Mapping Virginia Beach... (Norfolk, Pembroke: violent crime, university, gated)

[murksiderock]

[SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA BEACH

Population
•193,923 (2017 ACS)
•40.55 mi² across 18 neighborhoods
•4,782 ppmi²

Southwest VB has about 45% of the city population in 28% of the land area (north of The Green Line)...

Diversity
•SWVB is 53.2% white, 22.7% black, 10% Asian, and 9.1% Latino...
•11% of Southwest's population is foreign born...
•Green Run is the most diverse neighborhood; Indian River is the least diverse neighborhood...
•whitest neighborhoods: Indian River (76.4%); Acredale (67.1%); Kempsville (66.5%)...
•blackest neighborhoods: College Park (50.8%); Green Run (29.1%); Bow Creek (26.1%)...
•most Asian neighborhoods: Alexandria (22.6%); Hillcrest Farms (15.3%); Glenwood (14.8%)...
•most Latino neighborhoods: Alexandria (14%); Brenneman Farms (13.3%); Princess Anne Plaza (12.7%)...

Economics
•Southwest has a median household income of $75,235 compared to a 7.6% poverty rate...
•Hillcrest Farms is the wealthiest neighborhood; College Park is the most impoverished neighborhood...

Education
•92.4% of SWVB residents have a high school diploma...
•31 3% of SWVB residents have a four year degree...

[murksiderock]

Southwest Virginia Beach is defined by its multiculturalism relative to the rest of the city. SW has the largest Black, Asian, and Latino populations in the city; the largest population of multiracial people; the largest foreign born population; and six of the 18 neighborhoods are majority-minority----->in order College Park, Alexandria, Green Run, Salem, Landstown, Glenwood....

Centerville-Tallwood, Brenneman Farms, Windsor Woods/Windsor Oaks, and Bow Creek are all within five percentage points of becoming majority minority; meaning, these four neighborhoods are all less than 55% white...

The multiculturalism of Southwest is reflected in the local schools, restaurant, and community events. Lynnhaven Mall technically would be in SW but straddles close to the SE/SW line, however, if you go there on a weekend, you'll probably see the best example of multicultural Virginia Beach, and as it sits right outside of Bow Creek and within Southwest, you have to think Southwest contributes greatly to this. Lynnhaven Mall will give you a greater amount of diversity than you'd see at The Oceanfront or Town Center on any day...

Southwest also trends from mostly suburban to urban, with very little rural within the quadrant. Green Run us definitely the most urban area, but The Plaza (Princess Anne Plaza), Bow Creek, and the Windsor areas are also lightly urban. Its Virginia Beach, nothing is high level urban, and the most urban hoods in the city are not in Southwest, but there are pockets of urbanity, and the suburban form of SW more often tends to be mid to high density suburbia, compared to more typical suburbia elsewhere around town...

Alphabetical List of Southwest neighborhoods
Acredale
Alexandria
Arrowhead
Bow Creek
Brenneman Farms
Centerville-Tallwood
College Park
Glenwood
Green Run
Hillcrest Farms
Indian Lakes
Indian River
Kempsville
Landstown
Princess Anne Plaza (locally known as "The Plazas")
Salem
Trashmore-Timberlake
Windsor Woods/Windsor Oaks

[murksiderock]

I gotta research how to create a map, but I would to create a map illustrating the modern neighborhood characteristics of Virginia Beach because a detailed, neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown doesn't exist!

[Serenity2019]

Thanks for the mapping and breakdown of the city.

[ohHolland]

murksiderock -- Hats off to you for undertaking such an intense and fascinating project! Is there a link where we can see your progress, or where your results will eventually be published online? I am most interested in your endeavor.

[murksiderock]

Originally Posted by ohHolland

murksiderock -- Hats off to you for undertaking such an intense and fascinating project! Is there a link where we can see your progress, or where your results will eventually be published online? I am most interested in your endeavor.

No, I'm struggling making a map. I looked into it a couple times but I'm not computer literate enough to understand how to do it lol...

I would love to put it in map form though, because the city of Virginia Beach doesn't actually have a concise map of city neighborhoods. If any posters know how to create a map I'd love to collaborate with them!

[murksiderock]

Mapping the Greater Town Center area, which I'm defining as what is commonly accepted by locals as "Town Center". The CBD continues to build out and expand, and after living here I've realized pretty much anything that fits into the following square: Aragona/VB Blvd to Thalia Creek (east to west), Jericho/Independence to the 264 interchange (north to south)...

That's *roughly* a 2.2 square mile box, where anything within that region is commonly accepted as downtown, Town Center VB. Population is 10,700 with a residential density of 4,864 ppsm, with racial demographics are as follows:

58.6% white/19.6% black/5.5% Asian/9.9% Latino...

What's interesting is that parts of Town Center now overlaps with neighboring areas like Pembroke and Thalia, and as I mentioned upthread, it is becoming common for Beachers to call anything in Pembroke or Thalia "Town Center", even the parts if those neighborhoods that extend outside of the 2.2 mi² borders I defined earlier...

In case anyone was wondering how this compares to Downtown Norfolk:

Downtown Norfolk is obviously significantly older and more developed as the traditional downtown center of Hampton Roads. As such, it is more compact with a wider array of architectural styles and more neighborhood districts within its borders, which are generally accepted as Tidewater on the east, VB Blvd on the north, and the Elizabeth River to the south and west. That's about a 0.95 mi² area with a population of 7,426, packing in a density of ~7,816 ppsm with racial demographics as follows:

37.5% white/51.3% black/2.5% Asian/6% Latino...

There's roughly a ~7.5 mile distance between the two central business districts, border to border, and it's really cool and interesting for me to denote the differences between the two. I'm really advocating for the success of both, as I think collaboration will raise the ceilings of how both can be connected and grow in years to come. It's a damn shame Beachers rejected that light rail line along The Boulevard between the two a few years ago. This area via linking both downtowns, should be marketed as the premier region on the Southside. This would have easily become the most heavily used rail line of the two, and ratcheted up development a whole other notch...

Disappointed that too many Beachers couldn't see the bigger picture with this...

As it is, I've noticed both downtowns are developing wonderfully. Town Center is larger with more people, but less developed and more suburban, though development intensifies year over year. DT Nfk's legacy provides some great districts within its downtown, a premier park, and more options and venues overall. I think both do restaurants well, Nfk has the more historic feel and more museums and the waterfront location that tops it off. I'm I'm impressed with their growth on that side, and I'm impressed with what I've learned about the blank canvas that was Town Center pre-2003, and what it has become 16 years later. It's going to be amazing to watch it continue to fill out, and monitoring the similarities and differences between it and DT Nfk!

[citydweller]

Very informative! I lived in Pembroke pre Town Center and saw it go up. Seems the Pembroke name is going away as the ever increasing Town Center takes over.

[murksiderock]

Urban Norfolk demographics
6.7 mi², pop 52,752
7,873 ppsm
47.6% white/39.9% black/3.6% Asian/5.3% Latino
$42,465 mhi/37.4% poverty
84.3% hsd/31.4% BA/5.5% foreign born

I will be back later when I have more time to expound upon the characteristics in Norfolk's urban core!

[murksiderock]

Originally Posted by murksiderock

Urban Norfolk demographics
6.7 mi², pop 52,752
7,873 ppsm
47.6% white/39.9% black/3.6% Asian/5.3% Latino
$42,465 mhi/37.4% poverty
84.3% hsd/31.4% BA/5.5% foreign born

I will be back later when I have more time to expound upon the characteristics in Norfolk's urban core!

So, Norfolk's urban core is the area of the city bounded by the Lafayette River (north), the Elizabeth River (south), Tidewater Drive (east), and the Norfolk Southern railyard (west). I define this as Norfolk's core for a variety of reasons:

•it is the most physically urban area in both the city and the entirety of Southeast VA, from an architecture, aesthetic, and density perspective;

•within these 6.7-sq miles, is where the overwhelming majority of popular Norfolk sights and attractions are: ODU, the Zoo, Chrysler Museum, Downtown Norfolk, Ghent, Freemason, theater, the Norva, list is seemingly endless;

•the character of much of this core is suburban, but characteristically, once you leave this core, the city is unquestionably, overwhelmingly suburban in nature...

So this box is 12.57% of Nfk's land area, with 21.61% of Nfk's population...

Here are some still shots of neighborhoods in urban Norfolk:

Downtown (Granby)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/eyCT9gzhwuYi7yVP6

Downtown (Monticello)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/3wWk8PAUJ5LM1ZLd7

Downtown (Waterside)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/e1FmeyVmck9KLGkJA

Freemason District
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VKNJzAckY9hMYHDJ9

Ghent
https://maps.app.goo.gl/YBohChx4fav5udnq5

Highland Park
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ue81TX2nvVYTmGK78

Huntersville
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XsEsV9AUXnyX8VSXA

Lambert's Point/ODU
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KZznYL4dMV48RCAaA

Larchmont
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zKhrz2EWpBBpx8Pq7

New Energy Of Norfolk (Neon District)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Jvp5uzksQ2n6aBjYA

Park Place
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xp2RpW2d6aUSLVe18

Riverview
https://maps.app.goo.gl/wFydxkf5nXkoERq2A