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Top 10 Jobs in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metroplex

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By Patty Inglish, MS

"Second Battle Off the Virginia Capes"- 19th century painting owned by US Navy at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Norfolk, VA.
"Second Battle Off the Virginia Capes"- 19th century painting owned by US Navy at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Norfolk, VA.


Tidewater and Hampton Roads

According to geological surveys completed by the US government, Tidewater is the land located east of a line names the geological Fall Line. Historically, Tidewater is the old Chesapeake Bay Colony before the Revolutionary War and the area surrounding it, including the bay. As a Metroplex, several cities and counties in Southeastern Virginia, along with one county in North Carolina, would all be connected if it were not for several rivers and smaller waterways that divide them from one another.

Tidewater, this Metroplex largely in Virginia, actually contains ten cities and has been nicknamed Tidewater as well as Hampton Roads.

As a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of the US federal government's Office of Budget, it also contains the single county in North Carolina for business, economic, workforce development, and other analyses.

The cities in the Commonweath of Virgina are, in fact, not part of the counties in which they sit, but are completely independent governmental units. Different sources list some variation in which cities and counties are included in this Metroplex, but taken together, the following entities are in

TIDEWATER:

COUNTIES -Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City (County), Mathews, Surry, York; and Currituck County of North Carolina.

CITES - Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Smithfield, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg.

The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act of 1988 is a conservation act that protects these additional Virginia COUNTIES:

Accomack, Arlington, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Essex, Fairfax, Hanover, Henrico, King George, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Middlesex, New Kent, Northampton, Northumberland, Prince George, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Surry, and Westmoreland, and these additional Virginia CITIES:

Alexandria, Colonial Heights, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Hopewell, Petersburg, Richmond. However, for the analysis of economy, business, and jobs, the Metroplex actually refers to the first list of counties and cities above that are located more closely together.

AIRPORTS

Still others choose to divide the Metroplex from the rest of the state, according to the nearest airports. Many consider the communitites around these three airports to be Tidewater:

However, Richmond is rather far to the northwest from the rest of Tidewater. In addtion, Metroplex residents requiring non-stop lights to Europe still fly out of Washington Dulles International Airport .

THE METROPLEX

In general, the Metroplex covers much of Southestern Virginia and the region around Chesapeake Bay, especially the eight cities listed under. Many of the cities touch one another and it is difficult to distribuish between them as one drives through. The area is one of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas of the USA.

USS Enterprise at Newport News
USS Enterprise at Newport News

Job Growth in IT, Medical, and Insurance

The top 10 Jobs in the Tidewater/Hampton Roads Metroplex include the industries of Information Technology (IT) in a number of fields that span health and medical segments, Healthcare, Bioengineering, and Insurance. Environmental preotection technicians are also in high demand.

  1. Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts
  2. Veterinary Techs
  3. Personal and Home Health Aides
  4. Biomedical Engineers
  5. Insurance Sales Agents and Insurance Underwriters
  6. Computer Software Systems Engineers,
  7. Physician, Medical, and Dental Assistants
  8. Database Administrators
  9. Network and Computer Systems Administrators
  10. Environmental Protection Technicians


Largest Employers

The Metroplex hosts this list of companies and agencies that are among Virginia's Top 100 Largest Employers. The list contains the name of the organization and the city within the Metroplex where you can find it.

  • Northrop Grumman Newport News, Newport News
  • University of Virginia Health Systems, multiple sites
  • National Aeronautics and Space, Hampton
  • College Of William and Mary, Williamsburg
  • Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg
  • Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk
  • US Navy Department, Production Dept, Portsmouth
  • Bon Secours Maryview Med Center, Portsmouth
  • Landmark Inc., Norfolk
  • Old Dominion University, Norfolk
  • Maryview Behavioral Medicine, Portsmouth
  • Anheuser-Busch Inc., Williamsburg
  • West Telemarketing, Hampton
  • Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock, Norfolk
  • Chesapeake General Hospital, Chesapeake


City of Virginia Beach

In addition to the above list of Metroplex's 15 largest employers, the City of Virginia Beach's Top 10 Largest Employers include:

  • American Systems Engineering
  • Amerigroup
  • Manpower
  • Geico Direct
  • Gold Key Resorts
  • Stihl
  • Virginian-Pilot Production Plant
  • Christian Broadcasting Network
  • Lillian Vernon Corporation
  • MILCOM Systems

A Tidewater Morning A Tidewater Morning
Price: $2.95
List Price: $13.00
Titus Tidewater Titus Tidewater
Price: $13.95
List Price: $15.95
Toast To Tidewater: Celebrating Virginia's Finest Food & Beverages Toast To Tidewater: Celebrating Virginia's Finest Food & Beverages
Price: $21.95
List Price: $27.95
Tidewater Blood Tidewater Blood
Price: $0.01
List Price: $12.95
Tobacco Culture: The Mentality of the Great Tidewater Planters on the Eve of Revolution. Tobacco Culture: The Mentality of the Great Tidewater Planters on the Eve of Revolution.
Price: $12.00
List Price: $22.95
Wild Flowers of Tidewater Virginia Wild Flowers of Tidewater Virginia
Price: $9.66
List Price: $19.95

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metroplex in the News

  • Jobs should be top priority in WashingtonThe Gainesville Sun7 hours ago

    By Cynthia Tucker Atlanta Journal-Constitution James Carville's old mantra rings as true now as it did when he tacked it to the wall of the Clinton war room in 1992. The results of last week's gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey can be largely explained by three words: jobs, jobs and jobs.

  • Applied Materials to cut 1,300 to 1,500 jobsCasper Star-Tribune19 hours ago

    FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2009 file photo, Applied Materials Inc. CEO Michael Splinter speaks during a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Applied Materials Inc. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 said that fiscal fourth-quarter net income fell by 40 percent and announced it would cut 1,300 to 1,500 jobs to save money as it grapples with a business downturn. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo ...

  • Maryland and Delaware join Virginia to develop offshore wind energyRichmond Times-Dispatch14 hours ago

    The governors of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a formal tri-state partnership for the development of offshore wind energy in the mid-Atlantic region.

  • Chip firm to eliminate jobsThe Morning Call7 hours ago

    Applied Materials Inc. said Wednesday that fiscal fourth-quarter net income fell by 40 percent and announced it would cut 1,300 to 1,500 jobs to save money as it grapples with a business downturn.

  • Ralph Lauren center to leave West VirginiaThe Huntington Herald-Dispatch2 days ago

    MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. says it will move a distribution center from West Virginia to North Carolina, affecting about 100 jobs.

Comments

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Jason Stanley profile image

Jason Stanley  says:
2 years ago

Your hub makes this sound like a pretty nice place to live - how do they rank on cost of living expense with other top cities in the US?

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
2 years ago

Thank you Jason.

When compared with Atlanta, the #1 City named by Forbes in their own list of Top 25 Cities for business and jobs, the Virginia Beach, etc. Metroplex rates anywhere from 11% to 20 % lower in cost of living than Atlanta, among the various cities and counties it contains.

Jan Mosbacher profile image

Jan Mosbacher  says:
2 years ago

The bridge tunnel looks amazing, thanks for showing the photo.

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
2 years ago

Thank you commenting Jan! I was awestruck with the scenery before the tunnel was built and the view in the photo is simply wondrous. I'm glad you enjoy it.

luvintkandtj profile image

luvintkandtj  says:
9 months ago

THis is my home town. its a decent area to live in not overly expensive or cheap

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
9 months ago

Thank you for this encouraging information. It certainly helps our readers. Thansk for your visit!

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