York River (Virginia)

Coordinates: 37°14′52″N 76°22′57″W / 37.24778°N 76.38250°W / 37.24778; -76.38250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
York River
York River at Yorktown, ca. 1903
York River drainage basin
EtymologyYork
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationWest Point, Virginia
 • coordinates[1]
Mouth 
 • location
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia
Length34 mi (55 km)
Discharge 
 • locationHanover, Virginia[2]
 • average1,085 cu ft/s (30.7 m3/s)[3]

The York River is a navigable

coastal plain of Virginia north and east of Richmond
.

Its banks were inhabited by

indigenous peoples for thousands of years. In 2003 evidence was found of the likely site of Werowocomoco, one of two capitals used by the paramount chief Powhatan before 1609. The site was inhabited since 1200 as a major village. Enormously important in later U.S. history, the river was also the scene of early settlements of the Virginia Colony. It was the site of significant events and battles in both the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War
.

Description

The confluence of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers in West Point, the site which marks the beginning of the York River

The York River is formed at

U.S. Highway 17 crosses the estuary from Yorktown to Gloucester Point on the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge
.

History

The York River was formerly known as the Pamunkey River by the

College of William and Mary
, the Virginia Department of Natural History and representatives of Virginia descendant tribes of the Powhatan.

The banks of the York near Yorktown

The

Peninsular Campaign
of 1862.

U.S. Navy. Large areas of preserved wetlands and forest are considered ecologically important to migratory waterfowl. The National Park Service's Colonial Parkway provides a route through a portion of this natural area between Williamsburg and Yorktown
.

Crossing

The George P. Coleman Bridge

The only vehicular crossing of the York River is the

U.S. Highway 17 between Yorktown and Gloucester Point. The toll bridge, which was rebuilt and expanded in the mid-1990s, collects a $2 toll for automobile traffic; the fee is collected only from northbound drivers. The bridge has been one of the sites of a special program to establish and encourage nesting locations for the peregrine falcon
population of Virginia.

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: York River
  2. ^ USGS data Archived 2013-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2010-10-29
  3. ^ USGS data Archived 2013-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2010-10-29
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 1, 2011
  5. ^ John Noble Wilford, "Virginia Site Is Considered Possible Home Of Pocahontas" Archived 2016-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, New York Times, 7 May 2003, accessed 22 Aug 2009

External links

37°14′52″N 76°22′57″W / 37.24778°N 76.38250°W / 37.24778; -76.38250