Learn more about the current makeup of the city and plans for the future on the story map in the Chesapeake community profile. The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties, along with 38 independent cities that are considered equivalent to counties for census purposes. For more information on Chesapeake economic development, visit the Chesapeake Economic Development homepage. Currently, tolls in Chesapeake are limited to Chesapeake, Veterans Bridge and Jordan highways, but new tolls may be imposed on some existing facilities to help generate revenue for transportation projects in the region.
The history of Chesapeake dates back well beyond 1963, when Norfolk County and the city of South Norfolk merged to create Chesapeake. Chesapeake receives its electricity from Dominion Virginia Power, which has local sources, such as the Chesapeake Energy Center (a power plant fueled by coal and gas), coal-fired plants in the city and county of Southampton, and the Surry Nuclear Power Plant. Along the Chesapeake segment of the Intracoastal Waterway, where the locks of the Great Bridge mark the transition between the southern branch of the Elizabeth River and the Chesapeake and Albemarle canals, is the site of the Battle of the Great Bridge.