Hampton Roads Off-Topic Talk

[BFG]

Envision 2020 is a local organization helping to shape the future of the region, including the name. They also have a new survey asking for local input.

https://sirresearch.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8vOxzfbbIcDfWoB?fbclid=IwAR1TqMFWfpSwEFyykRRaY8jN7WZu7WOzu7HC3LKUY-7HvbAny7koybUtAhk

[Young75]

What happened to the name Tidewater? I see nothing wrong with it. No place has the name and it has historical significance. Literally the marshes could be a big answer to sea level rise. Maybe this might be an unpopular opinion but whoever or whatever group of people that got together and thought “Hampton Roads” was a good name is sadly mistaken. I hate that name with a passion lol. So Hampton is the biggest city? No. Oh it’s Virginia Beach...oh so that’s the major city...not quite it’s beach suburb that just has more land. Norfolk and Newport News are the real major cities but it’s named after Hampton? You mean in NY? England? NO Virginia ...What? It’s just makes no sense. Roads? To where? (Yes I understand what it refers to but I’m making a point here lol) Coastal Virginia doesn’t do it for me guys sorry. It’s sounds like the magazine. It’s BLAND. Not to mention what about NE NC? They are not VA but historically tied to Tidewater. This is the problem IN THIS AREA. We need to take back our ORIGINALITY.  Isn’t this the FIRST REGION? Tidewater is an original name with actual historical weight. I honestly don’t think any other name will fit and I’m so tired of always having to refer to the whole damn state of Virginia. This is TIDEWATER.

[BFG]

I like "Tidewater" but for some reason it still sounds small-townish for a region of almost two million. But maybe that adds to the charm.

Hampton Roads sounds generic and bland, and I absolutely can't stand "Coastal Virginia". That sounds even more small-town than Tidewater, but it tries to be so swanky. Every time I hear it, I think of the little town from Jaws.

If only the "Bay Area" weren't already a thing on the West Coast...

 

[Mountain_Junior]

Young75, a couple of points:
-Nothing happened to the name Tidewater. It’s still used. A lot. Go here (https://sccefile.scc.virginia.gov/Find/Business ) and search “tidewater”. This is just a search of Virginia businesses. You get 4,500 results. The problem is that Tidewater refers to a wider region. It means everything below the fall line of the rivers, which means the area where the water of the rivers can be affected by the ocean tides. See below map. Everything red is often considered Tidewater, but even this is disputed.
See http://www.virginiaplaces.org/chesbay/11chesa.html



-The name Hampton Roads is historic too and has been around since at least 1755. You know about the Monitor-Merrimack Bridge Tunnel of course. Those two ships fought in what’s called the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862.
-The reason people sometimes incorrectly believe that Hampton Roads is a new name is that in 1983, local business people and civic leaders decided to try to get the region to start using some consistency in referring to the region as Hampton Roads. That year the Postal Service also switched the region’s post mark to Hampton Roads from Tidewater. But to be clear, the name did not originate in 1983. HRSD for instance was founded in the 1930s.
-The idea that Tidewater is exclusive to us is also incorrect. A quick Google search shows that Georgia, Texas, and Florida all have locations and businesses that identify with the name Tidewater. Because it really refers to any area where the rivers are close enough to the ocean to be affected by tides. Hampton Roads on the other hand is exclusive to this region (although “Hampton” obviously isn’t).
-Another point to remember is that many areas are part of multiple regions. Consider that Napa, CA is part of the Napa Valley, California Wine Country, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Boston is part of the Boston Metro Area, New England, the Northeast Corridor/Northeastern US. It’s perfectly okay for us to have “Tidewater”, aka the coastal areas of eastern Virginia and NC, and the Hampton Roads region, aka the cities and counties that border on or are located near the Hampton Roads waterway.

I agree with your point that it can be confusing and I think you hit the nail on the head about the various cities. In my view, the problem is that we don’t have a leading city. Every city thinks it’s the leader. Norfolk/Portsmouth is the jobs center and historical core. Virginia Beach has the biggest population. Suffolk is the largest. Hampton is an old settlement and the roadstead’s namesake. Newport News is the oldest English city name in the entire Americas.

At the very minimum, no city will acknowledge that any other city is the region’s leader. That means that they will never come together to jointly fund the big projects that make regions, like a hub airport, sports arena, regional transit, a large entertainment venue, regional multi-use trail system, etc.

Contrast this with somewhere like the Delaware Valley Region, which has 350 member cities and counties in its planning commission. The reason they can achieve big things is because Philadelphia is the leading city. It sets the agenda and gets what it needs. While Philadelphia can’t just do whatever it wants, the other cities and towns understand that their livelihood is tied to Philadelphia and as goes Philadelphia, so goes the region. It is the regional hub for transportation, cultural events, and commerce. When people from around there travel they say they’re from Philadelphia. In short, it is not in their interest to seriously undermine Philadelphia.

We don’t have that here. No mayor is paying his people’s tax dollars to build some big project in another city unless it has a tangible return like in the case of the regional jail. If it’s something that just “makes the region better”, like a big airport or industrial park, people will see that as a betrayal. It would be political suicide. It’s why we’ve tried like 15 times to build a big stadium. It’s why we have 5 little airports instead of a hub. It’s why we have small minor league sports with city names instead of pro-level teams with regional names (ever heard of the New England Patriots or Carolina Panthers?).

Further, the lack of counties between our cities means there is no neutral ground where cities can jointly fund big projects. Look at the locations of Research Triangle Park and RDU airport in between Wake and Durham counties. That location is no accident - because they also have no leading city.

Bottom line for me: the lack of clarity between Tidewater, Hampton Roads, Coastal Virginia, America’s First Region, etc is only a symptom of our disunity and will continue no matter how many times we rebrand until we have a leading city (which won’t happen). Or until we unite into a leading city. It’s not because some group in 1983 decided on Hampton Roads or because people have ignored the name Tidewater.


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[HRVA]

Tidewater and Coastal Virginia are too broad for a regional moniker. I like Hampton Roads as the harbor is central to the region geographically and economically (military/shipyards/ports) but it lacks cultural significance. If the powers that be decide to move away from HR branding, then it needs to be a simple, no explanation necessary type name. Southeastern Virginia stood out to me in the survey as the best alternative. 

[Mountain_Junior]

23320- I certainly understand that sentiment, but to me it seems that this is the wrong approach.

Hampton Roads doesn’t need a name that tells people where it is. If it is successful, people will know where it is.

It can’t pick a name that has cultural significance. It needs to be culturally significant, then its name will be as well.

In a recent editorial from the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press (https://www.dailypress.com/opinion/dp-edt-regionalism-hampton-roads-0616-story.html )that commented on this rebranding effort, the Editorial Board stated that Research Triangle, Dallas-Fort Worth and Silicon Valley’s names were “clear and communicative” and “easily identifiable to [outsiders].” This statement perfectly encapsulates our region’s misplaced focus on branding.

Those names are not easily identifiable without the context provided by their success. Our knowledge of them comes from their success, not the other way around. “Dallas” provides nothing about its location or what it is, in the same way that “Napa” doesn’t mean “wine” and “Hollywood” doesn’t mean “movies.” Their success in those areas made them recognizable and noteworthy, and has created the indelible association of those elements in our minds.

The term Silicon Valley doesn’t directly convey a sense of “technology hub on the south side of the San Francisco Bay.” We only know that information because of its
overwhelming success. In fact, the name Silicon Valley is really a sort of inside joke that only makes sense when it is accompanied by the additional understanding of what makes it noteworthy.

Similarly, Research Triangle is a premier science, engineering, technology, and
entrepreneurship hub in North Carolina. By being indispensable in those areas, we know of its location and it is familiar to us — not because Research Triangle is catchy or has a good ring to it.

Additionally, for most of the places listed in the editorial, like Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, Austin, etc., those names have been in place for 150 years or more. They weren’t chosen by a marketing firm because they were evocative or “clear and communicative” or “no explanation necessary.” Those names conjure images of their location because their success, size, notoriety, and cultural significance have made them household names.

My point is that the name Hampton Roads may not include in its actual wording a overt or apparent reference to the coast or the beach or the port or whatever it is we want to evoke, but these examples show us that it doesn’t need to. If we can pull together and act like a single entity, we can be known, but until we do, that won’t happen.

And by that same token, our branding consultants can come up with the catchiest, most descriptive, and most compelling regional name ever, but if our cities persist in marketing their cities instead of the region, that fancy name won’t matter a bit.


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[Mountain_Junior]

Hey all, I appreciate the likes, but I’d also be interested in any criticism you have of what I said in the last post. I reached out to the rebranding committee and am working on a letter to them that contains those points I made above. As this is a smart group that has thought about these issues a bit, I’d like any feedback you have. What rang true? What didn’t? Is there a way I can say it more succinctly? (my wife suggested this one [emoji1]) Also I know I tend to have long posts, so please don’t feel a need to respond to it all.


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[Mountain_Junior]

In other news, apparently there is a new football league called the National Gridiron League that is starting up soon and one of the teams will be the Virginia Destroyers, based in Hampton Roads.


https://www.virginiadestroyers.com/news/ngl-reveals-team-helmets


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[Virginia City]

3 hours ago, Mountain_Junior said:

Hey all, I appreciate the likes, but I’d also be interested in any criticism you have of what I said in the last post. I reached out to the rebranding committee and am working on a letter to them that contains those points I made above. As this is a smart group that has thought about these issues a bit, I’d like any feedback you have. What rang true? What didn’t? Is there a way I can say it more succinctly? (my wife suggested this one ) Also I know I tend to have long posts, so please don’t feel a need to respond to it all.


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I honestly don't have any criticisms at all. All of your post are well thought out and researched and I enjoy reading your posts because I know I might actually learn something.

 

I agree we don't need another rebranding. We need these city officials to work together for the betterment of the region even if it does not directly benefit their city. If the region grow then so will each city by proxy. So Norfolk gets a new downtown arena with help from the rest of the region well Chesapeake can build nice hotels in the South Norfolk area and improve that section of the city. I guarantee that nice Holiday Inn Express in South Norfolk is going to be cheaper than staying at The Main especially if they have hotel busses that can drop guests off downtown. It also might be a good way to get a light rail line into Chesapeake since they have expressed interest in it.  

[BFG]

6 hours ago, Mountain_Junior said:

In other news, apparently there is a new football league called the National Gridiron League that is starting up soon and one of the teams will be the Virginia Destroyers, based in Hampton Roads.


https://www.virginiadestroyers.com/news/ngl-reveals-team-helmets


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I know they proposed this in the last year or so, but it never got off the ground. If it's what I'm thinking of, it's an indoor league; the original plan was to play at Hampton Coliseum. Considering the Arena Football League keeps trying to rise from the ashes, I'm curious as to what this league plans to do differently. Right now, I think the AFL only has four or five teams.

If Hampton Roads were to go for a pro team, I'd pursue MLS. They're pushing expansion in the next few years, and soccer seems to be fairly popular here. Play at ODU until a new stadium could be built.

[BeagleAccountant]

19 hours ago, BFG said:

I know they proposed this in the last year or so, but it never got off the ground. If it's what I'm thinking of, it's an indoor league; the original plan was to play at Hampton Coliseum. Considering the Arena Football League keeps trying to rise from the ashes, I'm curious as to what this league plans to do differently. Right now, I think the AFL only has four or five teams.

If Hampton Roads were to go for a pro team, I'd pursue MLS. They're pushing expansion in the next few years, and soccer seems to be fairly popular here. Play at ODU until a new stadium could be built.

I like that idea but why build a new stadium at all? The new ODU stadium is perfectly sized for MLS soccer at 22k seats. And the sightlines are great.

A new franchise could spend a fraction on what it would cost to build new and by just investing in a north endzone renovation and adding bathrooms to the concourses on the top deck. 

Edited October 30, 2019 by BeagleAccountant

[BFG]

For some reason, I thought the MLS preferred teams to have their own soccer-specific stadiums, but I forget that New England and Atlanta's teams play in the NFL stadiums for those markets. I'm sure part of that has to do with them being owned by the Pats and Falcons owners, but I do agree ODU's stadium is perfect.

Interestingly enough, last night, I found ODU's State of the Region report for this year, and part of it talks about how Hampton Roads supports soccer at the lower levels, and whether MLS could take off here. The short answer is that it's not impossible, but the big hurdles are regional cooperation and investors with deep enough pockets, the former of which is doable if the city's put aside their pride. Paging Bruce Thompson for the latter... 

[Young75]

On 10/26/2019 at 11:52 AM, Mountain_Junior said:

Young75, a couple of points:
-Nothing happened to the name Tidewater. It’s still used. A lot. Go here (https://sccefile.scc.virginia.gov/Find/Business ) and search “tidewater”. This is just a search of Virginia businesses. You get 4,500 results. The problem is that Tidewater refers to a wider region. It means everything below the fall line of the rivers, which means the area where the water of the rivers can be affected by the ocean tides. See below map. Everything red is often considered Tidewater, but even this is disputed.
See http://www.virginiaplaces.org/chesbay/11chesa.html



-The name Hampton Roads is historic too and has been around since at least 1755. You know about the Monitor-Merrimack Bridge Tunnel of course. Those two ships fought in what’s called the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862.
-The reason people sometimes incorrectly believe that Hampton Roads is a new name is that in 1983, local business people and civic leaders decided to try to get the region to start using some consistency in referring to the region as Hampton Roads. That year the Postal Service also switched the region’s post mark to Hampton Roads from Tidewater. But to be clear, the name did not originate in 1983. HRSD for instance was founded in the 1930s.
-The idea that Tidewater is exclusive to us is also incorrect. A quick Google search shows that Georgia, Texas, and Florida all have locations and businesses that identify with the name Tidewater. Because it really refers to any area where the rivers are close enough to the ocean to be affected by tides. Hampton Roads on the other hand is exclusive to this region (although “Hampton” obviously isn’t).
-Another point to remember is that many areas are part of multiple regions. Consider that Napa, CA is part of the Napa Valley, California Wine Country, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Boston is part of the Boston Metro Area, New England, the Northeast Corridor/Northeastern US. It’s perfectly okay for us to have “Tidewater”, aka the coastal areas of eastern Virginia and NC, and the Hampton Roads region, aka the cities and counties that border on or are located near the Hampton Roads waterway.

I agree with your point that it can be confusing and I think you hit the nail on the head about the various cities. In my view, the problem is that we don’t have a leading city. Every city thinks it’s the leader. Norfolk/Portsmouth is the jobs center and historical core. Virginia Beach has the biggest population. Suffolk is the largest. Hampton is an old settlement and the roadstead’s namesake. Newport News is the oldest English city name in the entire Americas.

At the very minimum, no city will acknowledge that any other city is the region’s leader. That means that they will never come together to jointly fund the big projects that make regions, like a hub airport, sports arena, regional transit, a large entertainment venue, regional multi-use trail system, etc.

Contrast this with somewhere like the Delaware Valley Region, which has 350 member cities and counties in its planning commission. The reason they can achieve big things is because Philadelphia is the leading city. It sets the agenda and gets what it needs. While Philadelphia can’t just do whatever it wants, the other cities and towns understand that their livelihood is tied to Philadelphia and as goes Philadelphia, so goes the region. It is the regional hub for transportation, cultural events, and commerce. When people from around there travel they say they’re from Philadelphia. In short, it is not in their interest to seriously undermine Philadelphia.

We don’t have that here. No mayor is paying his people’s tax dollars to build some big project in another city unless it has a tangible return like in the case of the regional jail. If it’s something that just “makes the region better”, like a big airport or industrial park, people will see that as a betrayal. It would be political suicide. It’s why we’ve tried like 15 times to build a big stadium. It’s why we have 5 little airports instead of a hub. It’s why we have small minor league sports with city names instead of pro-level teams with regional names (ever heard of the New England Patriots or Carolina Panthers?).

Further, the lack of counties between our cities means there is no neutral ground where cities can jointly fund big projects. Look at the locations of Research Triangle Park and RDU airport in between Wake and Durham counties. That location is no accident - because they also have no leading city.

Bottom line for me: the lack of clarity between Tidewater, Hampton Roads, Coastal Virginia, America’s First Region, etc is only a symptom of our disunity and will continue no matter how many times we rebrand until we have a leading city (which won’t happen). Or until we unite into a leading city. It’s not because some group in 1983 decided on Hampton Roads or because people have ignored the name Tidewater.


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Okay I understand the name Hampton Roads is historic I accept your point. When I referenced the area being exclusively being called “Tidewater” I was speaking more in general. There is no other metro area in the US that uses Tidewater was my point. I can understand referencing historical facts but we’re talking about branding. Honestly I think most people miss the point in the semantics of all this. I 

Which actually makes me want to make an important footnote. I’m glad you brought up the subject about any “leading city”. I would like to get to the real fundamentals of all this here. IMO the reason why this region has no leading city is rascim. Period. Norfolk is that but the state politics aren’t working for it. There was another post that someone else posted I think it was in the Portsmouth forum about how Norfolk and Portsmouth growth was basically “boxed in” because of some loophole in this states politics. Virginia Beach and Chesapeake both decided to “become cities” in the 60s (think about that time period...let it marinate) After all that madness about Brown vs Board of Education in the 50s that set off the white flight. Then they erect these horrible monuments in the middle of the city honoring LOSERS in an effort to what?? Scare US (btw I’m black) Let’s get specific....South Norfolk merged with Lower Norfolk County because BOTH Norfolk and Portsmouth were annexing land in that time period. Those rascist people and those walking around complicit in it are the reason the region looks like it does. Let’s take it to Newport News??It’s not a surprise that all the money and investment is concentrated in Oyster Point and points Northward rather than downtown. Hampton??? Just look up “Hampton is Burning” that will tell you all you need to know.  We know why people RUN to places like Poquosun and Pungo lol So some white people who decided they didn’t want their kids to associate with me because of the color of my skin is the reason why the political lines look like they do. It’s the “Original Gerrymandering” except these lines are permanent and Virginia mastered it. Virginia could be waaaaaay more than it is but we are going in the RIGHT direction lol Even Richmond. Richmond is a beautiful city that should look better than it does but this state has been historically rascist. Just like America’s history ....rascist 1619 IN THIS HARBOR . Any other excuse is just being blind to the facts. So that same “disunity” that you speak of is a legacy that.....like the name Tidewater isn’t specific to this area but runs within America. 

 

On a lighter note I think the region is going in the right direction. The cities seem to be cooperating and thankfully this area is actually more diverse than given credit for. The lines exist how they do now and the cities will slowly be more unified as time goes on. That “Us them” mentality is slowly fading and younger generations just want to move freely between the cities no matter what the dominant name is. I think the cities will slowly just gain recognition by themselves kind of like Dallas FtWorth or NYC everyone knows the 5 boroughs accept everyone wont know all of HR but they could name 2 (Norfolk/Va Beach) off the top. 

 

[Norfolk757Kid]

You're right, the fight to integrate Norfolk's school system played a big part in the development, or destruction, of Norfolk's physical landscape, and set the scene for the growth of Virginia Beach. The main issue for Norfolk was political though, which could have racial undertones. Political leaders from the Beach, then Princess Anne County, voted down annexation by Norfolk and essentially stopped Norfolk's growth at a time when technology was dramatically effecting American cities, shifting population and wealth to the suburbs. By the 70's, Norfolk, hemmed in by its borders, had also destroyed much of the urban fabric that originally made it unique. 

I recommend this book for anyone interested in an interesting look at the desegregation and urban renewal period in Norfolk: https://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Brown-Progress-Norfolk/dp/1732310505

[kw1twin1]

Hey all. I asked a question earlier- "Are there any wash and fold laundry services in the Hampton Roads that offer free pickup and delivery? I have a busy schedule and am looking for a laundry service. Coming from NYC, those types of services are everywhere."

A friend of mine recommended I use a laundry service that provide free pick up and delivery called Bolt Laundry Service (https://boltlaundry.com/). Does any one have any experience using this service in the Hampton Roads?
https://boltlaundry.com/

[Willy18]

A quick google search brought me to https://www.lifebeforelaundry.com/   Looks like they offer free pick-up/delivery in VB, Ches. and Norfolk. 

I have no idea if they are any good since I have never needed or thought about such a service. 

[Norfolk757Kid]

Just some food for thought as Hampton Roads could see a couple building booms in the next decade or two. I'm cheering on Harbor's Edge and Gateway as much as anyone, but maybe a concrete block on top of a multistory parking garage is not the most sustainable way to build. 

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/stop-building-glass-skyscrapers?utm_content=buffere29f0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR3z4k-l8Pptruo4R8bPh7MjjVBA4TtRhHnKY6Ikw-rkDd4yf-HES-T-3EE

And zoning is an issue that every city will grapple with, especially if we want a useful transit system. Most of Norfolk's older neighborhoods are already mixed zoning, but Virginia Beach and Chesapeake will probably have to a zoning battle if they keep growing: https://tcf.org/content/report/minneapolis-ended-single-family-zoning/?agreed=1

[vdogg]

Those giant glass skyscrapers actually work to contain sprawl, thus lessening the overall impact on resources and pollution generated by cars as opposed to the transit that can serve dense city blocks. Sorry, but this exact attitude is what got San Francisco into so much trouble. The local fear of "manhattanization"

 

coupled with zoning regs that made it almost impossible to build anything over five stories within San Francisco proper meant that there was not enough housing stock to handle the population and the cost of housing increased dramatically. They are in the process of relaxing those rules now, and allowing more high-rise residential buildings, but it's going to take a long time to dig themselves out of the hole which they

created. The author's heart is in the right spot, but the logic just doesn't jive. Cities have grown in the manner in which they have for a reason. 

And to be clear, it appears that the researches are more addressing pure glass construction, as opposed to just high-rises in general.

[BFG]

Was listening to Cathy Lewis on WHRV’s Hearsay earlier, and some interesting takeaways come from that regional survey. 

 Apparently 3,000 people filled out the survey, and the most popular moniker for the area would be “The 757”, being it's become popularized in music and sports. It also includes all the cities and gives an idea of where we are. Cathy also notes that it’s an identity for future generations more than anything, millennials and Gen-Z. 

 The survey also noted a lack of unity and identity. I’ll see if I can find a link. 

[HRVA]

1 hour ago, BFG said:

Was listening to Cathy Lewis on WHRV’s Hearsay earlier, and some interesting takeaways come from that regional survey. 

 Apparently 3,000 people filled out the survey, and the most popular moniker for the area would be “The 757”, being it's become popularized in music and sports. It also includes all the cities and gives an idea of where we are. Cathy also notes that it’s an identity for future generations more than anything, millennials and Gen-Z. 

 The survey also noted a lack of unity and identity. I’ll see if I can find a link. 

I’m curious how 757 is any more recognizable than Hampton Roads? I would expect you would have to be familiar with the area to identify where an area code is from. And how much of a threat is the new area code that is projected to launch in two years to the long term recognition of the region as ‘The757’?

[vdogg]

32 minutes ago, 23320 said:

I’m curious how 757 is any more recognizable than Hampton Roads? I would expect you would have to be familiar with the area to identify where an area code is from. And how much of a threat is the new area code that is projected to launch in two years to the long term recognition of the region as ‘The757’?

The 757 is way more recognizable. It’s popular among the hip hop artists from this area and young people generally know the area being referred to when it’s mentioned. Also, it sounds a bit more “hip” than Hampton Roads or Tidewater and is far less general and generic than Coastal Va. It’s the best I’ve heard so far. I like it. I say we give it a shot.

As to the new area code, locals will always know this is  “The 757”, so I don’t think there’s any chance of that dying.

[BFG]

55 minutes ago, 23320 said:

I’m curious how 757 is any more recognizable than Hampton Roads? I would expect you would have to be familiar with the area to identify where an area code is from. And how much of a threat is the new area code that is projected to launch in two years to the long term recognition of the region as ‘The757’?

From what I remember reading, it'll mostly be new cell phone numbers getting the new area code...not enough to impact the number of 757 phone lines. 

Here's the Pilot article explaining the decision. Although my vote went to Norfolk/Virginia Beach, I think this is the best option to include everyone and at least somewhat promotes regionalism. Had it been N/VB, someone from Chesapeake or Newport News starts complaining about feeling left out, and now we have to come up with an acronym that includes every city and town.  

 https://www.pilotonline.com/inside-business/vp-ib-rebrand-results-1210-20191210-bu36t6mbwne6djlwtq7z23smyy-story.html

[Norfolk757Kid]

The fact that we're getting a new area code makes this a complete farce. I've been told that the study cost a couple hundred thousand dollars, multiple institutions contributed, and they come up with drumroll please...'The 757.' How does the 757 give any sense of place to an outsider not already from Virginia? How is this going to work if it has this lukewarm of a response right off the bat. So I think this is a setback more than anything because people are going to still refer to the individual cities names instead of a regional moniker like Coastal Virginia (COVA), which isn't perfect but now seems like a much better option. 

[Norva757]

Does it really matter what they call us when we can't even work together? All projects and jobs here are mediocre and nothing is unique that will make this region standout compared to similar sized metro areas.....we are known as a military town that is pretty much it

[vdogg]

On 12/10/2019 at 9:10 PM, Norfolk757Kid said:

The fact that we're getting a new area code makes this a complete farce. I've been told that the study cost a couple hundred thousand dollars, multiple institutions contributed, and they come up with drumroll please...'The 757.' How does the 757 give any sense of place to an outsider not already from Virginia? How is this going to work if it has this lukewarm of a response right off the bat. So I think this is a setback more than anything because people are going to still refer to the individual cities names instead of a regional moniker like Coastal Virginia (COVA), which isn't perfect but now seems like a much better option. 

It doesn’t matter that *some* area codes are changing. The 757 is an identity that’s stuck among the younger generation for quite some time. As long as you market that identity in association to the region it’s not an issue. All those other names have been tried, let’s move on to something new.