Norfolk County, Virginia facts for kids
Norfolk County was a county in eastern Virginia, United States. It was created way back in 1691. Over time, especially after the American Civil War, parts of Norfolk County were taken over by nearby cities.
These growing cities were Norfolk, Portsmouth, and South Norfolk. This meant Norfolk County became smaller and smaller.
In 1963, people living in Norfolk County and the city of South Norfolk voted for a big change. They decided to join together and form a brand new city! They chose the name City of Chesapeake. Today, Chesapeake is one of Virginia's largest cities. It has busy neighborhoods, industrial areas, and even large rural parts, including a big section of the Great Dismal Swamp.
How Norfolk County Began
During the 1600s, after the first English settlement at Jamestown Settlement in 1607, settlers started exploring Virginia. By 1634, the English colony of Virginia had eight main areas called "shires" or "counties." About 5,000 people lived there.
One of these areas was Elizabeth City Shire. It covered land on both sides of a waterway called Hampton Roads. In 1636, the southern part of Elizabeth City Shire became a new area called New Norfolk County.
This new county was then divided again in 1637. It split into two parts: Upper Norfolk County and Lower Norfolk County.
Norfolk County is Formed in 1691
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 14,524 | — | |
| 1800 | 19,419 | 33.7% | |
| 1810 | 22,872 | 17.8% | |
| 1820 | 23,936 | 4.7% | |
| 1830 | 24,806 | 3.6% | |
| 1840 | 27,569 | 11.1% | |
| 1850 | 33,036 | 19.8% | |
| 1860 | 36,227 | 9.7% | |
| 1870 | 46,702 | 28.9% | |
| 1880 | 58,657 | 25.6% | |
| 1890 | 77,038 | 31.3% | |
| 1900 | 50,780 | −34.1% | |
| 1910 | 52,744 | 3.9% | |
| 1920 | 57,358 | 8.7% | |
| 1930 | 30,082 | −47.6% | |
| 1940 | 35,828 | 19.1% | |
| 1950 | 99,537 | 177.8% | |
| 1960 | 51,612 | −48.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 [1] |
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In 1691, Lower Norfolk County was divided one more time. This created two new counties: Norfolk County and Princess Anne County. This was done to make it easier to manage the growing number of settlements.
A man named Captain Adam Thoroughgood (1604–1640) is given credit for naming Norfolk County. He was an important person in the colony. He was born in England and moved to Virginia, just like many others at that time. He named the new county after his home county in England.
After 1691, Norfolk County stayed mostly the same for over 200 years. Portsmouth became the main town, or "county seat," and a busy trading center. Norfolk also grew into an important city. Smaller towns like Berkley and South Norfolk also formed.
In 1871, Portsmouth and Norfolk became "independent cities." In Virginia, an independent city is like its own separate government, not part of a county. Even though Portsmouth was now independent, it remained the county seat for Norfolk County. South Norfolk also became an independent city in 1919.
Over the years, Norfolk County kept losing more land. The town of Berkley and areas like Sewell's Point, Willoughby Spit, and Ocean View were all taken over by the city of Norfolk. By 1960, almost all of Norfolk County on the east side of the Elizabeth River had been taken by other cities. West Norfolk was taken by Portsmouth, and South Norfolk also took some county land.
Creating the City of Chesapeake in 1963
In Virginia, cities cannot be taken over by other cities. In the early 1960s, the city of Norfolk tried to take over another part of Norfolk County. This would have almost completely surrounded the small City of South Norfolk. South Norfolk worried it might not be able to stay independent.
Because Norfolk County residents also feared losing more land, they decided to team up with the city of South Norfolk. They looked for a solution. About 10 years earlier, Elizabeth City County, the Town of Phoebus, and the City of Hampton had successfully joined together.
In 1963, the people of South Norfolk and Norfolk County voted on the idea. The Virginia General Assembly (Virginia's state legislature) also approved it. South Norfolk and almost all of the remaining Norfolk County joined together. They formed the new City of Chesapeake, with the name chosen by the voters.
