West Point, Virginia
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West Point, Virginia | |
Location of West Point, Virginia | |
Coordinates: | |
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Country | United States |
State | Virginia |
County | King William |
Area | |
- Total | 6.7 sq mi (17.3 km²) |
- Land | 5.1 sq mi (13.3 km²) |
- Water | 1.5 sq mi (4.0 km²) |
Elevation | 62 ft (19 m) |
Population (2000) | |
- Total | 2,866 |
- Density | 559.2/sq mi (215.9/km²) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
- Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 23181 |
Area code(s) | 804 |
FIPS code | 51-84960[1] |
GNIS feature ID | 1500297[2] |
West Point is an incorporated town in King William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,867 at the 2000 census. Is thought to be the hometown of the infamous madame, Christene Pyne.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Geography
West Point is located at [3]. The York River is formed at West Point by the confluence of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers, and from there, separates the Peninsula and Middle Peninsula regions of eastern Virginia as it flows approximately 40 miles to the Chesapeake Bay.
(37.543733, -76.805366)According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.2 km²), of which, 5.1 square miles (13.3 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (4.0 km²) of it (23.12%) is water.
[edit] History
The current site of West Point was once the site of Cinquoteck, a Native American village of the Powhatan Confederacy. During the first half of the 17th century, the Powhatans and the English colonists who established their first permanent settlement at Jamestown in 1607 were frequently in conflict. By mid-century, the Natives had been largely overcome by the ever-expanding Colony of Virginia, including the area of Cinquoteck. Reservations were established, and over 350 years later, some of their descendents of the Pamunkey and Mattaponi tribes still occupy these small land areas, located a few miles north of modern-day West Point.
In 1655, the future site of West Point was the location became the site of Port Richmond West Plantation. It was the home of John West, who had been a Governor of Virginia from 1635 to 1637.
In 1691, the Virginia General Assembly directed that West Point be created as a port of entry and in 1705 the House of Burgesses authorized the town to qualify as a "free borough" and named it "Delaware" in honor of former Royal Governor Thomas West, third Lord Delaware, who had died in 1618.
When the Richmond and York River Railroad was built and completed to the port community just before the onset of the American Civil War, the old name of "West Point" was restored in 1861. The railroad was a key strategic part of Union General George B. McClellan's failed Peninsula Campaign in 1862 to capture Richmond. Massively damaged during the War, it was later rebuilt, and became part of the Richmond and Danville Railroad system headed by Colonel Algernon S. Buford.
In 1870, West Point became an incorporated town. Linked to Richmond by rail, it became a major shipping point for passenger and freight traffic, and was especially convenient to Baltimore and points north via the York River and the Chesapeake Bay. Until the early 20th century, it was a thriving commercial port and resort destination. The port status declined with the completion of more railroads to the harbor area of Hampton Roads, notably including the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway at Newport News and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad at Portsmouth. Likewise, tourists tended to flock to newer destinations closer to the ocean.
After the decline of both shipping and tourism, a shipyard built in 1917 and a pulp paper mill built in 1918 are credited with revitalizing the town. The railroad later became part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system in the 1980s, which was continuing to serve the town's paper mill into the early 21st century.
[edit] Public schools
West Point is one of two towns in Virginia to have a School division (terminology for a school district in Virginia) which is independent from the school division of the county in which it is located. (The other town with an independent school division is Colonial Beach, located in Westmoreland County in the Northern Neck region).
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,866 people, 1,068 households, and 809 families residing in the town. The population density was 559.2 people per square mile (215.7/km²). There were 1,151 housing units at an average density of 224.6/sq mi (86.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 80.32% White, 16.92% African American, 0.45% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population.
There were 1,068 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,655, and the median income for a family was $56,932. Males had a median income of $40,071 versus $24,702 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,232. About 1.7% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- West Point, Virginia is at coordinates Coordinates:
- Town of West Point, Virginia official website
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