Hampton Roads Facts

Hampton is 55 square miles and has approximately 146,000 residents. The Metropolitan Statistical Area of Hampton Roads, with a total population of approximately 1.6 million, ranks 31st in the nation.

• Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced that visitor spending in Virginia reached $17.7 billion in 2006, a 7.2 percent increase over 2005.  Tourism, one of Virginia's largest industries, provided 208,200 jobs for Virginians in 2006 and generated $706.8 million in state taxes and $503 million in local tax revenue.

• Hampton is home to two institutes of higher education, including Thomas Nelson Community College and Hampton University.

• Hampton is home to two military installations: U.S. Army Post, Fort Monroe, and Langley Air Force Base. Hampton continues to be home to NASA Langley Research Center.

• The Port of Virginia is the third busiest in the nation based on general-cargo tonnage. The number one import in the Hampton Roads region is crude oil at 4,360.63 tons. The number one export from Hampton Roads is coal at 14,985.05 tons.

• The area industry includes shipbuilding, shipping and rail transportation, seafood production, military, tourism and manufacturing.

• Hampton's mild winters encourage a long tourism season. The average daily temperature for January/February is 48 degrees.

• U.S. News & World Report's 2007 issue on "America's Best Black Colleges" ranked Hampton University No. 3 overall among the nation's historically black colleges and universities. (HBCU's)

  
  Hampton University’s campus consists of 81 buildings spanning over 255 acres and a student body of nearly 6,000. There are 293 full-time faculty and 63 part-time. The university is home to six national historic landmarks including Virginia-Cleveland Hall, Wig Wam Building, Emancipation Oak, Academy Building, Memorial Chapel and Mansion House, where the university president resides