The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately 157 miles (253 km) long, in central and eastern Virginia, named for the Appomattocs Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century. It drains a cotton and tobacco-growing region of the Piedmont and coastal plain southwest of Richmond.
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👉 Appomattox River in the context of Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458 with a majority black American population. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes. The city is 21 miles (34 km) south of the commonwealth (state) capital city of Richmond.
It is located at the fall line (the head of navigation of rivers on the U.S. East Coast) of the Appomattox River (a tributary of the longer larger James River which flows east to meet the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at the Hampton Roads harbor and the Atlantic Ocean). In 1645, the Virginia House of Burgesses ordered Fort Henry built, which attracted both traders and settlers to the area. The Town of Petersburg, chartered by the Virginia legislature in 1748, incorporated three early settlements, and in 1850 the legislature elevated it to city status.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Appomattox River
- 👉 Appomattox River in the context of Petersburg, Virginia
- Appomattox River in the context of Greater Richmond Region
- Appomattox River in the context of Chesterfield County, Virginia
- Appomattox River in the context of Farmville, Virginia
- Appomattox River in the context of Hopewell, Virginia
- Appomattox River in the context of Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike
Appomattox River in the context of Greater Richmond Region
The Greater Richmond Region, also known as the Richmond metropolitan area or Central Virginia, is a region and metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Virginia, centered on Richmond. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines the area as the Richmond, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) used by the U.S. Census Bureau and other entities. The OMB defines the area as comprising 17 county-level jurisdictions, including the independent cities of Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights. As of 2020, it had a population of 1,314,434, making it the 44th largest MSA in the country.
The Greater Richmond Region is located in the central part of Virginia. It straddles the Fall Line, where the coastal plain and the Piedmont come together on the James River at Richmond and the Appomattox River at Petersburg. The English established each as a colonial port in the 17th century. The Greater Richmond Metro region is considered to be the southern extension of the Northeast megalopolis.
Appomattox River in the context of Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located just south of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county's borders are primarily defined by the James River to the north and the Appomattox River to the south. Its county seat is Chesterfield Court House.
Chesterfield County was formed in 1749 from parts of Henrico County. It was named for Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, a prominent English statesman who had been the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Appomattox River in the context of Farmville, Virginia
Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County. The population was 7,473 at the 2020 census. Farmville was a major tobacco growing area in Virginia for over 100 years.
Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox River in central Virginia; the waterway was long its main transportation access to other markets. In the 19th century, a railroad through Farmville was developed, operating until the early 2000s, and subsequently adapted as the High Bridge Trail State Park, a rail trail park, approximately 30-mile-in length (48 km). US 15, VA 45 and US 460 now intersect at Farmville. The town is the home of Longwood University and is the town nearest to Hampden–Sydney College, which together comprising the core of the town's modern economy.
Appomattox River in the context of Hopewell, Virginia
Hopewell is an independent city surrounded by Prince George County and the Appomattox River in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 23,033. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Hopewell with Prince George County for statistical purposes.
Hopewell is in the Tri-Cities area of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
Appomattox River in the context of Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike
The Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike was a controlled-access toll road located in the Richmond-Petersburg region of central Virginia, United States.
After World War II, major traffic congestion occurred in the area around Richmond and Petersburg along U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and US 301. This was particularly true where these two major routes shared the same roadway for much of the distance between the two cities, as well as bridges across the James River and Appomattox River.