02 November 2007
Virginia 2nd Defined by the Water Surrounding It
Tourism, military shape district’s culture and industry
Washington -- Throughout 2007, celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the first English settlement in the United States in Jamestown, Virginia, received international attention.
But before those settlers made Jamestown their home, they spent their first days in the New World a little farther south, in an area they named Cape Henry. Today, what once was Cape Henry is now Virginia Beach, the most populous city in the state and part of the Virginia 2nd Congressional District.
The Virginia 2nd hugs the water. Cities and towns are spread along the coastlines of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.
Part of the district, the Virginia Eastern Shore -- “the Shore” to locals -- is a narrow 100-kilometer peninsula where many still earn their living from farming or fishing. Aqua farming, an industry of cultivating fish in a controlled environment, is a big industry.
From small fishing villages on the Eastern Shore to the Norfolk suburbs and the city of Virginia Beach that millions visit, the district is diverse, but its people share a history, economy and culture shaped in large part by the water surrounding them.
HISTORY
The first English settlers landed their ships at Cape Henry in 1607, but by then the area had been inhabited for at least 2,600 years by American Indians. The first permanent English settler, Thomas Savage, came to the Eastern Shore in 1614. Some of his descendants still live there today. A community and government were established soon after. Northampton County, one of the two Eastern Shore counties, has the oldest continuous court records in the nation, dating from 1632. One of the area's largest cities, Norfolk, was founded in 1682.
The region's many ports helped its economy flourish, but also made it an attractive target for pirates. Pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, and his crew regularly stole goods off the Hampton-area ships. In 1718, Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood had had enough. He set a group to kill Blackbeard, and they returned with the pirate's head. The head was placed on a tall pole by the city's entrance as a warning to other pirates.
Kemp's Landing was the site of a November 1775 battle between American colonists and the militia of Virginia’s last British governor in which John Ackiss became the first Virginian casualty of the American Revolution. Kemp’s Landing, later Kempsville, is now a community within the city of Virginia Beach.
Virginia’s coastline was hotly contested during the U.S. Civil War. The war’s first naval battle between ironclad vessels was in the waterways of the lower Chesapeake Bay. The confrontation between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia ended in a stalemate.
In 1883, rail service was established making it easier for residents of Norfolk to travel to the seashore. The coastal area became known as Virginia Beach, and established itself as the popular vacation destination it continues to be today.
PROUD MILITARY TRADITION
The first Continental Navy Yard was established in Norfolk in 1801. But the real growth in the region’s military industry came during World War I. The district’s proximity to water made it an appealing place to set up naval training operations. During World War I and again in World War II, the military established bases and training fields in the area.
In the years between the world wars, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, the father of the U.S. Air Force, led bombing runs from over captured German warships anchored off the Virginia coast to show the value of air-based warfare. Those successful tests set the precedent for the airplane's new role in combat.
The military’s presence is still strong in the Virginia 2nd, and shapes not only the area’s economy but its culture. The U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, the U.S. Joint Forces Command, the Air Combat Command of the U.S. Air Force, the Training and Doctrine Command of the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps Atlantic Forces and NATO's Atlantic Command for Transformation all call the Virginia 2nd home.
Military matters shape the community so much that The Virginian Pilot, the principal newspaper in the region, has a team of reporters dedicated to covering military affairs. Since 1953, Norfolk has hosted an annual azalea festival for NATO members. Each year’s celebration highlights the history and culture of a different member state. The 2008 festival will be dedicated to The Netherlands.
PREMIER VACATION DESTINATION
Approximately 3 million overnight visitors come to Virginia Beach each year, seeking sun and relaxation on its more than 50 kilometers of beaches. About 432,000 people live in the city. Its 4.8 kilometer boardwalk, dating back to 1888, is considered one of the best in the nation.
Virginia Beach is an area many artists have made home, and its annual Boardwalk Art Show brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the boardwalk each June. Other visitors come to Hampton each June for the annual Blackbeard festival to re-enact the days when pirates ruled the waterfront.
Those looking for quiet may head to the Shore and stay in the smaller towns while playing golf, fishing or antique shopping. Or they may stop at Assateague Island. The island, which is split between Maryland and Virginia, is home to the famous Chincoteague ponies, which run wild through parts of the island.
Tourists spend more than $800 million in Virginia Beach annually creating about 14,200 jobs. Along with the military, it is the district’s predominant industry.
In recent years, Virginia Beach and Norfolk have built new shopping centers, convention centers and concert venues along the water -- a sign that whether looking for jobs, cultural activities or a place to relax, the water will continue to dominate life in the Virginia 2nd district for years to come.
