City Town Info

Virginia Beach, VA


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Introduction to Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach, located in southeastern Virginia's on the Atlantic coast, is the largest city in the state. Once railroads covered the 18 miles between it and Norfolk in the 1880s, Virginia Beach was established as a resort and top tourist destination. The fast-growing metro area, including Norfolk, is driven by four military bases, a still-booming tourism industry and blossoming high-tech industries. Virginia Beach's population, currently at over 430,000, more than doubled since 1980. The city ranked #1 on Ladies Home Journal's 2002 "Best Cities for Women" list.

Virginia Beach Culture

Known as a party town, Virginia Beach has its share of cultural attractions too, with museums that focus on art, marine science and the area's military history. The 20,000-seat Virginia Beach Amphitheater hosts performances of the Virginia Symphony as well as concerts by some of pop music's biggest acts throughout the year. Hip-hop's Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, known as The Neptunes, are natives of Virginia Beach who run a recording studio in the city. For history buffs, America's colonial past comes alive at nearby Williamsburg and Jamestown, the colonies' first settlement in 1607.

Virginia Beach Sports and Leisure

Spectator sports options are available just 18 miles away in Norfolk, where the Tides play baseball at Harbor Park and the Hampton Roads Admirals play hockey at Scope Arena. For major league sports, Baltimore and Washington are a reachable 3 hours away, offering baseball's Orioles and Expos, the NFL's Ravens and Redskins, the NBA's Wizards and the NHL's Capitals.

Virginia Beach Outdoors

Claiming the Guinness world record for the longest pleasure beach in the world, Virginia Beach is more geared to participatory sports. The area is a haven for surfers, waterskiers, swimmers and sunbathers. The famous Boardwalk is ideal for sun-drenched walking or jogging; its adjoining bike path allows bicycling and rollerblading. First Landing State Park, located on the Chesapeake Bay side of Virginia Beach, offers natural beauty, camping facilities and 19 miles of hiking trails. Little Island Park, located south of beaches frequented by tourists, offers basketball and volleyball courts, plus a fishing pier. Rudee Inlet, which empties into the ocean, is the most popular spot for boating and fishing.

Virginia Beach at Night

Virginia Beach is famous for its thriving nightlife. The city's nighttime activities include hip hop, jazz, and rock music, with dozens of clubs throughout the city and several stages along the boardwalk. Amusement parks and crowded bars along Atlantic and Pacific Avenues are great for mingling and people-watching. In nearby Norfolk, the Waterside Festival Marketplace is a popular spot for dining and entertainment.

High Points

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

CategoryTrophy
Low Rate of Poverty
(vs. Peers)
Top 6%Virginia Beach Low Rate of Poverty
Low Violent Crime
(vs. Peers)
Top 7%Virginia Beach Low Violent Crime
Racial Diversity
(vs. State)
Top 13%Virginia Beach Racial Diversity
People in Middle Class or Better
(vs. Peers)
Top 13%Virginia Beach People in Middle Class or Better
Low Property Crime
(vs. Peers)
Top 14%Virginia Beach Low Property Crime
Median Family Income
(vs. State)
Top 18%Virginia Beach Median Family Income

Comparative Profile of Virginia Beach, VA

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

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Male Share of the Population79
Children Under 5 Years Old69
Well-Paid Single Men68
Age of the Population52
Well-Paid Single Women56
Female Share of the Population42
Racial Diversity49
Senior Citizens31

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Portion of People Married99
Average Household Size810

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
People Above Poverty109
People in Middle Class or Better99
Median Family Income89
College Educated Adults78

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Working at Home77
Short Commute Times55
Walking and Biking to Work48
Public Transportation Use17

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Seasonal and Vacation Housing109
Housing Recently Built910
Affordability of Property Taxes52
Affordability of Rents32
People Living Alone21
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals15

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Low Violent Crime104
Low Property Crime94

Detailed pages on related topics: Virginia Beach collegesVirginia Beach travelVirginia Beach mortgage and property.

You are visiting:
All StatesVirginia > Virginia Beach

Additional Details

Virginia Beach CareersVirginia Beach Careers
Virginia Beach career and employment information.
Virginia Beach CollegesVirginia Beach Colleges
Virginia Beach colleges and trade schools.
Virginia Beach Hotels & TravelVirginia Beach Hotels & Travel
Virginia Beach hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.
Virginia Beach MortgageVirginia Beach Mortgage
Virginia Beach property, mortgage, and real estate.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Virginia Beach

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Virginia Beach

Historic Virginia Beach

photo

Princess Anne Hotel between 1900 and 1910

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Virginia Beach Government Officials

Are you an official in the Virginia Beach government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Virginia Beach. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2010. All Rights Reserved. Moving Traffic, Inc., operator of CityTownInfo.com, is not a broker or a lender, and all offers for loans or mortgages found on this site are made solely by the advertiser.