Coastal
Va? No.
Tidewater? Yes.
Norfolk-Va.
Beach Metro Area? No.
Tidewater,
Virginia, Yes.
Hampton
Roads? No.
Tidewater,
Va., Yes.
Whoever
suggested the insipid name of Coastal Virginia, please step forward.
It attracts more laughter than it attracts tourists.
Whoever
suggested the name of Norfolk-Va. Beach Metro Area, please
step forward. It invites sneers rather than attention.
Travelers
traversing the contemporary concourse of Norfolk International
Airport are confronted with a welcome sign: Welcome to the Greater
Norfolk Area.
Not
Hampton Roads.
Not
Norfolk-Va. Beach Metro area.
Not
Coastal Va.
I
doubt if Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim would permit a sign in the airport
saying “Welcome to Coastal Virginia.”
Mayor
Fraim is very meticulous about his signs, his image and his city. The
airport is situated in Norfolk, travelers get their rental cars in
Norfolk, they eat and stay in crummy airport hotels in Norfolk, and
they pay fees and charges that contribute to the overall well-being
of Norfolk's citizens and their foster children, the Millennials.
Can
you imagine Mayor Fraim's reaction to the name “Coastal Virginia”?
I can hear him now, his voice firm, authoritative, threatening.
“This
is Norfolk, my town, this isn't Coastal Virginia, it will never be
Coastal Virginia as long as I am mayor of Norfolk and plenipotentiary
Capo di tutti capi of this region. “
The
Tide, Norfolk's fab famous folly, isn't in Va. Beach, it's in
Norfolk. The Tides, Norfolk's pro baseball team, isn't in Coastal
Virginia, it's in Norfolk.
Speaking
of Tide, Tides and Tidewater.
There's
no Va. Beach-Norfolk Metro area historical society, but there is a
Tidewater Historical Society.
There's
no Coastal Virginia Community College, but there's a Tidewater
Community College.
The
only organization in the region with the name Hampton Roads is the
Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, the region's marketer,
and I'm not sure if it still alive. My mistake: there's the Hampton
Roads Regional Jail but that's in Portsmouth.
The
port – in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News – used to be
called the Port of Hampton Roads but now it's the Port of Virginia.
The
Virginia Maritime Association, the industry group representing the
maritime in the region, used to be called the Hampton Roads Maritime
Association.
The
name Virginia has been used so frequently and so sloppily that's it's
no longer a real brand. The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art is
located in Va. Beach. The Virginia Zoo, the Virginia Symphony and the
Virginia Stage Co. are located in Norfolk.
So
why not name them for where they are instead of what you want them to
be. Norfolk had it right, though, and got on the band wagon early.
The rest of you critters had to play follow the leader.
Google
Norfolk Virginia Beach Metro Area or metropolitan area and you get
1.1 million results. The first result? Hampton Roads, Virginia
Google
Tidewater, Virginia, and you get 6 million results. The
first result? Tidewater, Virginia.
Here's
a sampling of Tidewater...
Tidewater
Women
Tidewater
Family
Tidewater
Vollyball Association
Tidewater
Bicycle Association
Tidewater
Dental Association
Tidewater
Motor Truck Association
Tidewater
Paralegal Association
Tidewater
Association for Early Childhood Education: TAECE
Tidewater
Builders Association
Tidewater
Community College
Tidewater
News
Tidewater
Libertarian Party
Tidewater
Striders
Tidewater
Mortgage Services
Tidewater
Mortgage Bankers Association
Tidewater
Association of Service Contractors
Tidewater
Beekeepers Association
Tidewater
Chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni
Tidewater
Chapter of the Virginia Society of CPAs
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...
“Just
as the term “Lowcountry” has come to mean only the coastal region
of South Carolina, and the term “Outer Banks” means only North
Carolina, so “Tidewater” applies almost exclusively to Virginia.”
Dey
Whichard, Rogers. The
History of Lower Tidewater Virginia.
1st ed. Vol. 1. New York: Lewis Historical, 1959. Ix. Print.
Question
of the day.
Should
Andria McClelland, a civic leader and Democrat who has political
aspirations, run for Norfolk City Council in 2016 against incumbent
City Council Member Barclay Winn?