Hampton, Virginia

Introduction to Hampton, Virginia

Hampton is a Virginia city located on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula. It is bounded on the north and east by the Chesapeake Bay and on the south by the Hampton Roads Harbor. The city is situated about 16 miles north of Norfolk, to which it is connected by Interstate I-64. Hampton is served by two airports: the primary area airport is Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk; and the region's secondary airport is Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, located in Newport News.

Widely considered to be one of the nation's earliest settlements, Hampton dates its origins back to the early 1600s. Mainly a quiet trading port before the Civil War, Hampton found itself in the middle of the conflict when the Confederate army, in an attempt to stop Union troops from taking over the town, burned it to the ground in 1861. From the ruins left behind, former slaves who were under a degree of Union protection built the Grand Contraband Camp, the first self-contained African American community in the United States. Hampton achieved its city status in 1952 after a municipal consolidation which resulted in the City of Hampton essentially incorporating the boundaries of the former Elizabeth City County.

Hampton Cultural Attractions

The Hampton area features a wide variety of historical, cultural and recreational attractions. The Hampton University Museum is located on the grounds of one of the oldest African-American universities in the country. The University originated as the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, whose mission was to educate freed black men and women after the Civil War and teach them trades and skills. Also located at the site is the Emancipation Oak, the place where Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was read. Another Hampton landmark is the Virginia Air & Space Center, the official visitor center for NASA's Langley Research Center. Here visitors can see the Apollo 12 Command Capsule that journeyed to the moon, experience a state-of-the-art virtual-reality video on the pioneers of flying, and much more. The Hampton History Museum, located in historic downtown, tells the storied history of Hampton. Costumed interpreters are on-hand to help visitors understand the significance and context of the exhibits. Also located downtown is The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center, a 1925 structure which served as Hampton's public library for over 60 years. After careful renovation and restoration, the building now presents changing exhibitions of the best of local, regional, and national artists. And no Hampton attraction is more significant than the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe (the largest stone fort ever built in the United States). The Museum chronicles the Fort's role during the Civil War and contains the cell in which Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned.

Fans of NCAA Division I collegiate athletics have teams in town to root for. The Hampton University Pirates compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), in which their teams have won titles in many sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's track, and men's and women's tennis. Hampton also has a professional sports team, soccer's Hampton Roads Piranhas who compete in the United Soccer League's Premier Development League (PDL). Nearby Norfolk is home to the Tides, a minor-league AAA baseball affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles; and also to the American Hockey League's Norfolk Admirals, a farm team of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL.

Nearby Cities and Towns

LocationPop.Median Family
Income (2000)
Hampton146,437$46,110
Chesapeake199,184$56,302
Newport News180,150$42,520
Norfolk234,403$36,891
Poquoson11,566$65,460
Portsmouth100,565$39,577
Smithfield6,324$53,906

High Points

Hampton strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Virginia):

CategoryTrophy
Racial Diversity
(vs. State)
Top 14%Hampton Racial Diversity
Public Transportation Use
(vs. State)
Top 15%Hampton Public Transportation Use

Profile of Hampton, VA

Comparing Hampton to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Virginia (State):

Ratings range from (lowest) to (highest).

The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Male Share of the Population
Age of the Population
Well-Paid Single Men
Well-Paid Single Women
Senior Citizens
Female Share of the Population
Racial Diversity
Children Under 5 Years Old

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Portion of People Married
Average Household Size

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
People Above Poverty
People in Middle Class or Better
Median Family Income
College Educated Adults

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Short Commute Times
Public Transportation Use
Walking and Biking to Work
Working at Home

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Affordability of Property Taxes
Seasonal and Vacation Housing
Affordability of Rents
Housing Recently Built
People Living Alone
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals

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Info for Hampton Government Officials

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Of Note:

Historic Hampton

Hampton Roads from Hotel Warwick (Newport News) c1907.

Select a photo to view (Source):

Hampton Roads from Hotel Warwick (Newport News) c1907.

Hotel Chamberlin (Old Point Comfort) 1902

C. & O. (Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company) station and terminal (Newport) between 1900 and 1910

Political Contributions (2004)

Money donated by Hampton residents to parties and candidates for the 2004 elections.

by Political Party

PartyContributions
Republican$53,673
Democratic$49,490

by Presidential Candidate

CandidateContributions
George W. Bush$18,975
John Kerry$9,940

Estimated Hampton Population Growth 2000-2005

CategoryValue
Est. 2005 Population145,579
Growth-858
Growth %-0.59%

Hampton Population (2000)

CategoryCountPercent
Total Population146,437100%
Male72,57949.6%
Female73,85850.4%
Under 1835,49724.2%
18+110,94075.8%
65+15,14310.3%
Median Age34 
Average Family Size3.02 
White72,55649.5%
African-American65,42844.7%
Asian2,6941.8%
American Indian & Alaskan6160.4%
Other1,5051%
Mixed Race3,5022.4%
Hispanic (included in categories above)4,1532.8%
Median Family Income (1999)$46,110 
Population In Poverty15,08811.3%

Hampton Ancestry

(From 2000 Census, as reported by individuals)

Note: This is national, not racial, ancestry, so the Census doesn't have categories for Hispanic and African-American, e.g. CityTownInfo is currently gathering additional ancestry data for this site.

AncestryPercent
Other (often includes Hispanic and African American)53.8%
US/American8.9%
German7.9%
English7.1%
Irish5.6%
Italian2.7%
Scotch-Irish1.4%
Scottish1.4%
French (except Basque)1.4%
African1.3%
Polish1.1%
European0.7%
French Canadian0.7%
Norwegian0.6%
Dutch0.5%
British0.5%
Jamaican0.5%
Swedish0.4%
Welsh0.4%
Greek0.3%
Portuguese0.2%
Canadian0.2%
Trinidadian and Tobagonian0.2%
Hungarian0.2%
Russian0.2%

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Detailed Resources

Hampton CollegesHampton Colleges
Hampton colleges and trade schools.
Hampton Hotels & TravelHampton Hotels & Travel
Hampton hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.
Hampton MortgageHampton Mortgage
Hampton property, mortgage, and real estate.

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Hampton Almanac

CategoryValue
Nearest Large City21 miles NW of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Metro AreaNorfolk - Virginia Beach - Newport News
Standard Zip Codes23605, 23651, 23661, 23662, 23663, 23664, 23665, 23666, 23667, 23668, 23669
P.O. Box Zip Codes23670
Company Zip Codes23630, 23631, 23653, 23681
Phone Area Codes757
Time ZoneEastern (-5 hours from GMT)
Daylight SavingsThe city observes Daylight Saving Time.
Latitude37.03
Longitude-76.369

Hampton Climate

Nearest Weather Stations
Notes:

  • Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
  • Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

StationLANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE
Distance3.9 miles
Jan Temp32 to 47 F
Apr Temp49 to 66 F
Jul Temp72 to 85 F
Oct Temp53 to 68 F
Annual Precip47.9 inches
StationNORFOLK NAS
Distance7.3 miles
Jan Temp34 to 49 F
Apr Temp50 to 68 F
Jul Temp73 to 88 F
Oct Temp55 to 70 F
Annual Precip43.5 inches
StationNORFOLK INTL AP
Distance13 miles
Jan Temp32 to 48 F
Apr Temp48 to 67 F
Jul Temp71 to 87 F
Oct Temp53 to 69 F
Annual Precip45.7 inches

Hampton High Schools (2004)


(Sorted by Number of Students)

BETHEL HIGH
1067 BIG BETHEL RD
757-825-4400
Serves 2,052 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 14.5

KECOUGHTAN HIGH
522 WOODLAND RD
757-850-5000
Serves 1,896 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 14.9

HAMPTON HIGH
1491 W QUEEN ST
757-825-4430
Serves 1,588 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 13

PHOEBUS HIGH
100 IRELAND ST
757-727-1000
Serves 1,364 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 12.5

HAMPTON HARBOUR ACADEMY
700 SHELL RD BLDG 2
757-247-4050
A charter school.
Title I eligible, not participating.
Serves 201 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 4

MULTI-DISABLED SCHOOL
700 SHELL RD
757-247-2050
A Special Education School
Serves 75 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 3.4

NEW HORIZONS GOV SCHOOL
520 BUTLER FARM RD
757-766-1100
A magnet school.

NEW HORIZONS REG ED CTR
520 BUTLER FARM ROAD
757-766-1100
A Special Education School

HAMPTON/NEWPORT NEWS LESS SECURE DET. HOME
4315 KECOUGHTAN RD.
757-723-8248
A Non-traditional School

Hampton Hospitals

SENTARA CAREPLEX HOSPITAL
(Voluntary non-profit - Other)
3000 COLISEUM DRIVE
(800) 736-8272
Emergency Service: Yes

Hampton VA Medical Center
(VA)
100 Emancipation Drive
(757) 722-9961

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Starbucks in Hampton

(As of 2005)
Coliseum Crossing
108 Coliseum Drive
Farm Fresh
227 Fox Hill Rd
Power Plant Of Hampton Roads
1984 Power Plant Parkway

Wal-Mart in Hampton

(As of 2006)
1900 Cunningham Drive
(757) 826-6377

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City Town Info

Hampton, VA

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