The Nansemond River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

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 ...

in the United States. Virginian colonists named the river for the Nansemond tribe of Native Americans, who had long inhabited the area. They continue as a

federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

in Virginia. The river begins at the outlet of Lake Meade north of downtown

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, which had historically marked the northern boundary of the city. The Nansemond River Light once signaled the river's confluence with the James. The Nansemond River Bridge, once a toll bridge and part of

U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, wit ...

, crosses the river near its mouth. Two other bridges cross the river, one from downtown Suffolk and one on Route 58. The

Nansemond National Wildlife Refuge The Nansemond National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located along the Nansemond River in Suffolk, Virginia. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as a satellite of Great Dismal Swamp Na ...

is located along the river.

References

Tributaries of the James River Rivers of Virginia Rivers of Suffolk, Virginia {{Virginia-river-stub

See also

References