Virginia Beach at a Glance

Welcome home to Virginia Beach! You’ve chosen to live where thousands come to vacation, where the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean meet. As enchanting as it is to walk the three-mile stretch of Oceanfront boardwalk or enjoy hour after hour in the sand, Virginia’s most populous city is more than just a beach town.

It’s got everything you can imagine and more.

Nowhere in Hampton Roads are the neighborhoods as diverse.

• Explore beach cottages within walking distance of the ocean on the side streets of Atlantic Avenue, and for a more authentic beachy experience, visit remote and beautiful Sandbridge.
• Homes in Bay Colony, Birdneck Point and Holly Cove are just minutes away from the shore.
• Rural Pungo is a world onto itself, where the strawberries are plentiful in season and horse farms deliver a countryside charm.
• Picturesque, tree-lined streets of single family homes characterize Little Neck, Great Neck, Thoroughgood and Salem Woods.
• Chic’s Beach runs along the Chesapeake Bay for an alternate beach experience.
• Newly developed Town Center is in the thick of it all.
• Alanton isn’t just gorgeous. It feeds some of the best public schools in the city.

Virginia Beach has the highest concentration of top-ranked public schools in the Commonwealth. Its moderate climate leaves the outdoors the best place to be, whether sunning yourself on the beach, enjoying any one of the 200 parks or attending one of the city’s many festivals. The annual Neptune Festival alone draws more than 500,000 to the Oceanfront.

It’s great to live in Virginia Beach, where the variety of recreational fun will keep you hopping all year long.

ART, MUSEUMS & ENTERTAINMENT

Too many to name, but in case you want a sampling, read on below.

Called MOCA, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art is rooted in community, a place where art can be mysterious but never exclusive. The ViBe creative district dubs itself a hub for artists and spirits with weekly and monthly events that combine entertainment with community art. Virginia Beach Art Center features monthly exhibitions, art and pottery classes and opportunities to chat with artists in their studios. Fine arts classes and creative outlets for children and adults at Arts on the Boulevard .

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is an interactive experience full of hands-on fun. Rope course and ziplining are part of The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium .

Military Aviation Museum chronicles World War I and World War II aircraft.

One after another, the festivals — from the Neptune Festival to the Boardwalk Arts Show — bring community and tourists together. Explore them all here . If you enjoy running, there’s always a 5K on the calendar and the Shamrock Marathon is a staple every March.

Sting, The Boss, Jason Aldean and Dave Matthews Band are a few of the headliners who have played the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater that seats 20,000.

Live music and more events at Sandler Center for the Performing Arts .

Virginia Beach trolley makes seasonal shuttle runs along Atlantic Avenue.

EAT & DRINK

The restaurant list is too overwhelming to list, but we’ve picked out a few locals’ favorites. Among them:

• Margie & Ray’s Seafood Restaurant Crab House & Raw Bar : Surf and turf selections, including awesome breakfast specialties at this Sandbridge favorite
• Farm-to-table breakfast, lunch and brunch at The Bee & The Biscuit
• Becca Restaurant & Garden : You’ll love the gardens at this highly touted spot at the historic Cavalier Hotel
• Farm-to-fork at Hot Tuna , a five-star menu with a surfer chic dress code
• Have breakfast anytime on the Oceanfront at Doc Taylor’s
• Great pizza at ShoreBreak Pizza & Taphouse
• Waterman’s is the home of the original orange crush
• What’s more amazing? The food or the view at Rockafeller’s ?

If you have a taste for craft beer, you’re in the right city. Commonwealth Brewing Company operates inside a former fire and rescue station; Pleasure House Brewing in Chic’s Beach; New Realm Brewing with firepits cornhole and Wagyu burgers, veteran-founded  Warriors Taphouse and so many more. Dogs are welcome at Wasserhund Brewing Company .

EDUCATION

Highly touted Virginia Beach Public Schools include 55 elementary schools, 15 middle schools and 11 high schools. The middle and high schools offer academies that range from entrepreneurship and business to mathematics and science to legal studies. Find a full listing of the academies here .

Private schools include Cape Henry Collegiate, Virginia Beach Friends School and Holy Family Day School; more than 9,000 students attend private schools in the city.

Tidewater Community College’s largest campus is in Virginia Beach, and Virginia Wesleyan University is located in the city. Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, Regent University, Hampton University and Christopher Newport University are easily within commuting distance.

MEDICAL SERVICES

Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital , Sentara Princess Anne Hospital and Sentara Independence are each located in Virginia Beach.

Hospitals and major medical centers in Norfolk and Chesapeake are all within an easy drive of Virginia Beach.

PARKS & RECREATION

Don’t be fooled by the name. Eco-friendly Mount Trashmore Park, the nation’s first landfill park, offers too many amenities to list. A few include a stage for performers, playgrounds, a skate park, volleyball courts, picnic shelters and a boardwalk.

Japanese gardens, trails and sports areas and a dog park make up Red Wing Park. First Landing State Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the first planned state park of Virginia. Find disc golf, a dog park, tennis, walkways and more at Bayville Farms Park. You can’t miss the statue of the Roman god Neptune at beachy Neptune’s Park. Great Neck Park overlooks the bay and includes a gazebo. Swim, fish, crab at Little Island Park in the Sandbridge section of the city.

Back Bay National Wildlife Preserve encompasses a variety of habitats, including beach, dunes, freshwater wetlands and woodlands among eight miles of scenic trails.

Virginia Beach Fishing Pier is the lone fishing pier on the Oceanfront.

Virginia Beach Sportsplex seats 6,000 and is a regional training center for field hockey.

Virginia Beach Field House hosts sporting events and leagues for soccer, basketball, volleyball, flag football, kickball, sand volleyball and more.

If you’re a golfer, you’re home thanks to approximately 30 courses in or near Virginia Beach. A sampling include Virginia Beach National (the longest course in the state at 7,432 yards), Heron Ridge , Stumpy Lake (includes a canoe/kayak launch) and Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club .

More than 10,000 descend at the Beach for the North American Sand Soccer Championship held every June. The Oceanfront is home every August to the East Coast Surfing Championship , the longest continually running surfing championship in the world.

SHOPPING

Major supermarket chains Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Aldi, Lidl and The Fresh Market have stores in Virginia Beach. The city is home to the only Wegmans in Hampton Roads and the only Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s in South Hampton Roads.

Lynnhaven Mall includes the lone Apple Store in South Hampton Roads. Browse the specialty shops at Town Center and The Shops at Hilltop . Virginia Beach is essentially next door to Norfolk Premium Outlets.

WORK

Gold Key/PHR, Stihl Incorporated, Navy Exchange, DOMA Technologies and Geico are among the largest employers. Virginia Beach’s largest employer is the U.S. Army. The city is ideal for anyone seeking to work in the resort and hospitality industries.

Virginia Beach residents can easily commute to Hampton Roads’ other cities. Virginia Beach is off Interstate 64. Virginia Beach is minutes away from Norfolk International Airport and an easy drive to Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.