerly location where it

3724-464: The extreme northwestern border of Virginia Beach. The mean annual temperature is 59.6 °F (15.3 °C), with an average annual snowfall of 5.8 inches (150 mm) at the airport to around 3.0 inches (76 mm) in the southeastern corner around Back Bay. Average annual precipitation (the large majority rainfall) is high, ranging between 47 inches (1,200 mm) at the airport to over 50 inches (1,300 mm) per year at Back Bay. The wettest season

3800-412: The heart of the enemy. The base was initially established in the farmland of Princess Anne County . During the early phases of World War II the base was a combination of farmland and swamps . Four bases were constructed on this area: Camp Bradford, Camp Shelton, U.S. Naval Frontier Base, and Amphibious Training Base . Camps Bradford and Shelton were named for the former owners of the land. Camp Bradford

3876-519: The largest of their respective kind in the world. Furthermore, located in nearby Norfolk is the central hub of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet , Naval Station Norfolk . 54% of the 171,000 people working in Virginia Beach live in the city, 12% live in Chesapeake, and 10% live in Norfolk. An additional 99,600 people commute from Virginia Beach, with 35% going to Norfolk and 23% going to Chesapeake. Unemployment has been cut almost in half over

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3952-471: The largest sub-division in Tidewater when completed, Bay Colony, Bayside , Cape Henry, Chesapeake Beach , Croatan Beach , Great Neck Point , Green Run , Kempsville , Larkspur , London Bridge , Lynnhaven , Newtown, The North End, Oceana , Ocean Park, Pembroke Manor , Princess Anne , Pungo , Red Mill Commons , Sandbridge , Shadowlawn, Thalia, and Thoroughgood. The climate of Virginia Beach

4028-607: The lowest recorded temperature was −3 °F (−19 °C) in January 1985, both being recorded at Norfolk International Airport. The coldest daily maximum on record was 12 °F (−11 °C) in December 1917, whereas the 1991–2020 normals had a coldest maximum average of 29 °F (−2 °C). This means that in spite of the mild normals, most years record at least one ice day, with rare exceptions. Summer nights are sometimes really hot. The all-time record warmest low temperature

4104-561: The matter, Mayor Dyer noted, "It's a confrontation with reality. Not everybody's going to be happy." On May 31, 2019, a shooting occurred at a municipal government building in Virginia Beach. A former employee entered the building and shot indiscriminately, killing 12 people and injuring four others before dying from a gunshot wound fired by responding officers. Virginia Beach is located at 36°51′02″N 75°58′40″W  /  36.8506°N 75.9779°W  / 36.8506; -75.9779  ( Virginia Beach ) . According to

4180-471: The modern city of Virginia Beach was created in 1963, by the consolidation of the 253 square miles (660 km ) Princess Anne County with the 2 square miles (5.2 km ) City of Virginia Beach, the newly larger city was divided into seven boroughs: Bayside, Blackwater, Kempsville, Lynnhaven, Princess Anne, Pungo, and Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach has many distinctive communities and neighborhoods within its boundaries, including: Alanton , Aragona Village,

4256-566: The mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, south to what became the border of the North Carolina colony. It included all of the area fronting the Atlantic Ocean. Princess Anne County was known as a jurisdiction from 1691 to 1963, over 250 years. In the early centuries, this area was rural and developed for plantation agriculture. In the late 19th century, the small resort area of Virginia Beach developed in Princess Anne County after

4332-412: The next decade. In 2012 a Navy jet that took off from Oceana experienced engine failure and crashed into an apartment complex. This land crunch led to floodplain development. During Hurricane Matthew , the heavy rainfall flooded over 2000 homes and left some neighborhoods with standing water for days. Given the rising risks of flooding due to climate change and the impetus of the hurricane damage,

4408-539: The north side of the James River at Jamestown . Adam Thoroughgood (1604–1640) of King's Lynn , Norfolk , England is one of the earliest Englishmen to settle in this area, which was developed as Virginia Beach. At the age of 18, he had contracted as an indentured servant to pay for passage to the Virginia Colony in the hopes of bettering his life. He earned his freedom after several years and became

4484-495: The northeastern section of the city. It was on the ground from 5:48 to 5:53 PM EST. Miraculously, no one was killed nor injured. It is the strongest tornado on record to hit the city. As of the 2022 American Community Survey estimates, there were 455,618 people and 179,752 households. The population density was 1,861.8 inhabitants per square mile (718.8/km ). There were 191,169 housing units at an average density of 781.2 per square mile (301.6/km ). The racial makeup of

4560-493: The numerous tribes of the coastal area, who made up the loose Powhatan Confederacy , numbering in the tens of thousands in population. The Chesepian occupied an area which is now defined as the independent cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. In 1607, after a voyage of 144 days, three ships headed by Captain Christopher Newport , and carrying 105 men and boys, made their first landfall in

4636-405: The oceanfront but also cluster around Virginia Beach Town Center and other parts of the city. Restaurants and entertainment industries also directly benefit from Virginia Beach's tourism. Virginia Beach has a large agribusiness sector which produces $ 80 million for the city economy. One hundred-seventy-two farms exist in Virginia Beach, mostly below the greenline in the southern portion of

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4712-482: The oceanfront, opened the route for automobiles , buses , and trucks . The passenger rail service to the oceanfront was eventually discontinued as traffic increased by vehicles. The growing resort of Virginia Beach became an incorporated town in 1906. Over the next 45 years, Virginia Beach continued to grow in popularity as a seasonal vacation spot. The casinos were replaced by amusement parks and family-oriented attractions. In 1927 The Cavalier Hotel opened and became

4788-456: The past two years going from a high of 4.2% in January 2017 to 2.8% in June 2019. Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia , that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command . The installation occupies about 4 miles (6.4 km) of waterfront space and 11 miles (18 km) of pier and wharf space of

4864-417: The population of the town, followed by German at 10.6%, Irish at 9.6%, American at 6.8%, Italian at 5.1%, Sub-Saharan African at 2.4%, Polish at 2.3%, French at 1.9%, Scottish at 1.9%, Scotch-Irish at 0.9%, Caribbean (excluding Hispanics) at 0.8%, Dutch at 0.7%, Swedish at 0.6%, Norwegian at 0.6%, Welsh at 0.5%, Czech at 0.5%, Ukrainian at 0.5%, and Greek at 0.5%. According to

4940-473: The population were below the poverty line , including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over. 7.1% of the people under the age of 65 years are disabled while 8.6% people don't have health insurance. The city of Virginia Beach has a lower crime rate than the other regional cities of Hampton Roads , Newport News , Norfolk , and Portsmouth , which all exceed national average crime rates. In 1999 Virginia Beach experienced 12 murders giving

5016-410: The several operational units, Naval Station Norfolk is also headquarters to a number of shore activities that provided administrative and specialty support to regional operational assets, and in some cases, the entire Navy. As of June 2021, these included: There is a public-private venture (PPV) housing by Liberty Military Housing for accompanied service members. Some properties are on the property of

5092-591: The various stations or attend schools at the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek in support of the Navy/Marine Corps team. (As of August 2024) The base remains bisected by a finger of land not part of the base. The land includes Ferry Road, a rail line, and the docks serving former cross-bay rail barge traffic of the defunct Bay Coast Railroad , formerly the Eastern Shore Railroad , to Cape Charles, Virginia . Ferry Road, crossed by

5168-758: The wreck and rescue efforts of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Norwegian barque Dictator . The ship's figurehead, which washed up on the beach several days later, was erected as a monument to the victims and rescuers. It stood along the oceanfront for more than 50 years. In the 21st century, it inspired the pair of matching Norwegian Lady Monuments , sculpted by Ørnulf Bast and installed in Virginia Beach and Moss, Norway . The resort initially depended on railroad and electric trolley service. The completion of Virginia Beach Boulevard in 1922, which extended from Norfolk to

5244-403: Was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 95.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 48,705, and the median income for a family was $ 53,242. Virginia Beach had the 5th highest median family income among large cities in 2003. The per capita income for the city was $ 22,365. About 5.1% of families and 8.2% of

5320-404: Was a training base for Navy Seabees , but in 1943 it was changed into a training center for the crews of landing ship, tanks . Camp Shelton was an armed guard training center for bluejackets serving on board merchant ships as gun crews. At the end of World War II it served as a separation center. The Frontier Base was the forwarding center for amphibious force personnel and equipment destined for

5396-529: Was acquired and, by 1943, the air station had become a central airfield for operations. Due to the expansion, it contributed to ending the war because of the training it provided to naval air units. In March 1946, the Chief of Naval Operations ordered the Commandant of the 5th Naval District to place NOB Norfolk and NAS Norfolk as separate installations under the command of Commandant Naval Base, whose title

5472-493: Was located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean several miles south of Cape Henry , at the entrance to the bay. Near an inlet called "Little Creek", the truck stopped in a waterlogged bean field of the Whitehurst family's farm. For days thereafter, trucks loaded with lumber and equipment rolled into the area in almost continuous succession. The reason for this mass assault in a bean field 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Norfolk

5548-456: Was ranked at number 45 on Forbes list of best places for business and careers. Tourism produces a large share of Virginia Beach's economy. With an estimated $ 857 million spent in tourism related industries, 14,900 jobs cater to 2.75 million visitors. City coffers benefit as visitors provide $ 73 million in revenue. Virginia Beach opened a Convention Center in 2005 which caters to large group meetings and events. Hotels not only line

5624-601: Was soon changed to Commander, Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic. Following World War II, NOB Norfolk became the primary base of the Atlantic Fleet. It was one of the largest naval bases in the world. On 1 January 1953, the name of the naval base was officially changed to Naval Station Norfolk (NS Norfolk), after being known as the NOB. In 1968, the Naval Air Station was given a major role in John F. Kennedy 's vision of putting

5700-531: Was split into Upper Norfolk County (soon renamed Nansemond County ) and Lower Norfolk County . Thoroughgood resided after 1634 was along the Lynnhaven River , named for his home in England. Lower Norfolk County was large when first organized, defined as from the Atlantic Ocean west past the Elizabeth River , encompassing the entire area now within the modern cities of Portsmouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. It attracted many entrepreneurs, including William Moseley with his family in 1648. Belonging to

5776-506: Was that, early in World War II , Navy planners saw a necessity for landing large numbers of American troops on foreign shores in the face of enemy gunfire. That such operations would be difficult was also evident. New methods and techniques in landing troops would have to be developed. Training would be needed before sufficient men were proficient in the complicated art of the amphibious assault, which would enable U.S. troops to drive to

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