Native Americans lived off the bountiful land in Suffolk. Back in 1609, the Nansemond Indians drove out Captain John Smith, who was interested in the oyster beds in the Nansemond River. This river, the commerce it helped create, and the English settlers who recognized the opportunity they would have here, gave birth in 1742 to the Town of Suffolk, named after Governor William Gooch's home of Suffolk County, England. Burned by the British in 1779 and damaged by other fires throughout the next century, Suffolk survived to become a city in 1910. In 1974, it became the present City of Suffolk, consolidating with the towns of Holland and Whaleyville, and the County of Nansemond. The end result was a new municipality encompassing a total of 430 square miles, making it the largest city in land area in Virginia and the 11th largest in the country. In 1912, an Italian immigrant named Amedeo Obici moved from Pennsylvania to Suffolk and opened Planters Nut and Chocolate Company. Today, Suffolk remains a major peanut processing center and transportation hub.