South Hampton Roads

South Hampton Roads is a region located in the extreme southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States.

Local Government

In Colonial times, and even in the first 150 years of the United States, much like Virginia as a whole, South Hampton Roads was in an almost constant state of change in terms of local government, largely due to growth, as counties were divided and towns were formed as the population grew. Some towns grew to become cities. Under the state constitutional changes in 1871, extant and future cities in Virginia became independent cities of the counties they had formerly been located within.

Related Topics:
1871 - Independent cities

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, in the second half of the 20th century, an unprecedented wave of city-county-town local government consolidations took place in South Hampton Roads and on the Virginia Peninsula. Nowhere else in Virginia have rural areas and more dense cities been combined in such a manner as these two areas. The changes resulted in the area having Virginia's cities with the largest land areas and the most farming, even over 30 years after the consolidations in some instances.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Current cities, counties and towns

The South Hampton Roads region includes five independent cities, two counties, and five incorporated towns. There were also a number of political subdivisions which are now extinct, primarily due to growth and consolidation of local government (see section below).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Independent cities

• Chesapeake (formerly Norfolk County)
• Norfolk
• Portsmouth
• Suffolk
• Virginia Beach

Counties

• Surry County
• Isle of Wight County

Incorporated towns

Surry County

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Town of Claremont
• Town of Dendron
• Town of Surry (also county seat)

Isle of Wight County

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Town of Smithfield
• Town of Windsor

Extinct political subdivisions

Exclusive of towns which became cities and still have the same name, no less than 2 shires, 6 counties, 1 town, and 2 entire cities no longer exist in the South Hampton Roads area. For search of genealogical, land, and other historical records, it may be necessary to find these old names.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The following is a listing of these 11 extinct shire, counties, towns, and cities, with the approximate dates they existed:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Elizabeth River Shire (1634-1636)
• Warrosquyoake Shire (1634-1637)
• New Norfolk County (1636-1637)
• Upper Norfolk County (1637-1646)
• Lower Norfolk County (1637-1691)
• Nansemond County (1646-1972)
• Norfolk County (1691-1963)
• Princess Anne County (1691-1963)
• Town of Berkley (unknown-1906)
• South Norfolk (1919-1963)
• City of Nansemond (1972-1974)