Indigenous Americans settled in present-day Hampton before 10,000 BCE. In the early 1600s, theTidewater region was populated by thePowhatan peoples who called the landsTsenacommacah. The Powhatan Chiefdom was made up of over 30 tribes numbering an estimated 25,000 people before the arrival of English colonists.[9][10][11]
In December 1606, three ships carrying men and boys left England on a mission sponsored by a proprietary company. Led by CaptainChristopher Newport, they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to North America. After a long voyage, they first landed at the entrance to theChesapeake Bay on the south shore at a place they namedCape Henry (forHenry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the elder son of their king).
During the first few days of exploration, they identified the site ofOld Point Comfort (which they originally named "Point Comfort") as a strategic defensive location at the entrance to the body of water that became known asHampton Roads. This is formed by theconfluence of theElizabeth,Nansemond, andJames rivers. The latter is the longest river in Virginia.
Weeks later, on May 14, 1607, they established the first permanent English settlement in the present-day United States about 25 miles (40 km) further inland from the Bay which became the site of fortifications during the following 200 years.
In the latter part of August 1619, theWhite Lion, aprivateer captained by John Colyn Jope and sailing under a Dutchletter of marque, deliveredapproximately 20 enslaved Africans, from the present-day region ofAngola toPoint Comfort. They had been removed by its crew from a Portugueseslave ship, the "São João Bautista". These were the first recorded slaves from Africa in theThirteen Colonies.[13][14]John Rolfe, the widower ofPocahontas, wrote in a letter that he was at Point Comfort and witnessed the arrival of the first Africans. TheBantu from Angola were consideredindentured servants, but in effect, were to be slaves. Two of the first Africans to arrive were Anthony and Isabella. Their child, the first of African descent born in North America, was born baptized January 1624.[citation needed]
In 1813, the fort was captured again by the British as part of theWar of 1812.[16] Shortly after the war ended, the US Army built a more substantial stone facility at Old Point Comfort. It was calledFort Monroe in honor of PresidentJames Monroe. The new installation and adjacent Fort Calhoun (on a man-made island across the channel) were completed in 1834. Fort Monroe is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States.[17]
Fort Monroe, Hampton and the surrounding area played several important roles during theAmerican Civil War (1861–1865). Although most of Virginia became part of theConfederate States of America, Fort Monroe remained inUnion hands. It became notable as a historic and symbolic site of early freedom for formerslaves under the provisions ofcontraband policies and later theEmancipation Proclamation. After the War, former Confederate President,Jefferson Davis was imprisoned in the area now known as the Casemate Museum on the base.
The ruins of Hampton in 1862
To the northwest of Fort Monroe, the Town of Hampton had the misfortune to be attacked during theAmerican Revolutionary War and burned down during the War of 1812 and theAmerican Civil War. From the ruins of Hampton left by evacuating Confederates in 1861,"Contraband" slaves (formerly owned by Confederates and under a degree of Union protection) built theGrand Contraband Camp, the first self-contained African American community in the United States. A number of modern-day Hampton streets retain their names from that community. The large number of contraband slaves who sought the refuge of Fort Monroe and the Grand Contraband Camp led to educational efforts which eventually included establishment ofHampton University, site of the famousEmancipation Oak.
The original site of the Native American's Kecoughtan Settlement was near the present site of aHampton Roads Transit facility.[18] To the south of present-day Hampton, a small unrelatedincorporated town also named Kecoughtan many years later and also located in Elizabeth City County was annexed by thecity of Newport News in 1927. It is now part of that city'sEast End.
Hampton was incorporated as a city in 1849.[1] On March 30, 1908, Hampton was separated from Elizabeth City County and became an independent city.[19] However, it remained thecounty seat and continued to share many services with the county. On July 1, 1952, following approval of voters of each locality by referendum, the city of Hampton, theincorporated town ofPhoebus and Elizabeth City County merged into the independent city of Hampton.[19] It was the first of a series of political consolidations in theHampton Roads region during the third quarter of the 20th century.
Hampton has a rich and extensive 20th-century military history – home of Langley Air Force Base, the nation's first military installation dedicated solely to air power and the home of the U.S. Air Force's 633rd Air Base Wing and 1st and 192nd Fighter Wings. Hampton has been a center of military aviation training, research and development for nearly a hundred years, from early prop planes and Zeppelins to rocket parts and advanced fighters. Its proximity to Norfolk means that Hampton has long been home to many Navy families. Together, many Air Force and Navy families in the Hampton area experienced significant losses in war and peacetime due to family members in combat and peacetime military accidents.
Fort Monroe was an active army base until its decommissioning on September 15, 2011.[20] Shortly after, the fort was named a National Monument by President Barack Obama, on November 1.[21]
In particular, during the Vietnam War, Langley Air Force Base was a designated 'waiting base' and thousands of Air Force families were transferred to Hampton from all over the world to wait while their husbands and fathers served in Vietnam. Thousands of Navy families associated with Naval bases in Norfolk next door also waited in Hampton during this era. Vietnam was a very high casualty war for Air Force and Navy pilots (some types of planes experienced a 50% casualty rate), and Naval "river rats" who fought on the rivers of the Mekong Delta experienced high casualties as well. There accumulated over time, in the Hampton area, a high concentration of families of unaccounted for wartime casualties.[22] In many cases Hampton-stationed military families of "Missing in Action" or "Prisoner of War" pilots and sailors spent many years in the area waiting to find out what had happened to their missing or captured airmen and sailors.[22][23]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 136 square miles (350 km2), of which 51 square miles (130 km2) is land and 85 square miles (220 km2) (62.3%) is water.[24]
Hampton has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa)[25] characteristic of the Southeast United States. The weather in Hampton is temperate and seasonal with hot and humid summers and mild winters. The mean annual temperature is 60.2 °F (15.7 °C), with an average annual snowfall of 6 in (150 mm) and an average annual rainfall of 47 in (1,200 mm). The wettest month by average rainfall is August with an average of 2.4 inches of rain falling on 11–12 days, although in March it typically rains on more days with 2.3 inches of rain falling in 12 to 13 days. The hottest day on record was August 1, 1980, when the temperature hit 105.1 °F (40.6 °C). The lowest recorded temperature of −2.7 °F (−19.3 °C) was recorded on January 21, 1985.[26]
Hampton city, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the census[38] of 2010, there were 137,436 people, 53,887 households, and 35,888 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,828.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,091.9/km2). There were 57,311 housing units at an average density of 1,106.8 units per square mile (427.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 49.6%Black orAfrican American, 42.7%White, 2.2%Asian, 0.4%Native American, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 1.3% fromother races, and 3.7% from two or more races. 4.5% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 53,887 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02.
The age distribution is 24.2% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
Population update: estimated population in July 2002: 145,921 (-0.4% change)Males: 72,579 (49.6%), Females: 73,858 (50.4%)
The Census estimate for 2005 shows that the city's population was down slightly to more, 145,579.[39]
The median income for a household in the city was $39,532, and the median income for a family was $46,110. Males had a median income of $31,666 versus $24,578 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,774. About 8.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Hampton is home to several arts venues and museums dedicated to Hampton's rich history. Notable venues in the city include The American Theatre, the Casemate Museum, the Charles Taylor Visual Arts Center, the Hampton History Museum, theHampton University Museum, the Performing & Creative Arts Center, and theVirginia Air & Space Center.
TheHampton Coliseum, a multi-purpose arena built in 1968, serves as a major venue for entertainment acts such asMonster Jam andWWE wrestling, musical concerts from artists such asBruce Springsteen,The Rolling Stones,The Grateful Dead andPhish and various regional sports games from the area. The arena has a seating capacity of 9,800 to 13,800 depending on configuration.[40]
The city is served by the Hampton Public Library. The system began in 1926 as the first free county library in Virginia.[41] Today, the main library includes the main library and three branches.
High school sports (especially football & basketball) play a large role in the city's sports culture. Sporting stars such asAllen Iverson,Francena McCoroy, andT'erea Brown are from Hampton. The city's stadium, Darling Stadium, serves as the high school football stadium with games usually spread over Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The stadium also hosts various track-and-field events.[57]
The city uses acouncil-manager government, with Jimmy Gray serving as mayor, Mary Bunting serving as thecity manager, and six council members serving as representatives to the districts in the city.[59]
As of 2025[update], the Hampton City Council consisted of:
The main provider of public primary and secondary education isHampton City Public Schools. There are four high schools –Kecoughtan,Bethel,Phoebus, andHampton – eighteen K-5 elementary schools, two PK-8 schools, five middle schools, one early childhood center, and one gifted center in the city.[60]
In the Hampton Roads region, water crossings are a major issue for land-based transportation. The city is fortunate to have a good network of local streets and bridges to cross the various rivers and creeks. Many smaller bridges, especially those alongMercury Boulevard, were named to honor the original NASA astronauts, who had trained extensively at NASA's Langley facilities.
The city is located contiguously to the neighboring independent cities of both Newport News and Poquoson. Many roads and streets are available to travel between them. Likewise, Williamsburg, Yorktown and the counties of James City and York are also located nearby in the Peninsula sub-region, and many roads lead to them.
Hampton is also served by several major primary and secondary highways. These notably include U.S. Routes17,60 and258, and Virginia State Routes134 and143.
The Hampton Transit Center, located close to the downtown area at the intersection of West Pembroke Avenue and King Street, offers a hub for local and intercity public transportation. It hosts HRT buses, Greyhound/Trailways services and taxicabs.
Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) is the local provider of transit service within the city, as well offering a regional bus system with routes to and from seven other cities inHampton Roads.[75]
Intercity bus service is provided byGreyhound Lines and its Carolina Trailways affiliate. The buses serve the Hampton Transit Center. Low cost curbside intercity bus service is also provided byMegabus, with service to Richmond, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia.
Hampton is served by severalAmtrak trains a day, with direct service fromNewport News station in nearbyNewport News (onWarwick Boulevard just west of Mercury Boulevard) through Williamsburg andRichmond to points along theNortheast Corridor from Washington DC through Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City all the way to Boston. At Richmond, connections can be made for other Amtrak destinations nationwide.
The primary airport for the Virginia Peninsula is the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport in Newport News. Originally known as Patrick Henry Field (hence its airline code letters "PHF"), it was built on the site of Camp Patrick Henry, formerly a World War II facility. It is one of the fastest growing airports in the country, and it reported having served 1,058,839 passengers in 2005. The airport recently added a fourth airline carrier, Frontier Airlines, becoming the first new airline to come to the region in over eight years, despite the economic recession conditions. 2010 was to be the busiest year by passenger count in the airport's history.[76]
The largerNorfolk International Airport (often known locally by its code letters "ORF") also serves the region. The airport is near the Chesapeake Bay, along the city limits betweenNorfolk andVirginia Beach.[77] Seven airlines provide nonstop services to 25 destinations. During 2006, ORF had 3,703,664 passengers take off or land at its facility and 68,778,934 pounds of cargo were processed through its facilities.[78]
James Armistead, America's first African American spy, provided the information to the Continental Army that Cornwallis was headed to Yorktown in 1781. This led to the forced surrender of Cornwallis.[80]
Roy F. Brissenden, World War II pilot, physicist, aeronautical engineer, mechanical engineer, teacher, inventor, project leader at Hampton, Langley Research CenterNACA/NASA
Mary Jackson, engineer and mathematician who contributed to America's aeronautics and space programs
Katherine Johnson, physicist, space scientist, and mathematician who contributed to America's aeronautics and space programs[84]
Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., aeronautical engineer; administrator at Hampton, Langley Research CenterNACA /NASA; flight director of the space program
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Norfolk kept January 1874 to December 1945 at the Weather Bureau Office in downtown, and at Norfolk Int'l since January 1946. For more information, seeThreadex.
^abcJose, Carol,You Are Not Forgotten: A Family's Quest for Truth and the Founding of the National League of Families, New York Vandamere Press; first edition (September 1, 2008). (US), 2008.ISBN0-918339-71-5,ISBN978-0-918339-71-3.
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