Petersburg (Virginia)

Petersburg
Nickname : The Cockade City
Center of Petersburg
Location in Virginia
Petersburg
Basic data
Foundation :	December 17, 1748
State :	United States
State :	Virginia
Coordinates :	37 ° 13 ′  N , 77 ° 24 ′  W Coordinates: 37 ° 13 ′  N , 77 ° 24 ′  W
Time zone :	Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Inhabitants : -  Metropolitan Area :	32,420 (as of 2010) 1,126,262 (as of 2010)
Population density :	546.7 inhabitants per km 2
Area :	60.1 km 2  (approx. 23 mi 2 ) of which 59.3 km 2  (approx. 23 mi 2 ) are land
Height :	40 m
Postcodes :	23803-23806
Area code :	+1 804
FIPS :	51-61832
GNIS ID :	1497087
Website :	www.petersburg-va.org
Mayor :	W. Howard Myers

Petersburg is a city in the US state of Virginia .

Petersburg is a so-called Independent City and therefore not assigned to a county .

geography

Petersburg is located by the largest waterfall of the Appomattox River . The city belongs to the Greater Richmond- Petersburg region , although it is an independent city and is not officially assigned to a county . It is often assigned to Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes .

history

Petersburg was founded as Fort Henry in 1645. Due to the location of the city at a waterfall that was insurmountable for shipping, the city grew rapidly and a large port was created. In 1748, Petersburg officially received city rights. The 1781 Battle of Petersburg was part of the British attempt to conquer Virginia.

Gas lamps were introduced in 1851 and a sewage system was built in 1857 . At that time, tobacco growing was developing as the second important branch of the economy in Petersburg, alongside port-related activities. However, cotton was also grown in large quantities and a flourishing banking system developed.

In 1860, Petersburg had 18,266 inhabitants, half of whom were black and about a third were free citizens. During the American Civil War there was a 292 day battle of Petersburg , which was fought west, south and east of the city and ended with the surrender of the city on March 25, 1865, shortly before the end of the war. The city was particularly hotly contested during the civil war because Petersburg was economically important to the Confederates and five railway lines merged at the bridge over the Appomattox, such as the almost indispensable connection from the last Confederate port of Wilmington , North Carolina to Richmond and onwards Confederation interior.

Historical objects

• In the South Adams Street at number 32 is the historic Cohen House . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
• The Appomattox Iron Works is on Old Street (numbers 20 to 28) . The historic ironworks was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 .

Population development

year	Residents
1980	41,055
1990	38,386
2000	33,740
2005	32,604

sons and daughters of the town

• Thomas B. Robertson (1775–1828), politician and governor
• Charles Fenton Collier (1827–1899), lawyer, politician and officer
• John McEnery (1833-1891), politician
• William E. Cameron (1842–1927), politician
• Benjamin Joseph Keiley (1847–1925), Roman Catholic Bishop of Savannah
• William Robertson McKenney (1851-1916), politician
• Francis R. Lassiter (1866–1909), lawyer and politician
• Patrick H. Drewry (1875-1947), politician
• Leonard T. Gerow (1888–1972), General
• Joseph Cotten (1905–1994), film and stage actor
• Wilford Leach (1929–1988), theater director, set designer, film director and screenwriter
• Dick Morgan (1929-2013), jazz musician
• Steve Cowper (born 1938), politician
• Newman Taylor Baker (born 1943), jazz drummer
• Moses Malone (1955-2015), basketball player
• Trey Songz (* 1984), singer
• Danny Cruz (* 1990), soccer player
• CJ Prosise (born 1994), American football player

Web links

Commons : Petersburg, Virginia  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ NRIS
2. ↑ 1980 - 2000: census results; 2005: Update of the US Census Bureau