Chesapeake Virginia History

Before the first European settlers arrived in the Virginia area, the Algonquin Indians lived around the bay which had been created by the flooding of the Susquehanna River. The Indians called it “Chesepiooc”, meaning Great Shellfish Bay. It eventually became Chesapeake. After Jamestown was established in 1607 (45 miles southwest of Richmond today), English settlers created home sites adjacent to Hampton Roads in the colony of Virginia. During the American Revolution, English government was removed in 1775. After the Civil War in 1871, Virginia’s constitution was revised to allow for the creation of independent cities. George Washington had surveyed the site of the Dismal Swamp Canal that runs through Chesapeake, the oldest continuously used man-made canal in the United States. In 1963, voters of the City of South Norfolk and Norfolk County approved a referendum to reorganize and create the new city of Chesapeake. Until the 1980s and ‘90s, Chesapeake was a “bedroom community” whose residents commuted to Norfolk or Virginia Beach. There was a turning point in the city’s development when large industries established home offices in Chesapeake. This led to a growth of population and commercial enterprises. The city has expanded with new cultural and artistic venues, hotels and restaurants, and family attractions. Each year thousands of visitors come to discover America’s beginnings as a colony, its beautiful scenery, wide range of recreation and activities and its historic landmarks.