Newport News, Virginia

Newport News is an independent city located in Virginia. It is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending to its mouth Hampton Roads. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 180,150. A more recent 2005 cencus shows the cities population has grown to 195,347.

The Future of Newport News

Newport News, known traditionally as a blue-collar industrial city, is currently undergoing dramatic changes to accommodate its growing affluence and relative significance as a major metropolitan nexus in the Hampton Roads region. The city's traditional downtown, located on the James River waterfront, is home to, almost exclusively, Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding and municipal offices. While the downtown area has generally remained the only true area of the city that offered genuine urban layout, that is changing with the introduction of a number of successful New Urbanism projects in the city such as Port Warwick, named after the fictional city in William Styron's novel, Lie Down in Darkness. Oyster Point City Center, located near Port Warwick in the thriving Oyster Point Retail/Central Business District (often cited as the busiest in Hampton Roads), has been touted as the new "downtown" because of its new geographic centrality on the Virginia Peninsula, its proximity to the retail/business nucleus of the city, etc. Currently under planning stages are a number of other New Urbanism projects, including "Asheton", a mega-development at the north end of the city bordering Williamsburg, meant to complement the historic attraction of the region. There are also plans to develop a light-rail line in on the Peninsula, largely in Newport News, as well as continue the gradual urbanization of the city to transform it from its currently suburban layout into a more cohesive, attractive, and enticing destination. It looks to be well on its way, judging from the rapid pace of infill redevelopment over the past 5-10 years.

Related Topics:
James River - Northrop Grumman - Newport News Shipbuilding - New Urbanism - Port Warwick - Oyster Point City Center - Williamsburg

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Downtown Newport News Victory Arch, built to commemorate the Great War, sits on the downtown waterfront in Newport News. There are a number of landmarks and architecturally interesting buildings in the downtown area that seem to have been largely abanoned in favor of building new areas in the northwest areas of the city. It is hoped that one day more development would be put in the area to return it to its lost status as an urban nucleus in Hampton Roads.

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