on norfolk

the Wikipedia entry for norfolk is pretty interesting. here's some stuff i didn't know:

In 1955, Norfolk becomes largest city in state, with a population of 297,253.

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard could not be named the "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard," because there was already one of those in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

i thought this paragraph was funny:

Chesapeake Boulevard does not go to Chesapeake -- it leads from Norfolk to the Chesapeake Bay; Hampton Boulevard does not now go to Hampton but it once led to the ferry terminal that connected Norfolk with Hampton; Norfolk Avenue in Virginia Beach does not go to Norfolk; and Virginia Beach Boulevard, while in Virginia Beach also, runs through most of Norfolk -- it was originally named Virginia Beach Boulevard because it was the road from Norfolk to Virginia Beach, at the time a relatively small resort town on the oceanfront.

and then there's this List of famous people from Hampton Roads.