Chesapeake Mayor Touts City's 'Small Town Feel' and Regionalism

Annual State of the City address highlights investments, infrastructure, and community values.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 10:35pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A serene, cinematic painting of a quaint main street in Chesapeake, Virginia, with warm sunlight casting long shadows across the storefronts and pedestrians, conveying a sense of timeless, small-town character.Chesapeake's commitment to maintaining its distinct community identity and regional partnerships is reflected in the city's nostalgic, small-town charm.Chesapeake Today

In his annual State of the City address, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West emphasized the city's 'small town feel' and commitment to regional cooperation, touting major investments, infrastructure projects, and the importance of maintaining the city's distinct community identity and customer service focus despite its large geographic size and population.

Why it matters

As one of the largest cities in Virginia, Chesapeake has worked to balance growth and development with preserving its rural heritage and community-oriented values. The mayor's speech highlights how the city is navigating this balance through strategic regional partnerships and investments aimed at boosting the local economy while retaining Chesapeake's unique character.

The details

During his address, Mayor West highlighted several major projects that will benefit both Chesapeake and the broader Hampton Roads region, including a new $680 million undersea cable manufacturing facility, a $689 million rare earth magnet and copper manufacturing plant, and the opening of a new AI-powered municipal waste and recycling facility. He also praised regional infrastructure improvements like the I-264 interchange and High Rise Bridge upgrades, funded through state and local collaboration. City Manager Chris Price emphasized Chesapeake's commitment to providing 'outstanding small town customer service' through its 4,000 municipal employees.

  • Mayor West delivered the annual State of the City address on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
  • The new undersea cable manufacturing facility broke ground in 2025.
  • The rare earth magnet and copper manufacturing plant was announced in late 2025.

The players

Rick West

The mayor of Chesapeake, Virginia, who delivered the annual State of the City address highlighting the city's 'small town feel' and regional partnerships.

Chris Price

The Chesapeake city manager who emphasized the municipality's commitment to providing 'outstanding small town customer service' through its 4,000 employees.

Bob Crum

A representative from the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission who touted nearly $6 billion in recent regional infrastructure investments.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“If you want to have a big city with a small town feel, it really is all about people. And we have 4,000 team members that every day are laser-focused on making Chesapeake the city that cares.”

— Chris Price, Chesapeake City Manager

“(Mellencamp) says 'I could breathe in a small town,' and we do indeed cherish our open spaces, our rural heritage and our opportunity to connect with nature.”

— Rick West, Mayor of Chesapeake

What’s next

Regional leaders in Hampton Roads are continuing discussions on ways to capitalize on the area's major industries and military/defense presence to attract more high-paying jobs to the area.

The takeaway

Chesapeake's approach of blending its small-town character with strategic regional partnerships and investments highlights how growing cities can retain their unique community identities while also driving broader economic development across an entire metropolitan area.