The Nansemond River is a 19.8 miles (31.9 km) tributary of the James River

James River (Virginia)

The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. The Nansemond River Bridge

Nansemond River Bridge

The Nansemond River Bridge, officially the Mills E. Godwin Bridge, is located in the independent city of Suffolk, Virginia and carries U.S. Route 17 across the Nansemond River....

 (U.S. Route 17) crosses the river near its mouth. Both it and the former State Route 125 bridge, demolished in 2008, were once toll bridge

Toll bridge

A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...

s. The river begins at the outlet of Lake Meade north of downtown Suffolk

Suffolk, Virginia

Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...

. It once was the northern boundary of the city.

The Nansemond River Light once marked the river's confluence with the James.

There are two other bridges which cross this river, Route 58

U.S. Route 58

U.S. Route 58 is an east–west U.S. Highway that runs for from U.S. Route 25E just northwest of Harrogate, Tennessee to U.S. Route 60 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Until 1996, when the Cumberland Gap Tunnel opened, US 58 ran only inside the commonwealth of Virginia...

 (near Wilroy Road) and a bridge in downtown Suffolk.

One of the three high schools in Suffolk is named Nansemond River High School

Nansemond River High School

Nansemond River High School is a public secondary school in Suffolk, Virginia. It opened in September 1990 and originally consisted of students from three of the four former high schools of Suffolk, VA, John F. Kennedy High School, John Yeates High School, and Suffolk High School. Nansemond River...

after the river.