Virginia Beach History

Virginia Beach as a resort town and Princess Anne County merged in 1963. Since that time, the population has steadily increased to just fewer than 450,000 as of the census of 2000. Along with seasonal tourists, which drive the overall population, the town has four military installations; Little Creek, Fort Story, Dam Neck, and Oceana Navel Air Station, making Virginia Beach population the 38th largest city in the United States and having the most people in the Commonwealth.

This didn't used to be the case; in 1607 the first colonists that made up what is now called Cape Henry and the surrounding areas numbered less than one hundred people. By 1690 the first courthouse was built, and by 1692 the little settlement had grown to four counties. Although the population continued to grow, crime did not. The infamous pirate Blackbeard, in fact, having escaped justice for so many years, was captured, tried and hung here in 1719. There were also some accusations of witchcraft (Witchduck point is named after one of these unfortunate women, and a memorial statue is being erected to Grace Sherwood--the witch of Pungo--who was pardoned recently in July of 2006 by governor Tim Kaine) and the famous Bell house, where a family was tortured by an unseen entity for the duration of their natural lives. Virginia Beach history is rich with the flavor of the superstitions that came over with the original colonists, but now those settings are confined to the wonderful Historical Society of Virginia Beach.

Crime, however, is almost non-existent for the size of the population today. Electronic police reports can be made online and Virginia Beach is the first city in the State of Virginia to earn the special award for Certified Crime Prevention Community, due to the involvement of the local neighborhoods in setting up and following through with crime prevention watches. Virginia Beach crime prevention includes a citizen's patrol and even a senior citizens patrol, making the city one of the safest per capita in the country.