Straddling the entire west side (25 miles) of the Virginia Peninsula, Newport News is a city of 69.2 square miles and 180,150 citizens (VA's 5th largest city). The city was founded in 1896 and merged with the former Warwick County in 1956 to take on its present form. Named for Christopher Newport, captain of the Susan Constant, Newport News is full of American history from its dawning moments in the early 1600's to today's modern high-tech economy. The city is located at the corner of James River and Hampton Roads Harbor and along Interstate 64.