Forty years ago, the map of Virginia changed in a way that probably seemed insignificant to everyone except the people who lived in the city that had been created by the change.

The merger of the tiny city of Suffolk with the city of Nansemond — a short-lived designation of the political boundaries that had formerly described Nansemond County — had been the final result of Nansemond’s effort to avoid the annexation of large, important parts of the former county by neighboring Portsmouth and by Suffolk, which was surrounded by Nansemond County.

Annexation by either of those cities would have crippled Nansemond’s future growth and could have had long-lasting negative effects on its school system, infrastructure development and quality of life. It was a very real threat and one that Nansemond officials had very little ability at the time to fight, except by incorporating the county as a city, which gave it some protection under state law.

That could have been the end of things. Portsmouth was caught off guard by the move and was shut out of its annexation bid. But Suffolk had filed a lawsuit to annex a portion of Nansemond County the day before the new city was incorporated, and a three-judge panel ordered the two cities to negotiate.

The negotiations stretched over the course of much of the next year, with members of both councils hammering out details on issues ranging from utilities to schools. Finally a merger of Suffolk and Nansemond was put to a referendum, and residents of both cities gave it their blessing. On Jan. 1, 1974, the city of Nansemond ceased to be, and the city of Suffolk swelled to become the largest in land mass in the commonwealth of Virginia.

There have been plenty of bumps in the road since then, and even those who were part of the original negotiations have occasionally been disappointed with the way things have turned out. But it seems clear 40 years on that the current city of Suffolk has a strength and vitality that would have been absent from both cities today if they had not merged.

The merger discussion was forced on Nansemond and Suffolk officials by a group of judges, but the foundation of this great city was laid by a group of men more than 40 years ago who set aside their differences, rolled up their sleeves and began to envision what would make this new city a significant place in Hampton Roads.

We all owe them a great debt of gratitude.