City (pop., 2000: 425,257), southeastern Virginia.
It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay . Founded in 1887, it developed as a resort after a railroad was built linking it with Norfolk . After World War I it became an important base in the national coastal defense system. In 1963 it and the former Princess Anne county merged to become the City of Virginia Beach. Its economy is based on tourism and military installations. Cape Henry Memorial is in the city and the Cape Henry Lighthouse (1791) is nearby.