If you're moving to or visiting a new area, you're not likely to forget to check how much houses or hotels cost and what places are the best for entertainment. Chances are you already know about Hampton, Virginia's tourist attractions and real estate market. But what about the people you're going to meet? Do you know their history, ancestry, and taste in food? Do you know what sports they like or how old their kids are? If you did, you've have a better idea of how to fit in than you would reading about the best stores to buy vanity license plate covers.

Hampton residents are very proud of their history, and upholding it takes precedence over SRED and other future concerns. Europeans arrived in 1606 and since then, wars with Native Americans, with non-English settlers, and even with each other have defined the region's development. The town was burnt down twice and later became home to the first self contained African American community in the country. A sure way to make friends would be to assist with or volunteer at one of the many historical re-enactments.

The settlers that arrived in Virginia were English, but they were taking over lands that belonged to the Native Americans, and their slaves were from Africa. Later waves of settlement brought in Hamilton, Ontario lawyers of Portuguese descent, Italians, Irishmen, and representatives from many other cultures. So who are the modern residents of Hampton? They refer to themselves as Americans, but ethnically they're about 50% Caucasian, 44% African American, 2.8% Hispanic, 1.8% Asian, and .5% Native American.

The largest age group is 25 to 44 year olds. About 32% of households had children under 18 living with them and on average they made just under $20,000 per year each. Just over 11% of the population are below the poverty line, reduced to selling scrap gold rings for money to stay afloat. There are slightly more women living in Hampton than men and the density of the population is about average - 2800 people per square mile.

Just under 8% of people living in Hampton are unemployed. Among those that do have jobs, transportation, constriction, and public administration are the top sectors for men, and education, health care, and hospitality are the top for women. This means that if you were to walk into Orillia Catering, you would be far more likely to be served by a woman than a man.

As Virginians, Hampton residents are likely to have a slight Southern accent and their cuisine tends toward plantation and coastal foods like ham, biscuits and gravy, cobblers, and seafood.