why is the second city named as such?
The source of the name "Newport News" is not known
Newport News, Virginia
The source of the name "Newport News" is not known with certainty, though it is the oldest English city name in the Americas. Several versions are recorded, and it is the subject of popular speculation locally. 
how far is richmond va from newport news va UNANSWERABLE
wiki:8314646
Newport News, Virginia [SEP] Etymology
The original area near the mouth of the James River was first referred to as "Newportes Newes" as early as 1621. The source of the name "Newport News" is not known with certainty, though it is the oldest English city name in the Americas. Several versions are recorded, and it is the subject of popular speculation locally. Probably the best-known explanation holds that when an early group of Jamestown colonists left to return to England after the Starving Time during the winter of 1609–1610 aboard a ship of Captain Christopher Newport, they encountered another fleet of supply ships under the new Governor Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr in the James River off Mulberry Island with reinforcements of men and supplies.