Fort Monroe Tide Gauge

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Fort Monroe Authority, has installed a new tide gauge station at Fort Monroe to help emergency planners protect the shorelines in the Hampton Roads region.

The monitoring station, to be located at the former Navy Pier at Fort Monroe, will provide decision makers long-term water level data and real-time warnings of storm surge. The system was funded entirely by federal dollars under the Hurricane Sandy response, which was the main catalyst for making this effort possible.

USGS tide gauges deliver up-to-the-minute data that are critical to the National Weather Service and other partners, like the Navy and Coast Guard, who conduct operations at sea, issue flood warnings, and initiate evacuation orders for communities.

Information on all the tide gauges located throughout the Chesapeake Bay region, including the Hampton area, can be accessed through the USGS National Water Information System webpage.

source: U.S. Geological Survey

Norfolk Walkabouts Food Tours

Norfolk Walkabouts Food Tours dine in locally owned, community rooted restaurants while exploring the tree lined streets filled with diverse architecture and historic homes.  The food tour visits multiple restaurants sampling house specialties and has a “behind the scenes” experience where staff discusses the establishment and cuisine.

A Norfolk Walkabout is a journey for the palate in which it is transformed by various spices and provisions offered by Norfolk's "hidden gems" and culinary visionaries.  In between locations, it also offers an insight to the history of Norfolk and Hampton Roads as well as a present perspective.

There are two food tours to choose from:  Downtown Norfolk and the historic uptown neighborhood of Ghent.  Points of interest and food samplings on the tours include Hampton Roads Seafood Classics, MacArthur Memorial, Coffee and Tea from a West Coast Style Coffeehouse, St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Mediterranean cuisine, historic homes in the Freemason neighborhood, Artisan Pizza, the tree-lined streets of Ghent, the Fred Heutte Center, Savory Soup, the Naro Theatre, Colley Avenue, Gourmet Cupcakes,  Peruvian fare, and more.

Norfolk Walkabouts leads weekly food tours on Saturday and Sunday.  Private group tours are available outside of published dates.

For more information, visit www.norfolkwalkabouts.com

Hampton Roads-Tidewater Virginia News Portal

The next phase of a Hampton Roads-Tidewater Virginia information site has been completed. www.tidewater-virginia.net features articles, news, events, photo galleries, a business directory, online store, and more.

A representative explained the project, saying "Our research shows a strong interest in the Hampton Roads region by online audiences. The project seeks to provide audiences with a one stop resource for visitors, residents, and small businesses of the region."

Small business owners have a variety of free services available on the site. Basic features include press release and article submissions, as well as standard listings in the site's directory. In addition to basic free tools, the site offers paid advertising and an array of other promotional tools.

Features also available for non-profit organizations. The directory has categories for civic groups, charities, government agencies, and other non-profit organizations. Another feature of the site is an online store which includes a collection of books, maps, art, gifts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, golf shirts, and other apparel.

According to the site owner, "Our goal was to provide an easy to use resource that brings together vacationers, local residents, business owners and organizations; the site now offers those tools."

www.tidewater-virginia.net serves the Tidewater - Hampton Roads communities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Chesapeake, Hampton, Virginia Beach, and Suffolk.

Tidewater MSA Ranked #8 for Well-Being

Among the nation's 52 largest metropolitan areas that Gallup surveyed in 2009, the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was ranked #8 for well-being in the nation. The regions are based on the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. In many cases, more than one city is included in the same MSA.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index score measures for each city an average of six sub-indexes, which individually examine life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities. The overall composite score and each of the six sub-indexes' scores are calculated on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 represents fully realized well-being. Gallup and Healthways initiated the Well-Being Index in January 2008.