Christiansburg, Virginia

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Coordinates: 37°8′28″N, 80°24′28″W
Christiansburg, Virginia
Motto: Progressive Small Town Living at its Best
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Montgomery
Incorporated	November 10, 1792
Government
- Mayor	Richard Ballengee
Area
- City	13.9 sq mi (36.1 km²)
- Land	13.9 sq mi (36.1 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	2,133 ft (650 m)
Population (2004)
- City	17,495
- Density	1,217.0/sq mi (470.1/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: http://www.christiansburg.org/

Christiansburg is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,947 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County^GR6. Christiansburg, Blacksburg, and Radford are the three principal municipalities of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses those municipalities and all of Montgomery County for statistical purposes.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Points of interest
5 Further reading
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Christiansburg is located at 37°8′28″N, 80°24′28″W (37.141164, -80.407700)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.1 km² (13.9 mi²). 36.1 km² (13.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.07% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 16,947 people, 7,093 households, and 4,766 families residing in the town. The population density was 470.1/km² (1,217.0/mi²). There were 7,430 housing units at an average density of 206.1/km² (533.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.13% White, 4.83% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.

There were 7,093 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,851, and the median income for a family was $47,428. Males had a median income of $35,139 versus $23,398 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,579. About 6.4% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

The population for 2004 was 17,926 which is 979 higher then 2005. Which of 8,151 (48.1%) are male and 8,796 (51.9%) are female

[edit] History

Christiansburg was named after William Christian.
Davy Crockett lived in Christiansburg for some time and worked at John Snider's Hattery Shop which was located on Main Street.
Daniel Boone also lived in Christiansburg once. Among the records at the courthouse are a warrant for his arrest.
Christiansburg was the site of the Lewis/McHenry duel, known for being the first recorded duel with rifles.
"Christansburgh" is the original way Christiansburg was spelled.

[edit] Points of interest

Montgomery County Courthouse in Christiansburg

The Starlite Drive-in is one of the few surviving Drive-in theaters in Virginia[1], although it is currently closed for the season and will not open until May, 2007.
Booker T. Washington once resided and was principal of Christiansburg Institute, one of the largest black high schools in southwestern Virginia. Many scholars visited there such as George Washington Carver and other members of the Tuskegee University staff. Prominent industrial engineer, John Wines Lester, also lived on its vast campus^[1].

[edit] Further reading

"Only a Matter of Time: Christiansburg Institute and Desegregation in Southwestern Virginia: 1959-1960" http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/civilrightstv/essays/wharam.pdf