VBGeo Info section includes the Geofacts of the City of Virginia Beach and Common GIS terms.
Virginia Beach Geofacts
The city of Virginia Beach is 310 square miles.
258.7 square miles are land and 51.3 square miles are water.
The average elevation of the city is 12 feet.
The highest natural elevation is 88.1 feet located at Fort Story.
The highest manmade elevation is 145.0 feet located at Landfill #2 (Centerville Turnpike).
32,700 acres of the city are currently under cultivation.
The city contains:
- 29 miles of scenic waterway
- 28 miles of public beach
- 38 miles of shoreline
The city contains 141,369 different parcels.
133,831 of these parcels are taxable.
The city contains 25,166 condominium units.
The city's present population is approximately 437,994.
The most common soil in the city is Acredale.
The Acredale is a very deep, nearly level, and poorly drained silt/loam.
Longitude & Latitudes:
- Cape Henry Lighthouse: 76 degrees 0 minutes 29 seconds (longitude) and 36 degrees 55 minutes 33 seconds (latitude)
- Mount Trashmore: 76 degrees 7 minutes 25 seconds (longitude) and 36 degrees 49 minutes 49 seconds (latitude)
- Munden Point Park: 76 degrees 2 minutes 14 seconds (longitude) and 36 degrees 35 minutes 3 seconds (latitude)
Virginia Beach: 100 years change:
- Lots: 1,598 lots in 1910 to 141,369 lots in 2010
- Population: 11,526 in 1910 to 437,994 in 2010
GIS Terms
- GIS: (Geographic Information System)
A computer assisted information system to collect, store, manipulate, and display spatial data within the context of an organization, with the purpose of functioning as a decision support system.
- LIS: (Land Information System)
Data linkage between graphic elements and database records
- Spatial Data:
Database linkage to georeferenced areas.
- GPIN: (Geographical Parcel Identification Number)
A unique number which is composed of the land property's state plan coordinates (X, Y).The GPIN is derived or based on x and y state plane coordinate values in City of Virginia Beach.
- Map Projection:
A projection system from which a sphere (or spheroid) can map onto a plane. Map projections are generally classified into groups according to common properties (cylindrical vs. conical, conformal vs. area-preserving, , etc.).
- Map scale:
The ratio between length or distance on a map and the corresponding measurement on the earth. Scale may be represented verbally, graphically, or as a fraction.
- Composite Map
Composite Map shows several thematic layers on one map. Composite maps are in 10,000 feet x 10,000 feet grids. There are a total of 406 Composite maps for Virginia Beach. The themes shown include property lines and GPIN numbers, easements, water features, vegetation, and physical features such as pavement, buildings, and fences. Composite maps are used for general planning purposes because they show a variety of information about the depicted area.
- Tax Map
Tax Map shows the parcel layer with GPIN numbers in 2000 feet by 2000 feet grid format. There are 2,297 Taxmaps for Virginia Beach. Tax Maps are used by the Commissioner of the Revenue and the Assessor's Office for recordkeeping purposes. However, a tax map is not the legal parcel definition; the plat recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court identifies the legal parcel.