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Virginia
Beach
is an independent city located in the South Hampton Roads
area in the Commonwealth of Virginia, on the shores of
the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It is the
most populous city in Virginia and the 41st largest city
in the United States, with an estimated population of
435,619 in 2006.
Virginia Beach is the easternmost
of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads that make up the
core of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
MSA. 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 best known as a resort, with miles
of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants
along its oceanfront. It is also home to several state
parks, several long protected beach areas, three military
bases, a number of large corporations, two universities,
and 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 bound for
Jamestown on April 26, 1607.
The city is listed in the Guinness Book
of Records as having the longest pleasure beach in the
world. It is located at the southern end of the Chesapeake
Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the longest bridge-tunnel complex
in the world.
Geography
497.3 square miles (1,288.1 km²). 248.3 square
miles (643.1 km²) of it is land and 249.0 square
miles (645.0 km²) of it (50.07%) is water. The average
elevation is 12 feet (4 meters) above sea level. A major
portion of the city drains to the Chesapeake Bay by way
of the Lynnhaven River and its tributaries.
The city is located at the southeastern corner of the
Tidewater region of Virginia (also known as Hampton Roads),
bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The Hampton Roads Metropolitan
Statistical Area (officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport
News, VA-NC MSA) is the 34th largest in the United States,
with a total population of 1,576,370. The area includes
the Virginia cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake,
Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk,
Williamsburg, and the counties of Gloucester, Isle of
Wight, James City, Mathews, Surry, and York, as well
as the North Carolina county of Currituck. While Virginia
Beach is the most populated city within the MSA, it actually
currently functions more as a suburb. The city of Norfolk
is recognized as the central business district, while
the Virginia Beach oceanside resort district and Williamsburg
are primarily centers of tourism.
The Virginia tidewater area has grown
faster than the local freshwater supply. The river water
has always been salty, and the fresh groundwater is no
longer available in most areas. Currently, water for
the tidewater area is pumped through an aqueduct from
Lake Gaston, which straddles the Virginia-North Carolina
border. The pipeline is 76 miles long and 60 inches in
diameter. Much of its follows the former right-of-way
of an abandoned portion of the Virginian Railway.
It is capable of pumping 60 million gallons of water
per day(60MGD), Chesapeake is a partner in the project
and is allotted 10 MGD.
Climate
The climate of Virginia Beach can be considered humid
subtropical, due to the moderating effect of the ocean.
However, winters can bring prolonged cold periods,
but snow is quite rare. Summers are hot and humid with
warm evenings. The mean annual temperature is 60 °F
(15 °C), with an average annual snowfall of 2.5
inches and an average annual rainfall of 45 inches.
The wettest seasons are the spring and summer, although
rainfall is fairly constant all year round. The highest
recorded temperature was 103°F (39°C) in August
1957, and the lowest recorded temperature was -11°F
(-24°C) in January 1985.
Additionally, the geographic location
of the city, with respect to the principal storm tracks,
is especially favorable, as it is south of the average
path of storms originating in the higher latitudes, and
north of the usual tracks of hurricanes and other major
tropical storms.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000,[1] there
were 425,257 people, 154,455 households, and 110,898
families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,712.7 people per square mile (661.3/km²). There were 162,277 housing
units at an average density of 653.6/sq mi (252.3/km²).
The racial makeup of the city was 71.41% White (69.46%
non-Hispanic white), 18.95% African American, 0.38% Native
American, 4.91% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.51%
from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. 4.18%
of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 154,455 households out of which 38.8% had
children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7%
were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families.
20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and
5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age
or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the
average family size was 3.14.
The age distribution is 27.5% under the age of 18, 10.0%
from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to
64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0
males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were
95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,705,
and the median income for a family was $53,242. Males
had a median income of $33,756 versus $25,979 for females.
The per capita income for the city was $22,365. About
5.1% of families and 6.5% of the population were below
the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18
and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
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