RVA and 757 have the vast workforce needed for the jobs of today and the industries of tomorrow.

The megaregion is an interconnected economy the size of the 19th largest MSA (3 million-plus people) in the U.S.

It is the home of 1.5 million talented workers.

All along the I-64 Innovation Corridor, Virginia’s colleges and universities are inspiring the next generation of Virginia’s innovators. This includes the da Vinci Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, the Alan B. Miller Entrepreneurship Center of William & Mary, the ODU Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and the Norfolk State University Innovation Center.

As partners, we can leverage one of the best technical and higher education systems in the world.

RICHMOND REGION

Nearly two dozen colleges and universities, two community colleges, and abundant technical schools

HAMPTON ROADS

Eight colleges and universities, four community colleges, and abundant technical schools

RVA and 757 have the land, air, and sea connectivity needed to heighten our competitiveness in global markets. By leveraging the power of our vibrant transportation systems, we can send our economy into overdrive.

Road
Interstate 64
Route 460

Rail
Amtrak
CSX

River/Sea
Port of Virginia
Richmond Marine Terminal

Air
Richmond International Airport
Norfolk International Airport
Newport News/Williamsuburg International Airport

Trail
Virginia Capital Trail
Planned Birthplace of America Trail
Planned Fall Line Trail

The megaregion is taking advantage of subsea cables that send data racing across the globe at the fastest speeds on the planet.

Before 2018, all the subsea cables on the Eastern seaboard landed either in New Jersey/New York or Florida. But the destruction caused to the New York coastline by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 prompted the development of a third East Coast landing site in Virginia Beach.

Coming ashore in Virginia Beach are three subsea cables connecting the United States to Spain, France, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. These cables are three of the most modern, highest capacity routes in the world. The SAEx1 cable is currently under development and would be the first and only cable to directly connect the United States with South Africa.

Additionally, Virginia Beach has full permits in place for four more subsea cable conduits which will accommodate further cables including the Confluence cable coming from New Jersey and connecting to Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Jacksonville, Fla., and Miami.

These deep-sea cables connect in Henrico County to two massive data centers: Meta (the parent company of Facebook) and QTS.

Meta invested more than $1 billion to build a 2.5 million-square-foot data center campus in the White Oak Technology Park. The first phase opened in 2020. The second phase opened in early 2023.

QTS operates a 1.4 million-square-foot Richmond Network Access Point, or NAP. The facility - the world’s fourth data center - provides access to more than 20 network providers. QTS acquired an additional 200 acres in July 2022 next to its existing center, and construction is underway to double the size of its campus.

All along the I-64 Innovation Corridor, local public and private sector players are expanding terrestrial and wireless network capacity.

For instance, five South Hampton Roads cities (Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach) are working together to install a 119-mile network ring – over 2,300 miles fiber optic cable – to connect the cities. This ring will serve as the backbone of the 757’s digital ecosystem. This network will be completed in the next three years.

The fiber ring is part of a larger effort to expand broadband service in all of Hampton Roads. Building the fiber ring in those five Southside cities is the first phase of the project. Future phases include eventually connecting all 17 cities and counties including Southampton, Isle of Wight, as well as those localities on the Peninsula.