Nansemond, Virginia

Nansemond is an extinct independent city which was located in the State of Virginia in the United States from 1972 until 1974. It was created from Nansemond County, Virginia, and is now part of the independent city of Suffolk, Virginia.

History

Main articles: History of Suffolk, Virginia and Nansemond County, Virginia

In 1634, the King of England directed the formation of eight shires (or counties) in the colony of Virginia. One of these was Elizabeth City Shire, which included land area on both sides of Hampton Roads. New Norfolk County was formed in 1636 from Elizabeth City Shire. It included all the area in South Hampton Roads now incorporated in the five independent cities located there in modern times. In 1637, New Norfolk County was divided into Upper Norfolk County and Lower Norfolk County. Upper Norfolk County became Nansemond County in 1646. In 1910, Suffolk, the county seat since 1750, became an independent city, but remained the county seat.

As part of a wave of political consolidations in southeastern Virginia between 1952 and 1976, Nansemond County merged with the outlying incorporated towns of Holland and Whaleyville to form the independent city of Nansemond. Only two years later, however, Nansemond merged with Suffolk to form the present-day city of Suffolk. The end result was a new municipality encompassing a total of 430 square miles (1,100 km²), making it the largest city in Hampton Roads and in all of Virginia in land area and the 11th largest in the United States. With a life of 18 months, Nansemond was the shortest-lived independent city of any in Virginia.

See also

• Suffolk, Virginia
• Political subdivisions of Virginia#Boroughs
• Former counties, cities, and towns of Virginia

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.