Suffolk¹

 

Suffolk, Virginia
Seal
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates: 36°44′28″N 76°36′35″W / 36.74111, -76.60972
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	1742
Government
- Mayor	Linda T. Johnson
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2005)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
- Metro
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	23432-23439
Area code(s)	757
FIPS code	51-764322
GNIS feature ID	15001873
Website: http://www.suffolk.va.us/

Suffolk is an independent city located in the South Hampton Roads area of eastern Virginia. Geographically, it is the largest of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, and the largest independent city in land-area in the entire Commonwealth. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 63,677. A more recent 2006 census estimate shows that the city's population has grown to 81,071 [1].

History

Suffolk began in 1742 as a port town on the Nansemond River in the Virginia Colony. Originally known as Constance's Warehouse, Suffolk was named after Royal Governor William Gooch's home of Suffolk in East Anglia in England.

Early in its history, Suffolk became a land transportation gateway to the areas east of it in South Hampton Roads. Before the American Civil War, both the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad and the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad had been built through Suffolk, early predecessors of 21st century Class 1 railroads operated by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern respectively. Other railroads and later major highways followed.

Peanuts grown in the surrounding areas became a major industry for Suffolk. Notably, Planters Peanuts was established in Suffolk beginning in 1912. Suffolk was the "birthplace" of Mr. Peanut, the mascot of Planters Peanuts. For many years, the call-letters of local AM radio station WLPM stood for World's Largest Peanut Market.

Long surrounded by Nansemond County, Suffolk progressively became an incorporated town in 1808 and an independent city in 1906 before combining by mutual agreement in 1974 with the former county, which had also become an independent city (City of Nansemond) only 18 months earlier, including the former outlying unincorporated towns of Holland and Whaleyville. The newly-consolidated cities assumed the name of Suffolk, creating the largest city geographically in Virginia.

For more details on this topic, see History of Suffolk, Virginia.

Geography

Suffolk is located at 36°44′28″N, 76°36′35″W (36.741347, -76.609881)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,111.3 km² (429.1 mi²). 1,036.0 km² (400.0 mi²) of it is land and 75.2 km² (29.0 mi²) of it (6.77%) is water.

Part of the Great Dismal Swamp is located in Suffolk.

Suffolk is known as the largest cities in land mass compared to the other cities that are apart of the Hampton Roads area.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 63,677 people, 23,283 households, and 17,718 families residing in the city. The population density was 61.5/km² (159.2/mi²). There were 24,704 housing units at an average density of 23.8/km² (61.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.82% White, 43.53% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.

There were 23,283 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,115, and the median income for a family was $47,342. Males had a median income of $35,852 versus $23,777 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,836. About 10.8% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2005, the city's median household income jumped to $60,484 due to the influx of government-related high-tech jobs in the city's northern corridor and wealthy residents, causing it to be a close second to its neighbor Chesapeake in South Hampton Roads. [2]

Education

Main article: Suffolk City Public Schools

Suffolk Public Schools, the local public school system, operates 13 elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools, and one alternative school.

Adjacent Counties and Cities

• City of Chesapeake
• City of Portsmouth
• City of Newport News (water boundary)
• City of Franklin
• Isle of Wight County
• Southampton County
• North Carolina

Communities

The communities in contemporary Suffolk vary widely, from the urbanized areas and downtown section of the former town of Suffolk, to suburban neighborhoods, and areas which were rural farms, woodlands, or grew as small unincorporated towns. The following is a partial listing (alphabetical):

• Atlanta: This borough is basically Factory St. and those streets branching off of it. It is closest to the South Suffolk community and is separated by a set of railroad tracks. Even though it is spelled like the metropolis in Georgia, in Suffolk, most pronounce it as "Eye-lanta".
• Belleville: the home of the Church of God and Saints of Christ.
• Bennetts Creek
• Boston
• Burbage Grant: Northeast intersection of College Drive and Townpoint Road. Bordered on the north by James River. Separated from City of Portsmouth by Hoffler Creek.
• Chuckatuck
• College Square
• Crittenden
• Cypress Farm
• Cypress Manor
• Downtown
• Driver
• East Suffolk Gardens: one of many middle class African-American neighborhoods in the city.
• Hall Place
• Harbour View: Large planned development in the Northeastern quadrant of the city.
• Holland
• Hollywood: one of the many middle class African-American neighborhoods in the city.
• Huntersville
• Jericho
• Lake Kennedy
• Northern Suffolk
• Pughesville
• Saratoga
• South Quay: Abandoned Colonial-era port on the east bank of the Blackwater River. Now known to locals as "South Key" neighborhood, loosely bounded by HWY 189, 666, and 747 in the southwestern corner of the city near Franklin.
• Southside Manor
• South Suffolk
• Suburban Woods
• Whaleyville
• Williamstown

Transportation

Suffolk's early growth was fueled by its location and transportation considerations. These continue to be major factors in the 21st century.

Waterways

Suffolk was initially a port at the head of navigation of the Nansemond River. The Nansemond River flows into the James River near its mouth and the great ice-free harbor of Hampton Roads.

Railroads

The two railroads completed through Suffolk before the American Civil War were later joined by four more. These were eventually consolidated during the modern merger era of North American railroads which began around 1960. Today, Suffolk is served by three freight railroads, and is located on a potential line for high speed passenger rail service between Richmond and South Hampton Roads being studied by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

Highways

Suffolk is served by U.S. Highways 13, 58, 258, and 460. Interstate 664, part of the Hampton Roads Beltway, crosses through the northeastern edge of the city. State Route 10 is also a major highway in the area.

In 2006, Suffolk assumed control of its road system from the Virginia Department of Transportation, which is customary among Virginia's independent cities, although since the Byrd Road Act of 1932 created Virginia's Secondary Roads System, which maintains the roads in most counties and town. An exception was made by the General Assembly when the former Nansemond County became an independent city and consolidated Suffolk in the 1970s. The state still maintained the primary and secondary routes in Suffolk until July 1, 2006.

Bridges, Bridge-Tunnel

The southern terminus of the four-laned Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, completed in 1992, is in Suffolk. There have been conflicts with VDOT and the city over ownership and responsibility for the circa 1928 Kings Highway Bridge across the Nansemond River on State Route 125, which was closed in 2005 by VDOT for safety reasons. ^[1][2] About 3,300 motorists a day used the bridge that connected Chuckatuck and Driver. Now, they face detours of as much as 19 miles. The cost of a new bridge for the King's Highway crossing is estimated at $48 million, far more than could be recovered through collection of tolls at that location. [3] In 2007, VDOT announced that it would contract for demolition and removal of the bridge. According to newspaper accounts, this will be the first time in VDOT's history of such action when no replacement facility was planned. [4]

Virginia is currently reviewing proposals under a public-private partnership for a major realignment and upgrade of U.S. 460 from Suffolk west to Interstate 295 near Petersburg. In 1995, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Public-Private Transportation Act allowing private entities to propose innovative solutions for designing, constructing, financing and operating transportation improvements. The new roadway would be funded through collection of tolls.

See also Transportation section of article Hampton Roads.

Economy

In modern times, Suffolk remains a major peanut processing center and railroad and highway transportation hub. It hosts a diverse combination of industrial, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and hospitality businesses, as well as active farming.

Planters Peanuts continues to be a major employer, now owned by Kraft Foods. Other large employers in the City of Suffolk include Unilever Lipton Tea, Wal-Mart, Target, QVC, and two major modeling and simulation companies, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Suffolk is experiencing a boom in the economy.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, the new Louise Obici Memorial Hospital was completed and dedicated. The hospital was acquired in 2005 by the Sentara Health System.

Each year in the fall, the City of Suffolk hosts Suffolk Festivals Incorporated's annual Peanut Fest; the 2007 Peanut Fest will be the 30th since its inception.

Sister cities

Suffolk has one sister city:^[3]

• Oderzo (Italy)

Notables

• Amedeo Obici, founder of Planters Peanuts, and his wife Louise, made Suffolk their adopted home. The 1951 Louise Obici Memorial Hospital was a gift to the community in her memory, recently replaced by a new facility, and later acquired by the Sentara Health System and renamed to Sentara Obici Hospital.

• Virginia Governor Mills E. Godwin Jr. was from the Chuckatuck community of old Nansemond County.

• Andre' Leon Talley, Deputy Editor of Vogue Magazine, is a Suffolk native.

• Jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd hailed originally from Chuckatuck.

• Rachel Shilsky, aka Ruth McBride Jordan, is the mother of twelve children and focus of the memoir The Color of Water.

See also

• List of famous people from Hampton Roads

References

1. ^ Aaron Applegate, VDOT, city of Suffolk battle over closed Kings Highway Bridge, The Virginian-Pilot, May 1, 2006
2. ^ John Warren, Flooding blamed on clogged ditches, The Virginian-Pilot, July 11, 2006
3. ^ Sister Cities designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI). Retrieved June 6, 2006.

External links

• Suffolk City Webpage
• Suffolk City Charter
• Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance - serving Suffolk
• Suffolk, Virginia Census Quick Facts
• Peanut Fest
• Obici Hospital

Coordinates: 36.741347° N 76.609881° W

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

	Commonwealth of Virginia Richmond (capital)
Topics	Rivers | Governors | Colony | Rights | Homes | Colleges and universities | Counties | People
Regions	Allegheny Mountains | Atlantic Coastal Plain | Blue Ridge | Chesapeake Bay | Delmarva Peninsula | Eastern Shore | Hampton Roads | Middle Peninsula | Northern Neck | Northern Virginia | Piedmont | Ridge‑and‑valley Appalachians | Shenandoah Valley | South Hampton Roads | Southside | Southwest Virginia | Tennessee Valley | Tidewater | Tri-Cities | Virginia Peninsula
Metro areas	Alexandria | Arlington | Blacksburg | Bluefield | Bristol | Christiansburg | Charlottesville | Culpeper | Danville | Harrisonburg | Lynchburg | Martinsville | Newport News | Norfolk | Radford | Richmond | Roanoke | Staunton | Virginia Beach | Warrenton | Waynesboro | Winchester |
Counties	Accomack | Albemarle | Alleghany | Amelia | Amherst | Appomattox | Arlington | Augusta | Bath | Bedford | Bland | Botetourt | Brunswick | Buchanan | Buckingham | Campbell | Caroline | Carroll | Charles City | Charlotte | Chesterfield | Clarke | Craig | Culpeper | Cumberland | Dickenson | Dinwiddie | Essex | Fairfax | Fauquier | Floyd | Fluvanna | Franklin | Frederick | Giles | Gloucester | Goochland | Grayson | Greene | Greensville | Halifax | Hanover | Henrico | Henry | Highland | Isle of Wight | James City | King and Queen | King George | King William | Lancaster | Lee | Loudoun | Louisa | Lunenburg | Madison | Mathews | Mecklenburg | Middlesex | Montgomery | Nelson | New Kent | Northampton | Northumberland | Nottoway | Orange | Page | Patrick | Pittsylvania | Powhatan | Prince Edward | Prince George | Prince William | Pulaski | Rappahannock | Richmond | Roanoke | Rockbridge | Rockingham | Russell | Scott | Shenandoah | Smyth | Southampton | Spotsylvania | Stafford | Surry | Sussex | Tazewell | Warren | Washington | Westmoreland | Wise | Wythe | York
Independent cities	Alexandria | Bedford | Bristol | Buena Vista | Charlottesville | Chesapeake | Colonial Heights | Covington | Danville | Emporia | Fairfax | Falls Church | Franklin | Fredericksburg | Galax | Hampton | Harrisonburg | Hopewell | Lexington | Lynchburg | Manassas | Manassas Park | Martinsville | Newport News | Norfolk | Norton | Petersburg | Poquoson | Portsmouth | Radford | Richmond | Roanoke | Salem | Staunton | Suffolk | Virginia Beach | Waynesboro | Williamsburg | Winchester
Towns	Abingdon | Blacksburg | Bluefield | Christiansburg | Culpeper | Front Royal | Herndon | Leesburg | Marion | Pulaski | Richlands | Warrenton | Wise | Wytheville | Vienna

Donate to Wikimedia