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ortsmouth, Virginia. Founded in 1752, this historic seaport community with 85 miles of shoreline is located at the mid- point of the U.S. Atlantic Coast. Portsmouth is part of the Port of Hampton Roads, the world's largest natural harbor and one of the busiest ports in the United States. It is also the home of Mile Marker Zero on the Intracoastal Waterway, which stretches from Maine to Florida.
   The view from Portsmouth's Olde Towne into the Hampton Roads harbor has changed significantly during the past 250 plus years. Passing Spanish galleons have given way to U.S. Navy battleships, aircraft carriers, cargo ships and luxurious cruise ships.
   Portsmouth's working waterfront is the birthplace of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, one of the nation's oldest and largest shipyards, which equipped the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimac) for its history- making battle against the USS Monitor. The Portsmouth Naval Hospital (now known as the U.S. Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth), established in the 1830s, is the Navy's oldest continuously operating medical hospital. Both, still in operation, are important landmarks of the city's past – and its future.
   Looking to the future… this port city is making a name for itself nationally and internationally. The newest import/export gem on the East Coast is under construction on 557 acres of Portsmouth's waterfront. APM Terminals Inc., one of the world's largest operators of container ports, will open a new $500 million state- of- the- art terminal in July 2007. The new terminal, APM Terminals Virginia, Inc. is the single largest private investment in Hampton Roads history and the 8th largest on record in Virginia. This port facility will have a 4,000- foot wharf, 10 new ship- to- shore cranes and on- dock rail tracks to efficiently unload vessels and will be the most technologically advanced terminal in the world.
   APM Terminals Virginia, Inc., along with upcoming port expansions by the Virginia Port Authority, will double the existing cargo capacity of Hampton Roads, making Portsmouth a leading gateway to international shipping.
   This unique combination of a deep- water shipping channel, the Norfolk International Airport, and convenient access to national rail and interstate networks, makes Portsmouth a transportation crossroads.
   Throughout the city, Empowerment, Enterprise, Foreign Trade and HUB zones offer enticing advantages. Foreign Trade Zone No. 20, operated by the Virginia Port Authority, includes PortCentre Commerce Park, a 60- acre office and light industrial park located in downtown.
   Today, Portsmouth has identified the maritime industry as a major part of city- wide, long- term planning initiatives, and city leaders continue to seek out additional maritime related companies to be part of Portsmouth, the port city of the future.