Norfolk and Virginia Beach make-up just part of the metropolitan area of southeastern Virginia known as Hampton Roads, a diverse region known for the hundreds of miles of waterfront property, beaches and home to the United States Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, NASA, Marines and Army facilities. Hampton Roads, or just "the harbor" to locals, is one of the world's biggest natural harbors–the mouths of the Elizabeth River, James River and several smaller rivers all empty into the Chesapeake Bay and lead to the Atlantic Ocean. Both Norfolk and Virigina Beach have unique lifestyles to offer from the urban cityscape to the ocean-front resort.

Norfolk has it all, from cultural, to financial, to entertainment and it's all nestled along the waterfront of the Chesapeake Bay. Founded in 1682, Norfolk grew up on the water, and its miles of lake, river and bay front are central to many of its neighborhoods. The city's popular logo, an elegant young mermaid, symbolizes 300 years of maritime and naval heritage and its modern reputation as a city on the move.

Virginia Beach, located at the end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, has 35 miles of waterfront with 14 miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels and restaurants dot its oceanfront. Listed in the Guiness Book of Records as having the longest pleasure beach in the world, Virginia Beach is jam-packed with activities fit for all ages, it's the perfect vacation destination.

• Old Dominion University

• Eastern Virginia Medical School

• Norfolk State University

• Virginia Wesleyan College

• Tidewater Community College