“Welcome to Surprising Suffolk…A City Meeting the Future!”
Like all areas of South Hampton Roads, Suffolk boasts a rich heritage and long history. The town of Suffolk was founded in 1742 by English settlers eager to engage in and profit from the commerce to be found on the Nansemond River. Like its fellow city, Portsmouth, Suffolk was named after a sister city in England. Despite being burned by the British in 1779 and withstanding several other fires throughout the next century, Suffolk continued to thrive. During the Civil War era, Suffolk was located on a major railroad junction lending the city its importance as a commercial center to both the Confederate and Federal Armies.
Evidence of Suffolk’s importance as a transportation hub - both past and present – is the Seaboard Airline Passenger Station, built in 1885. The depot was constructed to replace an older one that enabled passengers to travel by rail from Portsmouth to Suffolk and later, to the Roanoke River. That depot was used for passengers on the Seaboard line until 1968. It was used as a freight office into the 1980's and was abandoned by the railroad in 1990. In 1994, a fire apparently started by a vagrant, very nearly destroyed the building. Right away, the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society stepped forward to save the building for demolition. The restoration effort took six years, thanks to the support and encouragement of local citizens.What you can see today is the proud achievement of so many to preserve Suffolk’s history as a vital transportation link not only in Tidewater but throughout Virginia
The original city of Suffolk was officially recognized in 1910. On January 1, 1974, the city became Virginia’s largest when the nearby towns of Holland, Whaleyville, and the county of Nansemond consolidated to form the new city of Suffolk. Suffolk covers 430 square miles of abundant land, including woods, lakes, rivers and rolling terrain. Contributing to its abundance of unspoiled land, the Great Dismal Swamp can be found in Suffolk – stretching from Southeastern Virginia to Northeastern North Carolina!The Great Dismal Swamp - originally surveyed in the 18th century by none other than George Washington himself - is one of the last large and wild areas remaining in the eastern United States and provides sanctuary for a large variety of birds and other wildlife.
Suffolk, with a current (and growing!) population of 73,000, is known as the Peanut Capital of the World due to its famous and prolific crop of peanuts. The peanut industry in Suffolk began simply – Suffolk’s economy was founded in agriculture. The farming communities of Suffolk harvested many crops including cotton, peanuts, corn, soybeans, and other vegetable produce. The peanut, though, stood out as Suffolk’s most important crop, lending to a profitable industry.In 1912, an Italian immigrant named Amedeo Obici moved from Pennsylvania to Suffolk and opened Planters Nut and Chocolate Company. Today, Suffolk remains a major peanut processing center with modern facilities. Many other businesses and industries have moved into Suffolk, bringing with them the latest in technology. Lockheed Martin, Kraft/Planters Peanuts, United States Joint Forces Command Joint Warfighting Center, United States Joint Forces Command Joint Experimentation, and New Dominion Pictures are just a few of the businesses in Suffolk today.
Suffolk’s housing market today, like its population, continues to grow and thrive. In fact, this part of Western Hampton Roads is finding itself in a building boom.As more people are looking for open space, they are choosing Suffolk for its abundance of large land. New construction is being built on a regular basis!In fact, three premier neighborhoods have been developed in the last few years with luxurious living in mind.
Eagle Harbor, located just outside of Suffolk, in Isle of Wight County, has both single family and attached homes. Spacious and spread out, the Eagle Harbor community features plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities, including a 5-acre lake with a dock and paddle boats! Located right in Suffolk is another fantastic community of homes, Governor’s Pointe.Construction is under way for a community with five separate “villages” – each named after a village in England.Each village will showcase custom homes that cater to every taste.Whether you’re looking for lots of space with minimum maintenance or large, private homes surrounded by beautiful marsh and lake views, Governor’s Pointe has something to offer for everyone! A third neighborhood featuring new construction called Linkside Cove at The Riverfront is situated on the Riverfront Golf Course in Suffolk.Linkside Cove offers beautiful views of the Nansemond River and its surrounding marshes.These upscale condominiums feature a townhome style of architecture with low maintenance and luxurious appointments.
In addition to its new construction, Suffolk is attempting to preserve the past. Within the “Peanut Corridor,” the area that houses all of the original peanut factories, will be a redevelopment project called “The Fairgrounds.” The Fairgrounds is a multi-million dollar project sponsored by the city and will feature over 160 homes, apartments and condominiums.
Since the completion of the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel in 1992, which connects the Peninsula to the Southside, Western Hampton Roads, particularly Suffolk has seen rapid economic growth.The fantastic economic growth experienced by Suffolk has greatly contributed to its construction expansion.
Suffolk’s school district is comprised of twelve elementary, four middle/intermediate and three high schools.The Suffolk public school curriculum is progressive and aimed at preparing students for further education and training in workforce development. In addition, Suffolk is conveniently located to a number of local colleges and universities – including Old Dominion University, Christopher Newport University, the College of William and Mary and Virginia Wesleyan College.
For those interested in Suffolk’s parks and recreations offerings, you won’t be disappointed. From its revitalized historic downtown area with a wonderful variety of shops and dining to Suffolk’s outdoors recreation opportunities, Suffolk has something for everyone!For the kid at heart, enjoy Suffolk’s Peanut Festival which takes place every fall. Based upon the theme of “Country in the City,” the Peanut Fest celebrates its 28th year in 2005.The festival is an annual tradition created to celebrate the harvest of Suffolk’s most famous crop, the peanut.With live entertainment on numerous stages, fresh, roasted peanuts (of course!) and a wide array of activities for the whole family, the Suffolk Peanut Festival shouldn’t be missed!
To history buffs, Suffolk has some wonderfully preserved historic homes, including one of its most famous, Riddick’s Folly, built in 1837.The restored antebellum-house museum tastefully showcases some of Suffolk's notable historic treasures, from Union cavalry swords and intricate needlework to an exquisite collection of 19th-century antiques.
Looking toward the future, coming soon is the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, slated to open in 2006.The Center will occupy one of Suffolk’s most beautiful and historically significant landmarks, Suffolk High School, built in 1922 and functioning as a school until the 1990’s.Aiming to bring people of all ages and interests in the arts together, the Center will be the place to come, whether you are a professional seeking state of the art studio space or an aspiring student of the arts looking for first class instruction. Whether preserving its storied past or building its future, Suffolk has so much to offer you!Like the saying goes…”it’s a good time to be in Suffolk!”
- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
