Suffolk (Virginia)

Suffolk
Suffolk Location in Virginia
Basic data
Foundation :	1742
State :	United States
State :	Virginia
County :	independently
Coordinates :	36 ° 44 ′  N , 76 ° 35 ′  W Coordinates: 36 ° 44 ′  N , 76 ° 35 ′  W
Time zone :	Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Residents :	86,806 (as of 2014)
Population density :	83.8 inhabitants per km 2
Area :	1,111.3 km 2  (approx. 429 mi 2 ) of which 1,036.0 km 2  (approx. 400 mi 2 ) are land
Height :	15 m
Postcodes :	23432-23439
Area code :	+1 757
FIPS :	51-76432
GNIS ID :	1498560
Mayor :	Linda T. Johnson

Suffolk is an independent city in the US state of Virginia . It is the largest city in Virginia in terms of area. According to the 2014 census, 86,806 people lived here. Suffolk is in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area , which includes the independent cities of Chesapeake , Hampton , Newport News , Norfolk , Portsmouth and Virginia Beach , among others .

history

In 1742 Suffolk was founded as a port city on the Nansemond River in the colony of Virginia by the English colonists. Before contact with the Europeans , the region had been inhabited by Native Americans for several thousand years . During the colonization by the English colonists, the Nansemond Indians lived along the river. In the early colonial years, the English grew tobacco , but later concentrated on agriculture and livestock. In 1750 Suffolk became the administrative center of what was then Nansemond County . During the American Revolutionary War , the city was completely burned to the ground by the British in 1779 after thousands of barrels of turpentine and pitch caught fire in department stores along the river.

Early in its history, Suffolk became the gateway for land and freight to the eastern regions in South Hampton Roads . Before the Civil War broke out in 1861, the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railways and the Norfolk and Petersburg Railways predecessors of the 21st century Class 1 railways operated by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern were built through the city. After the civil war, other railways followed, and later motorways .

In 1808 Suffolk became a registered city (urban society). In 1910, the city separated from Nansemond County, but remained the administrative seat until 1972. In 1974 the independent cities of Suffolk and Nansemond merged under the name and charter of Suffolk. The result of the merger was that the city of Suffolk became the largest city in Virginia in terms of area.

The peanuts that grow in the surrounding areas have become an important industry for the city. Sun was founded in 1912 as the company Planters' Peanuts , a division of Kraft Foods . Suffolk became the birthplace of Mr. Peanut, the company's mascot.

Population development

year	Residents¹
1980	47,621
1990	52.143
2000	63,677
2005	78,994
2006	81,071
2010	84,596
2014	86,806

¹ 1980–2000: census results; 2005–2014: Update of the US Census Bureau

geography

The city has an area of ​​1113 km² and is about 200 km² larger than Berlin , of which 1036 km² is land and 75 km² (6.77%) is water.

Buildings

• WTVZ transmission mast

sons and daughters of the town

• James Bell (1891–1973), actor
• Lewis F. Powell (1907–1998), United States Supreme Court Justice
• Joe Maphis (1921–1986), country and rockabilly musician
• Charlie Byrd (1925–1999), jazz guitarist
• Ryan Speedo Green (* 1986), opera singer
• Lex Luger (* 1991), music producer

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Office of the Mayor (English) ( Memento of the original from February 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed March 15, 2016. 
2. ↑ 2014 Census, Suffolk, VA , accessed March 15, 2016.
3. ↑ History of Suffolk (English) ( Memento of the original from August 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed March 15, 2016. 
4. ↑ Merger Suffolk - Nansemond (English) ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.