Newport News is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, part of the Hampton Roads region, with a population of 186,247 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest city in the state. Originally rural land within Warwick County (one of Virginia’s original 1634 shires), the area remained a small fishing village until 1881, when railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington extended the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway to the port and established a major shipyard, sparking rapid growth. Incorporated in 1896, the city later merged with Warwick County in 1958 to reach its current size. The economy today is heavily tied to military installations like Newport News Shipbuilding and Joint Base Langley–Eustis, along with a thriving boating industry and marine terminals on the James River. The city’s intriguing name—the oldest English place name in the Americas—is believed to derive from Captain Christopher Newport’s “good news” that rescue ships arrived after the Jamestown Starving Time, or from an old term meaning “new town.” Connected to the Hampton Roads region by Interstate 64 and bridge-tunnels, Newport News also hosts part of the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.