THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408190251
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: On the Street
SOURCE: Bill Reid
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Is the Old Dominion being ignored and put down by outsiders?
The results of two surveys, released last week, indicate just that.
It's enough to make you wonder why millions of your tax dollars are being spent to advertise the state, and this region in particular, if it doesn't create some sort of image or identity in the minds of folks in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and - yes - even West Virginia.
These are the people our local government officials, in all their wisdom, target in TV, radio and newspaper ad campaigns when extolling Hampton Roads as an idyllic vacation spot. These are the people being sought to fill up local hotels, motels, eateries and shops.
But the results of a marketing survey, conducted by a Norfolk firm, of a group of 1,000 households from North Carolina to New York, showed that most of the folks queried didn't know Hampton Roads from Dusty Rhodes.
Nearly 48 percent actually had heard of Hampton Roads some time in their lives and knew it was in Virginia. Surveyors didn't indicate whether or not their subjects thought it was in Appalachia or the Shenandoah Valley. Almost 94 percent had heard of Norfolk, Williamsburg and Virginia Beach, but didn't know they were part of Hampton Roads. Great. So, much for the great American education system.
Then there was another survey conducted by Money magazine, a New York-based publication, called the ``Best Places to Live in America.''
Results, released Wednesday, showed Hampton Roads had plummeted in ranking from 63rd last year to 224th this year in a survey of 300 of America's largest metropolitan statistical areas. A few more notches and we would have dropped off the charts altogether.
This means the Hampton Roads area stands somewhere between beautiful downtown Newark and the Watts section of L.A. in the minds of those surveyed. We bottomed out on almost every statistical category studied, such as health care, crime, arts, education and leisure activities. We also bombed on climate.
Gimme a break. Who, in this world, has any control over climate? Unless your name is Yahweh, forget it.
Ranking first in Money's ``best places to live'' list was the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, also known as the ``Research Triangle.'' The top ranking was accorded primarily - I'm guessing - because of the presence of three prestigious institutions of higher learning.
We might add these three also are repeat holders of NCAA basketball championship banners. We are speaking of none other than the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University and Duke University, all of which have large alumni and and fan followings in Hampton Roads.
As for climate, Hampton Roads has the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area beaten three ways to Sunday. And, we do have an ocean and a bay nearby in which to splash when the thermometer registers 98 in the shade. What does the Triangle area have? Nada.
Rochester, Minn., which ranks second on the list, may have a lot of desirable attributes, but climate can't be one of them. I mean, unless you're a penguin, who thinks 40 degrees below zero is ideal for outdoor recreation?
Provo-Orem, Utah, ranks third. The climate in Utah is no big recommendation, either. It's hot and dry in the summer and cold in the winter - OK if you're a cactus or a coyote.
The folks at Money reckon that Hampton Roads slipped in popularity because outsiders perceive it as an area in the throes of economic trouble due to the shrinking of the military presence here.
The area also was marked down in the area of arts. OK, so we don't have the Met, or Broadway openings here, but we almost landed Dixie Stampede. How `bout them apples, huh?
Hampton Roads also took its lumps in the areas of health care and leisure, despite the presence of a bunch of fine local hospitals and a nationally known reproduction research center. And, don't forget top-flight vacation destinations such as Virginia Beach, the Norfolk waterfront and, of course, Colonial Williamsburg.
But, who can account for the tastes and opinions of outlanders? What do they know? And, who cares? We like it here. by CNB