NORFOLK. The second largest city of Vir ginia, :,nd a port of entry. in Norfolk County, SS miles in a direct line, and 116 by water, south east of ltichmond; on the Elizafieth Liver, an arm 111 Chesapeake Bay, opposite Portsmouth and Berkley, the three cities practically forming one municipality, having a population, within a radius of three miles, of more than 115,000 (Map: Virginia, It 5). Norfolk is the terminus of many steamship lines. including transatlantic, coastwise, and interior lines, the Albemarle and Chesapeake and the Dismal Swamp canals afford ing additional means of communication with in land towns. The railroad facilities comprise the Atlantic Coast Line, the Seaboard Air Line, the Chesapeake aml Ohio. the Norfolk and Western, the Norfolk and Southern, the New York. Phila delphia and Norfolk. and the Southern. Nor folk has an area of about square miles, and is irregularly laid out on level ground. The more prominent buildings include the custom-house, the city hall, Saint Vincent's Hospital, the Nor folk Protestant Hospital, the post-office. and the Citizens' Bank. Saint Paul's Church is of his toric interest, having been built in 1737. The city maintains a public library (10.500 volumes), and has several private secondary schools, among which is the Norfolk :Mission College (United Presbyterian), an institution for colored stu dents. There is a public park of 0.3 acres. The Norfolk Navy Yard is at Portsmouth (q.v.).
Norfolk is one of the most important Southern ports, its excellent transportation facilities con tributing largely to its commercial prominence. The harbor is commodious, accessible for the largest ships, has a channel 30 feet deep, and is well protected, the defenses including Fort Alonroe (q.v.). Norfolk and Portsmouth to gether constitute a Federal customs district, the foreign trade of which in 1901 comprised ex port: valued at $10.308,000 and imports aggre gating $594,000. The commerce of the port is principally in lumber, coal, grain, cotton. pea nuts, oysters. vegetables, and fruit. One of the largest coaling stations in the world is here Lambert's Point coal piers, which handle an nually some 2,500.000 tons. Norfolk is develop ing rapidly also as an industrial centre, a num ber of large plants having been established since 1900. when its manufactures. according to tile census, represented capital to the amount of :1L425,000.and had a production valued at A1,397,
000, a notable gain in output over that of 1890 ($5,100,000). The most important industrial es tablishments arc fertilizer works, lumber mills, hosiery and knitting mills, cotton and silk mills. oil mills, carriage and wagon shops, foundries and machine shops, a steel shutter and blind manufactory, ship and boat building, yards, (Teo soling works, agrieultural implement works, to bacco and cigar faetories. a large pickling estab lishment. ete.ler the charter of 1S54, as subsequently amended, the government is vested in alayfir. elected every two years, and a coun cil consisting of two bodies, the members of the select council being chosen by all the eouneilmen from among their own number. The council eon trots appointments of ail administrative 1,1licer:. excepting those elected by popular vote—sehool treasurer, t torney. st reel inspeel or, Clmn issinner of rI•VPI1111% collector of I health officer• and minor 1,1licials. Norfolk spends annually in maintenance and operation about $845,000. the principal item, being: for interest on debt, $2.30,000; for streets, $80,000; for water. $65,000; for the police department, $60,000; for schools, $60.000; for tile fire department, $45, 000. There are municipal water-works, built in 1872, and acquired by the city in the following year; the system cost $1.235,000 and has about 59 miles of mains. Population, in 1860, 14.620; in 1880, 21,966; in 1890, 34.871: in 1000, 46.1124.
Organized as a town in 1682, Norfolk was in corporated as a borough in 17:36, and was char tered as a city in 1845. On January 1, 1776, it was bombarded and set on tire by the English un der Lord Dunmore. and nine-tenths of the build ings were destroyed. In 1855 the city suffered severely from the ravages of yellow fever. In April, 1861, General Taliaferro, at the head of a body of Virginia troops, entered the city, and soon afterwards the navy yard was tired by or der of the Federal commandant, hut comparatively little damage was done. Until May, 1862, when the Federal forces took possession. the city was the chief naval station of the Confederacy. Consult: Forrest. Historical and Descriptire Sketches of Norfolk and Vicinity (Philadelphia, 1853) ; Bur ton, The History of Norfolk, Virginia (Norfolk, 1877) ; Lamb, Our Twin. Cities of the Nineteenth Century (ib., 1S87-SS).