Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the South Hampton Roads area in the Commonwealth of Virginia, on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the 39th largest city in the US, with a total population of 447,000. It is the third largest suburban city after Long Beach, California and Mesa, Arizona, and it is the fourth largest in North America.
Virginia Beach is best known as a major resort, with miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants along its oceanfront. It is also home to several state parks, several long protected beach areas, three military bases, a number of large corporations, and two universities.
The city is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the longest pleasure beach in the world and is located at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the longest bridge-tunnel complex in existence.
Virginia Beach is located at 36°50'4"N, 76°5'13"W (36.834498, -76.087179).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,288.1 km2 (497.3 mi2). 643.1 km2 (248.3 mi2) of it is land and 645.0 km2 (249.0 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 50.07% water. The average elevation is 12 feet (4 meters) above sea level.
The city is located at the southeastern corner of the tidewater region of Virginia (also known as Hampton Roads), bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The Hampton Roads Metropolitan Statistical Area (officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA) is the 34th largest in the United States, with a total population of 1,576,370. The area includes the Virginia cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Williamsburg, and the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, Surry, and York, as well as the North Carolina county of Currituck. While Virginia Beach is the most populated city within the MSA, it actually currently functions more as a suburb. The city of Norfolk is recognized as the central business district, while the Virginia Beach oceanside resort district and Williamsburg are primarily centers of tourism.
As of the census of 2000, there are 425,257 people, 154,455 households, and 110,898 families residing in the city. The population density is 661.3/km2 (1,712.7/mi2). There are 162,277 housing units at an average density of 252.3/km2 (653.6/mi2).
The racial makeup of the city is 71.41% White (69.46% non-Latino white), 18.95% African American, 0.38% Native American, 4.91% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.51% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. 4.18% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 154,455 households out of which 38.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% are married couples living together, 12.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% are non-families. 20.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.70 and the average family size is 3.14.
The age distribution is 27.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $48,705, and the median income for a family is $53,242. Males have a median income of $33,756 versus $25,979 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,365. 6.5% of the population and 5.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.6% of those under the age of 18 and 4.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Source:
VirginiaBeachVirginia.com
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