Maps and Formation Information for Cities of Lexington though Portsmouth

Lexington, in Rockbridge County, probably was named for the village in Massachusetts where the first battle of the American Revolution was fought. The town was established in 1778 as the county seat for the newly created Rockbridge County. It is believed that Thomas Jefferson suggested the name for the town. Lexington was incorporated as a town in 1874 and became a city by court order in 1965. [Back]

City of Lynchburg Lynchburg, in Campbell County, was named for John Lynch, the owner of the original town site. It was established in 1786, was incorporated as a town in 1805, and became a city in 1852. Parts of Campbell and Bedford counties were annexed to the city in 1976. [Back]

City of Manassas Manassas, in Prince William County, began in 1852 as the Manassas junction of the Manassas Gap Railroad and the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. It was incorporated as the town of Manassas in 1874 and became a city by court order in 1975. [Back]

City of Manassas Park Manassas Park, in Prince William County, was established in 1955 as an outgrowth of Manassas. It was incorporated as a town by order of the circuit court in 1957 and became a city by court order in 1975. [Back]

City of Martinsville Martinsville, in Henry County, was named for Joseph Martin, an early settler and revolutionary soldier who represented Henry County in the General Assembly in 1791, when the town was established. Martinsville was incorporated as a town in 1873 and became a city by court order in 1928. [Back]

City of Newport News Newport News was located in Warwick County, which is now extinct. The origin of the name is uncertain but the phrase "Newportes News" appeared in documents as early as 1619 and probably commemorated Christopher Newport, who made five voyages to Virginia between 1607 and 1619. Newport News was a small settlement until late in the nineteenth century, when it became the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. It was established in 1880 and incorporated as a city by act of the General Assembly in 1896 without ever having been incorporated as a town. Newport News was enlarged by consolidation with the city of Warwick in 1958. [Back]

City of Norfolk Norfolk was located in Norfolk County, which is now extinct. The city took the name from the former home of an early settler, Adam Thoroughgood, who was a native of the county of Norfolk in England. Norfolk was established in 1680 by an act of assembly. It was incorporated as a town in 1736 and as a city in 1845. Norfolk was enlarged in 1906 by annexation of the town of Berkeley. [Back]

City of Norton Norton, in Wise County, was first known as Prince's Flats, probably for William Prince, who settled in the area about 1787. The present name honors Eckstein Norton, president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1891 when the Clinch Valley branch of the railroad was finished. Norton was incorporated as a town in 1894 and became a city by court order in 1954. [Back]

City of Petersburg Petersburg was formed from parts of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Chesterfield counties. A garrison and fur trading post called Fort Henry was established in 1645 on the site of the Indian village of Appamattuck. The present name, suggested in 1733 by William Byrd II, honors Peter Jones, Byrd's companion on expeditions into the Virginia backcountry. Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784. In the latter year the towns of Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscroft were added to Petersburg. It was incorporated as a city in 1850. Petersburg was enlarged by annexation from both Prince George and Dinwiddie counties in 1972. [Back]

City of Poquoson Poquoson, in York County, was established as a post office between 1885 and 1888. A pocosin, as the word is now spelled, is an upland swamp in the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. Poquoson became a town in 1952 as the result of a referendum and became a city by court order in 1976. [Back]

City of Portsmouth Portsmouth was located in Norfolk County, which is now extinct. It was named by its founder, William Crawford, for the English seaport and was established in 1752. Portsmouth was incorporated as a town in 1836 and as a city in 1858. [Back]