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Norfolk, Virginia

"The Mermaid City"

Home to the world's largest naval base and a waterfront city reborn — Norfolk has been America's Navy town since the Revolution, defending the nation from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

Founded 1682 | Population 238,005 | Peak 307,951 (1970) | County Norfolk City

Top 10 Most Important Events for Norfolk, Virginia

1907 Naval Station Norfolk Established: Naval Station Norfolk was established and grew into the largest naval base in the world, home to the Atlantic Fleet and the economic backbone of the region.

1862 Battle of the Ironclads: The CSS Virginia and USS Monitor fought the first battle between ironclad warships at nearby Hampton Roads, revolutionizing naval warfare forever.

1776 Burning of Norfolk: Norfolk was burned during the Revolutionary War — partly by British bombardment and partly by American patriots — destroying the largest city in Virginia.

1682 Norfolk Founded: Norfolk was established as a town on the Elizabeth River, becoming one of the most important ports in colonial Virginia.

1959 Norfolk 17: Seventeen Black students integrated Norfolk's white public schools, six years after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board decision, as Virginia's 'massive resistance' movement crumbled.

1933 Chesapeake-Ohio Hurricane: A devastating hurricane struck Norfolk, causing massive flooding and destruction across the Hampton Roads region.

2000 Waterfront Revitalization: Norfolk transformed its downtown waterfront with the Nauticus museum, Town Point Park, and new residential development, reversing decades of urban decline.

1917 WWI Naval Expansion: Norfolk's naval facilities expanded dramatically during WWI, establishing the city as the center of American naval power on the East Coast.

1855 Yellow Fever Epidemic: A yellow fever epidemic killed over 3,000 people in Norfolk and Portsmouth — one-third of the population — devastating the city.

2020 Sea Level Rise Threat: Norfolk became one of the most threatened cities in America by sea level rise, with regular tidal flooding affecting neighborhoods and the naval base.

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Complete Historical Timeline

1682 Government

Norfolk established as port town

1776 Politics

Norfolk burned during Revolution

1855 Disaster

Yellow fever kills 3,000

1862 Politics

Ironclad battle at Hampton Roads

1907 Government

Naval Station Norfolk established

1917 Government

WWI naval expansion

1959 Civil Rights

Norfolk 17 integrate schools

2000 Architecture

Waterfront revitalization

2020 Disaster

Sea level rise threatens city

Did You Know?

Naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval base in the world — it's home to 75 ships, 134 aircraft, and over 60,000 military and civilian personnel.

Norfolk experiences regular 'sunny day flooding' from high tides due to sea level rise — the city floods even when it's not raining, making it one of the most vulnerable cities in America to climate change.

The Battle of Hampton Roads between the Monitor and Virginia (Merrimack) in 1862 made every wooden warship in the world obsolete overnight.