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Danville, Virginia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Danville, Virginia | |||
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| Nickname: River City, City of Churches | |||
| Motto: A World Class Organization | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Virginia | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | R. Wayne Williams, Jr. | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 43.9 sq mi (113.8 km²) | ||
| - Land | 43.1 sq mi (111.5 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 531 ft (162 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - Total | 48,411 | ||
| - Density | 1,124.2/sq mi (434.1/km²) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Area code(s) | 434 | ||
| FIPS code | 51-21344GR2 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1492837GR3 | ||
| Website: http://www.danville-va.gov | |||
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for statistical purposes under the Danville, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Danville is also called the city of churches because it has more churches per square mile than any other city in the state of Virginia. The population was 48,411 at the 2000 census. It hosts the Danville Braves baseball club of the Appalachian League. Dan River Industries, formerly one of the world's largest textile mills, recently closed leaving a large number of Danvillians without jobs.
Today Danville's population is estimated to be 45,700, according to the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia. The population decrease since the 2000 Census is attributed mostly to migration.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 113.8 km² (43.9 mi²). 111.5 km² (43.1 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (2.00%) is water.
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 38,411 people, 17,607 households, and 12,941 families residing in the city. The population density was 434.1/km² (1,124.2/mi²). There were 23,108 housing units at an average density of 207.2/km² (536.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.86% White, 44.11% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 20,607 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% 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 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,900, and the median income for a family was $36,024. Males had a median income of $29,620 versus $21,384 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,151. About 15.9% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
The crime index for the city in 2006 was 4914.7. The violent crime index for the Danville MSA was 247.5, ranking 259th of 311. Danville's unemployment rate of 6.6% is highest in the state.
Amtrak's Crescent train connects Danville with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans. The Amtrak station is situated at 677 Craghead Street.
U.S. Route 58 Business (Riverside Dr/River St) parallels the north bank of the Dan River traveling east/west through Danville's main commercial district while the US 58 Bypass route bypasses the city's center to the south via the Danville Expressway. U.S. Route 29 splits into a business route and a bypass at the North Carolina/Virginia border. The business route enters the heart of Danville via West Main Street and Memorial Drive and exits via Central Boulevard and Piney Forest Road; US 29 Business travels relatively north/south. The bypass (future Interstate 785) takes the eastern segment of the Danville Expressway and rejoins the business route north of the city near Chatham, Virginia.
North Carolina Highway 86 becomes State Route 86 once it crosses the state line into Danville as South Main Street. It continues north to its terminus at US 29 Business/Central Boulevard.
State Route 293 was created in 1998 to mark the route of old US 29 Business, which was rerouted to the west. SR 293 enters Danville's downtown historic district as West Main Street, then Main Street, and then crosses the Dan River to meet US 29 Business as North Main Street.
Danville is unusual in that there are multiple roads named "Main Street". There is a regular Main Street, a West Main, a South Main, and a North Main.
State Route 51 parallels US 58 Business as Westover Drive from its western terminus at US 58 Business at the Danville's corporate limits to its eastern terminus at US 58 Business near the Dan River.
Danville was the last capital of the Confederate States of America between April 3, 1865 and April 10, 1865. Jefferson Davis met with members of his cabinet and penned his last official proclamation as President of the Confederacy in the Danville home of Major William T. Sutherlin. During this brief period, Danville was also the capital of Virginia.
The wreck of the Old 97 occurred in Danville on September 27, 1903, resulting in the deaths of nine people. This event was the inspiration for the song of the same name. A mural of the train is painted on a downtown Danville building in memory of the historic wreck.
Danville was home to both Nancy Langhorne, Viscountess Astor, the first woman to serve in the British House of Commons, and Irene Langhorne Gibson, the inspiration for "the Gibson girl". It is also the home of the very first and only black man truly in NASCAR's history, Wendell Scott.
A violent episode of the civil rights movement in Virginia occurred in Danville during the summer of 1963. On May 31, representatives of the black community met under the name Danville Christian Progressive Association. They marched in a body to the municipal building. They were met by police and city workers armed with clubs. The protesters were sprayed with fire hoses and hit with clubs. Around forty protesters needed medical attention. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Danville and spoke at High Street Baptist Church about the brutality of the police force. He called it the worst police brutality he had seen in the South. The same year the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee led a protest at the Howard Johnson Hotel and restaurant on Route 29. The hotel was known for discriminating against blacks.
Millionaire's Row is the most impressive area in Danville, clearly remnants of former slave plantations. It has many fine homes built in the 1800's and early 1900's by descendants of American planters. They are beautiful mansions adorned by trees lining the streets and peppered about the yards of these beautiful homes. If it was not for slavery, the money to build these luxurious properties would never have been available.
"The Danville City Council is the governing body of the City of Danville." [1] The City Council consists of nine members elected by the citizens of Danville. The City Council selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members to serve two year terms. [2] The City Council has the power "to adopt and enforce legislative and budgetary ordinances, policies, and rules and regulations necessary to conduct the public's business and to provide for the protection of the general health, safety and welfare of the public."[3] The members if the Danville City Council are as follows:
- Peter A. "Pete" Castiglione, Jr.
- E. Stokes Daniels
- John C. Hamlin
- T. David Luther
- Sherman M. Saunders (Vice Mayor)
- Ruby B. Archie
- T. Wayne Oakes
- Adam J. Tomer
- Dr. R. Wayne Williams, Jr. (Mayor)
The City of Danville has a council-manager government in which a City Manager is hired by council to supervise the city government and ensure that the laws, ordinances, and various policies made by the City Council are carried out in an effective manner.
- Nancy Langhorne, Lady Astor, member, House of Commons
- Irene Langhorne, sister of Nancy and wife of Charles Dana Gibson
- Clarence 13x, The Nation of Gods and Earths founder
- Ferrell Edmunds, NFL Player
- Robert H. Edmunds, Jr., North Carolina Supreme Court Justice
- Ernest B. Furgurson, Jr., Newspaper man, historian
- Emmet Gowin, Photographer
- Percy Miller Jr., First black baseball player in the Carolina League
- Kenny Lewis, former New York Jets player
- Herman Moore, former NFL Player, former University of Virginia football player
- Johnny Newman, NBA Player
- Buddy Curry, Former Atlanta Falcons player
- Mojo Nixon, Punk rock icon, actor and DJ
- Eric Owens, former Major League Baseball player
- Nathan Poole, NFL Player
- Tony Rice, bluegrass musician
- Wendell Scott, first African-American NASCAR driver
- Peyton Sellers, NASCAR driver
- Tony Womack, Major League Baseball player
- Roger Travis, Wildlife Conservationist and Physician
- Danville Register & Bee
- Richmond Times-Dispatch
- Greensboro News & Record
- Star Tribune (Chatham, VA) (non-daily)
- News & Record (South Boston, VA) (non-daily)
- The Courier-Times
- Roanoke Times (Sunday Only)
- The Washington Post (Sunday Only)
- Averett University
- Danville Community College
- National College
- Institute for Advanced Learning and Research IALR(A Higher Education & Research Facility)
- Danville, Virginia is at coordinates Coordinates:
