Best Places to Live

Suffolk was named the Number 9 community by CNN-Money Magazine in its Best Places to Live National Top 25 list for “Where the Jobs are in 2012”. Suffolk has seen a 43% jump in the job growth rate from 2000 to 2011. Quality of Life, schools, transportation, and community were some of the reasons noted for businesses choosing to locate here.

Award of Merit

The Suffolk Economic Development “2011 Economic Activity Report” brought home an “Award of Merit" in the Southern Economic Development Council Communication Awards competition. The report was noted to have showed “creativity”, “solid Messaging” and “effectiveness”.

Virginia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus

At the Spring 2012 meeting of the Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, Suffolk picked up 3 honors including the Best Visitor Center designation for the re-purposed Nansemond County Courthouse and newly constructed Pavilion, Best Eco-Tourism Initiative for the 10th annual Suffolk Swamp Roar Motorcycle Rally, and the Best Heritage Tourism Initiative for the “Legends of Main Street: A Suffolk Ghost Walk”.

National Association of Town Watch (NATW) 29th Annual National Night Out

The City of Suffolk finished in the Top 5 in the United States for their population category in the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) 29th Annual National Night Out crime, drug and gang prevention event. This marks the seventh straight year that Suffolk has brought home an award for their participation in this nationwide police-community partnership where over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U. S territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world joined forces to take back their streets in a “going away party for crime” on August 7, 2012.

Suffolk was the only Hampton Roads city to place nationally, and the highest ranking city or county in the entire state of Virginia as judged by the National Association of Town Watch.

Wellness in the Workplace Award

As a result of the hard work of the City’s Employee Wellness Program to bring fitness to the forefront, the City of Suffolk was awarded the Virginia Business Coalition on Health 2012 Wellness in the Workplace Award for businesses with between 500 to 1499 Employees.

John T. Hanna Award for Traffic Safety Excellence

The Suffolk Police Department’s Motor Carrier Unit was honored with the 2012 John T. Hanna Award for Traffic Safety Excellence in Hampton Roads by Drive Safe Hampton Roads. The Motor Carrier program focuses solely on the enforcement and education of Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers and resources generated by violation summonses written by the Motor Carrier Unit go back to the City of Suffolk to repair damaged roads.