Driver is a neighborhood in the

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

of Suffolk,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is located at the junction of State Route 337, State Route 125, and State Route 627. Originally named Persimmon Orchard, Driver was once located on the now-abandoned

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

's line in the former

Nansemond County Nansemond is an extinct jurisdiction that was located south of the James River in Virginia Colony and in the Commonwealth of Virginia (after statehood) in the United States, from 1646 until 1974. It was known as Nansemond County until 1972. From ...

between the former town of Suffolk and the

City of Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dense ...

, which was itself was located in the former Norfolk County. Through traffic in Driver formerly used the now closed

Kings Highway Bridge Kings Highway Bridge was located on the Nansemond River in the independent city of Suffolk, Virginia, United States. Built in 1928, it carried traffic on the Kings Highway, also known as State Route 125, for over 75 years. The drawbridge wa ...

to cross the Nansemond River on State Route 125, known as the "Kings Highway." The

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

, opened in 1928, was deemed unsafe and closed to traffic in March 2005 by the

Virginia Department of Transportation The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the agency of the state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. VDOT is headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Building in downtown ...

. In modern times, as the Hampton Roads area has become largely urbanized all around it, it has been said that Driver is a town "suspended in time." Driver is known in Suffolk for its

Driver Variety Store Driver may refer to: Transportion * A person whose occupation is driving ** Chauffeur, a person who drives an automobile as a job ** Motorman (locomotive), an electric vehicle driver ** Bus driver ** Truck driver * SS ''Empire Driver'' or SS ' ...

, which is styled as an old time general store, and its annual

Driver Days Driver may refer to: Transportion * A person whose occupation is driving ** Chauffeur, a person who drives an automobile as a job ** Motorman (locomotive), an electric vehicle driver ** Bus driver ** Truck driver * SS ''Empire Driver'' or SS ' ...

festival.

April 2008 Suffolk tornado

After 4:00 PM EST on April 28, 2008, a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

touched down multiple times causing damage and leaving over 200 injured in Suffolk along a path which passed north and west of the downtown area striking near Sentara Obici Hospital and in Driver. The storm seriously damaged over 120 homes and 12 businesses. The subdivisions of Burnett's Mill and Hillpoint Farms were damaged particularly hard, as well as several of the older historic structures in Driver. However, near Driver, large radio and television broadcast towers located in an

antenna farm Antenna farm or satellite dish farm or just dish farm are terms used to describe an area dedicated to television or radio telecommunications transmitting or receiving antenna equipment, such as C, Ku or Ka band satellite dish antennas, UHF/V ...

serving most of Hampton Roads were spared serious damage. Governor Timothy Kaine declared a state of emergency and directed state agencies to assist the recovery and cleanup efforts.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Driver has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Driver, Virginia
/ref>

References

Suffolk, Virginia communities Neighborhoods in Virginia {{SuffolkVA-geo-stub

April 2008 Suffolk tornado

Climate

See also

References