Living in Hampton Roads

Centrally located on the East Coast, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University serves the southeastern region of Virginia known as Hampton Roads. The area comprises seven cities: Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News.‌

Hampton Roads is the 33rd-largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the nation and the eighth largest metro area in the Southeast. It is located 200 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 100 miles south of Richmond, the capital of Virginia. The region’s estimated population is 1.7 million. 

Consistently earning high ranks in quality-of-life surveys, the region offers an affordable cost of living and abounds in cultural, educational, and economic opportunities. Nine colleges and universities provide ample educational resources. International trade, shipbuilding, healthcare, tourism, the military, and agriculture create a diverse economic base with a wide range of employment possibilities. 

Hampton Roads, also known as Coastal Virginia, boasts mild winters and pleasant autumn and spring seasons. Summers are warm yet tempered by breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, and neighboring waterways.