Martinsville, Virginia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Martinsville is an independent city located within the confines of Henry County, Virginia. The population was 15,416 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henry CountyGR6. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry county for statistical purposes. Martinsville is home to the paper clip-shaped Martinsville Speedway, the shortest track in NASCAR stock car racing (0.526 mi) and also one of the first paved "superspeedways", being built in 1947.
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[edit] Geography
Martinsville is located at (36.686143, -79.869171)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.5 km² (11.0 mi²). 28.4 km² (11.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.45%) is water. The north side of the city has the highest average elevation. The east side elevation slopes gradually down to the Smith River on the south side. The west side is quite hilly, full of ups and downs.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 15,416 people, 6,498 households, and 4,022 families residing in the city. The population density was 543.1/km² (1,407.1/mi²). There were 7,249 housing units at an average density of 255.4/km² (661.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.38% White, 42.55% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population. Recently the U.S. census has added Martinsville and Henty County as a micropolition area which includes over 79,000 people. Martinsville & Henry County is a part of the Greater Southside Area which includes the city of Danville & Pittsylvania County and the Town of South Boston and Halifax County. The city of Danville has a population of 49,000 and Pittsylvania County has a population of over 55,000 people.
There were 6,498 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,441, and the median income for a family was $35,321. Males had a median income of $28,530 versus $21,367 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,251. About 14.0% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
Martinsville was founded by American Revolutionary War General Joseph Martin, who had an estate called Scuffle Hill on the Smith River, on the present-day southern city limits. The city's main industry for a century was furniture construction, and today Virginia furniture makers still reside in the region. Shortly after World War II, DuPont built a chemical manufacturing plant. The booming chemical industry led to Martinsville declaring itself an independent city in 1928, while still retaining its status as county seat.
Like many towns across the South, Martinsville suffered its share of racism. In 1949, seven young black men -- the Martinsville Seven -- were accused, arrested, and sentenced to death for raping a white woman, although the death penalty had never been imposed for rape before. The men were convicted by all-male, all-white juries, and no trial lasted longer than a day. The men were executed in Richmond in February 1951. [1]
DuPont later built a large manufacturing plant for producing nylon, a vital war material, which made the city a target for strategic bombing during the Cold War. This nylon production jump-started the growth of the textiles industry in the area. For several years Martinsville was known as the "Sweatshirt Capital of the World." In the early 1990's, changing global economic conditions and new trade treaties made Martinsville textiles and furniture manufacturing economically unsustainable. Many firms closed shop and laid off thousands of workers. Currently, the city is repositioning itself long-term as a center for technology development and manufacturing. Due to the local government's inability to fund certain services, in the near future the city of Martinsville may decide to legally convert into the town of Martinsville.
Recently, MZM, inc. opened a facility in Martinsville as part of the Cunningham Scandal. Illegal contributions were made to US Representative Virgil Goode's campaign for the purpose of securing government funding to open the facility.
Martinsville High School is a mid-sized school with about 900 students. The school's varsity men's Virginia AA High School basketball team won its most recent state championship in March 2006, making Martinsville High School the only high school in the Commonwealth of Virginia to win 13 state titles, more than any other school in that division and state. The Martinsville City Public Schools system has 1 high school, 1 intermediate school, and 2 elementary schools.
[edit] External links
- City of Martinsville
- Old Photos
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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