![]() The House of Burgesses established the "Towne of Lower Norfolk County" in 1680. Norfolk developed in the late-seventeenth century as a "Half Moone" fort was constructed and 50 acres (200,000 m 2) were acquired from local natives of the Powhatan Confederacy in exchange for 10,000 pounds of tobacco. This area of Virginia became known as the place of entrepreneurs, including men of the Virginia Company of London. One year later, it was divided into two counties, Upper Norfolk and Lower Norfolk (the latter now incorporated into the City of Norfolk), chiefly on Thoroughgood's recommendation. When the South Hampton Roads portion of the shire was separated, Thoroughgood suggested the name of his birthplace for the newly formed New Norfolk County. After persuading 105 people to settle in the colony, Adam Thoroughgood (who had immigrated to Virginia in 1622 from King's Lynn, Norfolk, England) was granted a large land holding, through the head rights system, along the Lynnhaven River in 1636. In 1634 King Charles I reorganized the colony into a system of shires, and Elizabeth Cittie became Elizabeth City Shire. ![]() The land on which Norfolk now sits fell under Elizabeth Cittie incorporation. When the establishment of the House of Burgesses introduced representative government to the colony in 1619, governor Sir George Yeardley divided the developed portion the colony into four incorporated jurisdictions, termed citties. Norfolk's lands were some of the first to draw settlers from the Virginia Colony, although Norfolk would not be incorporated as a town until the 1700s. William Strachey recorded that their settlements were destroyed by the Powhatan shortly before the establishment of Jamestown in 1607. In the late sixteenth century, the area on which Norfolk now sits was inhabited by the Chesepian people. ![]() Main articles: History of Norfolk, Virginia and Timeline of Norfolk, Virginia Before 1607 It is linked to its neighbors by an extensive network of interstate highways, bridges, tunnels, and three bridge-tunnel complexes. The city has a long history as a strategic military and transportation point, where many railroad lines started. This low-lying coastal infrastructure is very vulnerable to sea level rise, with water levels expected to rise by more than 5.5 feet by the end of the 21st century. It is home to Maersk Line, Limited, which manages the world's largest fleet of US-flag vessels. Additionally Norfolk is an important contributor to the Port of Virginia. The largest naval base in the world, Naval Station Norfolk, is located in Norfolk along with one of NATO's two Strategic Command headquarters. The coastal zones are important for the economy. With coastline along multiple bodies of water, Norfolk has many miles of riverfront and bayfront property, including beaches on the Chesapeake Bay. Bordered to the west by the Elizabeth River and to the north by the Chesapeake Bay, the city shares land borders with the independent cities of Chesapeake to its south and Virginia Beach to its east. Named for the eponymous natural harbor at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads has ten cities, including Norfolk seven counties in Virginia and two counties in North Carolina. The region is sometimes called "Tidewater" and "Coastal Virginia," although these are broader terms that also include Virginia's Eastern Shore and entire coastal plain. Norfolk holds a strategic position as the historical, urban, financial, and cultural center of the Hampton Roads region, which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the 37th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Norfolk had a population of 238,005, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, and the 94th-largest city in the nation. Norfolk ( / ˈ n ɔːr f ʊ k/ ( listen) NOR-fuk) is an independent city in Virginia, United States.
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