Best Web Design in Portsmouth, VA (2026)

Web Design for Portsmouth, Virginia

Portsmouth is a historic Elizabeth River port on the west side of Hampton Roads, home to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, the oldest naval shipyard in the United States, founded as Gosport in 1767 and birthplace of the Navy's first battleship and first aircraft carrier. Its Olde Towne district holds one of the largest concentrations of standing period architecture on the Eastern Seaboard. In 2023 the city opened Rivers Casino Portsmouth, the first permanent casino in Virginia history.

AppWT works with Portsmouth, VA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Portsmouth

Also known as. Olde Towne billed as "Virginia's Biggest Little Historic Seaport". Home of the oldest U.S. naval shipyard. Part of Hampton Roads / the Seven Cities.

History. In 1620 shipbuilder John Wood identified the site as suitable for shipbuilding. Established as a town in 1752 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly; founded by Colonel William Crawford and named for Portsmouth, England. Andrew Sprowle founded the Gosport Shipyard adjacent to the town in 1767. British forces sacked Portsmouth during the Revolutionary War in 1779. A yellow fever epidemic in 1855 killed roughly one-third of the area's residents. Incorporated as an independent city in 1858; during the Civil War the ironclad CSS Virginia was rebuilt at the shipyard before the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads. During and after WWI the Cradock, Truxtun, and Port Norfolk neighborhoods were built to house the influx of shipyard workers.

Local economy. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, the oldest shipyard in the U.S. Navy, is the anchor employer and produced the USS Texas (first commissioned U.S. battleship) and USS Langley (first U.S. aircraft carrier). Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is the Navy's oldest continuously operating hospital, dating to 1830. The APM/Maersk container terminal opened in 2007, supporting port and logistics jobs. Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened in 2023 as Virginia's first permanent casino. Historic industries include chemicals, fertilizers, plastics, and railroad equipment.

Culture and community. The Umoja Festival, held over Memorial Day weekend, is one of the oldest festivals celebrating African-American culture in the United States ("Umoja" means unity in Kiswahili). The Seawall Music Festival has run for over 40 years alongside Norfolk's Harborfest, and the Seawall Art Show is a decades-old juried show. The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an NBA pre-draft college basketball showcase, has been held since 1953. The Commodore Theatre (opened 1945) offers a restored art-deco dinner-and-a-movie experience. Notable figures include State Senator Louise Lucas, U.S. Representative Bobby Scott, and James W. Holley III, the city's first African-American mayor.

What makes Portsmouth distinct. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard is located entirely within Portsmouth, not Norfolk; it kept the Norfolk name to avoid confusion with the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. The WWI-era Truxtun neighborhood was the first federal wartime housing project built exclusively for African-American residents. The Marquis de Lafayette took tea at the Hill House during his 1824 visit. Six designated historic districts sit within the city: Cradock, Downtown, Olde Towne, Park View, Port Norfolk, and Truxtun.

Portsmouth Landmarks and Local Life

• Olde Towne Portsmouth - with one of the largest collections of period architecture on the Eastern Seaboard
• The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and the Lightship Portsmouth (built 1915 - a National Historic Landmark)
• The Children's Museum of Virginia - the largest of its kind in the Commonwealth
• The Commodore Theatre (1945) and the Hill House - an 1825 English-basement home
• Emanuel AME Church (1857) - a former Underground Railroad station
• The Elizabeth River seawall and the paddlewheel ferry to Norfolk; Rivers Casino Portsmouth.