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A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Welcome to Portsmouth ...

When the people of Portsmouth refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Portsmouthite<1>

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Portsmouth has a population of 94,582 people<2> (see below for details).

The coastal city of Portsmouth is near sea level<3>.

Time Zone: Portsmouth lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Portsmouth: 757 & 948<4>

The ZIP codes for Portsmouth: 23701-23709<5>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Portsmouth had an population of 94,582 people. This is a decrease of 1% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 5.95% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Portsmouth had a population of 95,535 people.

The population of Portsmouth represents 1.19% of the total population of Virginia (which has 8,001,024 people), making it the state's 10th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 95,535 people, the population of Portsmouth decreased 5% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 100,565 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Portsmouth.

Communities Also Named Portsmouth ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Virginia communities named Portsmouth: This one is located in and the other is located in Norfolk City.

Beyond Virginia, there are 9 communities that are also named Portsmouth - they are located in Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario and Rhode Island.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Portsmouth.

Websites for Portsmouth ...

Official Website: www.ci.portsmouth.va.us/

Communities near Portsmouth ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Portsmouth.

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Portsmouth. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Portsmouth.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Portsmouth. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Portsmouth.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Portsmouth. Our list includes 40 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Portsmouth.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Portsmouth ...

Looking for more information about Portsmouth? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Portsmouth, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Portsmouth.

Adding Portsmouth to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Portsmouth in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found (so far) for Portsmouth was in the book titled SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America - Appalachia & Piedmont.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Portsmouth.

Footnotes ...

<1>A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Portsmouth refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Portsmouth may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different.
<2>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Portsmouth.
<3>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Portsmouth - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<4>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 757 code has been Overlayed with the 948 area code. New phone numbers in the Portsmouth area will be assigned with one of these codes: 757 or 948. As a result, placing a call in the Portsmouth area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<5>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Portsmouth). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Portsmouth or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Our list of ZIP Codes for Portsmouth includes: 23701, 23702, 23703, 23704, 23705, 23706, 23707, 23708 & 23709.
<6>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.