Best Web Design in Chesapeake, VA (2026)

Web Design for Chesapeake, Virginia

Chesapeake is a sprawling Hampton Roads city that blends dense suburban neighborhoods with hundreds of square miles of protected farmland, forest, and wetland, including much of the Great Dismal Swamp. Formed in 1963 from the merger of Norfolk County and the City of South Norfolk, it is now Virginia's second-most-populous city. Its landscape ranges from corporate headquarters to a national wildlife refuge home to the East Coast's largest black bear population.

AppWT works with Chesapeake, VA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Chesapeake

Also known as. The City that Cares.

History. English settlement in the area began around 1620 along the Elizabeth River, and the former Norfolk County traces its origins to the 1630s. The city of Chesapeake was created in 1963 when voters approved the political consolidation of the City of South Norfolk with the remnants of Norfolk County. The Battle of Great Bridge, fought December 9, 1775, was an early Patriot victory sometimes called "Virginia's Bunker Hill"; it helped force Royal Governor Lord Dunmore out of Virginia. Free-born Black patriot William "Billy" Flora became a hero of the Battle of Great Bridge, holding the bridge and pulling up planking under heavy fire. Work on the Dismal Swamp Canal, an idea George Washington championed after visiting in 1763, began in 1793 and the canal opened in 1805.

Local economy. Home to the Fortune 500 headquarters of discount retailer Dollar Tree, which operates more than 15,000 stores across the US and Canada. Major employers include Cox Communications, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, and a GEICO regional headquarters. Employment spans healthcare, retail, technology, defense, and manufacturing. Tourism and outdoor recreation tied to the Great Dismal Swamp and the Intracoastal Waterway support the local economy.

Culture and community. The annual Chesapeake Jubilee brings carnival rides, food vendors, crafts, and fireworks. Each October the Chesapeake Wine Festival features samplings from more than a dozen Virginia wineries. Historic sites tied to the American Revolution anchor local heritage tourism, including Great Bridge Battlefield commemorations.

What makes Chesapeake distinct. Chesapeake is the second-largest city by land area in Virginia, with about 351 square miles of total area. At the 2020 census its population of 249,422 made it Virginia's second-most-populous city. The Great Dismal Swamp refuge within the city hosts the East Coast's largest black bear population. Despite its name, Chesapeake does not sit directly on the Chesapeake Bay.

Chesapeake Landmarks and Local Life

• Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - a vast protected wetland shared with neighboring Suffolk
• The Dismal Swamp Canal - on the National Register of Historic Places and part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway; it is the oldest continuously operating artificial waterway in the country
• Northwest River Park - a park of over 700 acres with a campground, hiking trails, and river activities
• Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Museum - marking the 1775 Revolutionary War battle