Hampton’s

proud heritage blends seamlessly with industry and technology to create a community ranked by Money Magazine as one of the “Best Places to Live” and by Sesame Street Parents maga zine as the most “Family Friendly” city in America!

Established in 1610, Hampton began its life as a small, waterfront community and is now recognized as the oldest continuous Englishspeaking settlement in America. Its exciting history includes stories of Blackbeard the Pirate, the Emancipation Proclamation, and man’s first space flight.

Hampton lies at the end of a peninsula flanked by the Port of Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay and crisscrossed by numerous creeks and rivers. Little wonder, then, that among its many leisure-time offerings are water-related activities, events and amenities that make this community a boater’s paradise. Tour boats offer guests the opportunity to visit an island fortress, spend an afternoon whale watching, or take a romantic evening cruise. Sailing enthusiasts cite Hampton’s marinas as some of the finest in Virginia, and leisure fishermen agree that the waters of the Chesapeake Bay provide some of the finest deep-sea fishing on the East Coast.

Residents and visitors to the beautifully renewed downtown area can stroll along the waterfront to view the quaint working boats and sleek recreational craft harbored in the marina. This vibrant district includes the octagonal glass Visitor Center, the spectacular high-rise office building known as Harbour Centre, the Radisson Hotel Hampton, a very contemporary City Hall, and the historic Queens Way shopping district filled with boutiques and galleries. The awardwinning $30 million Virginia Air and Space Center – a major East Coast attraction – is just steps away from the meticulously restored 1920’s carousel that spins young and old alike back to more carefree days.

The “jewel box” in Hampton’s ongoing restoration of its historic sites is The American Theatre. Built in 1908, the theater re-opened in June of 2000 after a 3-year, $2.8 million renovation. The Hampton Arts Commission brings to the theater the much-lauded “Great Performers” series featuring nationally and internationally acclaimed entertainment.

Hampton’s central area of Mercury Boulevard, known as “Coliseum Central,” is a crossroads of retail and service businesses, hotel/motel and conference facilities. Construction is well under way on the 107-acre, $129-million Power Plant of Hampton Roads, a lifestyle retail and entertainment complex featuring both unique and nationally known tenants.

Just a few miles from Coliseum Central are Langley Air Force Base and the NASA-Langley Research Center where the original seven astronauts trained for man’s first flight into space.

These installations helped spawn planned business centers such as Hampton Roads Center and Langley Research Park which are populated with government and private research facilities. Another member of Hampton’s military community is historic Fort Monroe, the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command.

Duffers and professionals alike will find challenging play at The Woodlands Golf Course and The Hamptons Golf Course. Other athletic facilities include The Hampton Tennis Center, the Boo Williams Basketball Complex, and the state-of-the-art Darling Stadium. In addition to these recreational sites, Hampton has ten waterfront and feature parks, twelve neighborhood parks and trails, and four community centers.

The city’s signature event is Hampton Bay Days. One of the largest family-oriented festivals on the East Coast, Bay Days focuses on the community’s concern for protecting the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. Over 1,500 volunteers and 100 businesses work to bring educational exhibits, nationally known entertainment and a carnival atmosphere to this exciting event.

The Hampton Coliseum has a concert seating capacity of over 25,000 and hosts the annual Hampton Jazz Festival as well as performances by other major entertainers, sporting events and product shows.

Hampton City Schools’ motto is “The First Choice” and with good reason. The staff and administration pride themselves on a strong team approach and a commitment to providing the very best education to each and every child. The average SAT scores of the top 25% of graduates are above 1100, and the most recent Standards of Learning test scores resulted in nine schools being fully accredited – more than any other school division in the immediate area. During the 20002001 school year, scholarships and grants were awarded totaling over $12 million – more than any other district on the Virginia Peninsula. Hampton and its surrounding communities are home to four state colleges and universities and one private university.

The Healthy Families Partnership also contributes to the city’s reputation as a family focused community. Through home visiting support, parent education classes, parenting newsletters, public library parent resource centers, teen pregnancy prevention and healthy start programs, this multi-agency, community-wide effort works to make Hampton a healthy and nurturing place in which to raise children.

Hampton offers all of this and more: housing for ever y lifestyle, fresh Chesapeake Bay seafood, active citizens and friendly neighbors. It’s a community with big-city vision that hasn’t lost its small-town charm.

Come home to Hampton! M

Radisson Hotel Hampton