757 VA
757-xxx-xxxx is more than an area code
757 Culture is committed to building unity in Southeastern Virginia by boosting 757 as the name for the region. The area is made up of 9 cities and 3 counties, though different sources show slightly different geographic boundaries. The region has long struggled with what name to call itself. We used to be known as Tidewater, a name derived from the tidal waterways. Sometime in the 1990's, marketing types worked to change the name to Hampton Roads (derived from a body of water), a name that never received much local praise, and it certainly never became recognizable to those outside the region.
In 1996, the telephone area code 757 was created to serve the region. No one seemed to suffer separation anxiety from losing the 804 code, and people immediately started referring to our region as the 757 . We routinely say we live in the 757, many businesses have the digits in their names, and many organization chapters use 757 to help with branding and social media.
Fast forward to the last few years, there has been a movement from local municipalities to call us Coastal VA since the name Hampton Roads has been a failure. Many agree that Coastal VA is about as blau as it gets. No one is going to just start saying, "Yeah, I'm from Coastal VA." This effort seems to ignore the name that we have already given ourselves--the 757. Here is the 757 area code region:
Image by: worldatlas
Cities in the 757: (Southside) Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk. (Peninsula north of James River) Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Poquoson
Counties in the 757: James City, York, Isle of Wight
Note that the peninsula to the northeast bordering MD is also part of the 757 area code but typically not referred to as part of the 757 geographically. That peninsula has long been called the Eastern Shore. It includes Northhampton and Accomac counties.
INDEED borders, lines, definitions and names are blurry and dynamic things. The cities, counties and region have been in constant flux since John Smith and his buddies landed in 1607. I would imagine the naming and renaming predates even that. This page is 757 Culture's best shot at describing the situation on the ground.