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Chesapeake Travel Guide, Virginia

Chesapeake is one of the independent cities located in the southeastern part of Virginia. Chesapeake was established in 1963 during the consolidation of South Norfolk with Norfolk County. Chesapeake has become a diverse city, having urban areas and many miles of wetlands and forests that are protected, including a major section of the Dismal Swamp. Chesapeake is positioned on the Atlantic Inracoastal Waterway, having miles of industrial, residential, and commercial waterfront property and extending from North Carolina's rural border all the way to the Hampton Roads harbor area, which neighbors the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk. Currently, Chesapeake is the third biggest city of Virgina when talking about population. The population of the city was estimated in 2006 to be 220,560, which is an increase by 10.7 percent from the census count six years prior, in 2000.

The growth of the city, has been ignited by its transportation facilities and location, and these factors continue to be significant to its growth. One of Chesapeake's major issues is getting enough funds for replacing and adding bridges, highways, and other infrastructures, as the infrastructure that was originally constructed with toll revenues is aging without giving them a funding source to build replacements or even make repairs to them. The tolls in the city are limited right now to the Chesapeake Expressway and Jordan Bridge; however, new tolls may have to be imposed for some of the existing facilities in order to help generate some revenue for projects.

The airport that serves Chesapeake is the Norfolk International Airport, which is located in Norfolk, having commercial airline services for passengers. The Chesapeake Regional Airport is located within the limits of the city and is a general facility for aviation. There is also the NALF Fentress, which is a facility used by the Navy of the United States, as well as an auxiliary landing spot, which is a section of the big NAS Oceana facility of Virgina Beach.

The Intracoastal Waterway goes right through Chesapeake, and the city also has extensive port and frontage facilities located on the navigable sections of the Southern and Western Branches of Elizabeth River. There are also 5 railroads that pass through parts of Chesapeake, where two are Class 1 railroads (Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation) and the other three are short lines. There is a potential line that Chesapeake is located on for a high speed passenger service to operate between South Hampton Roads and Richmond, which the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation are currently studying.

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