Norfolk is a city in the U.S. state of Virginia in the United States of
America. It is an independent city, and therefore part of no county. As of
the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 234,403. Norfolk is
located on the Elizabeth River, on Hampton Roads. The locals do not
pronounce the "L" in the city's name, pronouncing it "NOR-fuk" instead of "NOR-folk".
History
The site of what is now Norfolk was originally the Chesipean Indian town
Skicoak. The Chesipeans had been destroyed by Powhatan by the time of the
arrival of the first English settlers, who, in 1585, settled on Roanoke
Island. In 1591, the colony of Roanoke had disappeared without a trace. The
city was laid out in 1682. In 1862, the battle between the ironclads Monitor
and Merrimac was fought in Hampton Roads, off Norfolk.
Norfolk is a major military center. With Portsmouth, it forms an
extensive naval complex. The headquarters of the 5th Naval District, the
Atlantic Fleet, the 2nd Fleet, and the Supreme Allied Command are there at
Sewell's Point. Naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval base in the
United States and includes a naval air station and other facilities. The
Norfolk Naval Shipyard or "Norfolk Navy Yard" is in Portsmouth, Virginia. (They
could not name it the "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard," because there was already
one of those in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.) Several vessels of the Navy have
been named USS Norfolk after the city.
General Douglas MacArthur is buried in the city; there is a small museum for
him, and a major shopping mall across the street from his burial site is
named for him. The city is home to Old Dominion University and Norfolk State
University; Virginia Wesleyan College, a private liberal arts college, has a
Norfolk mailing address, but almost all of its campus lies in the adjacent
city of Virginia Beach. The city's public school system comprises 5 high
schools, 8 middle schools, 34 elementary schools, and 9 special-purpose/preschools.
The international headquarters of PETA are located on the city's waterfront
just to the east of downtown.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
249.4 km˛ (96.3 mi˛). 139.2 km˛ (53.7 mi˛) of it is land and 110.3 km˛ (42.6
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 44.22% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 234,403 people, 86,210 households, and
51,898 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,684.4/km˛
(4,362.8/mi˛). There are 94,416 housing units at an average density of
678.5/km˛ (1,757.3/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 48.36% White,
44.11% African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.81% Asian, 0.11% Pacific
Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. 3.80% of
the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 86,210 households out of which 30.3% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 36.9% are married couples living together, 18.8%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% are non-families.
30.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.6% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.45 and the average family size is 3.07.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18,
18.2% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100
females there are 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 104.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,815, and the median
income for a family is $36,891. Males have a median income of $25,848 versus
$21,907 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,372. 19.4% of
the population and 15.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 27.9% are under the age of 18 and 13.2% are
65 or older.
Norfolk and the rest of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area (including
Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, Suffolk,
Williamsburg and Poquoson, Virginia) are served by Norfolk International
Airport.
