The Biggest Cities in Virginia

The boardwalk at Virginia Beach. Editorial credit: Sherry V Smith /

The state of the Commonwealth of Virginia is located between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coast. The State is ranked 35th in land area with a total of 42,774.2 square miles. The total population of Virginia as estimated in 2017 is 8.4 million. Some of the nicknames that people refer to Virginia are, “Old Dominion,” “Mother of Presidents, and Mother of Statesmen.” There are 95 counties and 38 independent cities. The biggest cities in Virginia include the following:

The Biggest Cities In Virginia

Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia. It is located on the southeastern coast of the state, where both Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet. It has an area of 497 square miles with an elevation of about 12 feet above the sea level. The total population of the city is estimated to be 452,745. Virginia Beach has beaches covering miles with numerous restaurants, motels, and hotels on its oceanfront. The city hosts sporting events each year such as North American Sand Soccer Championships and East Coast Surfing Championships. Virginia Beach is well known for being a resort city.


Norfolk is a city located in southeastern Virginia at the junction of Chesapeake Bay and the Elizabeth River. The total population of the area is estimated to be 245,782, and the total area of Norfolk is 96 square miles.


Just next to Norfolk lies Chesapeake. Its population is estimated to be 222,209 and it shares a border with North Carolina. It has an area of 351 square miles. The Great Dismal Swamp is found at Chesapeake. The median age of the residents of Chesapeake is 36.7 years, and their median income is $69,978.


Richmond has a population of 210,309, and it is the state capital of Virginia. It is located in Piedmont region of Virginia and has an area of 60 square miles. This is the city in which Patrick Henry a famously declared “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” during the revolutionary war.

Other Big Cities In Virginia

Other big cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia include Newport News (180,000), Alexandria (147,391), Hampton (146,437), Portsmouth (96,470), Roanoke (94,911), and Lynchburg (65,269). There many towns in Virginia which are as large as cities, but they have not been incorporated as cities and are located within the parent county. The independent cities of Virginia were classified in 1871 by the General Assembly of Virginia, and they are categorized as first-class cities and second-class cities. The first class cities were categorized as those having a population size of more than 10,000 inhabitants, while those with less than 10,000 were categorized as second-class cities.

The Biggest Cities in Virginia

1Virginia Beach447,021
5Newport News180,726

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