You probably have never heard of Hampton Roads and may be asking yourself “What the heck is Hampton Roads?” Hampton Roads, with a population of 1.7 million people it is the 33rd largest metropolitan area in the United States. Its area covers the southeast corner of Virginia and one county in northeast North Carolina. The name Hampton Roads originated from two things. Hampton was the town center of Elizabeth City County for over 300 years. Roads are also defined as a partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor. The combination of the words as "Hampton Roads" was recorded as the channel linking the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers with the Chesapeake Bay in an act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1755. Although the term applied to the water area, the region has also come to be known as Hampton Roads. The area’s cities include Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Newport News and Hampton. There are several other smaller cities and counties in this large metro area. There you have it. Hampton Roads.