Princess Anne is a community located in the

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States at the junction of Princess Anne Road and North Landing Road near the West Neck River. The community, which dates from 1691, was named after Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway (later

Anne, Queen of Great Britain Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 8 March 1702 until 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as ...

, 1665–1714). The community is the site of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, where most of the city offices are located, including city hall. Traffic is a major concern for the area as the Municipal Center is a major employment center that is only accessible by two-lane roads. In 1691,

Lower Norfolk County Lower Norfolk County is a long-extinct county which was organized in colonial Virginia, operating from 1637 until 1691. New Norfolk County was formed in 1636 from Elizabeth City Shire, one of the eight original shires (or counties) formed in 1634 ...

was split roughly in half. The western half became Norfolk County, while the eastern half became Princess Anne Shire, later known as Princess Anne County. Between 1691 and the consolidation of Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County in 1963, this community served as the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

and was sometimes referred to as Princess Anne Courthouse. The old courthouse dates to the 17th century. Despite its name,

Princess Anne High School Princess Anne High School (PAHS) is one of 11 high schools in the Virginia Beach City Public School System. Opened in 1954, it is the oldest remaining high school in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. The school is named after the now extinc ...

is not located in the Princess Anne section of Virginia Beach. Princess Anne Elementary School and Princess Anne Middle School however, are located in Princess Anne just a short distance from the Municipal Center.

Subdivisions Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...

in the general area include: Ashby's Bridge, Asheville Park, Castleton, Christopher Farms, Courthouse Estates, The Estates at Munden Farms, Heritage Park, Highgate Crossing, Highgate Greens, Holland Oaks, Holland Woods, Hunt Club Forest, Indian River Plantation, Lago Mar, Lake Placid, Mayberry, Pine Ridge, Prince George Estates, Princess Anne Woods, Red Mill Farms, Rollingwood, Sherwood Lakes, Strawbridge, Three Oaks and others. The area boasts an exceptional crime rate, as well as access to some of the best schools in the

Virginia Beach City Public Schools Virginia Beach City Public Schools is the branch of the government of the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia responsible for public K-12 education. Like all public school systems in the state, it is legally classified as a school division instead o ...

system, including Kellam. Its location, in close vicinity to Pungo, the

oceanfront, as well as the coastal community, Sandbridge keeps the area in high demand among new residents. Like much of the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

, the Princess Anne area of Virginia Beach has a subtropical climate, characterized by short, relatively mild winters and long, hot and humid summers. Primarily because of its close proximity to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and location south of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

, temperatures are more moderate than those inland, with winters being warmer and averaging only 3 to 4 inches of snow per year. Annually, Princess Anne residents can expect more than to 50 inches of rain. A wide variety of plants flourish here and can be seen growing throughout the area, including

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controv ...

Oleander ''Nerium oleander'' ( ), most commonly known as oleander or nerium, is a shrub or small tree cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant. It is the only species currently classified in the ge ...

s, Azaleas and Gardenias. Trees include

Sabal ''Sabal'' is a genus of palms (or fan-palms) endemic to the New World. Currently, there are 17 recognized species of ''Sabal'', including one hybrid species. The species are native to the subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, from th ...

and

Windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

palms,

live oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks. ...

crepe myrtle ''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia ...

s, and various

magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

, cherry blossom and

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

trees.

Loblolly pine ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...

bald cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide ...

, wax myrtle, sweetgum and many other indigenous plants are prevalent as well. Several areas in Princess Anne such as Courthouse and Lago Mar are well established and there are plants in bloom throughout the year.

References

External links

{{Virginia Beach Communities in Virginia Beach, Virginia Former county seats in Virginia Boroughs of Virginia Beach, Virginia