Region", also
includes the independent cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport
News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk, as well as other smaller
cities, counties and towns of Hampton Roads.
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. |