Demographics/Quick Facts
Population 81,039
53.82% White
43.53% African American
.7% Asian
1.95% Other
Median Age: 36 years
Median Household Income: $41,115

Suffolk is a city located in the South Hampton Roads area. It is an independent city, and therefore not included in any county. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 63,677. A more recent 2005 census shows that the city’s population has grown to 81,039. Suffolk is 20 miles from Norfolk, 90 miles from Richmond and 200 miles from Washington, D.C.

Every October, the City of Suffolk celebrates its peanut history with a four day family-oriented festival called the Suffolk Peanut Fest. Over 200,000 people arrive annually from all points up and down the East Coast. A wide range of activities is planned for the entire family, including local, region, and national entertainment, a golf tournament, a shrimp feast, a prayer breakfast, a bike race and a 5K race, a Peanut Butter Sculpture contest, commercial and crafts exhibits, carnival rides, and more.

History
In 1974, the city was created from the former town of Suffolk, the unincorporated communities of Holland, Virginia and Whaleyville, and the independent City of Nansemond which was itself created from the former Nansemond County only two years earlier, creating the largest geographic city in Virginia.

The city is the site of a rare criminal case. In 1908, an individual, Ernest Lyons, was convicted of murdering another person who was later found alive