Located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is a resort town considered to have the longest pleasure beach in the world. With a population of 459,470 (2020 census), it is the most populated city in Virginia, and is home to state parks, historical sites, several military bases, large corporations, colleges and universities. There are hundreds of hotels and restaurants along the waterfront. This outdoor oriented town and popular tourist destination is host to the East Coast Surfing Championships, the North American Sand Soccer Championships, an annual LPGA Tour tournament, and the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon held each year on Labor Day, one of the largest half marathons in the world.
Virginia Beach is a very military friendly community as it is part of the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Statistical Area, along with Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk and Chesapeake, and is the east coast epicenter of military activity. Oceana, a large Naval Air Station, is located here. In 2015, USA Today ranked Virginia Beach as the top large city for military retirees. The area is also considered home to many half-backs, those from the north who retired to Florida, didn't like it and make it halfway back. Picture of Tourism at Beach Boosts Virginia Beach Economy courtesy of Wikipedia and Jason Pratt; Picture of Lighthouses at Cape Henry, the site where English Colonists first arrived, courtesy of Wikipedia and United States Photographer's Mate 1st Class Ken Riley in the public domain. |