Information about Portsmouth, Virginia
| Portsmouth, Virginia | |
| Nickname: P-Town | |
) Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| Founded | 1752 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Dr. James W. Holley III |
| Area | |
| - City | 46.6 sq mi (120.7 km) |
| - Land | 33.2 sq mi (85.9 km) |
| - Water | 34.9 sq mi (13.5 km) |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | 100,565 |
| - Density | 3,032.7/sq mi (1170.9/km) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 757 |
| FIPS code | 51-64000GR2 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1497102GR3 |
| Website: [1] | |
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S. Navy facility which is actually located in Portsmouth, despite its name. The shipyard builds, remodels, and repairs the Navy's ships of all types.
Directly opposite Norfolk, the city of Portsmouth also has miles of waterfront land on the Elizabeth River as part of the harbor of Hampton Roads. A bright spot in Portsmouth's economic outlook is an additional new marine terminal for transloading of container ships scheduled to open in 2007 in the West Norfolk section which will access Portsmouth's excellent railroad and Interstate highway connections to the rest of Virginia and beyond.
History
Portsmouth is located on the western side of the Elizabeth River directly across from City of Norfolk. In 1620, the future site of Portsmouth was recognized as suitable shipbuilding location by John Wood, a shipbuilder, who petitioned King James I of England for a land grant. The surrounding area was soon settled as a plantation community. [2]Portsmouth was founded as a town by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on behalf of 1752 by Col. William Crawford (colonel), a wealthy merchant and ship owner, who dedicated the four corners of High and Court Streets for a church, a market, a courthouse, and a jail. It was named for Portsmouth, England. [3]
In 1855, the Portsmouth and Norfolk area suffered an epidemic of yellow fever which killed 1 of every 3 citizens. It became an independent city from Norfolk County in 1858.
In 1767, Andrew Sprowle, a shipbuilder, founded the Gosport Shipyard adjacent to Portsmouth. The Gosport Shipyard at Portsmouth was owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia after the American Revolutionary War and was sold to the new United States federal government. During the American Civil War, in 1861, Virginia joined the Confederate States of America. Fearing that the Confederacy would take control of the shipyard at Portsmouth, the shipyard commander ordered the burning of the shipyard. The Confederate forces did in fact take over the shipyard, and did so without armed conflict through an elaborate ruse orchestrated by civilian railroad builder William Mahone (soon to become a famous Confederate officer). The Union forces withdrew to Fort Monroe across Hampton Roads, which was the only land in the area which remained under Union control.
In early 1862, the Confederate ironclad warship CSS Virginia was rebuilt using the burned-out hulk of USS Merrimack. Virginia engaged the Union ironclad USS Monitor in the famous Battle of Hampton Roads during the Union blockade of Hampton Roads. The Confederates burned the shipyard again when they left in May of 1862.
Following its recapture of Norfolk and Portsmouth (and the shipyard) by the Union forces, the name of the shipyard was changed to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, after the largest city in the area, even though the shipyard was actually located in neighboring Portsmouth. This choice of name was also probably to minimize any confusion with the pre-existing Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the latter of which is ironically named exactly the same way, in opposites, in that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is really located in Kittery, Maine adjacent to and across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire
)
The Lightship Portsmouth is part of the Naval Shipyard Museum.
One of the older of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, in the early 21st century, Portsmouth was undergoing moderate urban renewal in the downtown area. However, population had been declining and there was no room for expansion, as it is surrounded by water and other cities of South Hampton Roads.
A Virginia state legislator recently proposed a plan by which Portsmouth would merge with its neighbor cities of Norfolk and Suffolk. After a cold reception from Suffolk, the legislator changed the plan so that it would merge only Portsmouth and Norfolk. The plan, in any form, is enthusiastically embraced by many in Portsmouth.
The city has a radically limited tax base. A large portion of the city is controlled by the U.S. Navy; when Navy facilities are combined with schools, churches, and other tax-exempt entities, over half of Portsmouth's assessed valuation is off the tax rolls. A new marine terminal for container ships scheduled to open in 2007 in the West Norfolk section. Virginia has funded millions of dollars in railroad and transportation improvements to serve it.
Geography
)
Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia from space in July 1996. (Portsmouth is in the center right portion of the photo)
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 120.7 km² (46.6 mi²). 85.9 km² (33.2 mi²) of it is land and 34.9 km² (13.5 mi²) of it (28.87%) is water.
Transportation
From the earliest development, Portsmouth has been oriented to the water. In the 1830s, it was the first community in Hampton Roads to receive a new land transportation innovation, railroad service. Portsmouth and Weldon Railroad, a predecessor line of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad extended to the rapids of the Roanoke River on its fall line near Weldon, North Carolina. It was to be 20 more years before its bigger neighbor, the City of Norfolk, also received a rail line, in 1858, when the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad was completed.In the 21st century, the city has access to lines of CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern and three short line railroads. Portsmouth is served by Interstate 264 and Interstate 664, which is part of the Hampton Roads Beltway. U.S. Route 17 and U.S. Route 58 pass through. The Elizabeth River is crossed via the Midtown Tunnel, the Downtown Tunnel and Berkley Bridge combination, and the southern branch of the Elizabeth River is crossed by the Jordan Bridge just south of Portsmouth in Chesapeake.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 100,565 people, 38,170 households, and 25,497 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,170.9/km² (3,032.7/mi²). There were 41,605 housing units at an average density of 484.4/km² (1,254.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.61% African American, 45.84% White, 0.48% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population.There were 38,170 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 10.9% have a female household with no husband present and 33.2% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,742, and the median income for a family was $39,577. Males had a median income of $30,122 versus $23,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,507. About 13.3% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Attractions and famous buildings in the city
Olde Towne
Portsmouth has a long history as a port town and city. The Olde Towne Business and Historical District is located in the downtown area, where a combination of preservation and redevelopment has been underway. An example is Hawthorn Hotel & Suites at The Governor Dinwiddie Hotel, which was renovated and reopened in 2005 after being closed for more than 10 years. It has been recognized by Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historical Preservation that identifies hotels that have maintained their historical integrity, architecture and ambience and provides resources for their preservation. [4] The historic hotel was named for Governor Robert Dinwiddie, who was the administrative head of the Colony of Virginia during the time Portsmouth was founded in 1752. It was largely through his efforts that Virginia survived the French and Indian War relatively well. [5] (Dinwiddie County near Petersburg was also named for him).Also located in Olde Towne, the African-American Methodist Movement started at Emanuel AME Church, which was built by slaves and free men and is the second-oldest building in Portsmouth and the city's oldest black church.
Olde Towne features one of the largest collections of historically significant homes between Alexandria, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina. [6]
Other Portsmouth attractions
Other Portsmouth attractions include:- Children's Museum of Virginia
- Virginia Sports Hall of Fame
- Naval Shipyard & Lightship Museum
- Harbor Center
References
1. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau report on Portsmouth, VA". Retrieved on 07.19.2007.
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ [3]
4. ^ [4]
5. ^ [5]
6. ^ [6]
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ [3]
4. ^ [4]
5. ^ [5]
6. ^ [6]
External links
- City of Portsmouth official website
- Portsmouth Virginia Guide
- Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance - serving Portsmouth
- * Maps and aerial photos for Coordinates:
- Maps from , Google Maps, Live Search Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
- Topographic maps from TopoZone or TerraServer-USA
Hampton Roads | ||
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metropolitan Area | ||
| Seven Cities | Chesapeake •Hampton •Newport News •Norfolk •Portsmouth •Suffolk •Virginia Beach | ) |
| Counties | Currituck • Gloucester •Isle of Wight •James City • Mathews •Southampton •Surry •York | |
| Other cities and towns | Franklin •Poquoson •Williamsburg | |
| sub-regions | Middle Peninsula •Northeast North Carolina •South Hampton Roads •Virginia Peninsula | |
| Footnotes | Bold = independent city not part of any county | |
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