Chesepians were the Native American (American Indian) people living in the area now known as South Hampton Roads in Virginia during the time the English settlers came in 1607. They lived in an area which is now the cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
The Chesepians had two other towns (or villages), Apasus and Chesepioc. Both were near the Chesapeake Bay in what is now Virginia Beach. Archaeologists and other people have found many Native American artifacts, for example arrowheads, stone axes, pottery, beads, and skeletons in the area.
In 1607, after traveling by ocean for 144 days, three ships headed by Captain Christopher Newport came to land where the Atlantic Ocean meets the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. This point is in the northeastern part of the city. They named it Cape Henry, after Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the oldest son of King James I of England. They then left the area to find a place farther inland where ships from other European countries would not find them. They created their first settlement at Jamestown.
Adam Thoroughgood (1604-1640) of Norfolk, England is one of the first Englishmen to settle in the area which became Virginia Beach.
In 1634, the Colony was divided into shires. They were soon renamed counties. It is said that Thoroughgood used 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) and Lower Norfolk County. Thoroughgood chose to live along the Lynnhaven River, also named for his home in England. Lower Norfolk County was very big. It stretched all the way from the Atlantic Ocean west past the Elizabeth River. It included the entire area that is now the cities of Portsmouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach.
In 1691, Lower Norfolk County was divided to form Norfolk County to the west and Princess Anne County to the east. Princess Anne included all the area from North Carolina border to Cape Henry at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay along the Atlantic Ocean. Princess Anne County existed from 1691 to 1963, over 250 years.
The small resort area of Virginia Beach began to grow in Princess Anne County in the late 19th century. This growth was helped in 1888 when rail service and electricity started in the area.
The resort was dependent upon railroad and electric trolley service at first. The concrete Virginia Beach Boulevard from Norfolk to the Oceanfront was completed in 1922. It let people get to the oceanfront in automobiles, buses, and trucks. The resort of Virginia Beach became an incorporated town in 1906. Over the next 45 years, Virginia Beach became more popular as a summer vacation spot. Virginia Beach became a small independent city in 1952. It was politically independent from Princess Anne County. In 1963, Virginia Beach and Princess Anne county merged into a new, much larger independent city keeping the name of the Virginia Beach resort.
On May 31, 2019, there was a mass shooting in the city. A man killed 12 people. He was killed by police.
Virginia Beach has an area of 1,288.1 km² (497.3 mi²). Of that area, 643.1 km² (248.3 mi²) is land and 645.0 km² (249.0 mi²) is water. The average elevation is 12 feet (4 meters) above sea level.
The city has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa" in the Koeppen climate classification).
The Edgar Cayce Hospital for Research and Enlightenment was started in Virginia Beach in 1928 with 60 beds. Cayce was a psychic from Kentucky who said he had healing abilities and made prophesies. Cayce lived in Virginia Beach until he died in 1945. His followers are still active in Virginia Beach. Atlantic University was opened by Cayce in 1930; it closed two years later but was re-opened in 1985. Atlantic University was originally intended for study of Cayce's readings and research after spiritual subjects.
There are also eleven golf courses open to the public in the city, as well as four country club courses and NAS Oceana's Aeropines course. Among the best-known public courses are Hell's Point Golf Club and the TPC of Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach is home to several United States Military bases. These include the United States Navy's NAS Oceana and FTC Dam Neck, and the United States Army's Fort Story at Cape Henry. NAB Little Creek is mostly in the city of Virginia Beach but has a Norfolk address.
NAS Oceana is the largest employer in Virginia Beach. It is said to the largest naval airbase in the world.
Virginia Beach has three Sister Cities:
Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo is a hard rock band from Sydney, Australia. The band was formed in 1976. The band is led by singer Angry Anderson. Among their best known songs are "We Can't Be Beaten", "Scarred for Life", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw" and "Bad Boy for Love". Their first 4 albums were produced by Harry Vanda and George Young who also worked with AC/DC.
Other bands have played Rose Tattoo songs including Guns N' Roses ("Nice Boys"), L.A. Guns ("Rock'N'Roll Outlaw"), Nashville Pussy ("Rock'N'Roll Outlaw" and "Nice Boys"), Brass Tacks ("Nice Boys"), Public Toys ("Nice Boys"), Lower Class Brats ("We Can't Be Beaten") and Canadian punk rock band Youth Youth Youth ("We can't be beaten").
Patriots' Day
Patriots' Day (sometimes spelled Patriot's Day or Patriots Day) is a legal holiday in Massachusetts. The holiday remembers the American men and women who fought during the Revolutionary War.
In the past, Patriots' Day was on April 19. This was done in honor of Lexington and Concord. These were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War that were fought on that date in 1775. Since 1969, however, the holiday has been on the third Monday in April.
The Boston Marathon is run on this day every year. The Boston Marathon bombings happened on this day in 2013. The Boston Red Sox have played a home game at Fenway Park on this day every year since 1960.
Woodside, London
Woodside is a neighbourhood in Croydon, in the London Borough of Croydon, England. Woodside Racecourse opened in 1866 on a park called Stroud Green Farm, it has now closed and is now the site of Ashburton Learning Village, closing in 1890. Woodside station opened to serve visitors to the racecourse, but not a lot of people used it when the course closed so it was replaced to make way for a tram line.
Woodside is close to South Norwood and Addiscombe.
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and the largest city of Republic of Bulgaria. It has 1.3 million people. It is the 15th largest city of the European Union. Sofia is in the west of Bulgaria. It has a humid continental climate ("Dfb" in the Köppen climate classification).
Sofia is one of the oldest capital cities in Europe; the history of Sofia dates back to the 8th century BC.
Many of the major universities, cultural institutions, and businesses of Bulgaria are concentrated in Sofia.
Burette
A burette is a vertical tube-like instrument, used to measure and separate known amounts of liquids in laboratories. Burettes are very precise and one can measure the volume of a fluid with the precision of ±0.05 mL with them.
Francois Antoine Henri Descroizilles developed the first burette on 1791. Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac invented a more complete burette later.
Maghen Abraham Synagogue
The Maghen Abraham Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Beirut, capital of Lebanon. A synagogue is where Jews go to pray. But, this synagogue is old, and no one used it for long. But, people in Beirut can still see it in Wadi Abu Jamil, the place where Lebanese Jews used to live. Today, some Lebanese Jews are trying to repair the synagogue, so that they can use it again.