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Hampton Roads
built 634 days ago
The term "Hampton Roads" is a centuries-old reference that originated when the region was a struggling British outpost nearly 400 years ago. Designated in the 17th Century as the name of the largest natural harbor where the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth Rivers pour into the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Hampton Roads honors one of the founders of the Virginia Company and a great supporter of the colonization of Virginia, Henry Wriothesley, the third Earl of Southampton. Signifying the safety of a port, "roads" in nautical terminology means "a place less sheltered than a harbor where ships may ride at anchor."
This view from space in July 1996 shows portions of each of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads which generally surround the harbor area of Hampton Roads, which framed by the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel visible to the east (right), the Virginia Peninsula subregion to the north (top), and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel to the west (left) and the 3 branches of the Elizabeth River which drain into the harbor from the south (bottom), running through many communities of the South Hampton Roads subregion. To the west of the harbor, are the mouths of the James River (upper left) and the Nansemond River (lower left). Crossing the James River, the 4-mile (6 km)-long James River Bridge is also clearly visible, connecting Newport News with Isle of Wight County. NASA photograph The term "Hampton Roads" is a centuries-old designation that originated when the region was a struggling English outpost nearly four hundred years ago. The name is believed to originated from the combination of two separate words. The term Roads as applied to a water channel[1] is used elsewhere. Examples include Castle Roads, in another of the Virginia Company's settlements, Bermuda, and Lahaina Roads, in Hawaii.
If you are looking for land or acreage, Hampton Roads has that, too, particularly in Suffolk, southern Virginia Beach (Pungo, Creeds, Back Bay), and parts of Chesapeake. For those of you who prefer a more country setting, some of these areas may fit the bill.
The harbor area of Hampton Roads, from official state map of pre-civil war Virginia circa 1858. image from the Library of Virginia During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the famous Battle of Hampton Roads between the first American ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimack) took place off Sewell's Point, on March 8-9, 1862. That battle was inconclusive, but later in 1862, Union forces took control of Hampton Roads, Norfolk, and the lower James River. However, their efforts to take the Confederate capital of Richmond via the James River with their vastly superior Navy were thwarted by a strong Confederate battery position high above a bend in the river about 8 miles (13 km) below Richmond at Drewry's Bluff.
The entrance to Hampton Roads for all deep draft ships lies between Old Point Comfort and Fort Wool. Not only is Hampton Roads the gateway to the Naval Station, but ... provides access to commercial and naval activities at Norfolk and Portsmouth on the Elizabeth River, extensive shipbuilding and cargo handling facilities at Newport News, and many smaller facilities and marinas along the James and Elizabeth Rivers. Therefore, the whole area is extremely busy with marine traffic. The Norfolk area has a large number of berths, anchorages, facilities and services available.
Hampton Roads (the harbor) is located in the southeastern region of Virginia and is made up of Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and other surrounding cities. Below are some of homes and land currently available for sale.
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