Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach, Virginia 

Virginia Beach is a free-standing American city that may be found on the Commonwealth of Virginia's southeasterly coast. In 2020, there were 459,470 people living there. It is the most populated city in Virginia, the fifth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, the ninth most populous city in the Southeast, and the 42nd most populous city in the United States, despite having a largely suburban character. The largest city in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, Virginia Beach is situated on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Along with numerous minor towns, counties, and cities in Hampton Roads, this region—also referred to as "America's First Region"—also includes the independent cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk. 

 Virginia Beach is a vacation destination with miles of beaches and a long stretch of hotels, motels, and eateries. The North American Sand Soccer Championship, a beach soccer competition, and the East Coast Surfing Championships are both held in the city each year.  

Additionally, it is the location of numerous state parks, long-protected beach areas, military installations, a number of big businesses, Virginia Wesleyan University, Regent University, the global headquarters and television broadcast studios of Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment, as well as numerous historic sites. On April 26, 1607, English colonists made their initial landing at Cape Henry, which is close to the location where the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean converge. These colonists later settled in Jamestown. 

The city is recognized as having the longest recreational beach in the world by the Guinness Book of Records. 

It is situated at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which, until the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge opened in 2018, was the longest bridge-tunnel complex in the world. 

Geography 

The city has a total area of 497 square miles (1,290 km2), of which 249 square miles (640 km2) are land and 248 square miles (640 km2) (49.9%) are water, according to the United States Census Bureau. It is the third-biggest city in terms of land area and the largest city in Virginia overall. The average height above sea level is 12 feet (3.7 m). The Lynnhaven River and its tributaries serve as the primary conduit for the city's water drainage, which goes to the Chesapeake Bay. 

The city is situated in the Hampton Roads region, which borders the Atlantic Ocean, in Virginia's southeast. With a total population of 1,707,639, the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Statistical Area—officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA—is the 37th biggest in the US. 

The region is made up of the Virginian towns of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Williamsburg as well as the North Carolina counties of Currituck, Isle of Wight, Mathews, Surry, and York. Despite being the city with the highest population inside the MSA, Virginia Beach primarily serves as a suburb at the moment. The Virginia Beach oceanfront resort zone and Williamsburg are predominantly tourist destinations, but the city of Norfolk is acknowledged as the region's primary business district. 

Additionally, Virginia Beach is 209 miles (336 km) southeast of Washington, D.C., 24 miles (38 km) northeast of Chesapeake, 107 miles (172 km) southeast of Richmond, the state capital. 

Climate 

Virginia Beach experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa). The Trewartha update system relates to the ecology of the region, which struggles to endure the milder temperatures further north or inland. The climate is the northern limit of Cf (subtropical) for the Trewartha update system. 

Winters are chilly, and little snow falls. Summers are steamy and sticky. On the far northwest edge of Virginia Beach, at Norfolk International Airport, are the official meteorological statistics kept. The average annual temperature is 59.6 °F (15.3 °C), while the average annual snowfall ranges from 3.0 inches (76 mm) in the southeast near Back Bay to 5.8 inches (150 mm) at the airport. The amount of yearly precipitation is high on average, ranging from 47 inches (1,200 mm) at the airport to more than 50 inches (1,300 mm) at Back Bay. The summer months of July through early September are the wettest, with August having the highest monthly rainfall average with almost 5.5 inches. The average monthly precipitation, which ranges between 3.1 and 3.7 inches from October to June, is impressively constant. 

At Norfolk International Airport, temperatures as of this writing have been reported as high as 105 °F (41 °C) in July 2010 and as low as 3 °F (19 °C) in January 1985. The coldest daily maximum ever recorded was 12 °F (11 °C) in December 1917, while the average maximum temperature for the 1991–2020 normals was 29 °F (2 °C). This means that, with very few exceptions, most years record at least one ice day, despite the mild normals. Some nights in the summer might be extremely warm. The lowest temperature ever recorded was 84 °F (29 °C) in July 1942, while the warmest night of the typical year averages 80 °F (27 °C). 

Additionally, the city's geographic position in relation to the main storm tracks is particularly advantageous, which is how it came to be known as a popular tourist destination. With the exception of Hurricane Isabel in 2003, it lies south of the typical path of storms coming from higher latitudes and north of the typical paths of hurricanes and other significant tropical storms. Virginia Beach is the northernmost place on the east coast where many species of plants (both subtropical and tropical) will reliably flourish due to the moderating effects of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  

The most northerly area where Spanish moss is common is First Landing State Park, which is also close to the northernmost limit of its native range. Other flora, such as the Windmill Palm, Sabal palmetto, Butia odorata (in protected areas), and Oleander, thrive here despite failing to withstand the harsher winter conditions to the north and west of here. In urban regions and along the coast, the hardiness zone is 8b; inland and to the northwest, it is 8a. 

A significant portion of Virginia Beach's economy is produced by tourism. 14,900 employees serve 2.75 million visitors with an estimated $857 million in tourism-related spending. Visitors generate $73 million in money for the city coffers. In 2005, Virginia Beach opened a convention center for major gatherings and events. In addition to being dotted along the oceanfront, hotels are also abundant around Virginia Beach Town Center and other areas of the city. The hospitality and entertainment sectors also directly profit from tourism in Virginia Beach. 

A sizable agro industry in Virginia Beach contributes $80 million to the local economy. In Virginia Beach, there are 172 farms, most of which are located in the southern part of the city below the greenline. At the city's Farmer's Market, farmers can offer their wares and supplies. 

Several US military bases are located near Virginia Beach. These include Joint Expeditionary Base East at Cape Henry and the American Navy's NAS Oceana and Training Support Center Hampton Roads. NAB Little Creek also has a Norfolk address while being mostly within the Virginia Beach city limits. 

The BRAC Commission mandated in 2005 that NAS Oceana must shut down unless the city of Virginia Beach condemns homes in areas designated as "Accident Potential Zones." NAS Oceana is the largest employer in Virginia Beach. The US Navy has never supported this course of action, and they did not even suggest NAS Oceana's prospective closure to the BRAC Commission. 

The Training Support Center Hampton Roads and NAS Oceana are both regarded as the biggest facilities of their respective kinds in the world. Additionally, Norfolk Navy Base, the nerve center of the American Navy's Atlantic Fleet, is close by in Norfolk. 

54% of Virginia Beach's 171,000 employees reside in the city, 12% do so in Chesapeake, and 10% do so in Norfolk. There are 99,600 more commuters from Virginia Beach, of whom 35% go to Norfolk and 23% to Chesapeake. Over the past two years, the unemployment rate has decreased by almost half, from a peak of 4.2% in January 2017 to 2.8% in June 2019. 

Sports 

The majority of the major spectator sports are located in Norfolk because it is home to Hampton Roads' key business center. Despite recent consideration of the Hampton Roads region as a potential location for major-league professional sports, and recent attempts by local authorities to secure Major League Baseball, NBA, and NHL franchises, no club has yet settled there. The largest metropolitan area in America without a team in a major professional sports league is Hampton Roads. 

The 2012 AHL Calder Cup was won by the Norfolk Admirals. 

Up until the UFL's demise in 2012, a UFL franchise called the Virginia Destroyers competed there. An Atlantic League franchise was given to Virginia Beach Professional Baseball, LLC in April 2013. They are known as the Virginia Beach Neptunes, but as Wheeler Field is still being constructed, they have yet to play a game. At the Virginia Beach Sportsplex, two soccer teams compete: the men's USL Premier Development League squad, the Virginia Beach Piranhas, and the women's W-League team, the Hampton Roads Piranhas. The primary practice facility for the United States women's national field hockey team is located at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. 

The East Coast Surfing Championships, an annual competition featuring more than 100 of the best professional surfers in the world and around 400 amateur surfers, are also held in the city. This is the oldest surfing competition in North America. 

In addition to four country club designs and 36 military holes at NAS Oceana's Aeropines course, the city is home to eleven public golf courses. Hell's Point Golf Club and Virginia Beach National are two of the most well-known public golf courses. From 2000 to 2006, Virginia Beach National served as the site of the Nationwide Tour's Virginia Beach Open. Additionally, the Kingsmill Championship, an annual LPGA Tour competition, is held at the Kingsmill Resort in nearby Williamsburg. 

Every year, around Labor Day weekend, Virginia Beach plays host to the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in conjunction with the American Music Festival. One of the biggest half marathons in the world takes place there. The boardwalk is used for the final 3 miles (4.8 km). The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, started in 1973, is another event held in Virginia Beach and attracts approximately 24,000 people. It takes place every year over the St. Patrick's Day weekend and was named one of the top 20 marathons in the nation in 1992 by Runner's World. 

Population 

Virginia Beach City County contains the city of Virginia Beach. It is the largest city in Virginia and the 42nd largest city in the United States as of 2023, with a population of 465,914. Virginia Beach's population has grown by 1.40% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 459,470 in 2020, and is now rising at a pace of 0.46% yearly. Virginia Beach, which stretches over 497 miles, has a population density of 1,904 persons per square mile. 

Virginia Beach has an 8.64% poverty rate and a $96,936 average household income. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Virginia Beach, the median age is 36.4 years, with 34.7 years for men and 38.3 years for women. 

Virginia's state capital is Virginia Beach. The Chesapeake Bay's mouth is home to this independent city. The city has the highest population density in the state and ranks 41st in the country. Virginia Beach is renowned for being a resort city, and it attracts tourists every year with its stunning beaches, numerous hotels and resorts, restaurants, and attractions. 

Top 2 News Websites 

WAVY.com 

The staff at WAVY.com is here to bring you the most recent information and news from Virginia Beach. 

NECN 

News about Virginia Beach, including breaking news, local weather, traffic, and entertainment. 

Current City Mayor 

The first veteran to be directly elected as mayor of Virginia Beach is Bobby Dyer, who took office on November 20. He had previously served 14 years as the City Council representative for the Centerville District. 

Physical therapist Dyer practices. He has worked as a health care executive, a business consultant, and an assistant professor at Regent University's School of Government. From 1968 until 1972, Dyer served in the US Marine Corps. He graduated from Saint Louis University with a bachelor's in physical therapy in 1976, and Fairleigh Dickinson University awarded him a master's in public administration in 1982. In 2001, he graduated with a doctorate in organizational leadership from Regent University. 

He currently represents the City Council on the following committees: Bikeways and Trails Advisory Committee, Clean Community Commission, Community Services Board, Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, Human Rights Commission, Open Space Advisory Committee, and Process Improvement St 

With two children and four grandchildren, Dyer and his wife Trish reside in the Centerville District's Lake Christopher neighborhood.