History of Virginia Beach, VA

Chesepians first lived in Virginia Beach and around the Chesapeake Bay. The Algonquian word, Chesepioc translates into "Great Shellfish Bay". In 1607, Captain Christopher Newport, along with 105 men, landed at Cape Henry, named after Henry Frederick, Prince of Whales and eldest son of King James I of England. They didn't settle but moved on to settle in the first permanent town, Jamestown. The first to settle in Virginia Beach was Adam Thoroughgood and his men. Leaving England at the age of 18, he freed himself from indentured service, and, in 1629, was elected to the House of Burgesses. Among the 105 immigrants who came alongside Thoroughgood was Augustine Warner: progenitor of George Washington and, generations later, Robert E. Lee. His brick house on the western branch of the Lynnhaven River still stands, restored; it is considered the oldest surviving brick house in America. While hardly any land battles in the Revolutionary War were fought in Virginia Beach, off of Cape Henry a strategic sea battle was won. The British no longer controlled the mouth of Chesapeake Bay and, stuck in enemy territory, surrendered in October 19, 1781. From 1691 to 1963, land from Cape Henry to the border of North Carolina was in Queen Anne County. Virginia Beach was incorporated in 1906 and became politically independent in 1952. In the late 19th century, railroads, trolleys, electricity, automobiles, and more modern technologies advanced the development of Virginia Beach. In 1963, the city of Virginia Beach and Queen Anne County consolidated. The rest is resort history. As of 2006, the estimated population is 435,619.