*** Welcome to piglix ***

Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg, Virginia
Independent city
Downtown Petersburg
Downtown Petersburg
Official seal of Petersburg, Virginia
Seal
Nickname(s): The Cockade City
Location in the state of Virginia
Location in the state of Virginia
Coordinates: 37°12′46″N 77°24′1″W / 37.21278°N 77.40028°W / 37.21278; -77.40028
Country United States
State Virginia
County None (Independent city)
Founded December 17, 1748
Government
 • Mayor W. Howard Myers
Area
 • Independent city 23.2 sq mi (60 km2)
 • Land 22.9 sq mi (59 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation 134 ft (40 m)
Population (2010)
 • Independent city 32,420
 • Density 1,400/sq mi (540/km2)
 • Metro 1,126,262
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 23803–23806
Area code(s) 804
FIPS code 51-61832
GNIS ID 1497087
Website www.petersburgva.gov
Petersburg Old Town Historic District
DowntownPetersburgVa.jpg
Intersection of Sycamore and Bollingbrook
Petersburg, Virginia is located in Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia is located in the US
Petersburg, Virginia
Location U.S. 1 and VA 36, Petersburg, Virginia
Area 190 acres (77 ha)
NRHP Reference #

80004314

Added to NRHP July 04, 1980

Petersburg is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,420. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes. It is located on the Appomattox River and 21 miles (34 km) south of the state capital of Richmond. The city's unique industrial past and its location as a transportation hub combined to create wealth for Virginia and the region.

Petersburg was the final destination on the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System because of the location on the Appomattox River at the fall line (the head of navigation of rivers on the U.S. east coast) early in the history of the Colony of Virginia, which was a strategic place for transportation and commercial activities. It connected commerce as far inland as Farmville, Virginia to shipping on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. This also made Peterburg, the site of Fort Henry. As railroads emerged beginning in the 1830s, it became a major transfer point for both north-south and east-west competitors. The Petersburg Railroad was one of the earliest predecessors of the modern-day CSX Transportation system. Several of the earliest predecessors of the area's other major Class 1 railroad, Norfolk Southern, also met at Petersburg.


...
Wikipedia

...