| Bridgewater, Virginia | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Location in Virginia | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Rockingham |
| Founded | 1835 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hallie Dinkel |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.4 sq mi (6.2 km2) |
| • Land | 2.4 sq mi (6.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,178 ft (359 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 5,203 |
| • Density | 2,169.2/sq mi (837.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 22812 |
| Area code(s) | 540 |
| FIPS code | 51-09656[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1492628[2] |
| Website | http://town.bridgewater.va.us/ |
Bridgewater is an incorporated town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,644 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bridgewater is home to the Reds of the Rockingham County Baseball League. Bridgewater is also home to Bridgewater College, a private, coeducational, four-year liberal arts college founded in 1880, historically associated with the Church of the Brethren.
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Among the first families of European descent in the area were the Dinkle family. Around 1810, John Dinkle built a sawmill and a grist mill on the North River, a tributary of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. The tiny community was first called Dinkletown.
The name was changed to Bridgeport, because it was a flatboat port at a bridge. Even after it was no longer a port, the bridge was still there, hence the final renaming as Bridgewater.[3]
In the late 19th century, Bridgewater received railroad service to connect it with Harrisonburg and beyond as the Chesapeake Western Railway was built. It came under the control of the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1954 and Norfolk Southern in 1982. The tracks were removed in 1987.[4]
Bridgewater is located at (38.386748, -78.969678)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all of it land.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,203 people, 1,788 households, and 1,201 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,169.2 people per square mile (837.0/km²). There were 1,850 housing units at an average density of 771.3 per square mile (297.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.18% White, 2.48% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.94% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.08% of the population.
There were 1,788 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 21.9% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,038, and the median income for a family was $49,777. Males had a median income of $35,579 versus $25,255 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,215. About 3.4% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.
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