One of the funniest things about Hampton Roads is Norfo-centrism: the belief that despite a shoddy city, a sub-par education system, high crime, and a city known more for drinking than thinking, Norfolk should be the center of the regional universe and all other must bow in homage it.
The Virginian-Pilot basks in it, excusing everything short of murder in Norfolk politics while whining about the smallest budget issue in Virginia Beach. The Beach decides to “lock box” classroom spending so it can’t be diverted to administration, and the Pilot thinks it’s a Civil War.
As if Norfolk is some educational and social mecca.
It was brought to mind when I read the latest by Tom Robotham called “Searching for a Sense of Place.” I thought it was about where he was writing after his PortFolio Magazine failed into miserable oblivion, but no! It was about wanting to screw every city in Hampton Roads and name everybody “NORFOLK.”
“The most sensible name for our region is Norfolk. It is the urban center from which this area grew. Without Norfolk’s Naval Base, airport (which, incidentally, is known the world over as Norfolk airport), and business and cultural centers, the surrounding cities and towns wouldn’t even exist and certainly couldn’t thrive.”
Funny, the airport isn’t known the world over, because it’s so freakin’ small and landlocked by those brilliant Norfolk planners, that you practically have to parachute out of a real flight to ever get here.
Liberals. For all their talk about looking out for people, all they ever want is centralized power. Read.
“the best thing this area’s leaders could do—the surest means of sparking economic and cultural vitality—would be to agree on a merger of cities and recognize Norfolk as the seat of a new government”
He complains that his dream, his struggle, his utopia won’t ever happen, because the other cities won’t bow to his dream of power. No kidding?
“The leadership of Virginia Beach continues to cling to the notion that it should have equal if not greater status.”
Hmmmmm. Now why is that? Let’s check it out.
Norfolk: 234,000 people
Virginia Beach: 434,000 people
Murder Rate per 100,000 people
Norfolk 21.1
Virginia Beach 3.7
Assaults per 100,000 people
Norfolk 381.3
Virginia Beach 98.6
Robberies per 100,000 people
Norfolk 399.3
Virginia Beach 127.3
Median income in Norfolk $31,000
Median income in Virginia Beach $49,000
Virginia Beach Public Schools – all fully accredited, and they didn’t have to cheat.
Norfolk Public Schools – 3 conditional and 2 more with warning.
Hey, Tom. Want to know why a whole lot of cities not only don’t want to be subjugated to your centralized dream of Norfopower? Because Norfolk isn’t exactly being a kind of city any neighboring city would want to emulate. In fact, Norfolk’s horrible job of managing itself created the multiple cities around it. Maybe if Norfolk was anything remotely attractive, surrounding cities would flock to it and beg to be absorbed.
Maybe that could be your next article. “Why no one wants to be like Norfolk.” It could be a multi-part series.
