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Virginia Counties

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Virginia Counties

The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties and 39 independent cities, which are considered county-equivalents for census purposes.

City Of Portsmouth, Virginia

City Of Portsmouth History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Portsmouth was located in Norfolk County, which is now extinct. It was named by its founder, William Crawford, for the English seaport and was established in 1752.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: City Of Portsmouth

County History

Portsmouth is an independent city located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia

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.

Portsmouth was founded as a town by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on behalf of 1752 by Col. William Crawford, 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.

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.

Portsmouth, Virginia established in 1752. [Virginia Genealogy, Sources & Resources, by Carol McGinnis, Genealogical Publishing Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1993.]

Portsmouth, Virginia incorporated as a town 1836 and incorporated as a city in 1858. Established in 1752. Located in Norfolk County until 1963 when Norfolk County and South Norfolk city merged to form the independent city, Chesapeake, Virginia. Adjacent to the independent cities of Chesapeake and Norfolk, Virginia. [Virginia Genealogy, Sources & Resources, by Carol McGinnis, Genealogical Publishing Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1993.]

Geography

Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia from space in July 1996. (Portsmouth is in the center right portion of the photo)Portsmouth is located at 36°49′52″N 76°20′44″W / 36.83111, -76.34556 (36.831298, -76.345641).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.6 square miles (120.7 km²), of which, 33.2 square miles (85.9 km²) of it is land and 13.5 square miles (34.9 km²) of it (28.87%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Portsmouth is located on the western side of the Elizabeth River directly across from City of Norfolk.

City Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."