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Newport News, VA, near Bay Kia in Norfolk, VA
Bay Kia in Norfolk, VA, draws customers from throughout the Hampton Roads metro area, including Newport News, located at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Newport News is the fifth-most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia (more than 180,000 residents), and the third-most populous independent city in the state.
Newport News was once part of Warwick River Shire, one of the eight original shires of the Virginia Colony created by order of England's King Charles I in 1634. These shires were redesignated as counties just a few years later. Newport News became an independent, incorporated city in 1896 - one of the few cities in Virginia to have not been first incorporated as a town. In 1958, what remained of Warwick County (which had since become the city of Warwick) was consolidated into Newport News after both communities passed referendums to reunite the two. Today, Newport News encompasses 119.1 square miles, of which 68.3 square miles are land. As for how Newport News got its unique name, there are multiple theories and no clear consensus on the origin story, though it is known that the original area near the mouth of the James River was referred to as Newportes Newes as early as 1621. |
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Newport News was a rural community dominated by plantations and a small fishing village until after the Civil War. During Reconstruction, California merchant Collis P. Huntington began acquiring land in Warwick County for the development of a southern railroad. He then developed the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, which would for a time become the world's largest shipyard. It was still the largest privately-owned shipyard in the U.S. until its purchase by Northrop Grumman in 2001, and it continues to maintain a dominant position in the American warship construction business. These industries brought many new jobs and workers to the area. It also spurred the creation of Hilton Village, located just northwest of the shipyard, which was one of the first planned communities in the country.
Today, Newport News is a vibrant community that has supported a number of New Urbanism projects as it looks to develop and revitalize the city. The Oyster Point City Center near Port Warwick is the best known of these projects, its 52 acres of retail and office space representing a new downtown area for the city that has attracted further development of condominiums, restaurants, specialty stores, hotels and convention space designed to attract both locals and visitors. |
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| If you are interested in acquiring a new Kia or used vehicle from Bay Kia and want to take a test drive, stop by our showroom at 6970 North Military Highway, Norfolk, VA 23518, or give us a call on our sales line at (888) 711-6164 today! Getting to Bay Kia from Newport News is about a half-hour's drive. Take I-64 E toward Hampton/Norfolk until you reach exit 277B for Tidewater Drive (VA-168 N). Take the ramp onto Tidewater Drive and go 0.2 miles before turning right onto East Little Creek Road (VA-165, VA-170). Drive 0.7 miles before bearing right onto North Military Highway (VA-165 S), then travel about 0.8 miles until you see Bay Kia on your left. We'll see you then. |
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