Princess Anne is a community located in the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States at the junction of Princess Anne Road and North Landing Road near the West Neck River. The community, which dates from 1691, was named after Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway (later Anne, Queen of Great Britain, 1665–1714).
The community is the site of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, where most of the city offices are located, including city hall. Traffic is a major concern for the area as the Municipal Center is a major employment center that is only accessible by two-lane roads.
In 1691, Lower Norfolk County was split roughly in half. The western half became Norfolk County, while the eastern half became Princess Anne Shire, later known as Princess Anne County. Between 1691 and the consolidation of Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County in 1963, this community served as the county seat and was sometimes referred to as Princess Anne Courthouse. The old courthouse dates to the 17th century.[1] Despite its name, Princess Anne High School is not located in the Princess Anne section of Virginia Beach. Princess Anne Elementary School and Princess Anne Middle School however, are located in Princess Anne just a short distance from the Municipal Center.
Subdivisions in the general area include: Ashby's Bridge, Asheville Park, Castleton, Christopher Farms, Courthouse Estates, The Estates at Munden Farms, Heritage Park, Highgate Crossing, Highgate Greens, Holland Oaks, Holland Woods, Hunt Club Forest, Indian River Plantation, Lago Mar, Lake Placid, Mayberry, Pine Ridge, Prince George Estates, Princess Anne Woods, Red Mill Farms, Rollingwood, Sherwood Lakes, Strawbridge, Three Oaks and others.
The area boasts an exceptional crime rate, as well as access to some of the best schools in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools system, including Kellam. Its location, in close vicinity to Pungo, the Virginia Beach oceanfront, as well as the coastal community, Sandbridge keeps the area in high demand among new residents.
Like much of the Southeastern United States, the Princess Anne area of Virginia Beach has a subtropical climate, characterized by short, relatively mild winters and long, hot and humid summers. Primarily because of its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and location south of the Chesapeake Bay, temperatures are more moderate than those inland, with winters being warmer and averaging only 3 to 4 inches of snow per year. Annually, Princess Anne residents can expect more than to 50 inches of rain.[2]
Whitehurst Buffington House at Princess Anne Courthouse
