The small resort area of Virginia Beach grew in Princess Anne County, beginning in the late 19th century , particularly afterward the 1888 arrival of electricity and rail service and the opening of the original Princess Anne Hotel at the oceanfront near the tiny community of Seatack.Guests at the new hotel watched the wreck and rescue efforts of the United States Life Saving Service for the Norwegian bark Dictator in 1891 The ship’s figurehead, which washed up on the beach several days later, was erected as a modest monument to the victims and rescuers along the oceanfront for more than 50 years, and later became the inspiration for the current matching Norwegian Lady Monuments in Virginia Beach and Moss, Norway, sculpted by Ørnulf Bast.
Although the resort was initially dependent upon railroad and electric trolley service, the completion of Virginia Beach Boulevard in 1922, which extended from Norfolk to the oceanfront, opened the way for buses automobiles , trucks, and passenger rail service, the latter of which was eventually discontinued. The growing resort of Virginia Beach became an incorporated town in 1906. Over the next 45 years, Virginia Beach continued to grow in popularity as a seasonal vacation spot, and casinos gave way to amusement parks and family-oriented attractions. The Cavilier Hotel opened in 1927 and became a popular vacation spot. Virginia Beach became politically independent of Princess Anne County as an independent city in 1952, although the numerous ties between Virginia Beach and Princess Anne remained. In 1963, after approval by referendum of the voters of the City of Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County, and with the approval of the Virginia General Assembly, the two political subdivisions were consolidated as a new, much larger independent city, retaining the better-known name of the Virginia Beach resort.
Defense, real estate , and tourism are major sectors of the Virginia Beach economy, but the city has begun to run out of clear land available for new construction above the Green Line, an urban thriving boundary dividing the urban northern and rural southern sections of the city.
As such, while Virginia Beach does not have a redevelopment authority, local public and private groups have maintained a vested interest in real-estate redevelopment, resulting in a number of joint public-private projects such as commercial parks. Examples of this are the Oceanfront Hilton Hotel, the Virginia Beach Convention Center , and the Virginia Beach Town Center. Using tax increment financing through creation of special tax districts and street and infrastructure construction, the City was able to assist in financing the projects making them a reality. The Town Center opened in 2003 and still has construction taking place, while the Convention Center opened in 2005.
The Alan B. Shepard Civic Center (“The Dome”), a significant building in the city’s history, was constructed in 1958, was dedicated to the career of former Virginia Beach resident and astronaut Alan Shepard, and was the first geodesic dome building constructed in the continental United States — based on the design work of Buckminster Fuller. The building was razed in 1994 to make room for a municipal parking lot and potential hereafter development.
Infill and development of residential neighborhoods has situated a number of operating constraints on Naval Air Station Oceana, a major fighter jet base for the U.S. Navy. While the airbase currently enjoys wide support
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