Editing Newport News, Virginia (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Newport news norfolk portsmouth rotated.jpg|thumb|220px|Newport News, [[Hampton, Virginia|Hampton]], [[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]] and [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], from space, July 1996. Newport News is seen in the upper-left quadrant.]]

Newport News is located at {{Coord|37|4|15|N|76|29|4|W|type:city}} (37.071046, −76.484557). According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|120|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|69|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|51|sqmi|km2}} (42.4%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

The city is located at the Peninsula side of [[Hampton Roads]] in the [[Tidewater region of Virginia]], bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The Hampton Roads [[United States metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]] (officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA) is the [[List of United States metropolitan statistical areas by population|37th largest]] in the nation with a 2014 population estimate of 1,716,624. The area includes the Virginia cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, [[Poquoson, Virginia|Poquoson]], Portsmouth, Suffolk, [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]], and the counties of [[Gloucester County, Virginia|Gloucester]], [[Isle of Wight County, Virginia|Isle of Wight]], [[James City County, Virginia|James City]], [[Mathews County, Virginia|Mathews]], [[Surry County, Virginia|Surry]], and [[York County, Virginia|York]], as well as the [[North Carolina]] counties of [[Currituck County, North Carolina|Currituck]] and [[Gates County, North Carolina|Gates]]. Newport News serves as one of the business centers on the Peninsula. The city of Norfolk is recognized as the central business district, while the Virginia Beach oceanside resort district and Williamsburg are primarily centers of tourism.

Newport News shares land borders with [[James City County, Virginia|James City County]] on the northwest, [[York County, Virginia|York County]] on the north and northeast, and [[Hampton, Virginia|Hampton]] on the east. Newport News shares water borders with [[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]] on the southeast and [[Suffolk, Virginia|Suffolk]] on the south across the Hampton Roads Area, and [[Isle of Wight County, Virginia|Isle of Wight County]] on the southwest and west and [[Surry County, Virginia|Surry County]] on the northwest across the [[James River (Virginia)|James River]].

===Cityscape===
[[File:Newport News Victory Arch, 25th St. and West Ave., Newport News, VA (April 2006).jpg|220px|right|thumb|[[Newport News Victory Arch]] in downtown Newport News]]
The city's downtown area was part of the earliest developed area which was initially incorporated as an independent city in 1896. The earlier city portions also included the "[[East End (Newport News, Virginia)|East End]]" or "Southeast" community, which was predominantly black American, the "North End" and the shipyard and coal piers. The town of [[Kecoughtan, Virginia|Kecoughtan]] in [[Elizabeth City County, Virginia|Elizabeth City County]] was annexed by Newport News in 1927, extending the city along Hampton Roads from Salter's Creek to Pear Avenue. After World War II, public housing projects and lower income housing were built to improve housing in what came to be known as the [[East End (Newport News, Virginia)|East End]] or "The Bottom" by locals.<ref name="nntimeline" /> The city expanded primarily westward where land was available and highways were built. While the shipyard and coal facilities, and other smaller harbor-oriented businesses have remained vibrant, the downtown area went into substantial decline. Crime problems have plagued the nearby lower-income residential areas.

[[File:First Baptist Church Newport News.jpg|220px|right|thumb|Original First Baptist Church in downtown Newport News]]
West of the traditional downtown area, another early portion of the city was developed as Huntington Heights. In modern times been called the [[North End Historic District (Newport News, Virginia)|North End]]. Developed primarily between 1900 and 1935, North End features a wealth of architectural styles and eclectic vernacular building designs. Extending along west to the [[James River Bridge]] approaches, it includes scenic views of the river. A well-preserved community, the North End is an historic district listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] and the [[Virginia Landmarks Register]].<ref>[http://historichamptonroads.com/huntington_heights.htm Huntington Heights on the Hampton Roads history and penny postcard tour]; accessed April 3, 2008.</ref>

The 1958 merger by mutual agreement with the City of Warwick removed the political boundary, which was adjacent to [[Mercury Boulevard]]. This major north–south roadway carries [[U.S. Route 258 in Virginia|U.S. Route 258]] between the [[James River Bridge]] and the Coliseum-Central area of adjacent Hampton. At the time, the county was mostly rural, although along Warwick Boulevard north of the Mercury Boulevard, [[Hilton Village]] was developed during [[World War I]] as a [[planned community]]. Beyond this point to the west, much of the city takes on a suburban nature. Many neighborhoods have been developed, some around a number of former small towns. Miles of waterfront along the James River, and tributaries such as Deep Creek and Lucas Creek, are occupied by higher-end single family homes. In many sections, wooded land and farms gave way to subdivisions. Even at the northwestern reaches, furthest from the traditional downtown area, some residential development has occurred. Much land has been set aside for natural protection, with recreational and historical considerations. Along with some newer residential areas, major features of the northwestern end include the reservoirs of the Newport News Water System (which include much of the [[Warwick River (Virginia)|Warwick River]]), the expansive [[Newport News Park]], a number of public schools, and the military installations of [[Fort Eustis]] and a small portion of the [[Naval Weapons Station Yorktown]].{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

At the extreme northwestern edge adjacent to [[Skiffe's Creek]] and the border with James City County is the [[Lee Hall, Virginia|Lee Hall]] community, which retains historical features including the former [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] station which served tens of thousands of soldiers based at what became nearby Fort Eustis during [[World War I]] and [[World War II]]. The larger-than-normal rural two-story frame depot is highly valued by rail fans and rail preservationists.<ref>[http://www.leehalldepot.org Lee Hall Depot webpage], leehalldepot.org; accessed April 3, 2008.</ref>
[[File:Town Center Drive in City Center Oyster Point, October 2012.jpg|thumb|right|220px|View along Town Center Drive at [[City Center at Oyster Point]], October 2012]]

In downtown Newport News, the [[Newport News Victory Arch|Victory Arch]], built to commemorate the [[World War I|Great War]], sits on the downtown waterfront. The "Eternal Flame" under the arch was cast by Womack Foundry, Inc. in the 1960s. It was hand crafted by the Foundry's founder and president, Ernest D. Womack. The downtown area has a number of landmarks and architecturally interesting buildings, which for some time were mostly abandoned in favor of building new areas in the northwest areas of the city (a strategy aided by tax incentives in the postwar years).

City leaders are working to bring new life into this area, by renovating and building new homes and attracting businesses. The completion of [[Interstate 664]] restored the area to access and through traffic which had been largely rerouted with the completion of the [[Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel]] connecting neighboring [[Hampton, Virginia|Hampton]] with the [[South Hampton Roads|Southside]] in 1958 and discontinuance of the Newport News-Norfolk ferry service at that time. The larger capacity [[Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel]] and the rebuilt [[James River Bridge]] each restored some accessibility and through traffic to the downtown area.<ref>[http://www.roadstothefuture.com/I664_VA_Desc.html I-664] Roads to the Future; accessed April 3, 2008</ref><ref name="traffic counts Isle of Wight">{{cite web|url= http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/AADT_046_IsleofWight_2005.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/AADT_046_IsleofWight_2005.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report – Daily Traffic Volume Estimates – Isle of Wight County }}&nbsp;{{small|(219&nbsp;KB)}} Accessed April 3, 2008.</ref>

[[File:Oyster Point1.jpg|thumb|right|220px|View across the fountain at [[City Center at Oyster Point]]]]
Much of the newer commercial development has been along the Warwick Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue corridors, with newer planned industrial, commercial, and mixed development such as Oyster Point, Kiln Creek and the City Center. While the downtown area had long been the area of the city that offered the traditional urban layout, the city has supported a number of [[New Urbanism]] projects. One is [[Port Warwick]], named after the fictional city in [[William Styron]]'s novel, ''[[Lie Down in Darkness (novel)|Lie Down in Darkness]]''. Port Warwick includes housing for a broad variety of citizens, from retired persons to off-campus housing for [[Christopher Newport University]] students. Also included are several high-end restaurants and upscale shopping.<ref>[http://www.portwarwick.com Port Warwick webpage], portwarwick.com; accessed April 3, 2008.</ref>

[[City Center at Oyster Point]], located near Port Warwick, has been touted as the new "downtown"{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} because of its new geographic centrality on the Virginia Peninsula, its proximity to the retail/business nucleus of the city, etc. Locally, it is often called simply "City Center".<ref>[http://www.citycenteratoysterpoint.com City Center at Oyster Point], citycenteratoysterpoint.com; accessed April 3, 2008.</ref> Nearby, the Virginia Living Museum recently completed a $22.6 million expansion plan.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Erickson|first1=Mark St. John|title=Virginia Living Museum timeline|url=http://www.dailypress.com/features/family/dp-ticket-vlmtimeline-htmlstory.html|website=dailypress.com|publisher=Daily Press|access-date=December 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226215114/http://www.dailypress.com/features/family/dp-ticket-vlmtimeline-htmlstory.html|archive-date=December 26, 2016|url-status=live|date=May 5, 2016}}</ref>

Newport News is also home to a small Korean [[ethnic enclave]] on Warwick Boulevard near the Denbigh neighborhood on the northern end of the city. Although it lacks the density and character of larger, more established enclaves, it has been referred to as "Little Seoul"—being the commercial center for the Hampton Roads Korean community.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vegh|first=Steven G.|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/little-seoul-warwick-boulevard|title=A little 'Seoul' on Warwick Boulevard|publisher=HamptonRoads.com|date=November 14, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725075547/http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/little-seoul-warwick-boulevard|archive-date=July 25, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=August 30, 2013}}</ref>

===Neighborhoods===
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2015}}
[[File:Hilton Village Post Ave Looking Towards Warwick Blvd.jpg|220px|thumb|right|Hilton Village]]
Newport News has many distinctive communities and neighborhoods within its boundaries, including Brandon Heights, Brentwood, [[Oyster Point City Center|City Center]], Colony Pines, Christopher Shores-Stuart Gardens, [[Denbigh, Virginia|Denbigh]], [[Glendale (Newport News, Virginia)|Glendale]], [[East End (Newport News, Virginia)|East End]], Hidenwood, [[Hilton Village]], Hunter's Glenn, Beaconsdale, Ivy Farms, [[North End Historic District (Newport News, Virginia)|North End]] Huntington Heights (Historic District – roughly from 50th to 75th street, along the James River), Jefferson Avenue Park, [[Kiln Creek]], [[Lee Hall, Virginia|Lee Hall]], [[Menchville]], Maxwell Gardens, [[Morrison, Virginia|Morrison]] (also known as Gum Grove), Newmarket Village, Newsome Park, [[Oyster Point (Newport News, Virginia)|Oyster Point]], Parkview, old North Newport News (Center Ave. area), [[Port Warwick]], Richneck, [[Riverside (Newport News, Virginia)|Riverside]], Shore Park, Summerlake, [[Village Green (Newport News, Virginia)|Village Green]], Windsor Great Park and [[Warwick, Virginia|Warwick]]. Some of these neighborhoods are located in the former City of Warwick and Warwick County.

===Climate===
Newport News is located in the [[humid subtropical climate]] zone, with cool to mild winters, and hot, humid summers. Due to the inland location, throughout the year, highs are {{convert|2|to|3|F-change|C-change|1}} warmer and lows {{convert|1|to|2|F-change|C-change|1}} cooler than areas to the southeast. Snowfall averages {{convert|5.8|in|cm}} per season, and the summer months tend to be slightly wetter. The geographic location of the city, with respect to the principal storm tracks, favours fair weather, as it is south of the average path of storms originating in the higher latitudes, and north of the usual tracks of hurricanes and other major tropical storms.<ref name="Virginia Hurricane Climatology">Information from [http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/roth/vaclimohur.htm NOAA], wpc.ncep.noaa.gov; accessed July 24, 2015.</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Newport News, Virginia (1981–2010 normals)
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 49.5<!--rounds down-->
|Feb high F = 52.9
|Mar high F = 60.7
|Apr high F = 71.1
|May high F = 78.5<!--rounds down-->
|Jun high F = 86.2
|Jul high F = 89.6
|Aug high F = 87.4
|Sep high F = 82.2
|Oct high F = 72.5<!--rounds down-->
|Nov high F = 63.3
|Dec high F = 53.4
|year high F =70.6
|Jan low F = 31.8
|Feb low F = 32.6
|Mar low F = 39.5
|Apr low F = 47.8
|May low F = 57.0
|Jun low F = 66.3
|Jul low F = 70.3
|Aug low F = 68.8
|Sep low F = 62.7
|Oct low F = 51.7
|Nov low F = 43.0
|Dec low F = 34.6
|year low F =50.5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.33
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.01
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.44
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.33
|May precipitation inch = 3.74
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.81
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.71
|Aug precipitation inch = 5.35
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.79
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.47
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.08
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.38
|year precipitation inch=
|Jan snow inch = 2.4
|Feb snow inch = 2.1
|Mar snow inch = 0.3
|Apr snow inch = 0
|May snow inch = 0
|Jun snow inch = 0
|Jul snow inch = 0
|Aug snow inch = 0
|Sep snow inch = 0
|Oct snow inch = 0
|Nov snow inch = 0
|Dec snow inch = 1.0
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 10.4
|Feb precipitation days = 9.5
|Mar precipitation days = 10.6
|Apr precipitation days = 10.1
|May precipitation days = 10.6
|Jun precipitation days = 9.9
|Jul precipitation days = 11.1
|Aug precipitation days = 10.1
|Sep precipitation days = 8.8
|Oct precipitation days = 7.6
|Nov precipitation days = 8.5
|Dec precipitation days = 9.8
|year precipitation days=116.8
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 1.6
|Feb snow days = 1.3
|Mar snow days = 0.4
|Apr snow days = 0.1
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0
|Nov snow days = 0
|Dec snow days = 0.5

|Jan sun = 170.5
|Feb sun = 178.0
|Mar sun = 229.4
|Apr sun = 252.0
|May sun = 272.8
|Jun sun = 279.0
|Jul sun = 279.0
|Aug sun = 260.4
|Sep sun = 231.0
|Oct sun = 207.7
|Nov sun = 177.0
|Dec sun = 161.2
|source 1 = NOAA (temperature and total precipitation normals at Newport News Int'l, all others at Norfolk Int'l),<ref name = NOAA >{{cite web |url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=akq |title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date = February 19, 2013}}</ref> HKO (sun only 1961–1990)<ref name= HKO >{{cite web |url = http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/n_america/us/norfolk_va_e.htm |title = Climatological Normals of Norfolk |access-date = June 15, 2010 |publisher = [[Hong Kong Observatory]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120119014405/http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/n_america/us/norfolk_va_e.htm |archive-date = January 19, 2012 |url-status = dead}}</ref>
}}