Portsmouth, Virginia. Tweet. Introduction to Portsmouth, Virginia. Portsmouth is a city in southeastern Virginia situated on the Elizabeth River. The city is located less than three miles from the city of Norfolk.In fact the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, one of the Navy's premiere shipbuilding facilities, is actually located in Portsmouth.ntil 1963 Portsmouth had served as the county seat of Norfolk County but in that year the County consolidated with the City of South Norfolk to form the new City of Chesapeake.