Southeast Newport News

History and Location

Newport News, also known as East End, got its name before it grew into the modern city we know today. Early records from the 1600s show the place name “Newportes Newes” near the mouth of the James River, soon after Jamestown was founded. Many of the locals say the name comes from Captain Christopher Newport bringing “good news” of supplies to struggling colonists, hence “Newportes Newes” which was later shortened to Newport News. Others note that maps and company papers from the era show similar spellings tied to early English and Irish place names. Either way, the name appears in the 1610s-1620s, long before major development happened here.

For a long time after that, Newport News was mostly a place on the map and a small riverside community. Its big growth came much later, in the late 1800s. Industrialist Collis P. Huntington extended the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway down the Peninsula to a deep-water coal pier on Hampton Roads. He then founded a shipyard in 1886, which became Newport News Shipbuilding. The rail line, the coal trade, and then the shipyard created jobs, drew people, and turned the quiet point into a busy city.

In wartime, the port became nationally important. The U.S army used Newport News as a Port of Embarkation in World War I and then reactivated the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation in June 1942 for World War II. Nearby Camp Patrick Henry served as a massive troop-staging area tied to the port’s piers. By the end of the war, well over a million service members had passed through the system on their way overseas, and the city’s population and industry surged to meet the demand.

The City Development Shift of Newport News

The move of the heart of the city from Southeast Newport News to Central Newport News is largely due to industrialization and the consolidation with the city of Warwick in 1958. Southeast Newport lost lots of its development as suburban development began to grow up north, which led to urban development in what is now known as. The consolidation of the city of Newport News and Warwick into one city (taking the name Newport News) allowed the city to have a great amount of urban development. The former Warwick area became a place for new suburban neighborhoods and shopping centers to be created.

Leadership

Mayors: Mayors are elected by the residents living in the city. They serve for four years during their term.

Jessie Rattley: She was not only the first female mayor in Newport News, Virginia in 1986-1990, but also the first black mayor of the city. Before becoming mayor, she worked as an educator. She founded the Peninsula Business college. This would become a place where hundreds of black Virginians would get trained and would be able to secure jobs afterwards.

Bobby Scott: Since 1993, Bobby Scott has served this district. He has worked with President Biden to draft the education provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act, fought for comprehensive, evidence-based criminal justice reform, led passage of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act, authored legislation to create an Interagency Regional Coordinator for Resilience for Defense communities like Hampton Roads, and accomplished so much more that can be read about here. Although he did not take direct action on the coal-dust issue in downtown Newport News, Scott has engaged with coal-adjacent policy at the federal level. He has supported efforts to strengthen the Black Lung Benefits program and backed rulemaking intended to increase protections for miners exposed to silica and coal dust. He has also introduced and supported mine-safety legislation focused on improving conditions for workers and advocated for stricter federal standards on power-plant pollution.He did not take any direct action towards the coal issue in downtown Newport News.

Mckinley L. Price: Prior to Jones’ office Mckinley L. Price served as mayor from July 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022. His focus was on dentistry and public health. While in office he sought to address three health concerns in Newport News… asthma, diabetes and obesity. He worked to do this by advocating for improvement in environment and housing conditions and encouraging more physical education, team sports and outdoor activities. While mayor he was also a dentist and is still practicing today. Newport News is part of the 3rd Congressional District of Virginia.

Philip Jones: The City of Newport News has been under mayorship of Phillip Jones since January 1, 2023. During his time in office he has continuously advocated for environmental justice action to address air quality issues in Southeast Newport News. The mayor was appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Local Government Advisory Committee in January of 2025. With this new position he has committed himself to bringing attention and effective policies to address the coal dust issues in the local area. Moreover, Jones announced that Newport News was selected by Bloomberg Philanthropies as one of 25 U.S. cities to join Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities. This program provides three full-time individuals to focus on coal dust, flood mitigation and project management when it comes to applying for grants. It has led to a grant application for a coal fence feasibility study.

Documents

Mansyur, Carol Leler, et al. “Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Identify Environmental Justice Issues in an Inner-City Community and Inform Urban Planning.” Family and Community Health, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 169–77. 2016.