'Best Cities for Latinos' is a Latin Post feature series

Virginia Beach is the picturesque east coast beach town and resort city that attracts millions to its oceanfront hotels, motels and restaurants each year. The city has the longest pleasure beach in the world, a glorious boardwalk, and tremendous opportunities for Latinos.

The Military Aviation Museum, Neptune's Park, the Naval Aviation Monument, the Virginia Beach Museum of Contemporary Art, the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum, the Virginia Legends Walk and the Virginia Beach Amusement Park are small examples of the myriad of fun-fueled attractions. Also, many are drawn to the city because of the military culture, an interest in sharing business expertise and a desire to plant roots.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics represented 7.5 percent of the population in 2013, growing 6.6 percent from just three years prior. Although that growth may seem small, those numbers only include Latinos who were in the military, had work visas, were longtime residents and those enrolled in school. It didn't account for those who've recently moved to the area or those who may be undocumented. Nonetheless, the lack of Latino oversaturation can be seen as a positive for many Hispanics newcomers and future business owners, who see their own presence as an opportunity to start their businesses and act as a model for new Hispanic-owned businesses to come.

In terms of education, Virginia Beach houses a plethora of community colleges, private and public universities and trade schools, including Regent University, Virginia Wesleyan College, The Art Institute of Virginia Beach, South University Virginia Beach, Hampton University, Stratford University and Atlantic University, many offering tremendous programs.

"The Hampton Roads Hispanic Chamber recently partnered with Hampton University, and they have a mission to reach out to Latinos who have higher levels of education that can't be used here in the States because they can't transfer their degrees," Olga Torres, President of Hampton Roads Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, told Latin Post. "So, Hampton University has initiative, where they're going work with these individuals and help them to build their English skills, get some certificates, and help them to get work in the field that they already have expertise and knowledge, encouraging them to get the proper certification or degree here in the United States."

"They would be offering that, and I'm sure that other universities are going to start following suit because it's an important initiative, and it'll be rewarding to the college and those who received those services," Torres added. "These individuals have this expertise and this knowledge but they can't practice in their field because they're not able to transfer that certificate or degree to the United States."

Virginia Beach also has a longstanding relationship with the United States military, which has blended with the local economy. The scenic town has numerous military facilities, the Navy's East Coast master jet base and Naval Air Station Oceana, and they as well as the Department of Defense spend $14.853 billion annually in the Hampton Roads region, with 75 percent of their spending going toward payroll, goods and services.

"The military attracts many to the area. We have a number of bases, and one of the things that I've noticed is that some families have been here for multiple generations, and many move here from the Northeast areas, such New York and New Jersey, because they're following their family members," Torres said. "The Latino population has done the same thing. They came here because of jobs and work opportunities, particularly in the construction industry."

More than 250,000 active duty military, retirees, dependents and civilian military employees dwell in the Hampton Roads region, contributing skilled labor. After years of service, many decide they don't want to continue a career in the military but want to remain in Virginia Beach. They then opt to remain and enjoy the local culture, start their own businesses, enjoy the weather, investigate opportunities in local business and take advantage of jobs that are looking to hire people who are bilingual. Military personal also bring their families with them to Virginia Beach, who also help to grow the economy.

As of April 2015, Virginia Beach's employment rate fell to 5.2 percent. Virginia Beach is home to hundreds of corporate, North American and regional headquarters, including four Fortune 500 company headquarters, who've stationed there because of the affordable office space, a well-educated workforce and a low corporate income tax rate. Virginia also hosts a number of local and private companies, including Dominion Enterprises. The variety of businesses present in the area proves that Virginia Beach is a desirable setting for companies of all industry and sizes, including new and Latino-owned businesses.

"Entrepreneurship is on a rise and is constant among the Hispanic Community. Hispanics are realizing the importance of wealth management for themselves and generations to follow. Home buying has always been a dream of many and continues to be which come back to realizing the importance of credit, savings etc. Establishing credit has been a learning process out of fear of becoming in debt," said Torres.

According to Civic Dashboards, the home ownership rate for Virginia Beach is 62.76 percent, and the median household income is $62,855. On top of these positives, statistics show that Virginia Beach is relatively safe town and education is a priority. For Latinos in particular, the median household income is $50,197, the home ownership rate is 47.2 percent, the share Hispanics who are self-employed is 9.8 percent and the change of population between 2000 and 2013 was a 156.6 percent increase. Torres stated she expects continued growth regarding an influx of highly skilled workers and small business owners -- as well as an increase in Latino executives in higher earning positions.

Torres added that Virginia Beach does not have a local TV station, but they do have a prerecorded cable program and a local radio station, Selecta. It's a very popular radio station that offers a downloadable app for phones. It attracts countless Latinos listeners, and it's a very popular app locally.

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