Norfolk . 1 City (1990 pop. 21,476), Madison co., NE Nebr., on the Elkhorn River; inc. 1881. A trade and railroad center in a fertile farming region, it has a livestock market. Its industries produce animal feeds, food and beverages, and electronic products.

2 City (1990 pop. 261,229), independent and in no county, SE Va., on the Elizabeth River and the southern side of Hampton Roads; founded 1682, inc. as a city 1845. It is a port of entry and a major commercial, industrial, shipping, and distribution center. With Portsmouth and Newport News , it forms the Port of Hampton Roads, one of the world's best natural harbors. The city has 50 mi (80 km) of waterfront and an extensive maritime trade, exporting coal, grain, tobacco, seafood, and farm products. Industries include shipbuilding, meat and seafood processing, and the manufacture of lumber, steel, sheet metal, leather products, farm implements, textiles, trucks, and furniture.

Norfolk is also a major military center; with Portsmouth the city forms an extensive naval complex. The headquarters of the 5th Naval Dist., the Atlantic Fleet, the 2d Fleet, and the Supreme Allied Command are there. The operating base is the largest in the United States and includes a naval air station and other facilities. The Norfolk navy yard is in Portsmouth.

Of interest in Norfolk are St. Paul's Church (1738; only building to survive the burning of 1776); Fort Norfolk (1794); the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Memorial, where the general is buried; and many old homes. Norfolk is home to Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk State Univ., Virginia Wesleyan College, and Eastern Virginia Medical School. A national maritime center is there, and the city hosts an international arts festival. Bridge-tunnels link Norfolk with the Delmarva Peninsula and with Hampton, Va.

A rallying point for Tory forces at the start of the American Revolution, Norfolk was attacked (1776) by Americans and in the ensuing battle caught fire and was nearly destroyed. In the Civil War it was first a Confederate naval base; the battle between the Monitor and Merrimack was fought in Hampton Roads. Norfolk fell to Union forces in May, 1862.

Norfolk: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1980: 1,200,998

1990: 1,430,974

2000: 1,551,351

2003 estimate: 1,630,242

Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.4%

U.S. rank in 1990: 27th

U.S. rank in 2000: 33rd

City Residents

1980: 266,979

1990: 261,250

2000: 234,403

2003 estimate: 241,727

Percent change, 1990–2000: -10.2 %

U.S. rank in 1990: 75th (State rank: 2nd)

U.S. rank in 2000: 72nd (State rank: 2nd)

Density: 4,362.8 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 113,358

Black or African American: 103,387

American Indian and Alaska Native: 1,071

Asian: 6,593

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 251

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 8,915

Other: 3,923

Percent of residents born in state: 48.9% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Poplation under 5 years old: 16,546

Poplation 5 to 9 years old: 16,508

Poplation 10 to 14 years old: 15,072

Population 15 to 19 years old: 18,926

Poplation 20 to 24 years old: 31,983

Poplation 25 to 34 years old: 36,620

Poplation 35 to 44 years old: 33,569

Poplation 45 to 54 years old: 25,010

Poplation 55 to 59 years old: 8,143

Poplation 60 to 64 years old: 6,494

Poplation 65 to 74 years old: 12,979

Poplation 75 to 84 years old: 9,693

Population 85 years and over: 2,860

Median age: 29.6 years (2000)

Births (2003)

Total number: 3,942

Deaths (2003)

Total number: 2,729 (of which, 53 were infants under the age of 1 year)

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $17,372 Median household income: $31,815 Total households: 86,178

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 12,024

$10,000 to $14,999: 6,883

$15,000 to $24,999: 14,465

$25,000 to $34,999: 13,470

$35,000 to $49,999: 15,232

$50,000 to $74,999: 13,402

$75,000 to $99,999: 5,264

$100,000 to $149,999: 3,318

$150,000 to $199,999: 915

$200,000 or more: 1,205

Percent of families below poverty level: 15.5% (30.5% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 15,476

Norfolk: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

The Virginian-Pilot is Norfolk's daily newspaper. The city is also home to military newspapers Flagship and Soundings. The Mace and Crown is the newspaper of Old Dominion University.

Television and Radio

Norfolk is served by 3 network affiliates and a network station from nearby Portsmouth. Norfolk is home to 11 FM radio stations (4 classical, plus public, talk, and music format stations) and 4 AM stations with public, religious, and music formats.

Media Information: Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510; telephone (757)446-2000

Norfolk Online

City of Norfolk. Available www.norfolk.gov

Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. Available www.hamptonroadschamber.com

Naval Station Norfolk. Available www.navstanorva.navy.mil

Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau. Available www.norfolkcvb.com/home

Norfolk Public Library system. Available www2.npl.lib.va.us

Norfolk Public Schools. Available www.nps.k12.va.us/index.htm

Virginian-Pilot newspaper. Available www.hamptonroads.com/pilotonline

Selected Bibliography

Flanders, Alan B., Bluejackets on the Elizabeth: A Maritime History of Portsmouth & Norfolk, Virginia from the Colonial Period to the Present (Portsmouth, VA: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum, 1998)

Lewis, Earl, In Their Own Interests: Race, Class & Power in Twentieth-Century Norfolk, Virginia (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993)

Parramore, Thomas C., Peter C. Stewart (Contributor), and Tommy L. Bogger (Contributor), Norfolk: The First Four Centuries (Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1994)

Norfolk: Transportation

Approaching the City

The city has easy access to Interstates 64 and 264. Greyhound provides bus service to the city and train travel is offered by Amtrak. The 17-mile-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel links the Norfolk region to the Delmarva Peninsula, and the Paddlewheel Ferry (a natural gas-powered pedestrian ferry) provides service between Norfolk's Waterside and Portsmouth. Pleasure craft can travel on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk all the way down to Miami, Florida, on a protected inland channel.

Norfolk International Airport, located eight miles northeast of the city's downtown area, is served by eight commercial airlines, including American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, TWA, United, and USAir. The airport handles more than 3 million passengers annually on more than 200 flights daily.

Traveling in the City

Interstates 64/564 run north and south through the city, and Interstate 264 runs east and west. State Highway 460, known locally as St. Paul's Boulevard, runs north and south through the downtown, while State Highway 58, known as Brambleton Avenue, runs east and west. Other main downtown streets running north-south are Boush Street, Church Street, and Tidewater Avenue. Waterside Drive and Water St. run east and west along the riverfront. Hampton Roads Transit provides public transportation regionally, connecting Norfolk with Virginia Beach, Newport News, Suffolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake. HRT also operates the Norfolk Electric Transit service (NET), which offers free service around the downtown area.

Norfolk

The City in Brief

Founded: 1682 (incorporated 1705)

Head Official: Mayor Paul D. Fraim (I) (since 1994)

City Population

1980: 266,979

1990: 261,250

2000: 234,403

2003 estimate: 241,727

Percent change, 1990–2000: -10.2%

U.S. rank in 1990: 75th (State rank: 2nd)

U.S. rank in 2000: 72nd (State rank: 2nd)

Metropolitan Area Population (MSA)

1980: 1,200,998

1990: 1,430,974

2000: 1,551,351

Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.4%

U.S. rank in 1990: 27th

U.S. rank in 2000: 33rd

Area: 53.73 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 13 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 59.57° F;

Average Annual Precipitation: 43.89 inches total; 7.5 inches of snowfall

Major Economic Sectors: Services, trade, government

Unemployment rate: 4.0% (December 2004)

Per Capita Income: $17,372 (1999)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 15,476

Major Colleges and Universities: Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, Virginia Wesleyan College, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Troy State University, Tidewater Community College

Daily Newspaper: The Virginian-Pilot

Norfolk: Convention Facilities

Just blocks from Norfolk's waterfront is the SCOPE Cultural and Convention Center, which features the dome-shaped SCOPE Arena, Chrysler Hall, and a self-contained parking facility. SCOPE offers 85,000 square feet of contiguous meeting space, accommodates up to 11,300 delegates for a convention, and handles banquets for up to 3,650 people. It also features six meeting rooms with capacities from 10 to 400 people, and a 150-seat restaurant. The Waterside Convention Connection is a joint project of the Waterside Convention Center, the Waterside Festival Marketplace and the Sheraton, Marriott, and Radisson hotels. These combined entities offer 121,000 square feet of function space, 55 meeting rooms, 1,000 first-class rooms for lodging and a large exhibit hall that can accommodate up to 2,400 guests for a reception, 2,000 people in a theater setup, and 1,400 for a banquet. Local theater buildings, attractions and dining establishments can also be reserved for meetings and conventions, creating a unique experience with a definite Norfolk flavor.

Convention Information: Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau, 232 E. Main Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; telephone (757)664-6620; toll-free (800)368-3097

Norfolk: Municipal Government

Norfolk operates under a council-city manager form of government. It has seven city commissioners, one of whom is elected mayor by the council members. Council members serve for four years and the mayor's term is two years. The council appoints a city manager who oversees daily city business matters.

Head Official: Mayor Paul D. Fraim (I) (since 1994; current term expires 2006)

Total Number of City Employees: Approximately 6,000 (2005)

City Information: Mayor's Office, City of Norfolk, 810 Union St., Norfolk, VA 23510; telephone (757)664-4000

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