Suffolk is an inependent city located in the South Hampton Roads area of eastern Virginia. Geographically, it is the largest of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, and the largest independent city in land-area in the entire Commonwealth. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 63,677. A more recent 2006 census estimate shows that the city's population has grown to 81,071 . The city was hit by an EF3 tornado which produced a large swath of extensive damage through the city and nearby communities during the late afternoon of Monday 28 April, 2008.