Port Royal, VA

Port Royal is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The 2020 census counted 196 residents. Port Royal was established in the mid-17th century in the Colony of Virginia primarily as a port at the head of the navigable reach of the Rappahannock River for export of tobacco, Virginia's cash crop. The town developed along an early stage road, which brought passengers and freight for embarkation on ships at the river. Port Royal makes sense once you see how its past, landscape, and current gathering spots overlap.

The useful thing to know about Port Royal is that its older landmarks and current settings belong to one connected place. Port Royal is near the crossroads of the busy modern highways of U.S. Route 17 and U.S. Route 301. Port Royal is one of the area's oldest colonial settlements. Port Royal was first established in 1652 by English colonists as a port at the head of sea-going navigation on the Rappahannock River.