Virginia Beach, Virginia

On the southern Virginia coast, Virginia Beach is a resort city and Virginia’s largest population center. Somewhat spread out, it sits where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay and has miles of beaches, drawing thousands of sand, sun and surf lovers every year.

In fact, tourism is the city’s primary economic driver, with fishing, SCUBA diving, sailing and windsurfing particularly popular. The military boasts a strong presence here, too, with a Navy air station, a Navy base, a Navy training center and a National Guard base.

Laden with shops and restaurants, the Virginia Beach oceanfront is a hotbed of activity from late April to early October. The wide, three-mile long boardwalk is lined with hotels, restaurants, museums and arcades. It is also home to musicians, jugglers, magicians, oceanside concerts and one of the city’s three fishing piers.

While tourists come for the waterfront, residents enjoy more than 200 parks, a wildlife refuge, miles of walking trails, an aquarium, a dozen golf courses, two large shopping malls and dozens of shopping centers.

The gorgeous Sandler Center for Performing Arts is in the Town Center and hosts touring Broadway shows. Community centers are plentiful and have programs for all ages. Annual festivals number in the dozens and include the Wine Festival, the Neptune Festival, the Winter Wildlife Festival and more.

The city has seven boroughs, and each borough has its own distinctive neighborhoods. Homes come in all shapes and sizes.