Hampton

History by the Water. Stories Around Every Corner.

Hampton is one of those places where the water and the city's history are never far apart.

Located along the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton Roads, Hampton has been home to communities for centuries. Today, it brings together waterfront living, historic places, neighborhoods, universities, museums, seafood, festivals, businesses, and beaches.

It has a story that runs deep.

But Hampton isn't simply somewhere to read about history.

It's somewhere to experience.

A Community With Deep Roots

Hampton traces its English settlement history to the early 1600s, making the area one of America's oldest continuously inhabited English-speaking communities.

Over hundreds of years, the community grew around the waterways that surround it.

Those connections remain easy to see today.

Downtown Hampton sits beside the Hampton River.
Buckroe Beach opens onto the Chesapeake Bay.
Fort Monroe occupies Old Point Comfort at the entrance to Hampton Roads.
And boats, marinas, fishing, beaches, and waterfront views remain part of everyday life.

Hampton University

Hampton is also home to one of America's well-known historically Black universities.

Founded in 1868, Hampton University has educated generations of students and has become an important part of the city's identity.

Its waterfront campus, historic buildings, traditions, graduates, and events have brought people from across America and around the world to Hampton.

For many people, their Hampton story begins right there.

College.
Friendships.
Homecoming.
Graduation.
Family.
Memories that last long after leaving campus.

From Fort Monroe to Buckroe Beach

One of the best things about Hampton is the variety packed into a relatively small area.

Explore Fort Monroe and you're surrounded by historic architecture, waterfront views, and open spaces beside the Chesapeake Bay.

Head to Buckroe Beach and the experience changes completely.

Sand.
Water.
Fishing.
Summer days.
Family gatherings.
Music.
Sunsets.

Then head downtown for restaurants, events, museums, marinas, and waterfront activity.

Hampton can give you history in the morning and a beach chair in the afternoon.

The Hampton You Remember

Maybe Hampton means Buckroe Beach.
Maybe it's Hampton University.
Maybe it's Fort Monroe.
Maybe it's the Hampton Coliseum.
Maybe it's the Virginia Air & Space Science Center.
Maybe it's fishing on the Chesapeake.
A seafood dinner.
A festival.
A family gathering.
A college homecoming.
Or a neighborhood where everybody seemed to know everybody.

Those are the things that make a place personal.

That's what MileAmerica celebrates.

Not simply where a city is located.

What happened to you while you were there.

Maybe Hampton is home.
Maybe you went to school here.
Maybe family brought you here.
Maybe you came for a concert, a beach weekend, a reunion, or simply because Hampton was one stop along your journey.

Whatever brought you here, you can look back and say:

I've been there.
I know that place.
Hampton is part of my story.

The Chesapeake.
The history.
The university.
The beach.
The neighborhoods.
The people.
The memories.

That's Hampton.

HAMPTON, VIRGINIA
The Water. The History. The Experience.Explore the places. Learn their stories. Remember the journey.

MILEAMERICA
Wear the Journey.