Editing Virginia Beach, Virginia (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Virginia Beach, Virginia|Timeline of Virginia Beach, Virginia|Princess Anne County, Virginia}}
[[File:OcaChesepiques.JPG|thumb|left|A Chesepian home]]

The [[Chesepian]] were the historic indigenous people of the area now known as [[Tidewater (geographic term)|Tidewater]] in Virginia at the time of European encounter. Little is known about them<ref name="Virginia Beach History Timeline">{{cite web | url = http://www.virginiabeachhistory.org/timeline.html | title = Virginia Beach History Timeline | access-date = March 19, 2008 | publisher = Princess Anne County/Virginia Beach Historical Society | archive-date = November 27, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201127014002/http://www.virginiabeachhistory.org/timeline.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> but archeological evidence suggests they may have been related to the [[Carolina Algonquian]], or Pamlico people. They would have spoken one of the [[Algonquian languages]]. These were common among the numerous tribes of the coastal area, who made up the loose [[Powhatan Confederacy]], numbering in the tens of thousands in population. The Chesepian occupied an area which is now defined as the independent cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach.<ref name="400 Years of Change">{{cite web | url = http://www.nps.gov/came/ | title = Cape Henry Memorial | access-date = March 19, 2008 | publisher = U.S. National Park System}}</ref>

[[File:Princessanne.jpg|right|thumb|Princess Anne County (1691–1963), now defunct, with Virginia Beach from 1895 Virginia map]]

In 1607, after a voyage of 144 days, three ships headed by Captain [[Christopher Newport]], and carrying 105 men and boys, made their first landfall in the New World on the mainland, where the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. They named it Cape Henry, after [[Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales]], the eldest son of King [[James I of England]]. These English colonists of the [[London Company|Virginia Company of London]] moved on from this area, as they were under orders to seek a site further inland, which would be more sheltered from ships of competing European countries. They created their first permanent settlement on the north side of the [[James River]] at [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]].<ref name="Cape Henry Memorial">{{cite web|author=Moon, Shep|title=400 Years of Change|url=http://www.deq.state.va.us/coastal/ss2007400yearsofchange.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703223452/http://www.deq.state.va.us/coastal/ss2007400yearsofchange.html|archive-date=July 3, 2009|access-date=March 19, 2008|publisher=Virginia Department of Environmental Quality}}</ref>

[[Adam Thoroughgood]] (1604–1640) of [[King's Lynn]], [[Norfolk]], England is one of the earliest Englishmen to settle in this area, which was developed as Virginia Beach. At the age of 18, he had contracted as an [[indentured servant]] to pay for passage to the [[Virginia Colony]] in the hopes of bettering his life. He earned his freedom after several years and became a leading citizen of the area. In 1629, he was elected to the [[House of Burgesses]] for [[Elizabeth City (Virginia Company)|Elizabeth Cittie]] {{sic}}, one of four "cities" (or incorporations) which were subdivided areas established in 1619.<ref name = "Norfolk History Chapter 4"/>

In 1634, the Colony was divided into the original eight [[shires of Virginia]], soon renamed as [[county|counties]]. Thoroughgood is credited with using the name of his home in England when helping name "[[New Norfolk County]]" in 1637. The following year, New Norfolk County was split into [[Upper Norfolk County]] (soon renamed [[Nansemond County, Virginia|Nansemond County]]) and [[Lower Norfolk County]]. Thoroughgood resided after 1634 was along the [[Lynnhaven River]], named for his home in England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pilotonline.com/history/article_9a020e50-523c-58bf-bf32-ebb84bf0ba2d.html|title=What's in a name?: Lynnhaven River, Virginia Beach|last=Harper|first=Scott|date=April 26, 2010|website=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref>

Lower Norfolk County was large when first organized, defined as from the Atlantic Ocean west past the [[Elizabeth River (Virginia)|Elizabeth River]], encompassing the entire area now within the modern cities of Portsmouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach.<ref name="Norfolk History Chapter 4">{{cite web|title=The Origins of Norfolk's Name|url=http://www.norfolkhistorical.org/highlights/04.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010818221124/http://www.norfolkhistorical.org/highlights/04.html|archive-date=August 18, 2001|access-date=October 9, 2007|publisher=Norfolk Historical Society}}</ref> It attracted many entrepreneurs, including William Moseley with his family in 1648. Belonging to the Merchant Adventurers Guild of London, he immigrated from [[Rotterdam]] of the [[Netherlands]], where he had been in international trade. He settled on land on the north side of the [[Elizabeth River (Virginia)|Elizabeth River]], east of what developed as [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]].

Following the increased settlement, in 1691 Lower Norfolk County was divided to form [[Norfolk County, Virginia|Norfolk]] and [[Princess Anne County, Virginia|Princess Anne]] counties. Princess Anne, the easternmost county in South Hampton Roads, extended from Cape Henry at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, south to what became the border of the North Carolina colony. It included all of the area fronting the Atlantic Ocean. Princess Anne County was known as a jurisdiction from 1691 to 1963, over 250 years.<ref name="Norfolk History Chapter 9">{{cite web|title=Norfolk Becomes a Borough|url=http://www.norfolkhistorical.org/highlights/09.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010421025249/http://www.norfolkhistorical.org/highlights/09.html|archive-date=April 21, 2001|access-date=October 9, 2007|publisher=Norfolk Historical Society}}</ref>

In the early centuries, this area was rural and developed for plantation agriculture. In the late 19th century, the small resort area of Virginia Beach developed in Princess Anne County after the 1883 arrival of rail service to the coast. The Virginia Beach Hotel was opened and operated by the Norfolk and Virginia Beach Railroad and Improvement Company at the oceanfront, near the tiny community of [[Seatack, Virginia|Seatack]]. The hotel was foreclosed and the railroad was reorganized in 1887. The hotel was upgraded and reopened in 1888 as the Princess Anne Hotel.<ref>Jonathan Mark Souther, "Twixt Ocean and Pines: The Seaside Resort at Virginia Beach, 1880-1930." M.A. thesis, University of Richmond, 1996.</ref>

In 1891, guests at the new hotel watched the wreck and rescue efforts of the [[United States Life-Saving Service]] for the Norwegian barque ''Dictator''. The ship's figurehead, which washed up on the beach several days later, was erected as a monument to the victims and rescuers. It stood along the oceanfront for more than 50 years. In the 21st century, it inspired the pair of matching [[Norwegian Lady|Norwegian Lady Monuments]], sculpted by [[Ørnulf Bast]] and installed in Virginia Beach and [[Moss, Norway]].<ref>Foss, William O., ''The Norwegian Lady and the Wreck of the Dictator''. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Noreg Books, 2002. {{ISBN|0-9721989-0-3}}</ref>

The resort initially depended on [[railroad]] and [[electric trolley]] service. The completion of [[Virginia Beach Boulevard]] in 1922, which extended from Norfolk to the oceanfront, opened the route for [[automobile]]s, [[bus]]es, and [[truck]]s. The passenger rail service to the oceanfront was eventually discontinued as traffic increased by vehicles. The growing resort of Virginia Beach became an [[incorporated town]] in 1906. Over the next 45 years, Virginia Beach continued to grow in popularity as a seasonal vacation spot. The casinos were replaced by amusement parks and family-oriented attractions. In 1927 The [[Cavalier Hotel]] opened and became a popular vacation spot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pilotonline.com/history/article_096b978e-eccb-52d1-94d1-73330d09eb39.html?outputType=amp|title=1927: The grand opening of the Cavalier Hotel|last=Hays|first=Jakon|date=April 4, 2017|website=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|access-date=April 4, 2017|archive-date=December 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207223636/https://www.pilotonline.com/history/article_096b978e-eccb-52d1-94d1-73330d09eb39.html?outputType=amp|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/cavalier-resort-takes-shape-in-virginia-beach/|title=Cavalier Resort takes shape in Virginia Beach|last=Griset|first=Rich|date=April 29, 2021|website=Virginiabusiness.com|access-date=April 29, 2021}}</ref>

Virginia Beach gained status as an independent city in 1952, although ties remained between it and Princess Anne County. In 1963, after voters in the two jurisdictions passed a supporting referendum, and with the approval of the [[Virginia General Assembly]], the two political subdivisions were consolidated as a new, much larger independent city, retaining the better-known name of the Virginia Beach resort.<ref name="Virginia Beach History">{{cite web | url = https://www.virginiabeach.com/listing/attractions/history | title = Virginia Beach History | access-date = March 21, 2008 | publisher = VirginiaBeach.com}}</ref>

The Alan B. Shepard Civic Center ("The Dome"), a significant building in the city's history because of the many famous musical acts played there,<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 12, 2019 |title=Flashback: What exactly was 'The Dome' that once stood at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront? |url=https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/virginia-beach/history-of-the-virginia-beach-dome-civic-center/291-4e5e623c-a636-4086-9977-b500bf3806cd |access-date=January 20, 2023 |website=13newsnow.com |language=en-US}}</ref> was constructed in 1958,<ref name="dome1">{{cite web|title=Va. Beach getting serious again about Dome site development|url=http://hamptonroads.com/node/426191|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204110400/http://hamptonroads.com/node/426191|archive-date=December 4, 2008|website=HamptonRoads|publisher=Hampton Roads.com, Bill Reed, November 14, 2007}}</ref> and was dedicated to the career of former Virginia Beach resident and astronaut [[Alan Shepard]].<ref name="Dome">{{cite web|title=Dome's memory will linger as a monument several activities are planned to honor the beach's now-razed former civic center|url=http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp941014/10130183.htm|access-date=February 23, 2008|via=scholar.lib.vt.edu|newspaper=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]}}</ref> As the area changed, the Dome was frequently used as a bingo hall. The building was razed in 1994<ref name="dome1"/> to make room for a municipal parking lot and potential future development.

===Recent history===
[[File:Virginia Beach boardwalk at 29th Street looking north.jpeg|thumb|right|Boardwalk in Virginia Beach]]
Real estate, defense, and tourism are major sectors of the Virginia Beach economy. Many local public and private groups have maintained a vested interest in real-estate redevelopment, resulting in a number of joint public-private projects, such as commercial parks. Examples of the public-private development include the Virginia Beach Convention Center, the Oceanfront Hilton Hotel, and the [[Virginia Beach Town Center]]. The city assisted in financing the project through the use of tax increment financing: creating special tax districts and constructing associated street and infrastructure to support the developments. The Town Center opened in 2003, with related construction continuing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ourcommunitynow.com/news/new-development-going-up-in-virginia-beach-town-center|title=New Development Going up in Virginia Beach Town Center|date=October 25, 2017|website=Our Community Now|access-date=February 12, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.pilotonline.com/government/local/vp-nw-town-center-high-rise-0422-20210422-45aik77t3zdtjiqsp4iheytcsm-story.html|title=An Armada Hoffler company has 3 more years to develop plans to build a high rise in Town Center|last=Skelton|first=Alissa|date=April 22, 2021|website=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|access-date=February 12, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://hrchamber.com/news/article/nike-rethinks-retail-with-divaris-real-estate-at-virginia-beach-town-center/|title=Nike Rethinks Retail With Divaris Real Estate At Virginia Beach Town Center|date=January 22, 2022|website=Hampton Roads Chamber|access-date=April 11, 2023}}</ref> The Convention Center opened in 2005.<ref name="VBTC Financing">{{cite web|title=Town Center|url=http://vbgov.com/vgn.aspx?vgnextoid=5542340df304c010VgnVCM1000006310640aRCRD&vgnextchannel=c803a9893c5dd010VgnVCM1000006310640aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120180249/http://vbgov.com/vgn.aspx?vgnextoid=5542340df304c010VgnVCM1000006310640aRCRD&vgnextchannel=c803a9893c5dd010VgnVCM1000006310640aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default|archive-date=November 20, 2007|access-date=March 8, 2007|publisher=City of Virginia Beach}}</ref><ref name="Phase I">{{cite web | url = http://meetingsnet.com/news/meetings_phase_virginia_beach/ | title = Phase I of Virginia Beach Convention Center Set to Open in June | author = Barbara L. Brewer | access-date = March 21, 2008 | publisher = Meetingsnet |url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081206143510/http://meetingsnet.com/news/meetings_phase_virginia_beach/ | archive-date = December 6, 2008}}</ref>

The city has begun to run out of clear land available for new construction north of the Green Line, an [[urban growth boundary]] dividing the urban northern and rural southern sections of the city.<ref name="Green Line">{{cite news|title=Virginia Beach's Green Line: Should the Line Hold?|newspaper=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|url=http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp960821/08210003.htm|access-date=March 21, 2008|via=scholar.lib.vt.edu}}</ref> Infill and development of residential neighborhoods has placed a number of operating constraints on [[NAS Oceana|Naval Air Station Oceana]], a major fighter jet base for the U.S. Navy. While the airbase enjoys wide support from Virginia Beach at large, the Pentagon [[Base Realignment and Closure]] commission has proposed closure of Oceana within the next decade.<ref name = "BRAC Reaction"/>  In 2012 a Navy jet that took off from Oceana experienced engine failure and [[2012 Virginia Beach F/A-18 crash|crashed]] into an apartment complex.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-beach-neighborhood/2012/04/06/gIQALyFzzS_story.html|title=Navy jet crashes in Virginia Beach neighborhood|last=Branglin|first=William|date=April 6, 2012|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=November 8, 2021}}</ref>

This land crunch led to floodplain development. During [[Hurricane Matthew]], the heavy rainfall flooded over 2000 homes and left some neighborhoods with standing water for days.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/matthew-leads-to-power-outages-widespread-flooding-in-se-virginia/2016/10/09/c06c33fc-8e31-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae_story.html|title=Matthew leads to 1 death, power outages in southeast Virginia|last=Duggan|first=Paul|date=October 9, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=October 9, 2016}}</ref> Given the rising risks of flooding due to [[climate change in Virginia|climate change]] and the impetus of the hurricane damage, the city rejected several further development proposals. This rejection was significant from two perspectives. First, cities reject building very rarely, demonstrating the shift in public perception. Second, these rejections led to lawsuits by the developers. The rejection of these lawsuits in the courts provides precedent for other sorts of local [[climate change adaptation]] efforts in the future. Discussing the matter, Mayor Dyer noted, "It's a confrontation with reality. Not everybody's going to be happy."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flavelle |first1=Christopher |last2=Schwartz |first2=John |title=As Climate Risk Grows, Cities Test a Tough Strategy: Saying 'No' to Developers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/climate/climate-real-estate-developers.html |newspaper=New York Times |access-date=December 12, 2019 |date=November 19, 2019}}</ref>

On May 31, 2019, a [[2019 Virginia Beach shooting|shooting]] occurred at a municipal government building in Virginia Beach. A former employee entered the building and shot indiscriminately, killing 12 people and injuring four others before dying from a gunshot wound fired by responding officers.<ref>{{cite news | date = May 31, 2019 | title = At least 12 dead after disgruntled employee opens fire at Virginia Beach municipal center | url = https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/31/us/virginia-beach-shooting/index.html | publisher = [[CNN]] | access-date = May 31, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-beach-dewayne-craddock-motive-fbi/2021/06/10/3709d830-ca22-11eb-93fa-9053a95eb9f2_story.html?outputType=amp|title=Virginia Beach mass shooter motivated by 'perceived workplace grievances, 'FBI finds|last=Jamison|first=Peter|date=June 10, 2021|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=June 10, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawmaker-laptop-2019-mass-shooter-found-96154127|title=Lawmaker: Laptop of 2019 mass shooter is found|last=Finley|first=Ben|date=January 3, 2023|website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=April 11, 2023}}</ref>