Chatham, Virginia

Chatham, Virginia
Town
North Main Street Chatham Virginia, 2022
Seal
Location of Chatham, Virginia
Coordinates: 36°49′32″N79°23′51″W / 36.82556°N 79.39750°W / 36.82556; -79.39750
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Pittsylvania
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
•  Mayor	Alisa B. Davis
•  Town Council	Janet R. Bishop William P. Black Teresa D. Easley Henry Hurt Irvin W. Perry Robert B. Thompson
• Town Manager	Nicholas Morris
Area [1]
• Total	2.03 sq mi (5.26 km2)
• Land	2.03 sq mi (5.26 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	748 ft (228 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	1,232
• Density	607.2/sq mi (234.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	24531
Area code	434
FIPS code	51-15000 [3]
GNIS feature ID	1498464 [4]
Website	www.chatham-va.gov

Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Pittsylvania County. ^[5] Chatham's population was 1,232 at the 2020 census. ^[2] It is included in the Danville, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was originally called Competition, but the name was changed to Chatham by the Virginia General Assembly on May 1, 1852. ^[6]

Chatham is home to Chatham High School, Hargrave Military Academy, and Chatham Hall, an all-female boarding high school.

History

North Main Street, Chatham, circa 1909

It is the home to the oldest continually used building in Pittsylvania County, once an 18th-century tavern, since turned into a house and now occupied by Chatham Hall faculty. Chatham is the county seat for Pittsylvania County and has held that status since 1777. ^[7] There is a large U.S. Department of Agriculture office to support farmers in the area and a small branch office of the U.S. Forest Service. Virginia has built a new state prison at the site of an old work-release camp; this led to infrastructure upgrades in fire and water services to support the increased population.

Chatham did not see any battle action during the Civil War although it is between Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, and Danville, which contained Confederate prisons for captured Union soldiers. On Confederate Memorial Day each year, the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy places flowers at the statue of a Confederate soldier which is prominent in the front of the historic Pittsylvania County Court House. There is a walking tour of this downtown historic district and a brochure for this is available at the Town Hall, or at the Historical Society building next to Town Hall. There are several bed & breakfast establishments located on Main Street in historic Greek Revival homes.

Lower Main Street, Chatham, February 1911

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Chatham has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	543		—
1890	757		39.4%
1900	918		21.3%
1910	1,113		21.2%
1920	1,171		5.2%
1930	1,143		−2.4%
1940	1,230		7.6%
1950	1,456		18.4%
1960	1,822		25.1%
1970	1,801		−1.2%
1980	1,390		−22.8%
1990	1,354		−2.6%
2000	1,338		−1.2%
2010	1,269		−5.2%
2020	1,232		−2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]

The Pittsylvania County Courthouse is one of eight sites in Chatham listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As of the census ^[3] of 2000, 1,338 people, 554 households, and 350 families resided in the town. The population density was 654.6 people per square mile (253.2/km²). The 612 housing units averaged 299.4 per square mile (115.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.52% White, 26.08% African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.52% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.60% of the population.

Of the 554 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were not families. About 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87.

The Countyseat Giants, Chatham's baseball team, 1912

In the town, the population was distributed as 19.6% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,938, and for a family was $50,391. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $23,472 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,785. About 6.3% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over. For people 25 years and over in Chatham:

• High school or higher: 77.4%
• Bachelor's degree or higher: 33.1%
• Graduate or professional degree: 13.2%
• Unemployed: 5.3%
• Mean travel time to work (commute): 20.8 minutes

For people 15 years and over in Chatham:

• Never married: 23.4%
• Now married: 49.6%
• Separated: 3.8%
• Widowed: 9.8%
• Divorced: 13.4%

Nineteen residents are foreign born (1.4%).

Government

The Mayor of Chatham serves a two-year term. The current mayor is Alisa B. Davis. Town Council serves four-year terms. The current town council members are Janet R. Bishop, William P. Black, Teresa Easley, Henry Hurt, Irvin W. Perry, and Robert B. Thompson. ^[9]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Chatham has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps. ^[10]

Climate data for Chatham, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1922–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	78 (26)	82 (28)	88 (31)	94 (34)	99 (37)	103 (39)	105 (41)	105 (41)	104 (40)	99 (37)	85 (29)	79 (26)	105 (41)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	47.3 (8.5)	51.0 (10.6)	59.2 (15.1)	69.4 (20.8)	75.9 (24.4)	82.8 (28.2)	86.3 (30.2)	84.9 (29.4)	78.9 (26.1)	69.6 (20.9)	59.4 (15.2)	50.3 (10.2)	67.9 (19.9)
Daily mean °F (°C)	35.7 (2.1)	38.4 (3.6)	45.5 (7.5)	55.0 (12.8)	63.4 (17.4)	71.4 (21.9)	75.5 (24.2)	74.0 (23.3)	67.5 (19.7)	56.2 (13.4)	45.7 (7.6)	38.6 (3.7)	55.6 (13.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	24.2 (−4.3)	25.7 (−3.5)	31.8 (−0.1)	40.6 (4.8)	50.8 (10.4)	59.9 (15.5)	64.7 (18.2)	63.2 (17.3)	56.0 (13.3)	42.9 (6.1)	31.9 (−0.1)	27.0 (−2.8)	43.2 (6.2)
Record low °F (°C)	−9 (−23)	−7 (−22)	0 (−18)	17 (−8)	25 (−4)	33 (1)	35 (2)	38 (3)	26 (−3)	19 (−7)	10 (−12)	−3 (−19)	−9 (−23)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.18 (106)	2.79 (71)	3.97 (101)	3.85 (98)	4.51 (115)	4.24 (108)	4.22 (107)	4.12 (105)	5.00 (127)	3.46 (88)	3.52 (89)	3.84 (98)	47.70 (1,212)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	1.9 (4.8)	1.6 (4.1)	1.0 (2.5)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.3 (3.3)	5.8 (15)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	10.0	8.3	10.4	10.6	12.2	11.0	11.2	9.8	9.1	8.5	8.5	9.4	119.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	1.1	0.7	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	2.7
Source: NOAA [11] [12]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Chatham town, Virginia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved March 19, 2024.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. National Association of Counties. "NACo County Explorer" . Retrieved March 19, 2024.
6. "A Rich Southern History". Town of Chatham. Town of Chatham, Virginia. Retrieved June 12, 2016. In 1806, the controversy over where to build a new courthouse resulted in the General Assembly confirming a new location and establishing the Town of Competition. A name change from Competition to Chatham was made by an act of the General Assembly, passed on May 1, 1852, and the town of Chatham was incorporated on April 24, 1874.
7. Crane, John (June 10, 2008). "Chatham mayor blasts supervisors". Danville Register-Bee. Media General. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
9. The Town Council Members. (n.d.). Retrieved from Town of Chatham: http://www.chatham-va.gov/public-services/town-officials
10. Climate Summary for Chatham, Virginia
11. "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
12. "Station: Chatham, VA". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 2, 2021.