Norfolk, VA: A Hub for Industry, Innovation and Life

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Norfolk’s story has been one of reinvention and the ability to thrive under pressure. Twice burned and twice rebuilt, this coastal Virginia city has never stood still. What began as a colonial port has evolved into a modern center of industry, innovation and life – a city that continues to shape and be shaped by the tides of progress.

Industry

Sean Washington, economic development director for the City of Norfolk, says the city is riding the next wave of economic development. “I’ll use the word resurgence,” he says. “We are still, and will always be, the urban core of the region, so we are always going to have experiences and assets that you just can’t find anywhere else.”

Norfolk continues to be a hub in the region for DEAL (Defense, Energy, Aerospace and Logistics). It is home to the world’s largest naval base as well as the Virginia Spaceport Authority headquarters. Its port serves as a hub for transportation and logistics, and includes a new deep-water industrial site. Dominion Energy’s operations and maintenance facility for its offshore wind operation is located here, along with five major shipbuilding enterprises. “We’re leaning in to all these opportunities,” Washington says.

Courtesy of the City of Norfolk

Momentum infuses all aspects of the city, from the downtown commercial business district and investments in historic and emerging industry, to Norfolk’s robust residential neighborhoods. The city’s many attractions continue to draw tourists and locals alike.

“Tourists want to see what the locals want to see,” Washington says. “So, when you create a downtown and a vibrancy that your locals enjoy and embrace, then tourists see that as well. We look through the lens of these different audiences – local business, residents and tourists – investing into assets that really speak to all three.”

Innovation

Today, downtown Norfolk stands at the intersection of history and possibility. Once defined by shipyards and seaports, it now hums with creativity, technology and culture. Historic warehouses have become incubators for entrepreneurs. Art deco theaters echo with new voices. Murals spill color across centuries-old walls. And waterfront views frame a city that continues to rise resilient, forward-looking and full of life.

Tourism is both a key industry and an investment in the life of the city, generating more than $84 million in annual revenue and providing more than 8,600 jobs. With 144 miles of stunning shoreline, Norfolk’s waterfront is central to the appeal, with major attractions like America’s longest fishing pier, the Battleship Wisconsin and the Nauticus Maritime Discovery Center. Carnival Cruise Lines offers weekly cruises year-round in and out of its Half Moon cruise terminal at the port.

Courtesy of the City of Norfolk

“We had over 300,000 cruise passengers in 2025,” says Sarah Hughes, vice president of marketing and communications for Visit Norfolk. “Our port is right downtown, so we have this wonderful opportunity for people to start their vacation early and walk and explore before the cruise departs.”

And in 2027, Boyd Gaming will open its multi-million-dollar waterfront casino and resort hotel complex.

“We definitely punch above our weight when it comes to both attractions and culinary offerings,” Hughes says. “We have some of the best attractions and performing arts specifically for a city our size, and when people see the accessible art collections and shows that we have, they fall in love for a lot of reasons.”

Notable performing arts destinations include Chrysler Hall with its series of touring Broadway productions, the historic Wells Theatre, home to the Virginia Stage Company, and the iconic Attucks Theatre, once known as the Apollo of the South.

Norfolk is home to one of the largest glass art collections in the world, free and open to the public at the Chrysler Museum of Art, and the recently expanded Perry Glass Studio, which hosts free glass-blowing demonstrations daily. The Norfolk Botanical Garden, the largest in the state, is launching an expansion including a Garden of Tomorrow, opening early in 2027. This conservation project will focus on endangered plant species and will also incorporate elements of Chihuly glass art.

The Virginia Zoo is the only AZA-accredited zoo in the state and also includes a conservation and education center. Two minor league sports teams, the Norfolk Admirals ice hockey team and the Norfolk Tides baseball team, also call the city home.

“We’ve had some of our largest attractions all expand or renovate within the past year,” Hughes says. “It’s building on that momentum we already feel.”

Life

As Norfolk reimagines its downtown, it honors the craftsmanship and courage that built it, while creating a place where industry meets imagination, innovation meets heritage and life meets the limitless energy of what’s next.

Recognizing the unique experiences to be found in Norfolk’s variety of historical neighborhoods, the city is reimagining a series of commercial corridors.

Courtesy of the City of Norfolk

“We really want to invest back into those individual neighborhoods and give each its own downtown feel,” Washington says. “Where residents can walk out their front door and go to the main street and get a cup of coffee, or to the dry cleaners, all those things that are neighborhood serving.” To do that, the city has reinvested in many of the historic properties, giving them new vibrancy and purpose through technical assistance grants for local businesses. “The city has been very bold,” he says, “to recognize that we have to focus on the downtown economic engine, but we want to make sure we’re continuing to invest in these other commercial nodes in the rest of the city.”

The city’s recent purchase and revitalization of MacArthur Mall is another example of its reimagining. “We’re thinking about how to re-stitch our downtown,” Washington says. “We are creating another neighborhood in itself where you have walkability. You can’t have an urban core if you don’t have a 10- or 15-minute walking destination, and so we’re seeing this as the next wave of downtown. It’s all a very important part of Norfolk’s story.”

For more information about Norfolk, VA, visit norfolkdevelopment.com.