CITY BEACH

CITY BEACH

There is something magical about growing up along the coastline during the 1950s, perhaps because 1957 holds a special place in my heart. Hearing African-Americans in the Hampton Roads area speak on the subject; the mind automatically flashes to Virginia Beach. Still, long before the boardwalk ushered us to into their haven, there was City Beach. 

City Beach is a public beach located along the shores of East Beach, an award-winning tony beach community on the Chesapeake Bay. On June 16, 1935, the beach officially opened as a public beach and was annexed to Norfolk in 1959. City Beach was unique to African Americans because it was 11-acres of land on the Chesapeake Bay dedicated to us for family gatherings, crabbing, BBQs, and basking in the sun. I recall spending the Fourth of July at City Beach with friends at the dance hall or walking the boardwalk during the 1970s.

Today, City Beach is officially called East Beach and remains a public beach surrounded by million-dollar homes. When in Norfolk, I reside in East Beach, and recently during a daily walk, I noticed the City of Norfolk placed a historical marker on June 7, 2018, at one of the public walkways leading into the dunes toward the beach.

Learn more about City Beach and East Beach by clicking on the names. Thanks for reading!