Expanding Beyond Its History

Revitalized 18th-Century Neighborhoods

Size

45.5 sq. miles

Population (2001 est.)

99,494

Median Family Income (2001 est.)

$33,742

Government City Council and City Manager

Major Industries

Maryview Medical Center, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Londontown Mnfg ., Nissan Motor, Hoechst Celanese Corp.

City Information (757) 393-8000

School Information (757) 393-8751

Dining on the fruits of the sea in one of Portsmouth’s marina restaurants, you will immediately notice the pedestrian ferries, sailboats and commercial ships churning through the harbor along side massive aircraft carriers and guided-missile cruisers.

Walking just a few blocks landside, you will discover another popular aspect of Portsmouth: museums, shops, restaurants and parks, all part of a revitalized 18th-century neighborhood, Olde Towne. Characterized by window boxes, cobblestones and bed-and-breakfasts, Olde Towne has the densest concentration of restored 18th-century homes between Alexandria, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Whether you come here via the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel or the Elizabeth River Ferry, Portsmouth has much more to offer than festival marketplaces and colonial homes. Anchoring the city’s economy since its founding as Gosport Yard during the colonial period is a sprawling ship repair industry. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, actually located in Portsmouth, is the largest ship-repair facility in the world.

Complementing this has been an aggressive public/private economic development plan, which has delivered projects like Port Center, a 70-acre business park being marketed to high-tech industries, professional firms and government contractors.

Going west out of downtown to the Churchland area, a new concentration of business activity is flourishing. Shopping centers, residential communities and suburban-style businesses are already reaping the benefits of the Hampton Roads Beltway between Newport News and Suffolk.

As in other Hampton Roads cities, the military presence can be seen everywhere. The U.S. Naval Hospital in Portsmouth is the largest on the East Coast. The Craney Island Supply Depot, maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, is a major East Coast facility. Downtown Portsmouth continues to add to the area’s quality of life with the expansion of the hands-on Children’s Museum of Virginia and the addition of Tidewater Community College’s visual arts center.

So whether you become an oldtimer who affectionately calls it “Porch-muth” or just one of the locals who call it “Ports-muth” (never “Ports-mouth”), welcome to one of Hampton Roads’ shining stars and a proud neighbor of the Peninsula.

Families looking for a friendly and peaceful city with a gentler stride in life will find it in Chesapeake. For cities its size, it is one of the top five safest cities in America. In addition to its exceptional school system and low crime rate, the city offers a family-oriented lifestyle, with activities and a pace which are perfect for wholesome, community living.

From farms to the best in planned communities, Chesapeake’s residential design is made for family-centered living. Its neighborhoods provide a variety of comfortable housing alternatives from apartments to townhouses and single-family residences. The city also has numerous organizations dedicated to keeping the quality of life high.

The largest communities in Chesapeake, Great Bridge and Deep Creek are attractive for their various home styles and numerous wooded regions. The historic area of South Norfolk, the rural expanses in the southern half of the city or the suburban pockets, are also available.

Beyond the attraction to families, Chesapeake has made its mark in the business arena, too.

Chesapeake has the most Japanese manufacturers of any city in the Tidewater area. Chesapeake today has a balance of commercial, industrial and residential neighborhoods. It is ranked as Virginia’s second fastest growing city.

Farming and international shipping continue to be the city’s leading economic producers. Chesapeake also has more miles of deepwater canals than any other city in America, including access to the Intracoastal Waterway which runs the length of the Southeast US.

For pleasure, Chesapeake has many golf courses, boating docks and marinas, as well as the Great Dismal Swamp and National Wildlife Refuge with over 107,000 acres of land.

So whether you come to Chesapeake for family or business reasons, welcome to one of Hampton Roads’ shining stars and a proud neighbor of the Peninsula.

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