Demographics/Quick Facts
Population 99,790
45.84% White
50.61% African American
3.55% Other
Median Household Income $36,742
Average Home Price $100,604
Land 33.2 sq mi

Portsmouth (pronounced “Port-smuth”) is a city located in the area of Hampton Roads. It is an independent city, and therefore not included in any county. Portsmouth 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 a new marine terminal for container ships scheduled to open in 2007 in the West Norfolk section.

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.

History
Portsmouth is located on the western side of the Elizabeth River directly across from the City of Norfolk. In 1620, the future site of Portsmouth was recognized as suitable shipbuilding location by Andrew Sprowle, a shipbuilder, who petitioned King James I of England for a land grant. The area was soon settled as a plantation community. Portsmouth was founded as a town in 1752 by William Crawford, a wealthy merchant and ship owner. 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.

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.

Portsmouth was the county seat of Norfolk County until 1963 when the new City of Chesapeake was formed in a political consolidation with the City of South Norfolk. In the early 21^st 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