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68-541: Downtown Norfolk serves as the traditional center of commerce, government, and culture in the Hampton Roads region. Norfolk, Virginia 's downtown waterfront shipping and port activities historically played host to numerous and often noxious port and shipping-related uses. With the advent of containerized shipping in the mid-19th century, the shipping uses located on Norfolk's downtown waterfront became obsolete as larger and more modern port facilities opened elsewhere in

136-580: A bank, the building now holds 66 luxury condominiums , and stands seven stories tall, the top two stories being penthouse suites. Since MacArthur Center's opening, three new office towers have been completed: 150 West Main Street (located at Boush Street and Main Street, completed in 2002, 20 stories, 292 ft (89 m) tall), the Dominion Enterprises Building (150 Granby Street, completed in 2007, 20 stories, 267 ft (81 m) tall), and

204-803: A collection of cities, counties, and towns on the Virginia Peninsula and in South Hampton Roads . Some of the outlying areas further from the harbor may or may not be included as part of "Hampton Roads", depending upon the organization or usage. For example, as defined for federal economic purposes, the Hampton Roads metropolitan statistical area ( MSA ) includes three counties in northeastern North Carolina and two counties in Virginia's Middle Peninsula . The Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk, VA–NC, MSA has an estimated 2023 population of 1,787,169, making it

272-404: A cruise-ship terminal and event venue, opened in 2007. The USS  Wisconsin is docked for permanent public exhibition. The clearance of the obsolete warehouses and wharves from the waterfront also created real estate development that has brought hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in office buildings. The transformation of downtown Norfolk's waterfront skyline is so dramatic that it

340-444: A major way. The idea of creating an upscale regional mall on the 17 acres (69,000 m) cleared during urban renewal just one block east of Granby Street had remained in the minds of Norfolk's economic development officials for many years; at one point, vice mayor, and later judge, Joseph Jordan proposed an enormous, enclosed shopping center to be known as Norfolk Gardens, so elaborate as to include indoor amusement park rides, presaging

408-599: A peculiarity in the drawing of the Virginia-North Carolina border, Knott's Island in that county is connected to Virginia by land, but is only accessible to other parts of North Carolina by water via a ferry system. Each of the following current cities, counties and towns is included by at least one of the three organizations that define Hampton Roads: The Hampton Roads area consists of nine independent cities (which are not part of any county). Chesapeake , Norfolk , Portsmouth , Suffolk , and Virginia Beach cover

476-498: A pleasant and inviting new public space at which Norfolkers gather, whether for formally planned events like Harborfest , or for more passive enjoyment of the views, breeze, and people watching. The Waterside festival marketplace opened in June 1983, creating a new space for entertainment and shopping and serving as a catalyst for downtown renewal. (However, by 2012 the Waterside's popularity

544-711: A population of about 1.8 million, is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States , after the Washington metropolitan area ; Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach, FL, MSA ; Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Marietta, GA, MSA , Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL, MSA ; Orlando–Kissimmee, FL, MSA ; and Charlotte–Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC–SC, MSA . The first colonists arrived in 1607 when English Captain Christopher Newport landed at Cape Henry , today's City of Virginia Beach, an event now called

612-541: Is largely unrecognizable to anyone who may have left the city in the early 1980s. In the mid 1990s, with the fortunes of the waterfront looking brighter and more solid, Norfolk leaders once again turned their attention back to the historic Granby Street core of downtown, which continued to lag behind the waterfront in terms of revitalization. After the failure of the Granby Mall project, city leaders were intent on finding some way to bring commercial activity back to downtown in

680-521: Is larger. The metropolitan area and water area is in the Tidewater region , a low-lying plains region composed of southeastern portions of Virginia and northeastern portions of North Carolina . The water area known as Hampton Roads is a wide channel through which the waters of the James River , Nansemond River , and Elizabeth River pass (between Old Point Comfort to the north and Sewell's Point to

748-510: Is one of the Hampton Roads region's premier urban residential communities. Ghent has the highest residential densities of any other area in Hampton Roads, and is home to a diverse array of people - artists, strivers, lower income to wealthy, etc. Many other areas of Norfolk are also being revitalized, including Fairmount Park Neighborhood , Ocean View and East Beach, the latter both on the Chesapeake Bay. Hampton Roads Hampton Roads

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816-704: Is the name of a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James , Nansemond , and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean . It also gave its name to the surrounding metropolitan region located in the southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina portions of the Tidewater Region . Comprising

884-731: The Elizabeth City, NC, Micropolitan Statistical Area , comprising: and the Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina , Micropolitan Statistical Area, comprising: The estimated population in 2023 of the Combined Statistical Area was 1,866,723. It is the 35th largest in the country. Among the metropolitan areas in Virginia, only the Northern Virginia portion of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV, MSA

952-508: The Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk, VA–NC, metropolitan area and an extended combined statistical area that includes the Elizabeth City, North Carolina, micropolitan statistical area and Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, micropolitan statistical area , Hampton Roads is known for its large military presence, ice-free harbor, shipyards, coal piers , and miles of waterfront property and beaches, all of which contribute to

1020-555: The Wells Fargo Center (440 Monticello Avenue, completed in 2010, 23 stories,298 ft (91 m) tall) which contains an office tower, street level retail, and apartments. Norfolk's efforts to revitalize its downtown have attracted acclaim in economic development and urban planning circles throughout the country. Publications such as the American Planning Association 's monthly Planning Magazine , have hailed

1088-650: The "First Landing." However, his party moved on, in search of a more defensible area upriver, mindful of competitors such as the Spanish, who had built a failed settlement on the Virginia Peninsula known as the Ajacán Mission . After exploring the James River , they established the first successful English colony in the New World on Jamestown Island on May 14, 1607. But the low, marshy site proved unhealthy and most of

1156-437: The "Granby Mall." Granby Street was closed to auto through-traffic, repaved, landscaped and new street furniture and fixtures were installed. Granby Mall was a concept by city leaders with the best of intentions, but it actually ended up speeding the demise of Granby Street as a viable commercial destination. The closing of Granby Street to auto traffic actually made the district more inconvenient for potential customers and reduced

1224-519: The "Norfolk–Virginia Beach–Newport News MSA". In 1993, Isle of Wight, Mathews and Surry counties were added. Although Virginia Beach had passed Norfolk as the state's largest city by 1990, it was not made the first primary city of the MSA until 2010. As a result of the 2010 Census, Gates County, North Carolina was added to the MSA, while Surry County, Virginia was removed. The Virginia Beach–Chesapeake, VA–NC, Combined Statistical Area additionally includes

1292-855: The 1890s through the 1930s. The district includes notable examples of the Classical Revival , Beaux Arts , and Italianate styles. Notable buildings include the Showcase Building (c. 1914), Seaboard Citizens' National Bank Building (c. 1935), Citizen's Bank (now Wheat) Building (1897-1899), Virginia Club (1903), Hotel Fairfax (1907), Colonial Theater (1907, now demolished), Lorraine (later the Hotel Thomas Nelson) (1905), Lynnhaven Hotel (1906), Royster Building (1912), Merchants and Mechanics Savings Bank (1913), Smith & Welton (1917), NorVa Theater (1922), Loew's State Theater (1926, now TCC Roper Center for Performing Arts), Selden Arcade (1931), and

1360-479: The 1920s, Norfolk's city leaders began what would be a long push to revive the fortunes of its urban core. The Downtown Norfolk Historic District is a national historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 and expanded in 2001. It encompasses 97 contributing buildings in the central business district of Norfolk. The largely commercial buildings reflect Norfolk's prosperity of

1428-474: The 37th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The Combined Statistical Area includes two additional counties in North Carolina, pushing the regional population to 1,866,723 residents, the 35th-largest CSA in the country. The area is home to hundreds of historical sites and attractions. The harbor was the key to Hampton Roads' growth, both on land and in water-related activities and events. While

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1496-635: The American Civil War (1861–1865), the historic Battle of Hampton Roads between the first American ironclad warships , the USS ; Monitor and the CSS Virginia , took place off Sewell's Point in 1862. The battle was inconclusive, but Union forces later took control of Hampton Roads, Norfolk, and the lower James River, though they were thwarted from venturing further upstream by a strong Confederate battery at Drewry's Bluff . Also in 1862, Fort Monroe

1564-481: The Chesapeake Bay. Hampton Roads is among the world's largest natural harbors. It is the northernmost major East Coast port of the United States which is ice-free year round. (This status is claimed with the notable exception of the extraordinarily cold winter of 1917, which was the entire U.S.'s coldest year on record.) Over time, the entire region has come to be known as "Hampton Roads", a label more specific than its other moniker, "Tidewater Virginia", which includes

1632-610: The East Main Street district (where the current civic complex is located). At the water's edge, nearly all of the obsolete shipping and warehousing facilities were demolished. In their place, planners created a new boulevard, Waterside Drive. In place of the piers and warehouses rose: the Waterside Festival Marketplace, an indoor mall created by the Rouse Company and similar to Baltimore's Inner Harbor Pavilions;

1700-435: The Hampton Roads region and it featured the premier of a number of retailers that did not previously exist in Hampton Roads ( White House Black Market , Pottery Barn , Z Gallerie , Nordstrom, Johnny Rockets , Chico's , Coach , among others). MacArthur Center's entry to the Hampton Roads market heightened the competition in the retail industry and prompted waves of upgrade and investment at numerous other shopping malls around

1768-492: The Hampton Roads region. Retailers ranged from low-priced variety stores such as Woolworth's and Grants to more upscale department stores such as Smith & Welton (1898–1988), Rices Nachmans (1918–1985) and Ames and Brownley (1898–1973), and fine hotels and theaters lined its sidewalks. However, new suburban shopping developments promised more convenience and comfort. The opening of Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach,

1836-821: The Middle Peninsula. While Southampton is adjacent to Surry, Isle of Wight, and the City of Suffolk, the Census Bureau does not consider it part of the metro area. Five incorporated towns are in the metro area, including Claremont in Surry County, Dendron in Surry County, Smithfield in Isle of Wight County, Surry , Surry County's seat, and Windsor in Isle of Wight County. (Two other incorporated towns, Boykins and Courtland , are in Southampton County, and therefore, like

1904-502: The Navy YMCA (1906). Located in the district are the separately listed Walter E. Hoffman United States Courthouse (1932–1934), Owen B. Pickett United States Custom House (1852), Monticello Arcade (1907), Wells Theatre (1913), and Old Norfolk City Hall (1898–1900). To compete with the suburban shopping destinations, Norfolk city leaders tried to create the same mall experience on Granby Street . The city rebranded its commercial core

1972-551: The Revolution was won at Yorktown in 1781, and the first naval action of the War of 1812 took place in Hampton Roads, when a Royal Naval vessel was seized by the American privateer Dash . Later the entrance from Chesapeake Bay was equipped with new fortifications ( Fort Monroe and Fort Wool ), much of the building work being supervised by a young military engineer Robert E. Lee . During

2040-492: The Selden Grandy Estate, and is a three-story, Beaux Arts style steel frame building faced in molded and polychromed terra cotta . Both the facades are seven bays in length and are composed of a two-story Ionic order surmounted by an elaborate cornice, with an attic story above. The interior plan consists of a longitudinal mall open to the roof, lit by skylights, and entered through the central bay of each facade. In

2108-555: The Southside of Hampton Roads while Hampton , Newport News , Poquoson , and Williamsburg are on the Peninsula. Franklin borders Suffolk but the Census Bureau does not consider it part of the metro area. The metro area has one county in North Carolina, Currituck . The remaining counties, in Virginia, include Isle of Wight and Surry on the Southside, James City and York on the Virginia Peninsula, and Gloucester and Mathews on

Downtown Norfolk, Virginia - Misplaced Pages Continue

2176-722: The Virginia Company in 1619. The town at the center of Elizabeth Cittie became known as "Hampton", and a nearby waterway was designated Hampton Creek (also known as Hampton River). Other references to the Earl include the area to the north across the bay (in what is now the Eastern Shore ) which became known as Northampton , and an area south of the James River which became Southampton . As with Hampton, both of these names remain in use today. The term "Roads" (short for roadstead ) indicates

2244-403: The amount of pedestrian traffic that passed by the businesses. The reduced pedestrian and automobile traffic on the street created an atmosphere of abandonment and probably contributed to an increase in downtown crime, which further fueled customer fears of downtown, which in turn caused additional businesses to close, and on and on. This vicious cycle of abandonment and blight persisted for much of

2312-530: The city of Chesapeake. In 1970, Chesapeake was added to the MSA, while Virginia Beach became a primary city. In 1973, Currituck County, North Carolina was added to the MSA. In 1983, the "Newport News–Hampton Metropolitan Statistical Area", comprising the cities of Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson and Williamsburg, and the counties of Gloucester, James City and York, was combined with the Norfolk–Virginia Beach–Portsmouth MSA and renamed

2380-457: The colonists died, before a new Governor, Lord De La Warr (Delaware) arrived with John Rolfe , who would establish the Virginia tobacco industry. The harbor and rivers of Hampton Roads were immediately recognized as prime locations for commerce, shipbuilding and military installations, with the fortifications at Old Point Comfort established as early as 1610, and Gosport Navy Yard (later Norfolk Naval Shipyard) in 1767. The decisive battle of

2448-421: The construction of MacArthur Center, Norfolk invested additional funds on infrastructure improvements throughout downtown. Sidewalks were rebuilt, additional lighting was added and streets were repaved throughout the area. A parking garage on Monticello Avenue north of MacArthur Center was partially demolished in order to reconnect the western and eastern segments of Freemason Street, which were previously blocked by

2516-897: The county within which they are located, are not part of the federally defined metropolitan area). Other unincorporated towns and communities in the metropolitan area that are not within its cities include Gloucester Courthouse and Gloucester Point in Gloucester County, Isle of Wight Courthouse , Rushmere , Rescue , Carrollton , Benns Church , and Walters in Isle of Wight County, Yorktown , Grafton , Seaford , and Tabb in York County, Jamestown , Ford's Colony , Grove , Lightfoot , Toano , and Norge in James City County, Moyock , Knotts Island , and Currituck in Currituck County, North Carolina. The Hampton Roads MSA, with

2584-520: The definition of the MSA, Hampton Roads is most often the name used for the metropolitan area. "Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk, VA–NC, MSA" is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). In 2023, the population was estimated to be 1,787,169. Since a state constitutional change in 1871, all cities in Virginia are independent cities and they are not legally located in a county. The OMB considers these independent cities to be county-equivalents for

2652-488: The development years later of Bloomington, Minnesota's Mall of America . Norfolk had long courted upscale Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom to locate in Norfolk and economic development officials made numerous appeals to the luxury department store. In late 1997, Norfolk officials made the announcement that they had finally received a commitment from Nordstrom to open a store in a new downtown shopping mall. Norfolk officials named

2720-524: The diversity and stability of the region's economy. The body of water known as Hampton Roads is one of the world's largest natural harbors (more accurately a roadstead or "roads"). It incorporates the mouths of the Elizabeth , Nansemond , and James rivers, together with several smaller rivers, and empties into the Chesapeake Bay near its mouth leading to the Atlantic Ocean. The land area includes

2788-612: The early 1960s, and during that time the Monticello Arcade began to deteriorate as revenues decreased. By the 1970s, the Arcade was in poor condition with only a few remaining tenants. Threat of condemnation loomed until 1975, when the building attained landmark status. In 1976, management of the Arcade was taken over by the newly created Monticello Arcade Limited Partnership. By the early 1980s, downtown Norfolk had been significantly restored, which resulted in recovery of Arcade business. Today

Downtown Norfolk, Virginia - Misplaced Pages Continue

2856-588: The early 20th century, business boomed in the Arcade as downtown Norfolk's commercial area expanded until the Great Depression, at which time Monticello Arcade Company, Inc. filed for bankruptcy and the building returned to the Grandy Estate. The Arcade survived the remainder of the Depression in the hands of its new owners and went on to prosper in postwar Norfolk. Businesses in the downtown area began to suffer in

2924-553: The garage. With the promise of thousands of new shoppers coming to nearby MacArthur Center, owners of properties throughout downtown reinvested in their buildings and made them ready for new retail and residential uses. Tidewater Community College opened its Norfolk campus and central administrative offices on Granby Street, locating its library in the painstakingly renovated former Smith & Welton department store building. The formerly vacant storefronts on Granby Street have been repopulated by so many trendy restaurants and bars that

2992-572: The harbor and its tributaries were (and still are) important transportation conduits, at the same time they presented obstacles to land-based commerce and travel. Creating and maintaining adequate infrastructure has long been a major challenge. The Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel (HRBT) and the Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel (MMMBT) are major harbor crossings of the Hampton Roads Beltway interstate, which links

3060-501: The harbor. When speaking of communities of Hampton Roads, virtually all sources include the seven major cities, two smaller ones, and three counties within those two subregions. In addition, the Middle Peninsula counties of Gloucester and Mathews, while not part of the geographical Hampton Roads area, are included in the metropolitan region's population, as is a small portion of northeastern North Carolina ( Currituck County ). Due to

3128-439: The independent cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth and South Norfolk and the counties of Norfolk and Princess Anne . In 1952, Virginia Beach separated from Princess Anne County. In 1963, Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County merged, retaining the name Virginia Beach. The city was added to the MSA that year, while South Norfolk lost its metropolitan status. Also in 1963, Norfolk County and the City of South Norfolk merged to create

3196-730: The large population centers of Hampton Roads. In 2009, the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority (HRTA) was abolished by the Virginia General Assembly less than two years after its creation. In 2014, the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission was established to oversee the Hampton Roads Transportation Fund. The term "Hampton Roads" is a centuries-old designation that originated when

3264-664: The late 1970s and early 1980s. While Granby Street experienced its decline, Norfolk city leaders were also focused on the waterfront and its collection of decaying piers and warehouses. Federal urban renewal programs such as the Housing Act of 1949 promised cities around the country millions of dollars in government grants for the purpose of removing blight conditions and preparing urban land for redevelopment. Norfolk, as with many other cities, took full advantage of these Federal urban renewal funds and began large-scale demolitions of broad swaths of downtown. This included slum housing that, in

3332-470: The mall opened in March 1999 to much acclaim. MacArthur Center opened as a three-story enclosed shopping mall with Dillard's and Nordstrom as the first two anchor department stores. Regal Cinemas operates an 18-screen stadium seating movie theater on most of the third floor of the mall. There is space for a future anchor store at the northwest end of the mall. MacArthur Center introduced upscale retailing to

3400-406: The mall, MacArthur Center , in honor of the five-star World War II General whose tomb is located across the street from the proposed site. In return for opening a store at the new mall, Norfolk officials allocated nearly $ 100 million in public funds to infrastructure improvements and construction of parking garages to support the shopping mall. Construction of MacArthur Center began in late 1996 and

3468-482: The mid-20th century, did not have indoor plumbing or access to running water. However, Norfolk's urban renewal also included the demolition of many prominent city buildings, including the former City Market, Norfolk Terminal Station (the Union railroad station), The Monticello Hotel , and large swaths of urban fabric that, were they still in existence today, might be the source of additional historic urban character, including

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3536-562: The purpose of defining MSAs in Virginia. Each MSA is listed by its counties, then cities, in alphabetical order and not by size. The MSA consists of these locations in Virginia: Counties Cities The MSA also includes the following locations in North Carolina: The Hampton Roads metropolitan area was first defined in 1950 as the "Norfolk–Portsmouth Metropolitan Statistical Area". It comprised

3604-491: The region was a struggling English outpost nearly four hundred years ago. The word "Hampton" honors one of the founders of the Virginia Company of London and a great supporter of the colonization of Virginia, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton . The early administrative center of the new colony was known as Elizabeth Cittie , named for Princess Elizabeth , the daughter of King James I, and formally designated by

3672-413: The region's first climate controlled shopping mall , and JANAF Shopping Center in Norfolk's Military Circle area, helped foment Granby Street's spiral into commercial obsolescence. With amenities such as ample free parking at the door of one's favorite store, and in the case of Pembroke Mall, climate control, the businesses of downtown's Granby Street found it harder and harder to compete. Beginning in

3740-488: The region, especially at MacArthur Center's main competitor, Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach, which announced a strategy to renovate the mall and upgrade the tenant mix to reposition it as a worthy competitor to its new Norfolk neighbor. In a touch of irony, the primary element that nearly killed Granby Street as a commercial destination - the climate controlled shopping mall - is probably what saved Granby Street from wholesale abandonment and breathed into it new life. During

3808-442: The region. The vacant piers and cargo warehouses eventually became a blight on downtown and Norfolk's fortunes as a whole. But in the second half of the century, Norfolk had a vibrant retail community in its suburbs; companies like Smith & Welton , High's , Colonial Stores , Goldman's Shoes, Lerner Shops , Hofheimer's , Giant Open Air , Dollar Tree and K & K Toys were regional leaders in their respective fields. Norfolk

3876-600: The safety of a port; as applied to a body of water, it is "a partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor". Examples of other roadsteads are Castle Roads , in another of the Virginia Company's settlements, Bermuda , and Lahaina Roads , in Hawaii. In 1755, the Virginia General Assembly recorded the name "Hampton Roads" as the channel linking the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers with

3944-523: The sinking of Hampton Roads at a rate between 15 and 23 centimeters (5.9 and 9.1 inches) per century. The region has extensive natural areas, including 26 miles (42 km) of Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay beaches, the Great Dismal Swamp , picturesque rivers, state parks, wildlife refuges, and botanical gardens. Inland from the bay, the region includes Lake Drummond , one of only two natural lakes in Virginia, and miles of waterfront property along

4012-457: The south) into the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Norfolk and Hampton Roads are among the worst-hit parts of the United States by the effects of global warming . As of 2016, the region is a few decades ahead in feeling the effects of sea-level rise compared to many American coastal areas. The geology and topography of the Hampton Roads region is influenced by the Chesapeake Bay impact crater , one of three factors contributing to

4080-573: The street, once a destination primarily for homeless and vagrant individuals, has become a new hub for the sophisticated segment of the Hampton Roads region's nightlife. The residential population of downtown continues to grow as unused commercial buildings are converted into lofts and condominiums and new residential developments rise on formerly vacant land. One such building, the Norfolk Rotunda Building [1] , located on St. Paul's Blvd. and in front of MacArthur Center, opening in 2007. Formerly

4148-511: The tremendous rebound in the downtown residential population, and Money magazine proclaimed Norfolk as the number one city in which to live in the South in 2005. The rising fortunes of the downtown area have helped expand the city's coffers which has in turn been able to direct its attention to revitalizing other neighborhoods of the city. Located just northwest of downtown, the Ghent district of Norfolk

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4216-596: The various rivers and waterways. The region's native flora is consistent with that of the Southeast Coastal Plain and the lower Southeast Maritime Forest. The land area that constitutes Hampton Roads varies depending upon perspective and purpose. Most of Hampton Roads' land is geographically divided into 2 smaller regions: the eastern portion of the Virginia Peninsula (the Peninsula) and South Hampton Roads (locally known as "the Southside"), which are separated by

4284-465: The waterfront Town Point Park - an esplanade park with wide open riverfront views; and the Norfolk Omni Hotel . On the inland side of Waterside Drive, the demolition of the warehouses and wharves created new parcels on which most of the highrise buildings in Norfolk's skyline now stand. In contrast to the failure of the Granby Mall initiative, the redevelopment of Norfolk's waterfront turned out to be an almost immediate success. Town Point Park created

4352-460: The whole coastal region of the state. The U.S. Postal Service changed the area's postmark from "Tidewater Virginia" to "Hampton Roads, Virginia" beginning in 1983. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the "Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk, VA–NC, MSA" as 18 county-level jurisdictions—six counties and nine independent cities in Virginia, and three counties in North Carolina. While the borders of what locals call "Hampton Roads" may not perfectly align with

4420-402: Was also the birthplace of Econo-Travel, now Econo Lodge , one of the nation's first discount motel chains. Similarly, the advent of newer suburban shopping destinations spelled demise for the fortunes of downtown's Granby Street commercial corridor, located just a few blocks inland from the waterfront. Granby Street traditionally played the role as the premiere shopping and gathering spot in

4488-432: Was among the freedmen who attended the local school, which evolved into the present-day Hampton University . The Jamestown Exposition for the 300th anniversary of the 1607 founding of Jamestown was held at Sewell's Point in a rural section of Norfolk County in 1907. Monticello Arcade Monticello Arcade is a historic shopping arcade located in Norfolk, Virginia . It was built in 1907 on land leased from

4556-444: Was in decline; as restaurants and shops had closed, leaving much of the building vacant. With sentiment growing among citizens and city officials that the structure may have outlived its usefulness, the city council was considering several plans for use of the space.) Nauticus , the National Maritime Center, was constructed on a former pier adjacent to Town Point Park. Adjacent to Nauticus, the Halfe Moone Cruise and Celebration Center,

4624-570: Was the launching place for Union General George McClellan 's massive advance up the Virginia Peninsula, which almost reached the Confederate capital Richmond , before the Seven Days Battles forced him back. In 1865, as the Confederacy was near collapse, President Abraham Lincoln met with three senior Confederates at Hampton Roads in an unsuccessful bid for a negotiated peace. Some former slaves had been camped near Fort Monroe, where they were declared to be Contraband of war , instead of being returned to their former owners. Booker T. Washington

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