Five Fun Facts about Norfolk:
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, or Norfolk Navy Yard, is in Portsmouth, Virginia. They could not name it the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, because there was already one of those in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The “L” in Norfolk is generally only pronounced by those from other locales and is considered incorrect by most people from the region. Similar pronounciation variations are found in the names of other Hampton Roads cities, such as Portsmouth and Suffolk.
Beginning in the late 1970s, mall developer James W. Rouse developed Waterside in downtown Norfolk, a “festival marketplace” concept that helped transform a formerly seedy harbor area into a major catalyst for other redevelopment. Downtown Norfolk is clean, attractive, and growing quickly. Many other areas of Norfolk are being revitalized, including Ocean View and East Beach, both on the Chesapeake Bay.
In 1858, the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad built by William Mahone was completed to Petersburg, where major connections were made with railroads to points north, west, and south. During the U.S. Civil War, in 1862, the Battle of Hampton Roads between the ironclads Monitor and Merrimac was fought off Norfolk. Early in the war, Mahone commanded the city’s defenses during the period of Confederate occupation which ended in May, 1862.
The site of what is now Norfolk was originally the Chesipean Indian town Skicoak.
Famous People from Norfolk:
Clarence Clemons, Tom DiCillo, Rob Estes, Gary Fleder, Eddie Holman, Wayne Newton, Tim Reid, Bob Saget, Margaret Sullavan, Scott Travis, Gene Vincent, and Ernie Watts
Local Slang:
Nawfuhk – A derivative of Norfolk. Often used by Norfolkers who have lived in the area for an extended amount of time.
Ghetto – Something made in poor quality; cheap
For Real For Real – Another way of saying “that is so true”
Weak – The result of extreme laughter: "That joke you told left me weak."
Yeseer – Yes sir