Virginia Beach (pop. 459,470) is the largest city in Virginia. It is a resort as well as a busy urban center. Virginia Beach lies in the southeast corner of the state, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay.
Virginia Beach covers 245 square miles (635 square kilometers) of land. It is part of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,780,059.
Virginia Beach is a popular resort city. It has a mild climate and 28 miles (45 kilometers) of public beaches. Inlets, streams, lakes, and the ocean coast of Virginia Beach offer opportunities for swimming, boating, and fishing. Millions of tourists visit the city each year, greatly aiding the economy.
Virginia Beach is also a commercial center. A number of manufacturing, distributing, and service companies have headquarters in the city. The Christian Broadcasting Network is also headquartered there. Agriculture also contributes to the city’s economy. Farmers raise fruits and vegetables in the rural southern part of Virginia Beach. In addition, thousands of Virginia Beach residents work at one of several military bases in the city or nearby.
The cultural facilities of Virginia Beach include the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts. The city’s historical sites include the Thoroughgood House, built around 1719, and Lynnhaven House, which dates from about 1725.
In 1607, the first permanent English settlers in America landed at Cape Henry in what is now Virginia Beach before establishing Jamestown nearby. Cape Henry Lighthouse, authorized and funded by the first Congress of the United States, was built on the cape in 1791. Permanent settlement began in what is now Virginia Beach in about 1621. In the late 1800’s, a small resort town began there. It was incorporated as the town of Virginia Beach in 1906. The community was still a small resort of about 8,000 people in 1960. In 1963, the town merged with Princess Anne County, increasing the community’s population to about 100,000. Rapid population increases were soon accompanied by the growth of businesses. During the 1980’s, Virginia Beach became the state’s largest city. Virginia Beach has a council-manager form of government.
