City of Newport News was located in Warwick County, which is now extinct. The origin of the name is uncertain but the phrase "Newportes News" appeared in documents as early as 1619 and probably commemorated Christopher Newport, who made five voyages to Virginia between 1607 and 1619. Newport News was a small settlement until late in the nineteenth century, when it became the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. It was established as a town in 1880 and incorporated as a city by act of the General Assembly in 1896 without ever having been incorporated as a town. Newport News was enlarged by consolidation with the city of Warwick in 1958. Its area is 69.2 square miles.

Recognized as Warwick River County, one of the original shires, in 1634. The name was shortened to Warwick in 1643. County court records were destroyed at several times, with most destruction occurring during the Civil War. The clerk’s office was burned on December 15, 1864. County court minute books and loose records from 1787 to 1819 were destroyed by the fire. Additional records were burned on April 3, 1865, in Richmond, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War.