Virginia Beach.(The Coastal Region: Hampton Roads)

The famous three-mile boardwalk and amusement rides, 35 miles of Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay beaches, spectactular fishing and golfing, and myriad dining and entertainment options make Virginia Beach a premier vacation spot. On the off-chance the weather doesn't cooperate, there are fine museums, world-class shopping venues, and fine historic homes to visit.

As well as being one of the East Coast's best resorts, Virginia Beach is also the state's most populous city, with nearly a half million residents and growing by the minute. Anew Town Center provides first-rate dining and shopping, a $202 million convention center is scheduled for completion in 2007, and many more millions are going into continued redevelopment of retail and commercial areas near the oceanfront.

Despite all this activity, there are still several large undeveloped tracts of public land where recreation, solitude and wildlife can be found. And then there's the expansive Atlantic Ocean, where bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales can be seen from shore or on a sightseeing cruise. More than a cliche, Virginia Beach truly is a destination that "has it all."

History

The first English settlers to land in America, did so at Cape Henry on April 29, 1607, 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Those first settlers, led by Captain John Smith, then moved inland to found the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown.

Cape Henry lies on the northern tip of Virginia Beach at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay where, during bad weather, the seas can be treacherous and unpredictable. In 1720, Virginia's governor requested that a lighthouse be built on Cape Henry. At first the English King refused, but finally agreed and work began only to be halted in 1774 by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. The lighthouse was finally completed in 1791 and still stands to this day. In 1962 it became Virginia Beach's official symbol.

It wasn't until the 19th century that Virginia Beach gained its reputation as a popular vacation spot. The coming of the railroad brought easy access to the oceanfront from the bustling port city of Norfolk. Hotels began to spring up and the waterfront area went through various stages of construction and development. Back in those days, the great Princess Anne Hotel, a self-contained vacation paradise, occupied more than two oceanfront blocks and was served by a railroad link that ran almost to the lobby.