Virginia Beach – a fun-filled coastal city with one of the lowest crime rates. A place that has so much to do, many places to see, and so much history to learn.
Locals and businesses such as locksmith Virginia Beach share what life has been like for them in the last 50 years. They discuss what has changed and how it has been since the Coronavirus.
An amazing fact about Virginia Beach is the city has a listing in the Guinness Book of Records as having the “longest pleasure beach in the world”. This is according to the Virginia Beach Wikipedia and several articles published about Virginia Beach.
The 35-mile-long beach comprises several beaches and hundreds of accommodations. They protect several of these beaches while others are open to the public.
Famous for its 3-mile boardwalk that is 28-feet wide that runs along the oceanfront. Located on Virginia’s southeastern coast where the Chesapeake Bay meets up with the Atlantic Ocean.
The Virginia Beach boardwalk features a separate bike path for cyclists, and skateboarders. It offers a wide range of attractions, entertainment, restaurants, and more.
There is a wide variety of tours, activities, and exploring that tourists and residents can do to keep busy both during the day and at night.
Thousands visit the famous King Neptune statue or the Norwegian Lady statue every year. Tourists love exploring history by visiting museums such as the Cape Henry Lighthouse, and The Old Coast Guard Station. They admire the 18th century colonial home of Adam Thoroughgood or go back in time and experience life in the Lynn haven house.
View an alarming amount of marine life at the Aquarium and Marine Science Center or go fishing at the oceanfront Fishing Pier. Enjoy some art at the Museum of Contemporary Art or visit the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Visit the Military Aviation Museum to see different aircrafts used in the First and Second World War. Hike the trails at the First Landing State Park or take part in a variety of water activities.
Evening visits to the Atlantic Fun Park are a lot of fun or for those who enjoy a thrill take a stroll through the Nightmare Mansion Haunted House. Many test their problem-solving skills to escape from the Escape Room Virginia Beach in Hampton Roads. Others prefer to enjoy a delicious meal at one of the many restaurants or partying until 3 am at Central 111 that offers live entertainment, and an exceptional menu.
While you have fun, there is never a need to worry if someone has lost car keys, as there is always a helpful locksmith Virginia Beach close by that offers a car key service. Speedy locksmith LLC is one that will not leave you stranded, they will make car keys for your vehicle type.
Good and not so good areas in Virginia Beach
There are many good and safe areas in Virginia Beach. Neighborhood areas such as the Oceanfront area, Chesapeake Bay area, Town Center, Pungo, Kempsville area, and Sandbridge.
According to some locals who have lived in Virginia Beach their entire life, there are not bad areas. But, maybe just a few not so good sections of an area in a certain neighborhood. Mostly not so good areas are cities outside of Virginia Beach such as Portsmouth and parts of Norfolk that are not so safe.
Virginia Beach boasts a low crime rate when compared to other cities in America. In fact, they take the number one spot in a recent survey as the “Safest large city in America”.
But, if while exploring the beautiful city day or night and something goes wrong with your car’s ignition or transponder key. Fear not, there is always a 24-hour locksmith that you can call. They will send a mobile auto locksmith to your exact location.
How has life been for the citizens of Virginia Beach in the last 50 years?
Citizens of Virginia Beach love living in their city, many have lived there their entire life and in different neighborhoods of the city. They all mention the nice weather they have, the excellent schools, and how safe it is to live there. They talk about how friendly and helpful the people are, and about how much there is to do all year round.
They mention how diverse the outdoor activities are throughout the city, there is something for every type of person. From many beaches varying in sizes and in popularity, public-funded parks, wonderful places to hike and run to canoeing, kayaking, and fishing in the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge.
Virginia Beach is the home to many military facilities and they are a huge part of the local economy. Facilities such as the Norfolk Naval Base, one of the largest Navy bases in the world and others include the Naval Air Station Oceana, Little Creek, Dam Neck, Fort Story, and others.
The city has a rich history with old houses dating back to the 1700s, which many are museums today. Virginia Beach has every type of neighborhood for every type of lifestyle and budget. There are areas with plenty of trees, farmlands, beach resorts living in modern housing in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of city life.
Homes range from $260,000 to over $1M depending on the neighborhood and the size of the home and lot. They spoke of mild winters with some snow and humid summers with late afternoon thunderstorms.
The only complaints the Virginia Beach locals have are the traffic and the slow-changing traffic lights. For those who live near the VA Oceana Naval Air Station complain about the noise of the jets flying above their homes.
Sometimes there are devastating floods and hurricanes in certain areas of Virginia Beach.
The other significant change worth mentioning that concerns the residents of Virginia Beach is the rising sea levels. It has already risen a foot since the 1960s and it continues to rise every year.
This means far-reaching inland destructive storms and more frequent flooding in vulnerable areas of the city. It also means contamination of drinking and irrigation water as it seeps into the freshwater sources. Killing crops, plant life, and threatens the shoreline wildlife.
What has changed over the years?
Apart from the growing metro area population that went from 391,000 in 1950 to 1,477,000 in 2020, not much has changed over the years in Virginia Beach.
The Boardwalk has undergone restoration several times since it was first constructed in 1888 from wooden boards or planks. It ran only for four blocks in front of the city’s most luxurious hotel at the time, the Princess Anne Hotel.
But in 1907, a fire broke out at the Princess Anne Hotel and damaged large parts of the boardwalk. It was not until 1926 construction began on rebuilding the boardwalk, only this time they used concrete. The boardwalk also underwent an expansion of 20 feet wide and nearly 2 miles long at the request of beachfront property owners and other residents.
In 1962, tragedy struck again when the Ash Wednesday Storm hit the area. Sending 20-30 foot waves crashing into the boardwalk and destroying many sections of the walkway. It was not until the 1990s that the boardwalk underwent some more construction, but this time it was to build a seawall to protect the boardwalk against future storms.
Today, the 3-mile long and 28-feet wide boardwalk is home to many oceanfront hotels, restaurants, shops, amusement areas such as festivals, and live outdoor entertainment stages. There are historic museums, sculptures, monuments, a fishing pier, and so much more.
How has it been since Coronavirus?
Before the global pandemic of the Coronavirus that turned the world on its head. Locals of Virginia Beach main concern was about the lack of jobs and low pay rates. The job market is not great, as there are few private-sector jobs outside the tourist industry and the military.
Since the Coronavirus, many citizens and especially small businesses have experienced severe hardship. Many people lost their jobs, and small businesses had to take out loans to survive. Sadly, there was just no work to keep some small businesses operating, and they had no choice but to close their doors permanently.
Some retail shops have struggled with shipping delays and travel restrictions that affected the availability of goods for their stores in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach is offering small business owners and residents some financial help. This will help pay mortgages, city service bills, real estate taxes, personal property taxes, and other approved expenses.
We spoke to smaller shops such as bakeries, flower shops, and even a locksmith service by the name of Speedy locksmith LLC.
Here is what he had to say about how he is handling business since the start of the pandemic.
They found that in the first few weeks it was difficult for everyone to adjust. To first adjust to the initial shock of the virus and then adjust to the temporary stay-at-home executive order given by Governor Ralph S. Northam.
This executive order states that residents must remain at home with some exceptions such as traveling to work or for those who seek essential services like medical attention, food, and more.
They also give residents clear guidance on staying safe when leaving home. Cited from the official document from the Commonwealth Office of the Governor –
“Must at all times maintain social distancing of at least six feet from any other person, with the exception of family or household members or caretakers”
As a business owner and a service provider to the community, that offers the services of a residential and auto locksmith. There are government guidelines and regulations businesses need to follow –
“Virginia business will be required to:
- Enact social distancing measures.
- Mandate face coverings for all employees in customer-facing positions or when social distancing is not possible.
- Provide access to hand-washing stations or hand sanitizer.
- Regularly clean high-contact surfaces.
- Notify all employees within 24 hours if a worker tests positive for COVID-19.
- Keep employees with a positive diagnosis or suspected case of the virus home for 10 days after symptoms first appear or until they test negative twice”.
Therefore, they jumped in, listened, and put into action the government guidelines and regulations by sanitizing tools. When called out to a home lockout or for a remote car key, they would ensure that all the technicians would wear facemasks when talking to customers. As the respected and trusted locksmith Virginia Beach by their customers, they also practice using social distancing as much as possible.
