Chesapeake is an independent city located in the South Hampton Roads portion of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia in the United States. One of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, Chesapeake was formed in 1963 by a political consolidation of the City of South Norfolk with the former Norfolk County, which dated to 1691. Chesapeake is the second-largest city by land area in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Chesapeake is a diverse city with few urban areas as well as many square miles of protected farmland, forests, and wetlands, including a substantial portion of the Great Dismal Swamp. Extending all the way from the rural border with North Carolina to the harbor area of Hampton Roads adjacent to the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Chesapeake is located on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and has miles of waterfront industrial, commercial and residential property.
It is currently the third largest city in Virginia in terms of population. In 2006, its population was estimated to be 220,560, a 10.7% increase since its 2000 census count . Its median household income in 2007 was $63,016, the highest in South Hampton Roads .
History
Main article: History of ChesapeakeIn 1963, the new independent city of Chesapeake was created when the former independent city of South Norfolk consolidated with Norfolk County. The consolidation, authorized by the Virginia General Assembly, was approved and the new name selected by the voters of each communities by referendum. The new city joined the ranks of the current Seven Cities of Hampton Roads which are linked by the circumferential Hampton Roads Beltway.
Formed in 1691 in the Virginia Colony, Norfolk County had originally included essentially all the area which became the towns and later cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, and South Norfolk, but had seen its area frequently reduced as these cities added territory through annexations after 1871. Becoming an independent city was a method for the former county to stabilize borders with neighbors, as cities could not annex territory from each other.
The relatively small City of South Norfolk had become an incorporated town within Norfolk County in 1919, and became an independent city in 1922. It was also motivated to make a change which would put it on a more equal footing in other aspects with the much larger cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth. By the late 1950s, although immune from annexation by the bigger cities, the most recent suit by the City of Norfolk against Norfolk County would have taken all of the county land adjoining South Norfolk.
The changes which created Chesapeake were part of a wave of changes in the structure of local government in southeastern Virginia which took place between 1952 and 1976.
Chesapeake's history goes far back into Virginia's colonial roots. The Intracoastal Waterway passes through Chesapeake. On the waterway, at Great Bridge where the locks transition from the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River to the Chesapeake and Albemarle Canal lies the site of the Battle of Great Bridge. This American Revolutionary War battle was responsible for removing Lord Dunmore and any other vestige of English Government for the Colony of Virginia during the early days of the American Revolution on December 9, 1775.
Until the late 1980s and early 1990s, much of Chesapeake was either suburban or rural, serving as a bedroom community of the adjacent cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach with residents commuting to these locations. Beginning in the late 1980s and accelerating in the 1990s, however, Chesapeake saw significant growth, attracting numerous and significant industries and businesses of its own. This explosive growth quickly led to strains on the municipal infrastructure, ranging from intrusion of saltwater into the city's water supply to congested roads and schools.
Chesapeake made national headlines in 2003 when, under a court-ordered change of venue, the community hosted the first trial of convicted murderer Beltway sniper Lee Boyd Malvo for one of the 2002 terrorist-style attacks. A jury spared him a potential death sentence, choosing a sentence of "life in prison without parole" instead for the young man, who was 17 years old at the time of the crime spree. A jury in neighboring Virginia Beach sentenced his older partner John Allen Muhammad to death for another of the attacks.
See article Beltway Sniper Attacks
Geography
Chesapeake is located at 36°46′2″N 76°17′14″W / 36.76722°N 76.28722°W / 36.76722; -76.28722 (36.767398, -76.287405).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 350.9 square miles (908.8 km²), of which, 340.7 square miles (882.5 km²) of it is land and 10.2 square miles (26.4 km²) of it (2.90%) is water.
The northeastern part of the Great Dismal Swamp is located in Chesapeake.
Diverse environment
Chesapeake is one of the larger cities in Virginia and the nation in terms of land, a fact that poses challenges to city leaders in supporting a large infrastructure. The presence of many historically and geographically distinct communities also poses challenges to city leaders, who are also faced with conflicts between development of residential, commercial and industrial areas and preservation of virgin forest and wetlands. Within the city limits in the southwestern section is a large portion of the Great Dismal Swamp.
Adjacent counties and cities
- Portsmouth, Virginia (north)
- Norfolk, Virginia (north)
- Virginia Beach, Virginia (east)
- Currituck County, North Carolina (south)
- Camden County, North Carolina (south)
- Suffolk, Virginia (west)
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile (225.7/km²). There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3/sq mi (82.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.87% White, 28.53% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 2.05% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
There were 69,900 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.17.
The age distribution was: 28.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $50,743, and the median income for a family was $56,302. Males had a median income of $39,204 versus $26,391 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,949. About 6.1% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Chesapeake is formally divided politically into six boroughs: South Norfolk, Pleasant Grove, Butts Road, Washington, Deep Creek and Western Branch..
Of the current boroughs, one, South Norfolk, was formerly a separate incorporated town and independent city for much of the 20th century. Within the other burroughs, a number of communities also developed. Some of these include:
- Benefit
- Bowers Hill notable as a major highway junction
- Buell
- Camelot
- Crestwood (Washington Borough)
- Deep Creek
- Eva Gardens (Crestwood community, Washington Borough)
- Fentress
- Gertie
- Gilmerton
- Grassfield
- Great Bridge
- Greenbrier
- Hickory
- Hodges Ferry
- Indian River
- Mount Pleasant
- Northwest
- Oak Grove
- Oaklette
- Portlock
- Wallaceton
Media
Chesapeake's daily newspaper is the Virginian-Pilot . Other papers include the Port Folio Weekly , the New Journal and Guide , and the Hampton Roads Business Journal . Hampton Roads Magazine serves as a bi-monthly regional magazine for Chesapeake and the Hampton Roads area. Chesapeake is served by a variety of radio stations on the AM and FM dials, with towers located around the Hampton Roads area. Chesapeake is also served by several television stations. The Hampton Roads designated market area (DMA) is the 42nd largest in the U.S. with 712,790 homes