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Norfolk, Virginia

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Norfolk, Virginia
Flag of Norfolk, Virginia
Flag
Official seal of Norfolk, Virginia
Seal
Motto(s): 
Crescas (Latin for, "Thou shalt grow.")
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesIndependent City
Government
 • MayorPaul D. Fraim (D)
Population
 (2000)
 • City
234,403
 • Metro
1,645,015
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Websitehttp://www.norfolk.gov/

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America. Norfolk is one of Virginia's largest incorporated cities; as of the 2000 census, the city population was 234,403. The 2004 census estimate indicates that the city's population has since risen to 237,835.

Norfolk is located on the Elizabeth River, in Hampton Roads, a large natural harbor located at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk is one of seven cities that together constitute the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA. Norfolk is considered to be the historic, urban and cultural center of Hampton Roads, surrounded by the independent Virginia municipalities of Virginia Beach, Hampton, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Newport News and Chesapeake.

The city has a long history as a strategic military and transportation point. Norfolk is home to both the Norfolk Naval Base, the world's largest naval base, and corporate headquarters of the Norfolk Southern Railway, one of North America's principal Class I railroads. As it is surrounded by multiple bodies of water, Norfolk has many miles of riverfront and bayfront property, and is linked with its neighbors by an extensive network of Interstate highways, bridges, tunnels, and bridge-tunnel complexes.

Norfolk is home to the Norfolk Admirals, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.

History

The site of what is now Norfolk was originally the Chesipean Indian town Skicoak. (The Chesipeans had been destroyed by Powhatan by the time of the arrival of the first English settlers, who, in 1585, settled on Roanoke Island in modern-day North Carolina. In 1591, the colony of Roanoke disappeared without a trace.) The city was laid out in 1682 and incorporated in 1845. It became an independent city from Norfolk County in 1871.

Revolutionary era

On New Year's Day, 1776, the royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, shelled the city of Norfolk. (A cannonball from Dunmore's siege may be viewed today in the wall of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.) Dunmore's forces had been defeated at the Battle of Great Bridge, and he was seeking to take control of the rebellious colony. The damage from the shells and fire destroyed 800 buildings, almost two-thirds of the city. Colonists, essentially completing the destruction of the city, later destroyed another 400 buildings as part of a scorched earth policy.

19th century

In 1855, the city suffered an epidemic of yellow fever which killed 1 of every 3 citizens. In 1858, the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad built by William Mahone was completed to Petersburg, where major connections were made with railroads to points north, west, and south. During the US Civil War, in 1862, the Battle of Hampton Roads between the ironclads Monitor and Merrimac was fought off Norfolk. Early in the war, Mahone commanded the city's defenses during the period of Confederate occupation which ended in May, 1862.

In the late 19th century, the Norfolk and Western Railway established the community as a major coal export port and built a large transloading facility at Lambert's Point.

20th Century Highlights

  • In the year 1900, the Virginia Zoological Park opens, as multiple animal exhibits are established on the grounds of the city's Lafayette Park. The zoo becomes a separate entity as the Lafayette Zoological Park in 1974. The park later becomes known as the Virginia Zoo in 1985.
  • In 1938, the Norfolk Municipal Airport is established.
  • In 1944, the Virginia Transit Company, based in Norfolk, begins operating rubber-wheeled bus service in Hampton Roads.
  • On May 23, 1952, the Downtown Tunnel opened connecting Norfolk with the city of Portsmouth. A second parallel tube was built in 1987. The Downtown Tunnel currently flows in four lanes (two in each direction), carrying a portion of Interstate 264. In 1991, the new Downtown Tunnel/Berkley Bridge complex was completed, with a new system of multiple lanes of highway and interchanges connecting Downtown Norfolk and Interstate 464 with the Downtown Tunnel tubes.
  • On November 1, 1957, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel opened to traffic, connecting the Virginia Peninsula with the city, signed as State Route 168. The new two-lane toll bridge-tunnel connection became a portion of Interstate 64 by the end of 1957, connecting Norfolk westward with a limited access freeway. A second parallel tube was built in 1976, expanding the access to four lanes. The tolls were removed in December 1976.
  • In 1962, Kirn Memorial Library opened in a glass and marble structure in downtown Norfolk, replacing the old Carnegie building on Freemason Street.
  • On September 6, 1962, the two-lane Midtown Tunnel opened connecting Norfolk with the city of Portsmouth.
  • In 1968, Norfolk Municipal Airport becomes Hampton Roads' prime airline destination as Norfolk Regional Airport, located near Chesapeake Bay, along the city limits straddling neighboring Virginia Beach.
  • In 1971, Norfolk built the region's first entertainment and sports complex, featuring Chrysler Hall and the 13,800-seat Norfolk Scope indoor arena, located in the northern section of downtown.
  • In January 1973, Tidewater Regional Transit (TRT) was established, by absorbing the Virginia Transit Company. Norfolk serves as the hub of public transportation for the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.
  • In October 1999, Norfolk-based TRT merged with PENTRAN, becoming Hampton Roads Transit officially linking the city with the Virginia Peninsula with interurban public transportation.

Downtown Norfolk's Decline and Rebirth

As the traditional center of shipping and port activities in the Hampton Roads region, Norfolk's downtown waterfront historically played host to numerous and often noxious port and shipping-related uses. With the advent of containerized shipping in the mid-20th century, the shipping uses located on Norfolk's downtown waterfront became obsolete as larger and more modern port facilities opened elsewhere in 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, Hofheimer's, Giant Open Air and K & K Toys were regional leaders in their respective fields. Norfolk 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 the Hampton Roads region and numerous department stores such as Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimer's, fine hotels and theaters once lined its sidewalks. However, new suburban shopping developments promised more convenience and comfort. The opening of Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach, 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 obsolesence. 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 the 1970's, Norfolk's city leaders began what would be a long push to revive the fortunes of its urban core.

Granby Street

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 the "Granby Street Mall". Granby Street was closed to auto through-traffic, repaved, landscaped and new street furniture and fixtures were installed. The Granby Street 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 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 the late 1970's and early 1980's.

Downtown Norfolk and Urban Renewal

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 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, Train 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 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; 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 high rise buildings in Norfolk's skyline now stand.

Success of Downtown Norfolk Waterfront Redevelopment

In contrast to the failure of the Granby Street Mall initiative, the redevelopment of Norfolk's waterfront turned out to be an almost immediate success. Town Point Park created 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 created a new space for entertainment and shopping in downtown, and while its fortunes have peaked and dipped over the years, the marketplace has recently repositioned itself as a one-stop entertainment destination. Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, was constructed on a former pier adjacent to Town Point Park. Adjacent to Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, a new cruise ship terminal is being constructed and the USS Wisconsin is docked for permanent public exhibition. The clearance of the obsolete warehouses and wharves on the waterfront area also created the real estate development pads that have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment in office towers. The revitalization of downtown Norfolk's waterfront skyline is so dramatic that the face of the city in 2006 is largely unrecognizable to one who may have left the city in the early 1980's.

MacArthur Center

In the mid 1990's 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 Street Mall project, city leaders were intent on finding some way to bring commercial activity back to downtown in a major way. The idea of creating an upscale regional mall on the 17 acres cleared during urban renewal just two blocks east of Granby Street had remained in the minds of Norfolk's economic development officials for many years. 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 1996, 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 the mall, MacArthur Center, in honor of the five-star World War II General whose tomb was located across the street from the proposed site. In return for opening a store at the new mall, Norfolk officials nearly $100 million dollars in public funds which were allocated to infrastructure improvements and construction of parking garages to support the shopping mall.

Construction of MacArthur Center began in late 1997 and 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 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 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.

MacArthur Center's effect on downtown Norfolk

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 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 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 Miller and Rhodes department store building. The formerly vacant storefronts on Granby Street have been repopulated by so many trendy restaurants and bars that 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. Since MacArthur Center's opening, one new office tower has been completed, 150 West Main Street (located at Boush Street and Main Street, completed in 2002, 20 stories, 210 feet tall). One new residential tower has been approved by the City: Granby Tower (planned for Granby Street and York Street, 31 stories). Norfolk city officials are soliciting proposals for the development of another office tower for a site located at St. Paul's Boulevard and Plume Street.

Benefits of successful downtown revitalization spinoff throughout the city

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 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 1999.

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 is the Hampton Roads region's premier urban residential community. 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 Ocean View and East Beach, both on the Chesapeake Bay.

City features

Norfolk is a major military center. With Portsmouth (directly across the Elizabeth River, housing the Norfolk Naval Shipyard), it forms an extensive naval complex. The headquarters of the 5th Naval District, the Atlantic Fleet, the 2nd Fleet, and the Allied Command Transformation are at Sewell's Point. The Norfolk Navy Base is the largest naval base in the United States and includes a naval air station and other facilities. Several vessels of the Navy have been named USS Norfolk after the city. The battleship USS Wisconsin is berthed at Nauticus, The National Maritime Center.

General Douglas MacArthur is buried in the city; there is a small museum for him, and a major shopping mall across the street from his burial site is named for him. The city is home to Old Dominion University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Norfolk State University (fifth largest black university in America); Virginia Wesleyan College, a private liberal arts college, shares its eastern border with the neighboring city of Virginia Beach. The city's public school system comprises 5 high schools, 8 middle schools, 34 elementary schools, and 9 special-purpose/preschools. In 1996 Granby High School became the only school in Norfolk to offer the International Baccalaureate Program curriculum to incoming freshmen. Norfolk Public Schools recently received a 2005 National Academic Award for having one of the most outstanding public school systems in the nation. Norfolk Academy, founded in 1728, is the city's (and one of the nation's) oldest private school.

Norfolk Southern Corporation, a Fortune 500 company and fourth largest railroad line in America, has its headquarters in downtown Norfolk. The international headquarters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are located on the city's waterfront just to the west of downtown.

Other tourist destinations include the St. Paul's Church, Virginia Zoo, Moses Myers House, Hermitage Foundation Museum, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Norfolk Botanical Garden, Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, and the historic Ghent district.


Medicine

Because of the prominence of the Portsmouth Naval Hospital and V.A. Hospital in Hampton, Norfolk has had a strong role in medicine. It is known for its specialists in diabetes, plastic surgery, dermatology and obstetrics. It achieved international fame March 1, 1980, when Drs. Georgianna and Howard Jones opened the first in vitro clinic in the U.S. After the first success, Saturday Night Live's Jane Curtin joked that it happened in NOR-fuk, apparently one of the few times the word was pronounced on SNL[1].


Pronunciation

Many longtime residents of Norfolk and Hampton Roads generally pronounce the city's name (IPA) [nɑfʌk], while others in the state use the pronunciation [noʊɹfɪk]. The "L" in Norfolk is generally only pronounced by those from other locales and is considered incorrect by most people from the region. Similar pronunciation variations are found in the names of other Hampton Roads cities, such as Portsmouth and Suffolk.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 249.4 km² (96.3 mi²). 139.2 km² (53.7 mi²) of it is land and 110.3 km² (42.6 mi²) of it (44.22%) is water.

In addition to extensive riverfront property, Norfolk has miles of bayfront resort property and beaches in the Willoughby Spit and Ocean View communities.

Demographics

Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia from space, July 1996. Norfolk is located in the upper right quadrant, and east is at the top.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 234,403 people, 86,210 households, and 51,898 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,684.4/km² (4,362.8/mi²). There were 94,416 housing units at an average density of 678.5/km² (1,757.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.36% White, 44.11% African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.81% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.80% of the population.

There were 86,210 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.07.

The age distribution is 24.0% under the age of 18, 18.2% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,815, and the median income for a family was $36,891. Males had a median income of $25,848 versus $21,907 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,372. About 15.5% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Norfolk is linked with its neighbors through an extensive network of arterial and Interstate highways, bridges, tunnels, and bridge-tunnel complexes, notably the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel which enters Norfolk at Willoughby Spit. The major east-west routes are Interstate 64, U.S. Route 58 and U.S. Route 460. The major north-south routes are U.S. Route 13 and U.S. Route 17.

A transit bus system and paratransit services are provided by Hampton Roads Transit, a regional public transport system headquartered in Hampton. A light rail service within the city is in planning stages.

Norfolk is served by Amtrak via connecting bus with the railroad line across Hampton Roads which terminates at Newport News, and runs west along the Virginia Peninsula to Richmond. A high speed rail connection at Richmond to both the Northeast Corridor and the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor are also under study.

Norfolk and the rest of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area (including Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Williamsburg and Poquoson, Virginia) are served by Norfolk International Airport and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.

The Hampton Roads Beltway (I-64 and its spurs I-264, I-464, and I-664) makes a loop around Norfolk, much like that of the Capital Beltway around Washington, DC.

Major Streets and Roadways

Historic Neighborhoods


Theatres and Performance Venues

Sports

Club Sport League Venue Logo Norfolk Tides Baseball International League Harbor Park Norfolk Tides Logo Norfolk Admirals Ice Hockey American Hockey League Norfolk Scope Norfolk Admirals Logo

Tallest buildings

Name Stories Height (in feet) City Year Built
Granby Tower (Under Construction)34450Norfolk2008
Dominion Tower26340Norfolk1987
Bank of America Center23304Norfolk1967

Sister cities

Norfolk has six sister cities:[1]

Trivia

  • South Norfolk is a community in Chesapeake.
  • West Norfolk is a community in Portsmouth, as is Port Norfolk.
  • The Norfolk Naval Shipyard could not be named the "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard," because there was already one of those in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
  • Dunmore Street in Norfolk was named for John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, the last royal governor, who on New Year's Day in 1776 gave the order for the burning of Norfolk after leaving on a British warship. It is said that the naming of Dunmore Street was not to honor the governor, but to celebrate the place in Norfolk where he last set foot.
  • Granby Street was named for John Manners, Marquess of Granby (1721-1770), a British military hero.
  • Chesapeake Boulevard does not go to Chesapeake -- it leads from Norfolk to the Chesapeake Bay; Hampton Boulevard does not now go to Hampton but it once led to the ferry terminal that connected Norfolk with Hampton; Norfolk Avenue in Virginia Beach does not go to Norfolk; and Virginia Beach Boulevard, while in Virginia Beach also, runs through most of Norfolk -- it was originally named Virginia Beach Boulevard because it was the road from Norfolk to Virginia Beach, at the time a relatively small resort town on the oceanfront.

See also

References

  1. ^ Sister Cities designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI). Retrieved on August 18, 2006.

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