hollise

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here, however, to add to this conversation there are 2 reasons they removed the moving walkway and haven't replaced it yet; 1, it's service life was over, and secondly, and the most important, is since the structure is actually a bridge as opposed to a building on a foundation vibrations in the structure caused extraordinary wear in the walkway which ended it functionality soon than it should have. They are supposed to be working on a solution but who knows when that will be. I think also part of what makes it seem like a 'long' walk which in actuality it's not as long as some other airports is there is no activity along the path to the arrivals. If there were concessions along there this would make a big difference in people's perception of how long the walk actually is.

I have to agree wholeheartedly.

St. Paul's Quadrant should be where the CBD is expanding with higher density commercial on the west side while gradually decreasing the density to the east.

Just to chime in on this, mikeas is correct, Norfolk cannot compete directly with Baltimore since it has several strategic advantages over Norfolk. They are located within a 3 hour drive of the 20MM+ population vs our 8MM+ within 3 hours. This is a fact of life and nothing that Norfolk can do about that. I have read on other comments indicating that their is nothing to do once embarking/debarking off the boat, however, this is really immaterial. Most importantly, most people that are 'driving' in or 'transferring' to the boat are more interested in getting on or off. Having amenities surrounding the terminal is nice, however, it won't make or break filling the boat. Time and ease of getting on and off is most important. Therefore, IMO, I do believe that Norfolk needs to change its marketing mix in that they should be trying to create a more fly vs drive based market for their cruises. This would require more direct flights to ORF since transfers could be made more quickly under these circumstances. Nothing against PHF, but its located too far from the cruise terminal to offer timely transfers to the boat. This would create a MUCH larger catchment or service area than what exist now. Now Baltimore already has the infrastructure to do this, however, from reading that Pilot article, it doesn't appear that they are capitalizing on this since the customer base is already within their backyard. If they don't do this, cruise lines will come and go and ultimately Norfolk will end up with another White Elephant.

I did the spreadsheet using that census data from 1790 onward. Unfortunately, when I attempt to attach it won't display right, so if anyone wants to see it, let me know and I can e-mail it to you. I did a comparison with the large NE cities as well as some Mid-Western and Western cities. It should be noted that Norfolk really didn't grow until the 20th Century, particularly during and after WWII as I had stated before. The NE cities were and always have been the largest and the Mid-Western cities didn't grow until the 19th Century. All surpassing Norfolk very quickly. I added Charleston to note that at one point it was the third largest city in the country. Then later on it completely fell off the list of even being in the top 100 cities. Charlotte didn't even make the list until 1940 while Norfolk was always on the list, albeit not at the top though. Baltimore has always been relatively close to the top. By comparison here, it confirms what I had stated before. Anyone have any additional comments on this spreadsheet?

I don't comment too much on this blog, I usually just read, however, I wanted to chime in on this discussion as to why Norfolk and Richmond never grew in the way NE Cities have. I was reading something several years ago which I think may answer this question. During colonial times, Portsmouth, Norfolk nor Richmond never developed as extensive port and trade cities like Baltimore, Philly, New York, and Boston. I say Portsmouth first because its actually older than Norfolk. It wasn't until the 20th Century that this region became a major port. This was due to the fact that trade in the Virginia Colony was performed directly at the Plantation as opposed to in the cities since the ships coming directly from England could sail directly there. The ports in Portsmouth and Norfolk only served the immediate Norfolk, Princess Anne, and Nansemond County hinterlands with their respective agricultural trade. One side note, Richmond did not grow until after the Civil War and the industrial revolution was in full swing. It only had the capital before hand. This could not be done in the NE since the river system does not permit one to sail a large ship that far upstream unlike here. Therefore, any colonist from the NE agricultural regions wishing to sell their goods to England had to deliver the goods directly to those port NE port cities. This required an extensive trading network in the cities which brought people into the cities. Also, because non-navigable rivers contained rapids and were fast moving, it made good for hydropower to turn mills to produce textiles, giving birth to industry. Therefore, when the industrial revolution occurred these areas were prime for new industry and industry headquarters since there was a workforce ready to go. This eventually yielded the 'Fortune 500', large industry type that is and was located in the NE. Also, Richmond added industry during the industrial revolution since it was near the James where it was fast moving at that point. Usermel, you mentioned cities like Kansas City and St. Louis in the Mid-West. Well, again these cities were located along trade routes leading west and as the country expanded and the population moved west, it required industry to move with it, which required a large workforce. Naturally, industry and agricultural trade would occur along the trade routes further adding to these cities' population. It should be noted that the Navy did not become a large portion of Hampton Roads' economy until the early 20th Century when Teddy Roosevelt built the Great White Fleet. This area was ideal for a new Naval Installation, which was constructed at Sewell's Point, which ultimately became NOB. So, this means that cities grow due to the fact that people have a reason to go there for work. The same reason why we aren't growing now and have lost people to Charlotte and Raleigh, due to the lack of good paying jobs.

Hi to everyone, I have been reading posts on this blog for years and have never posted, but I just wanted to chime in on this one. I can understand your arguments in regards to the investment risks involved in placement of a pro sports team, however, when was the last time that anyone sold any tickets of any price for a major league team which was located in Hampton Roads? I believe it was during the period when the Norfolk Baseball Company was attempting to lure the Expos. Which we could have won if there hadn't been an overwhelming political tide to take the team to DC (which I believe was already decided before the relocation was announced, however, this is for another topic). Oduengineer, to test your hypothesis in regards to why the teams here do not charge the prices major league teams in other locales charge, do a comparison; check to see if the Charlotte Knights charge what the Panthers or Bobcats charge. That is a team that co-exists with two major league teams. Also, check to see if the Gwinnett Braves charge what the Atlanta Braves, Falcons, or Hawks charge. Again, even in this case, the major and minor league teams both co-exist with one another for the same sport in the same market. Really, what it boils down to is that no one individual, group of individuals, or government has truly wanted to make the capital investment required to lure a major league franchise to Hampton Roads. Period. It