Real Estate Blog by David Phillips, REALTOR

1 Beach Community - 3 Names

Chesapeake Beach was developed in the early 1900's (somewhere around World War 1) as a beachfront residential community. Current maps have it being bordered on the south by Shore Drive (Shore Drive is one of the corridors leading to the tourist destination of the Virginia Beach oceanfront) and Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base caps the west side of this community.  This two mile stretch of beach merges longer stretches of undeveloped, protected beaches which harbor dolphin and other marine life. 
 
Older maps, dating back to the 18th century, identify the area as “Pleasure House”, likely named for The Pleasure House, a tavern that catered to Confederate soldiers.  Currently this little stretch is where the longest bay-bridge connects to the Eastern Shore, across the Chesapeake Bay (The Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel).   
 
 It’s an established residential neighborhood consisting of beach cottages, condominiums, townhouses, duplexes, apartments, as well as  single-family homes.  Residents of this eclectic beach community enjoy less public traffic due to restricted parking and it’s relatively less renowned than other area beaches; such as the North End and Sandbridge.   Being that four different lakes wind through the area...jet skiing, kayaking and paddleboarding are perfect hobbies for this waterfront village.   You’ll also find lots of jogging and biking trails .  But probably the most popular neighborhood activities are walking along the beach or sailing the bay. There are also a couple different boat ramps for all  you boaters and fisherman.
 
Nicknamed both Chic's Beach and  Chick's Beach there’s an decades-old debate about how Chesapeake Beach got it’s  name....

National Night Out 2016

National Night Out 2016

This evening National Night Out will take place.  This will be the 33rd year of bringing neighborhoods and the police that serve to protect them together.  38 million neighbors within 16, 000 plus communities will work in conjunction to support this event nationally.

The idea behind it is to: heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support and participation in local anti-crime efforts, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community relations, and send a message to criminals letting them know local communities are organized and are fighting back.  In other words, often the best way to prevent crime is to know your neighbors & your surroundings.  Preventing and solving crime is truly a community endeavor.  The overall goal is to forge better connections between law enforcement and neighborhood residents as well as connect neighbors.  In many locations, this is the one time all year that the community mingles and many people end up meeting their “neighbors” for the first time.

Due to the current landscape I believe this is critically important and will be especially beneficial to have neighborhoods throughout Hampton Roads see police officers in a new light.  As one US Senator has stated…”National Night Out triumphs over a culture that isolates us from each other and allows us to rediscover our own communities.”

With efforts from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide, the National Association of Town Watch estimates  the 2016 National Night Out to be the LARGEST ever!   For instance, Norfolk’s police department has called all residents together for the biggest neighbor's...