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The Tri-Cities of Virginia (also known as the Tri-City area or the Appomatox Basin) is an area in the Greater Richmond Region which includes the three independent cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights, and Hopewell. Also included are portions of the adjoining counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, and Prince George in south-central Virginia. Other uinincorporated communities located in the Tri-Cities are include Ettrick, Fort Lee, and City Point, the latter formerly a historic incorporated town which was annexed to become part of the City of Hopewell. The Tri-Cities area is centered on the Appomattox River about 25 miles south of Richmond. The Appomattox has its confluence with the James River near historic City Point in Hopewell. Economic diversity is typical of the entire Richmond-Petersburg region, and helps to insulate it from hardship due to economic fluctuation in particular sectors of the economy. The region's central location also allows it to benefit from growth in other regions of Virginia and the state as a whole.
EDUCATION:
* K-12
- Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts and Technology
- Chesterfield Public Schools
- Petersburg Public Schools
- Prince George Public Schools
- Dinwiddie Public Schools
- Colonial Heights Public Schools
* Colleges and Universities
- Richard Bland College (Petersburg)
- Virginia State University (Ettrick)
- John Tyler Community College (Chester)
- Army Logistics Management College (Fort Lee)
HOSPITALS / MEDICAL FACILITIES:
- John Randolph Medical Center (a HCA Hospital) (Hopewell)
- Southside Regional Medical Center (Petersburg)
- HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Petersburg (Petersburg)
- Hiram Davis Medical Center (Acute Care) (Petersburg)
- Poplar Springs Hospital (psychiatric facility) (Petersburg)
- Central State Hospital (psychiatric facility) (Dinwiddie)
TRANSPORTATION:
-Interstate 95 is the major north-south highway. Interstate 85 and Interstate 295 also pass through, as does U.S. Route 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway), U.S. Route 301, State Route 144 (Temple Ave.). Major east-west highways are U.S. Route 460, State Route 10, and State Route 36
-Major river crossings include the Martin Luther King Memorial Bridge and twin Charles Hardaway Marks Bridges across the Appomattox River, and the Varina-Enon Bridge and the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge across the James River.
-Amtrak passenger railroad service is provided with a station at Ettrick, an unicorporated town in Chesterfield County adjacent to both Petersburg and Colonial Heights. Freight railroad service is provided by both CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Corporation.
-Bus Transportation is provided by the Petersburg Area Transit. There are nine routes serving parts of Petersburg, Ettrick, Colonial Heights (Southpark Mall Area), Fort Lee, and Prince George County that all have their intersection in Old Town. PAT and GRTC together provide express bus service between Richmond and Petersburg, with some express stopping at John Tyler Community College in Chester.
SOUTHPARK MALL:
Southpark Mall is a large regional shopping mall in the tri-cities area. Built in 1988 at the intersection of State Route 144 (Temple Ave.) and Interstate 95, the mall complex has expanded significantly to include many big box retailers. While the mall itself is located in Colonial Heights, Virginia, other development has increased throughout the tri-cities.
FORT LEE:
Fort Lee is a United States Army post and headquarters of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM), U.S. Army Quartermaster Center and School (QMCS), the Army Logistics Management College (ALMC) and the U.S. Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). A United State Army Foreces Command (FORSCOM) unit, the 49th Quartermaster Group (Petroleum and Water), is stationed here. Fort Lee also hosts two Army museums, the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum and the U.S. Army Women's Museum. The fort is named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Military personnel make up a significant presence in the tri-cities area.
FEDERAL PRISONS:
The Tri-cities also is home to a federal prison complex called the Petersburg Federal Correctional Complex. It consists of medium and low security Federal Correctional Institutions known respectively as FCI Petersburg Medium and FCI Petersburg Low. Despite its name, the address of the Petersburg Federal Correctional Complex is actually in Prince George County. In addition, there is a United States Probation Office near FCI - Petersburg, in Colonial Heights, Virginia and the two agencies enjoy a supportive relationship.
CIVIL WAR HISTORY:
Many sites in the tri-cities aea have names reflecting the region's role in the American Civil War. A major logistics base for the Union Army was located at City Point and the City Point Railroad that enabled the siege of Petersburg is still in operation today. The history of the Battle of the Crater can be viewed in Petersburg National Battlefield Park and is commemorated in nearby "Crater Road" and the Fort Lee entry "Mahone Gate" gate named after Brigadier General William Mahone, the hero of the Battle of the Crater during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. Fort Lee itself is named after Confederate Civil War hero Robert E. Lee..
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