Hampton Roads

Hampton Roads is both a body of water and the name of the broader metropolitan region that encompasses Virginia Beach and the surrounding cities of southeastern Virginia. As a body of water, Hampton Roads serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point, near the point at which Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Virginia Beach is part of this metropolitan area, which takes its name from the shipping lanes that ran through the region in colonial times. Hampton Roads is known for its large military presence, ice-free harbor, shipyards, coal piers, and miles of waterfront property and beaches, all of which contribute to the diversity and stability of the region's economy. The Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA–NC Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated 2023 population of 1,787,169, making it the 37th-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Etymology and Name Origin

The name "Hampton Roads" is a centuries-old reference that originated when the region was struggling as a British outpost some 400 years ago. The word "Hampton" honors one of the founders of the Virginia Company, Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton. "Roads," short for roadstead, is a nautical term meaning "a place less sheltered than a harbor where ships may ride at anchor."

The City of Hampton, which was once part of the now-disbanded Elizabeth City County, received its name in 1610 from Henry Wriothesley, the Third Earl of Southampton, England. Over time, the name extended beyond the water itself to describe the surrounding land and communities. As a result of the booming ground transportation industry that connected to the Tidewater's waterways, the name Hampton Roads also came to reference the land areas adjacent to the water junction. Because of the interconnectivity among the various parts of southeastern Virginia, the localities became further codependent on one another for economic prosperity and growth. Slowly, print publications began referring not only to the maritime and railway transport lines as Hampton Roads, but also to the areas in which they were located.

In October 1922, major players in the region from business, the military, and local governments came together to declare what this corner of Virginia would be referred to as a whole. It was in this meeting that it was decided to brand the area as Hampton Roads in order to show the cooperative working relationship between all of the municipalities. In the 1950s, a bill was introduced to the Virginia General Assembly to legally recognize the Tidewater as Hampton Roads. The bill claimed that "Tidewater" was too generalized a term to give a frame of reference to those outside the region; however, the bill died on the floor because of the nostalgia factor associated with the name. In 1983, "Hampton Roads" became the official name for the region as recognized by the United States, unifying the Southside with the Peninsula, although the first recorded mention of "Hampton Roads" in the Virginia General Assembly was in 1755, some 21 years before the founding of the United States.

Geography and Physical Description

Hampton Roads is a great natural roadstead in southeastern Virginia, formed by the deepwater estuary of the James River and protected by the Virginia Peninsula. The Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers also enter the roadstead, which is connected to Chesapeake Bay by the Thimble Shoal Channel, approximately 1,000 feet wide; the channel extends for 12 miles and reaches 45 feet in depth. Two deepwater channels branch out from the harbor, the southern of which is linked with the coastal inlets of North Carolina through the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

Positioned along the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and crisscrossed by rivers like the James, Elizabeth, and York, the region offers countless ways to enjoy the water. The geology and topography of the Hampton Roads region is influenced by the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, one of three factors contributing to the sinking of Hampton Roads at a rate between 15 and 23 centimeters per century. The region has extensive natural areas, including 26 miles 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 in Virginia, and miles of waterfront property along the various rivers and waterways.

Port cities facing the roads include Norfolk and Portsmouth on the south and Newport News and Hampton on the north. Norfolk is joined to Hampton by a bridge-tunnel 5 miles long and to the eastern shore of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel complex, which stretches 17.6 miles and spans the Chesapeake Bay.

History

Hampton Roads is considered the birthplace of Colonial America. It is home to Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, and to Colonial Williamsburg. The settlers who landed in Virginia Beach in 1607 traveled up the James River to create America's first permanent English colony: Jamestown. More than five years of fragile existence, disease-carrying insects, 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.

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. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, which was originally named Gosport Shipyard, is the oldest shipyard in the United States and dates back to 1767.

Important conflicts of the American Revolutionary War involved Norfolk and Craney Island. It was at Norfolk where the last Royal Governor of the Virginia Colony, Lord Dunmore, departed mainland Virginia for the last time. The first naval action of the War of 1812 took place on July 8, 1812, when the Bermuda sloop HMS Whiting, its crew oblivious to the U.S. declaration of war, lowered anchor in Hampton Roads.

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.

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.

Military Presence

The military has been central to the identity and economy of Hampton Roads since the earliest days of European settlement. Hampton Roads has been an important military base since colonial days and is the headquarters of the 5th Naval District, the Atlantic Fleet (Norfolk), the Air Combat Command (Langley Air Force Base), the Continental Army Command (Fort Monroe), and the Army Transportation Center (Fort Eustis).

Hampton Roads is known around the world for its distinguished military presence, with a total of 15 military installations and 80,000 active-duty personnel. As home to Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval installation, Norfolk has a storied past and a vibrant local arts scene. In 2019, the U.S. Navy alone generated 15% of the economic activity in Hampton Roads. The Navy homeported 54 ships plus 18 more Military Sealift Command ships, and 35 aircraft squadrons, between Yorktown and Virginia Beach.

Portsmouth has an important naval shipyard, officially called the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, which is the oldest U.S. Navy shipyard in the country. The region's deep, ice-free harbor has made it indispensable to American naval operations across every major conflict in the nation's history, from the Revolution through both World Wars to the present day.

Economy, Port, and Commerce

The port cities comprise the Port of Hampton Roads, created in 1926 under the State of Virginia Port Authority, and it is one of the busiest seaports in the country. Exports include tobacco and paper products, while imports include petroleum products, ores, and automobile parts. Shipbuilding, food products, and chemicals are important local industries.

Hampton Roads is recognized as one of the largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States, the eighth-largest metro area in the Southeast, and the second-largest between Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Six of the ten largest population centers in the United States are located within 750 miles of Hampton Roads.

Virginia Beach itself anchors the southeastern corner of the regional economy. Virginia Beach, the largest city in Virginia, is a vibrant East Coast city that nurtures a healthy mix of industry, attractions, and people. Miles of pristine waterfront make the community a premier destination for business and pleasure alike. With pro-business policies, access to a skilled and abundant workforce, and a robust transportation system, Virginia Beach is well positioned for business growth. The city's business community features a diverse collection of industries, including nationally and internationally known corporate headquarters, technologically-advanced manufacturers, billion-dollar defense contractors, and locally owned shops.

STIHL Inc., a German-based manufacturer of chain saws and other power tools, has a 150-acre, one-million-square-foot North American headquarters facility in Virginia Beach. Its Virginia Beach location has continually expanded since its opening more than 45 years ago and today produces more tools than any other STIHL facility worldwide.

Tourism and Culture

Home to over 1.8 million residents across 15 distinct localities, visitors can enjoy the vibrant city life of Norfolk, the sunny beaches of Virginia Beach, the peaceful farmlands of Suffolk, and the storied past of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown.

Twenty-nine miles of Atlantic Oceanfront are accessible on the expanded white sands of Virginia Beach, with its famous paved Boardwalk and free seasonal events. Outdoor attractions include the Cape Henry Lighthouses — the oldest built in 1792 — as well as False Cape State Park and First Landing State Park, where the English first landed before moving up-river to Jamestown.

Visitors can see the USS Wisconsin at Nauticus in Norfolk or explore maritime history at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum or the Mariners Museum. The Virginia Aquarium, Norfolk Botanical Garden, and Virginia Zoo all offer year-round experiences for all ages. Arts lovers can visit the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, and Hampton Roads has a museum or interactive exhibit for virtually any interest.

Hampton Roads experiences all four seasons. Summer temperatures average in the high 70s to high 80s°F, with mild winters where snow falls one to two times per year. Virginia Beach in particular offers 38+ miles of beaches and almost 80 miles of scenic waterway on which to enjoy the outdoors.

Colonial National Historical Park comprises two of the most historically significant sites in English North America — Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield. Colonial Williamsburg, the nation's largest living history museum, is a functional colonial town and one of the most popular destinations in the world.