Virginia Beach, Virginia | |||
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Independent city | |||
City of Virginia Beach | |||
Clockwise from top left: Oceanfront beaches; King Neptune statue; Town Center skyline; Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel; Cape Henry Lighthouses
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Nickname(s): "The Resort City", "Neptune City" | |||
Motto: Landmarks of Our Nation's Beginning | |||
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia |
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Location in the contiguous United States | |||
Coordinates: 36°51′02″N 75°58′40″W / 36.8506°N 75.9779°W | |||
Country | United States of America | ||
State | Virginia | ||
County | None (Independent city) | ||
Incorporated (as town) | 1906 | ||
Incorporated (as city) | 1952 | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Council-manager | ||
• Mayor | Will Sessoms (R) | ||
Area | |||
• Independent city | 1,290 km2 (497 sq mi) | ||
• Land | 640 km2 (249 sq mi) | ||
• Water | 640 km2 (248 sq mi) | ||
Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) | ||
Population (2015) | |||
• Independent city | 452,745 (41st) | ||
• Density | 352/km2 (911/sq mi) | ||
• Urban | 1,212,000 | ||
• Metro | 1,724,876 (37th) | ||
Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
Area code(s) | 757 | ||
FIPS code | 51-82000 | ||
GNIS feature ID | 1500261 | ||
Website | www.vbgov.com |
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 437,994. In 2015, the population was estimated to be 452,745. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city in Virginia and the 41st most populous city in the nation. Despite being larger, Virginia Beach is generally considered to be a suburb of Norfolk.
Located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach is included in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. This area, known as "America's First Region", also includes the independent cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk, as well as other smaller cities, counties, and towns of Hampton Roads.
Virginia Beach is a resort city with miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants along its oceanfront. Every year the city hosts the East Coast Surfing Championships as well as the North American Sand Soccer Championship, a beach soccer tournament. It is also home to several state parks, several long-protected beach areas, three military bases, a number of large corporations, two universities, International headquarters and site of the television broadcast studios for Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment, and numerous historic sites. 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, on April 26, 1607.