New Bern, city, seat of Craven County, eastern North Carolina, a port at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers, near Pamlico Sound; incorporated 1723. It is a commercial, manufacturing, and distribution center situated in an agricultural and summer-resort area. A U.S. Marine Corps air base is nearby. New Bern is the site of Tryon Palace (1767-1770; restored 1950s), a colonial capitol of North Carolina; the New Bern Firemen's Museum; and New Bern National Cemetery. The community, settled in 1710, is named for Bern, Switzerland. In 1774-1775 it was the site of provincial conventions that voiced opposition to the British. During the American Civil War, New Bern served as a fortified port for the Confederacy until it was captured by Union troops in 1862. Population 14,557 (1980); 17,363 (1990); 21,464 (1996 estimate).

Newport News, independent city in southeastern Virginia, at the mouth of the James River, on the natural waterway called Hampton Roads. With the cities of Norfolk, Hampton, and Portsmouth, it forms the Port of Hampton Roads, one of the principal commercial ports in the United States. Important industries include shipbuilding and ship repairing, seafood processing, and coal exporting. Office machines, metal items, and electronic equipment, including automotive electronics, are also produced. A particle physics research laboratory of the United States Department of Energy and Fort Eustis, a U.S. Army transportation facility, are nearby. The area is served by the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.

Among the educational institutions in Newport News is Christopher Newport University (1960). Local sites of interest include the Mariners Museum, with a collection of artifacts depicting life at sea; the War Memorial Museum of Virginia, focusing on U.S. military history from 1775 to the present; and the Virginia Living Museum, with zoological and botanical exhibits in natural settings, and a planetarium, aquarium, and aviary. The Victory Arch, erected in 1919 and rebuilt in 1962, honors the many American soldiers who departed from Newport News to fight overseas.

The site of present-day Newport News was settled in about 1611. The settlement was fortified by federal troops during the American Civil War (1861-1865); in March 1862 the battle between the ironclad ships Monitor and Virginia took place offshore in Hampton Roads (see Monitor v. Virginia). Major industrial development did not begin until the early 1880s, when the city became a railroad terminus. The shipbuilding industry started in 1886, and the city now contains one of the world’s leading shipyards. Newport News was incorporated as a city in 1896. In 1958 the city of Warwick was consolidated with Newport News. The first recorded mention of the city’s name dates back to 1626, and probably refers to Captain Christopher Newport sharing news from England with the colonists.

Newport News covers a land area of 176.9 sq km (68.3 sq mi), with a mean elevation of 3 m (11 ft). According to the 1990 census, whites are 62.7 percent of the population, blacks 33.5 percent, Asians and Pacific Islanders 2.3 percent, and Native Americans 0.4 percent. The remainder are of mixed heritage or did not report ethnicity. Hispanics, who may be of any race, are 2.7 percent of the people. Population 144,903 (1980); 170,045 (1990); 176,122 (1996 estimate).

Paducah, city, seat of McCracken County, western Kentucky, a port at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers, in a tobacco- and fruit-growing area; incorporated as a city 1856. Industries in the city include uranium enrichment, book publishing, and the manufacture of transportation equipment, aluminum products, and processed food. Paducah is the location of the Museum of American Quilters. The community, settled in 1821 on lands given in 1795 to the explorer George Rogers Clark, was first known as Pekin and was later renamed for Paduke, a local Chickasaw leader. During the American Civil War the city was occupied by Union forces in 1861 and was unsuccessfully attacked by Confederate troops in 1864. Population 29,315 (1980); 27,256 (1990); 26,601 (1996 estimate).

Panama City (Florida), city, seat of Bay County, northwestern Florida, a deepwater port on Saint Andrew Bay (an arm of the Gulf of Mexico); incorporated 1909. It is a manufacturing and tourist center, known for the production of paper, seafood, and chemicals. A community college is here, and Tyndall Air Force Base and a U.S. Navy coastal systems center are nearby. British Tories settled Saint Andrew, now the western residential end of Panama City, before and during the American Revolution, and it became a base for blockade runners and a salt-producing center during the American Civil War. Panama City itself was platted in 1888 and named by its founders in the hope that it would become a major port serving Panama Canal traffic. In 1909 Panama City was merged with Millville and St. Andrew. Population 33,346 (1980); 34,378 (1990); 35,986 (1996 estimate).

Petersburg, city, in (but administratively independent of) Dinwiddie County, southeastern Virginia, a port on the Appomattox River; incorporated as a city 1850. It is a trade center for tobacco and livestock, and luggage, tobacco products, optical equipment, and clothing are manufactured here. Virginia State University (1882) and Richard Bland College (1960) of the College of William and Mary are here. Historic buildings in the city include Blandford Church (begun 1735), Farmers Bank (1817; now a museum of banking), and the Federal style Centre Hill Mansion (1823; now restored). Nearby is U.S. Fort Lee.

Fort Henry was established on the site of Petersburg in 1645-46. The community later developed around a trading post built (circa 1675) near the fort by Major Peter Jones, for whom the settlement was named, first as Peter's Point and, by the late 18th century, as Petersburg. During the American Revolution the community was captured (1781) by the British. Late in the American Civil War, Petersburg (by then an important manufacturing and transportation center) was the scene (1864-65) of a successful ten-month siege by Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant. The fall of Petersburg to federal troops on April 2, 1865, led directly to the Union capture of Richmond. Many sites of the Petersburg campaign are in Petersburg National Battlefield. Population 41,055 (1980); 38,386 (1990); 38,234 (1996 estimate).

Phenix City, city, seat of Russell County and also in Lee County, eastern Alabama, on the Chattahoochee River, opposite Columbus, Georgia; incorporated 1889. Situated in a farm region in which cotton and soybeans are produced, the city contains industries manufacturing textiles, paper products, and building materials. Troy State University of Phenix City (1975) and a community college are here. Points of interest include the ruins of Fort Mitchell (1813-1837) and Old Russell County Courthouse (1868). One of the last battles of the American Civil War was fought here in April 1865. The community merged with the city of Girard in 1923; it is named for the mythical bird phoenix (or phenix). Population 26,928 (1980); 25,312 (1990); 28,000 (1996 estimate).

Richmond (Kentucky), city, seat of Madison County, central Kentucky; settled 1784, incorporated as a city 1950. It is an agricultural shipping center and has manufactures that include electrical goods, tools, and metal products. Eastern Kentucky University (1906) and a U.S. Army depot are here. Nearby are the mansion of the abolitionist Cassius M. Clay and the reconstruction of a fort built (1775) by the pioneer Daniel Boone. During the American Civil War, Richmond was the scene (August 1862) of a major Confederate victory. The city is named for Richmond, Virginia. Population 21,705 (1980); 21,155 (1990); 26,227 (1996 estimate).

Rocky Mount, city, Nash and Edgecombe counties, northeastern North Carolina, at rocky mounds on the Tar River (hence the city's name); settled before 1734, incorporated as a city 1907. One of the world's largest bright-leaf tobacco markets, it is also a textile-manufacturing hub. The city is the seat of North Carolina Wesleyan College (1956). In 1818, the first textile mill (still in operation) was established here. The community was reached by railroad in 1839. During the American Civil War, the town was partially burned (1863) by Union forces. Population 41,283 (1980); 48,997 (1990).

Rome (Georgia), city, seat of Floyd County, northwestern Georgia, at the point where the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers join to form the Coosa River; incorporated 1847. It is a manufacturing center in which textiles, furniture, paper, electrical equipment, metals, machinery, and foodstuffs are produced. Shorter College (1873) and the State School for the Deaf (1846) are here. Berry College (1902) is in nearby Mount Berry. The community was founded in 1834 on a site which, like Rome, had seven hills (hence its name). It developed as a commercial and industrial center of a cotton-growing area. In 1864 much of the city was burned by Union forces. Population 29,654 (1980); 30,326 (1990); 28,800 (1996 estimate).

Saint Albans (Vermont), city, seat of Franklin County, northwestern Vermont, near Lake Champlain; settled 1774, incorporated 1897. It is a popular resort situated in a region where maple sugar and dairy products are produced. A community college and the St. Albans Historical Museum are here. It was the scene in 1864 of the Saint Albans Raid, the northernmost engagement of the American Civil War, during which some 22 Confederate soldiers entered the community from Canada and robbed several banks. Population 7,308 (1980); 7,339 (1990); 7,370 (1996 estimate).

Salisbury (North Carolina), city, seat of Rowan County, central North Carolina; incorporated 1755. Manufactures include textiles, building materials, aluminum foil, furniture, and dairy products. Catawba College (1851) and Livingstone College (1879) are here. During the American Civil War, Salisbury was the site of a Confederate prison camp in which several thousand Union prisoners died; they are buried in a national cemetery here. The city probably is named for Salisbury, England. Population 22,677 (1980); 23,087 (1990); 23,181 (1996 estimate).

Spotsylvania, formerly Spotsylvania Courthouse, unincorporated community, seat of Spotsylvania County, northeastern Virginia, located between the Po and the Ni rivers. Spotsylvania was the scene of the bloody American Civil War Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, fought in May 1864 between Union forces under the command of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park commemorates this and other battles. Population 2,744 (1990).

Staunton, city, seat of (but administratively independent of) Augusta County, central Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley; incorporated as a city 1871. It is an economic center of an area in which beef cattle, sheep, poultry, apples, and dairy products are produced. Manufactures include processed food, electrical components, medical supplies, clothing, and wood products. Mary Baldwin College (1842) is here. The city's many 19th-century structures include the birthplace of President Woodrow Wilson. The community, settled in 1732, is named for Lady Rebecca Staunton, wife of Governor William Gooch. It was an important Confederate supply base during the American Civil War. In 1908 Staunton became the first U.S. community to adopt the city-manager form of government. Population 21,857 (1980); 24,461 (1990); 24,800 (1996 estimate).

Suffolk (Virginia), independent city, coextensive with former Nansemond County, southeastern Virginia, on the James and Nansemond rivers; settled 1720, incorporated as a city 1910. Productive peanut farms and industries manufacturing processed peanuts and tea, communications equipment, forest products, and farm machinery are here. The merger, in 1974, of the old city of Suffolk and Nansemond County made the present city, with a land area of 1039 sq km (401 sq mi), one of the most extensive in the U.S. Part of Great Dismal Swamp is within the city limits. The community, chartered in 1742, is named for Suffolk, England. During the American Revolution it was burned (1779) by the British, and during the American Civil War it was captured (1862) by Union troops. Population 47,621 (1980); 52,141 (1990); 58,901 (1996 estimate).

Vicksburg, city, seat of Warren County, western Mississippi, mainly situated on bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers; incorporated 1825. It is a major river port and serves as a commercial and manufacturing center for the surrounding cotton, timber, and livestock area. Chief products include construction and transportation equipment; wood, paper, and rubber items; electrical equipment; chemicals; and processed food. Tourism and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station are also important to the city's economic base. Vicksburg is the site of a number of restored antebellum houses, such as Anchuca (1830) and The Galleries (1850), and the Old Court House Museum, featuring displays reflecting the city's southern heritage.

Fort Nogales, built by the Spanish on the site of Vicksburg in 1791, was occupied by U.S. troops in 1798. The first permanent settlement was established here about 1812 by Newitt (or Newet) Vick, a Methodist minister for whom the community is named. During the American Civil War, Vicksburg was the scene (1863) of a 47-day siege by Union troops under General Ulysses S. Grant (see Vicksburg, Campaign of). Grant's capture of Vicksburg marked a turning point in the war. Adjacent to the city is Vicksburg National Military Park, which contains memorials, monuments, and markers and extensive remains of the fortified battle lines of the Union and Confederate armies. Near the park is Vicksburg National Cemetery. Population 25,434 (1980); 20,908 (1990); 27,056 (1996 estimate).