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Virginia Counties
The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into ninety-five counties and thirty-eight independent cities, which are considered county-equivalents for census purposes.City of Virginia Beach, Virginia
City of Virginia Beach Education, Geography, and History
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the state of Virginia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 437,994. In 2013, the population was estimated to be 448,479. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city in Virginia, having grown larger than the more urban neighboring city of Norfolk, and is the 39th most populous city in the United States.
The city is located at the southeastern corner of Virginia in the Hampton Roads area bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The Hampton Roads Metropolitan Statistical Area (officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA)
Etymology - Origin of City of Virginia Beach Name
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Virginia Beach City History
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 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 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 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 a leading citizen of the area. In 1629, he was elected
to the House of Burgesses for Elizabeth Cittie [sic], one of four "citties" (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 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 the Merchant Adventurers Guild of London, he immigrated from Rotterdam of
the Netherlands, where he had been in the international trade. He settled on land on the north side of the Elizabeth River (Virginia),
east of what developed as Norfolk.
Following 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 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.
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 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 the Virginia Beach resort.
When the modern city of Virginia Beach was created in 1963, by the consolidation of the 253 square miles (660 km2) Princess Anne County with the 2 square miles (5.2 km2) City of Virginia Beach, the newly larger city was divided into seven boroughs: Bayside, Blackwater, Kempsville, Lynnhaven, Princess Anne, Pungo, and Virginia Beach.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 497 square miles (1,290 km2), of which 249 square miles (640 km2) is land and 248 square miles (640 km2) (49.9%) is water. It is the largest city in Virginia by total area and third-largest city land area. The average elevation is 12 feet (3.7 m) above sea level. A major portion of the city drains to the Chesapeake Bay by way of the Lynnhaven River and its tributaries.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
The city is located at the southeastern corner of Virginia in the Hampton Roads area bordering the Atlantic Ocean.
Education
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