Portsmouth

Portsmouth sits on the western shore of the Elizabeth River in the Hampton Roads region and today counts roughly 97,000 residents across an area of 33 square miles (85 square kilometers). The city stretches along several miles of waterfront with docks, shipyards and residential neighborhoods that extend inland to low-lying plains.

The Virginia General Assembly founded Portsmouth in 1752 and named it after the English port city of Portsmouth in Hampshire. During the Civil War, Confederate troops destroyed the Gosport shipyard in 1861 before the Union recaptured and rebuilt it the following year.

The Olde Towne district preserves several hundred homes from colonial and federal periods, many now housing shops, restaurants and residences. Visitors walk narrow streets paved with brick, where lanterns hang from wooden posts and porches with columns shade the sidewalks.

The city is accessible via several bridges and a tunnel from Norfolk, while ferry services carry foot passengers between the two shores. Visitors find public parking near the historic center, and the waterfront promenade invites walks in calm weather.

Cedar Grove Cemetery, established in 1832, displays gravestones with elaborate carvings and cast-iron fences that reflect Victorian burial traditions. Several admirals and officers from the 19th century rest here under old oaks that shade the pathways.

Location: Virginia

Inception: 1752

Elevation above the sea: 6 m

Part of: Hampton Roads

Shares border with: Chesapeake, Newport News, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hampton

Website: https://portsmouthva.gov

GPS coordinates: 36.83543,-76.29827

Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:02