Semi-Interesting Facts About Hampton Roads

• Dunmore Street in Norfolk is named after the infamous Lord Dunmore, a champion for British colonial rule over the Hampton Roads region in the 1770's.  He tried desperately to squash the revolutionary uprising, attacking strategic facilities in Hampton, Norfolk, and surrounding areas during a failed campaign to secure the harbor for British interests.  So they named a road in his "honor"?
• There are nine (9) separate paved roads in Virginia Beach named "Southern Blvd" which are not connected.  Must suck to deliver pizza to one of them.
• If you travel on I-64 "Eastbound" into the City of Chesapeake, you are actually going West.  Don't blame your GPS.
• Hampton is the "oldest, continuous English-speaking settlement" in North America, established in 1610.  Most residents don't speak proper English however.
• Hampton Roads has one of the most diverse and concentrated military presences in the world.  This includes Navy (including SEALs), Marines, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, NASA, and the CIA.  Avoid sudden arm movements.
• Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia by population (at 440,908*) and the 42nd largest city in the United States.  The city council is from Podunk.
• Naval Station Norfolk (aka "Norfolk Naval Base" or "NOB") is the largest Naval base in the world.  The traffic jams come with it for no extra charge.
• With government and military services allocated throughout all of the major cities of the Hampton Roads Bay, the only mass transit is limited bus service.  Forget "rapid response".
• There are effectively two evacuation pathways out of the area.  Traffic doesn't move on a "normal" day.  God help us when a Cat-5 hurricane comes this way.
• There are no "major" professional sports franchises in Hampton Roads.