Lago Mar (sometimes spelled Lagomar or LagoMar) is a neighborhood on the north end of the

Currituck Sound Currituck Sound ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

area of southeastern

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. The name translated from Spanish to English means "lake" and "sea". It is derived from its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and Brinson's Inlet Lake (originally known as "Salt Pond" and later "Lake Tecumseh"), as well as from the neighboring community of Ocean Lakes. The street names within Lago Mar are also of Spanish origin with the notable exception of Atwoodtown, which is what the area was called prior to being renamed in the 1960s.

Geography

Lago Mar lies between Nimmo Parkway and Sandbridge Road near Sandbridge in southern Virginia Beach. Sandbridge Road, which forms Lago Mar's southern border, is currently the only public road to access the north end of the Currituck Banks Peninsula. Heading east on Sandbridge Road, Lago Mar is the last neighborhood before entering Sandbridge itself, making Lago Mar "The Gateway to Virginia's

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...

". This road is also part of Virginia Beach's " Green Line", which is its boundary for urban growth. Thus Lago Mar lies just where urban conveniences transition into the rural forests and farms of the south. To the west is the Red Mill Farms area of Princess Anne, which includes the Red Mill Commons shopping complex. To the north is Scopus Marsh and Lake Tecumseh, and beyond that the neighborhood of Ocean Lakes and the Navy's Training Support Center at

Dam Neck Training Support Center Hampton Roads is, since 2004, the name of the facility in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, which was long-known as "FTC Dam Neck". It is the home of the Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic of the United States Navy. Hi ...

. To the south lies the Back Bay, the area known as Sigma and the historic village of

Pungo Pungo may refer to: *Pungo, Virginia, a rural community in Virginia Beach *Pungo River, in eastern North Carolina *Pungo River Formation, a geologic formation in North Carolina *Pungo-Andongo Pungo-Andongo is a town and commune of Angola, locate ...

. The

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Virginia is located in the independent city of Virginia Beach. Established in 1938 in an isolated portion of the former Princess Anne County, it is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. ...

borders to the east, and there are plans to extend Nimmo Trail through the refuge giving

bicyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world for pur ...

s and pedestrians access between Lago Mar and Sandbridge Beach.

History

The land currently comprising Lago Mar was inhabited at least as early as the late 1600s. A grave site off Nimmo Trail marks the resting place of three "Stone Brothers" who lived around the turn of the 19th century. Settlers were in the immediate vicinity much earlier than that however, since Lago Mar lies on the banks of "Muddy Creek" (now known as Ashville Bridge Creek), upon which the famous "Witch of Pungo" lived in the late 1600s until her death around 1740. The community of Lago Mar was founded by John Aragona, a successful developer in Princess Anne County and Virginia Beach during the 1950s-70s. He was responsible for developing a great portion of the city, including Diamond Springs, Aragona Village, and Princess Anne Plaza just to name a few. But for his own home, he purchased an 800-acre subdivision between the Beach borough and Sandbridge. He named it Lago Mar, with the purpose of building "luxury homes to repose in a country setting". He constructed a canal upon which he built his own Spanish-style home in 1968. The canal was initially intended to extend to the Atlantic Ocean, making Lago Mar much like the neighborhoods of his youth in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

. However, the Army Corps of Engineers would not allow it to extend beyond Ashville Bridge Creek, thus extending the trip to the Atlantic by boat from a short 2 miles to a much longer trip via

Oregon Inlet Oregon Inlet is an inlet along North Carolina's Outer Banks. It joins the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separates Bodie Island from Pea Island, which are connected by the Marc Basnight Bridge that spans the inlet. As one of the fe ...

75 miles to the south. The Corps represented the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which had spent many years and much funding to create a largely

freshwater ecosystem Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems that include the biological communities inhabiting freshwater waterbodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs, bogs, and wetlands. They can be contrasted with marine ec ...

in the years since the closing of several northern inlets between the Ocean and Sound. Lago Mar's founder died in 1977, but his descendants also became successful entrepreneurs in the area. They carried on his legacy as a developer and also enjoyed success as sponsors and promoters in the

Beach music Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...

scene. The development of Lago Mar was sold to Aragona's business partner, Edward Garcia Sr, to be operated by

False Cape False Cape State Park is a state park located on the Currituck Banks Peninsula, but within the city of Virginia Beach, from Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to the state border with North Carolina. Access is generally by foot or bicycle throu ...

Enterprises. Aragona's original home on the canal still stands on 5 and a half acres of land on Entrada Drive. To this day, Lago Mar maintains a personality "as much connected with water as its canals are to Back Bay". In the Summer of 1984 the Lago Mar subdivision was featured in the Tidewater Builders Association Homearama. In a nod to the Spanish theme of the neighborhood the event was called Fiesta de las Casas. The homes of Baja Court were featured as that was the only part of the neighborhood completed at that time.

Education and demographics

When

Princess Anne County County of Princess Anne is a former county in the British Colony of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, first incorporated in 1691. The county was merged into the city of Virginia Beach on January 1, 1963, ceasing to ...

officially became the City of Virginia Beach on January 1, 1963, it was divided into seven boroughs. Lago Mar is in the area formerly known as Princess Anne Borough. In the late 1990s, the city replaced the boroughs with seven Council Districts. Lago Mar is in District 7, known as Princess Anne District, except north of Nimmo Parkway, which is part of District 5. District 7 comprises the entire southern portion of the city, and is currently represented in city council by Barbara Henley. District 5 is represented by Rosemary Wilson, who is also vice mayor. Nimmo Trail serves as a dividing line for school districts and voting precincts. The portion of Lago Mar north of Nimmo Trail is also known as Lago Mar Back Bay. Lago Mar is represented by two voting districts. Sigma Precinct 31 includes Lago Mar south of Nimmo Trail as well as Sigma and Sandbridge. Lago Mar north of Nimmo Trail is included along with portions of Ocean Lakes and Dam Neck in Culver Precinct 63. The area's public school students attend Red Mill Elementary School and Princess Anne Middle School before moving on to Kellam (Lago Mar south of Nimmo Trail) or Ocean Lakes (Lago Mar Back Bay) High School. With over 43% of its residents reporting their highest level of education to include a bachelor's degree, and 23.2 percent having earned a graduate's degree, Lago Mar is a highly educated community. No surprise then that almost 34 percent of its residents earn over $150,000 a year, making Lago Mar an "

upper middle class In sociology, the upper middle class is the social group constituted by higher status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term '' lower middle class'', which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class stra ...

neighborhood". Unemployment is 4.6%, which is slightly higher than national averages. As of 2018, there were over 5541 residents, among whom 88% were Caucasian, 3 percent Asian and another 3 percent being of African-American descent. Approximately 97% of Lago Mar residents are homeowners.

Country Music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer Alana Springsteen hails from Lago Mar. Perhaps its most famous resident is musician and

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning producer

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

Recreation

Most streets in Lago Mar are Golf Cart approved

Much of Lago Mar is built around Ashville Bridge Creek, which is a tributary of the Back Bay and is affected by the same wind-driven tides. The entire area is in the Currituck Sound

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

(which is just a small portion of the larger Albemarle watershed according to the

US Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

). In addition to bordering the Wildlife Refuge, Lago Mar has three family parks within its borders where residents may enjoy playgrounds, picnics, or

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...

s. Bicycling,

jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...

and walking are other common activities on both Nimmo Trail and the "Lago Mar Loop." Many residents frequent the local Hell's Point Golf

Club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

, which is at the southeast end of the neighborhood.

Golf cart A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced t ...

s are permitted to be driven on all streets in Lago Mar south of Nimmo Trail. The community Civic League sponsors several annual events, including a

4th of July Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

and picnic as well as an

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

picnic. Lago Mar's local soccer team goes by the name of "Lagomar FC". Many residents are involved in or enjoy attending area festivals.

Climate and vegetation

Like much of the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

, the Lago Mar community of Virginia Beach has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, characterized by short, relatively mild winters and long, hot and humid summers, but with four distinct seasons. Primarily because of its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean 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 (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

, temperatures are more moderate than those inland, with winters being warmer and with little to no snow. Annually, Lago Mar residents can expect about 3 inches of snow (although many years can pass without measurable snow) and around 55 inches of rain. Rainfall is abundant throughout the year, but the wettest season is summer, and the driest season is winter. The annual average high temperature is 71 °F (22 °C) and the average low temperature is 55 °F (13 °C). During an average year, the extremes are 100 °F (38 °C) being the hottest, and 18 °F (-8 °C) being the coldest. High temperatures top 86 °F (30 °C) a total of 85 times during an average year, and top 90 °F an average 49 times. Residents can also expect freezing temperatures approximately 25 times a year, with December 6 and March 7 being the average first and last freeze dates. Average dates with possibility of a hard freeze (28 °F or below) are December 27 through February 18. Average dates with a possibility of frost (36 °F or below) are November 22 through March 24, giving Lago Mar an average

growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whi ...

of 240 days or more. Lago Mar is in

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

8b, Sunset climate zone 31 (Interior Plains of Gulf Coast and Coastal Southeast), and AHS Heat Zone 7 (60–90 days or higher). Most of Lago Mar is in Ecoregion 63d (Virginian Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes) except a small corner in the southwest which is in 63b (Chesapeake-Pamlico Lowlands and Tidal Marshes). The National Gardening Associperon lists Lago Mar in the Lower South region. A wide variety of plants flourish here and can be seen growing throughout the neighborhood, including

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

Oleander ''Nerium oleander'' ( ), commonly known as oleander or rosebay, 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 genus ...

Azalea Azaleas ( ) are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Rhododendron sect. Tsutsusi, Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and ''Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate ...

s and

Gardenia ''Gardenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar, Pacific Islands, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis after ...

s. Trees in propagation include

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

, Pindo, and

Windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

palms, hardy banana and

cold hardy citrus Cold-hardy citrus is citrus with increased frost tolerance and which may be cultivated far beyond traditional citrus growing regions. Citrus species and citrus hybrids typically described as cold-hardy generally display an ability to withstand win ...

persimmon The persimmon () is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus '' Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Chinese and Japanese kaki persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki''. In 2022, China produced 77% of the world's p ...

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 ...

cherry blossom The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

s, and various

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...

trees. Natives include several varieties of

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'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

and other

Bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

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 pi ...

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 generally not more closely related to each other than they are to o ...

wax myrtle ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, and missing only from Antarc ...

bald cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (baldcypress, bald-cypress, bald cypress, swamp cypress; ; ''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 w ...

sweetgum ''Liquidambar'', commonly called sweetgum (star gum in the UK), gum, redgum, satin-walnut, styrax or American storax, is the only genus in the flowering plant family Altingiaceae and has 15 species. They were formerly often treated as a part of ...

Water Tupelo ''Nyssa aquatica'', commonly called the water tupelo, cottongum, wild olive, large tupelo, tupelo-gum, or water-gum, is a large, long-lived tree in the tupelo genus ''(Nyssa)'' that grows in swamps and floodplains in the Southeastern United Stat ...

and many other indigenous plants. Much of Lago Mar is well established and there are plants in bloom throughout the year. Many animal species make their homes in the coastal marshes and forests in and around Lago Mar. It is the northernmost known location for the

Monarch butterfly The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. I ...

to have overwintered on the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

References

External links

Lago Mar Civic League

Lago Mar WeatherLago Mar Facebook
{{Virginia Beach Communities in Virginia Beach, Virginia