Lexington, Virginia | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 37°47′2″N79°26′34″W / 37.78389°N 79.44278°W [1] | |
Country | United States |
State | Virginia |
County | None (independent city) |
Government | |
• Mayor | Frank W Friedman |
• City manager | Jim Halasz |
• Commissioner of Revenue | Karen T. Roundy |
• Treasurer | Patricia DeLaney |
• City Attorney | Jeremy Carroll, Esquire |
Area | |
• Total | 2.52 sq mi (6.54 km2) |
• Land | 2.50 sq mi (6.47 km2) |
• Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
Elevation | 1,063 ft (324 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,320 |
• Density | 2,900/sq mi (1,100/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
ZIP Code | 24450 |
Area code | 540 |
FIPS code | 51-45512 [3] |
GNIS feature ID | 1498506 [1] |
Website | Lexington, Virginia |
Lexington is an independent city in Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. [4] It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions, and is combined with it for statistical purposes by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. [5] Lexington is about 57 miles (92 km) east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles (80 km) north of Roanoke, Virginia. First settled in 1778, Lexington is best known as the home of the Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University.
Lexington was named in 1778. It was the first of what would be many American places named after Lexington, Massachusetts, known for being the place at which the first shot was fired in the American Revolution. [6]
The Union General David Hunter led a raid on Virginia Military Institute during the American Civil War. Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson are buried in the city. It is the site of the only house Jackson ever owned, now open to the public as a museum. [7] Cyrus McCormick invented the horse-drawn mechanical reaper at his family's farm in Rockbridge County, [8] and a statue of McCormick is located on the Washington and Lee University campus. [9] McCormick Farm is now owned by Virginia Tech and is a satellite agricultural research center. [10]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), virtually all of which is land. [11] The Maury River, a tributary of the James River, forms the city's northeastern boundary.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Lexington has a humid subtropical climate, similar to Northern Italy, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. [12] Average monthly temperatures range from 34.9 °F in January to 75.2 °F in July. [13] The hardiness zone is 7a. [14]
Climate data for Lexington, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1889–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) | 84 (29) | 89 (32) | 95 (35) | 97 (36) | 100 (38) | 105 (41) | 103 (39) | 100 (38) | 96 (36) | 87 (31) | 79 (26) | 105 (41) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 45.2 (7.3) | 49.3 (9.6) | 57.4 (14.1) | 68.4 (20.2) | 75.7 (24.3) | 83.1 (28.4) | 86.6 (30.3) | 85.4 (29.7) | 79.1 (26.2) | 69.1 (20.6) | 57.8 (14.3) | 48.3 (9.1) | 67.1 (19.5) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 34.2 (1.2) | 37.0 (2.8) | 44.3 (6.8) | 54.4 (12.4) | 63.1 (17.3) | 71.2 (21.8) | 75.3 (24.1) | 74.0 (23.3) | 67.3 (19.6) | 56.0 (13.3) | 44.8 (7.1) | 37.3 (2.9) | 54.9 (12.7) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 24.8 (−4.0) | 31.2 (−0.4) | 40.4 (4.7) | 50.5 (10.3) | 59.4 (15.2) | 64.0 (17.8) | 62.6 (17.0) | 55.5 (13.1) | 42.9 (6.1) | 31.9 (−0.1) | 26.4 (−3.1) | 42.7 (5.9) |
Record low °F (°C) | −16 (−27) | −16 (−27) | −4 (−20) | 14 (−10) | 26 (−3) | 35 (2) | 44 (7) | 39 (4) | 30 (−1) | 18 (−8) | 1 (−17) | −10 (−23) | −16 (−27) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.15 (80) | 2.76 (70) | 3.52 (89) | 3.71 (94) | 4.11 (104) | 4.80 (122) | 4.10 (104) | 3.31 (84) | 3.67 (93) | 3.06 (78) | 3.23 (82) | 3.47 (88) | 42.89 (1,089) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.9 (7.4) | 4.7 (12) | 2.3 (5.8) | 0.1 (0.25) | 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 (0.25) | 3.4 (8.6) | 13.5 (34) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.5 | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 12.2 | 11.9 | 11.2 | 11.0 | 8.8 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 9.9 | 118.5 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 6.8 |
Source: NOAA [15] [16] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 1,743 | — | |
1860 | 2,135 | 22.5% | |
1870 | 2,873 | 34.6% | |
1880 | 2,771 | −3.6% | |
1890 | 3,059 | 10.4% | |
1900 | 3,203 | 4.7% | |
1910 | 2,931 | −8.5% | |
1920 | 2,870 | −2.1% | |
1930 | 3,752 | 30.7% | |
1940 | 3,914 | 4.3% | |
1950 | 5,976 | 52.7% | |
1960 | 7,537 | 26.1% | |
1970 | 7,597 | 0.8% | |
1980 | 7,292 | −4.0% | |
1990 | 6,959 | −4.6% | |
2000 | 6,867 | −1.3% | |
2010 | 7,042 | 2.5% | |
2020 | 7,320 | 3.9% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [17] 1790–1960 [18] 1900–1990 [19] 1990–2000 [20] 2010 [21] 2020 [22] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 [21] | Pop 2020 [23] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 5,807 | 6,015 | 82.46% | 82.17% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 668 | 454 | 9.49% | 6.20% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 8 | 8 | 0.11% | 0.11% |
Asian alone (NH) | 153 | 281 | 2.17% | 3.84% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 0 | 0.06% | 0.00% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 12 | 23 | 0.17% | 0.31% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 119 | 204 | 1.69% | 2.79% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 271 | 335 | 3.85% | 4.58% |
Total | 7,042 | 7,320 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
As of the census [24] of 2000, there were 6,867 people, 2,232 households, and 1,080 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,753.8 per square mile (,064.8/km2). The racial makeup was 86.01% White, 10.38% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander and 0.48% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of the population.
There were 2,232 households, of which 18.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.6% were non-families. 41.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 11.0% under the age of 18, 41.4% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 123.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 127.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,982, and the median income for a family was $58,529. Males had a median income of $35,288 versus $26,094 for females. The per capita income was $16,497. About 8.4% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
Lexington's primary economic activities stem from higher education and tourism. With its various connections to the Civil War, Lexington attracts visitors from around the country. Places of interest in Lexington include the Stonewall Jackson House, University Chapel, the George C. Marshall Museum, Virginia Military Institute Museum, Museum of Military Memorabilia, and the downtown historic district. Hull's Drive In theater attracts visitors to the area and was the first community-owned, non-profit drive-in in the U.S. The non-profit Virginia Horse Center is a significant regional equestrian event facility.
Lexington also contains a host of small retail businesses, bed and breakfast inns, and restaurants catering to a unique mixture of local, tourist, and collegiate clientele. The historic R. E. Lee Hotel, built in the 1920s, underwent extensive renovation and re-opened its doors late 2014.
Position | Official |
---|---|
Mayor | Frank Friedman |
Councilwoman | Marylin Alexander |
Councilman | Charles Aligood |
Councilman | Nicolas Betts |
Councilman | David Sigler |
Councilman | Charles Smith |
Councilwoman | Leslie Straughan |
The News-Gazette is the weekly community paper; it also produces a free shopper known as The Weekender. The now-defunct The Rockbridge Weekly, noted for printing police and other local crime reports, was bought by The News-Gazette in June 2012. The Rockbridge Advocate is a monthly news magazine with the motto "Independent as a hog on ice". The Ring-tum Phi , student newspaper of W&L, has been published since 1897 (with a suspension for World War II). [27]
Lexington is the city of license for radio stations WIQR (88.7 FM), WMRL (89.9 FM), and WLUR (91.5 FM) [28] on W&L campus.
Lexington is located at the intersection of historic U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 60 and more modern highways, Interstate 64 and Interstate 81. RADAR Transit operates the Maury Express, which provides local bus service to Lexington and Buena Vista. [29] The Virginia Breeze provides intercity bus service between Blacksburg and Washington, D.C., with a stop in Lexington. [30]
The 1938 movie, Brother Rat , which starred Ronald Reagan, was shot in Lexington. After the release, Reagan was made an honorary VMI cadet. The 1958 Mardi Gras starred Pat Boone as a VMI cadet appearing with actress Christine Carère. Sommersby from 1993 starred Richard Gere, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones, and Jodie Foster. Foreign Student , released in 1994, was based on a novel of college life by former W&L student Phillipe Labro with related scenes made in town. [31] In Fall 2004, the director Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise filmed scenes for War of the Worlds here, with Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins. In June 2013, filming took place for a movie titled Field of Lost Shoes about the Battle of New Market starring Luke Benward and Lauren Holly.
Filming for parts of several Civil War films also took place in Lexington, including the documentary Lee Beyond the Battles and Gods and Generals .
In 2011, the city erupted in controversy after the City Council passed an ordinance to ban the flying of flags other than the United States flag, the Virginia Flag, and an as-yet-undesigned city flag on city light poles. Various flags of the Confederacy had previously been flown on city light poles to commemorate the Virginia holiday, Lee–Jackson Day, which is observed on the Friday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. [32] About 300 Confederate flag supporters, including members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, rallied before the City Council meeting, [33] and after the vote the Sons of Confederate Veterans vowed to challenge the new local ordinance in court. [32] Previously, flags such as the Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute flags had also been flown on city light poles, but the practice is now discontinued due to the city's ordinance.[ citation needed ]
In 2014, a large Confederate battle flag and a number of related state flags were removed from Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University. The flags were moved to a rotating display at the Lee Chapel Museum. [34] [35]
The Red Hen restaurant was the site of the June 22, 2018, precipitating event for the Red Hen restaurant controversy in which a restaurant co-owner asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave the restaurant by citing Huckabee Sanders' role in the Trump administration. [36] The incident sparked national controversy. [36]
Westmoreland County is a county located in the Northern Neck of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross.
Winchester is the northwesternmost independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 28,120. It is the principal city of the Winchester metropolitan area extending into West Virginia, which is a part of the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. Winchester is home to Shenandoah University and the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Spotsylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the July 2021 estimate, the population was 145,300. Its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse.
Rockbridge County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,650. Its county seat is the city of Lexington. Rockbridge County completely surrounds the independent cities of Buena Vista and Lexington. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the independent cities of Buena Vista and Lexington with Rockbridge County for statistical purposes.
Covington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,737, making it the second-least populous city in Virginia. It is surrounded by Alleghany County, of which it is also the county seat. Located at the confluence of Jackson River and Dunlap Creek, Covington is one of three cities in the Roanoke Regional Partnership. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Covington with Alleghany county for statistical purposes.
Buena Vista is an independent city located in the Blue Ridge Mountains region of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,641. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the independent cities of Buena Vista and Lexington, along with surrounding Rockbridge County, for statistical purposes.
Appomattox County is a United States county located in the Piedmont region and near the center of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is part of the Lynchburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and its county seat is the town of Appomattox.
Alleghany County is an American county located on the far western edge of Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bordered by the Allegheny Mountains, from which the county derives its name, and it is the northernmost part of the Roanoke Region. The county seat is Covington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,223.
Stonewall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,245. Its county seat is Aspermont. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1888. It is named for Stonewall Jackson, a general of the Confederate States Army.
Stonewall is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Gillespie County, Texas, United States. The population was 525 at the 2010 census. It was named for Confederate General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson, by Israel P. Nunez, who established a stage station near the site in 1870.
Romney is a town in and the county seat of Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,722 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Winchester, Virginia metropolitan area. The town was established in 1762 along with Shepherdstown; together, they are the two oldest towns in West Virginia.
Matthew Fontaine Maury was an American oceanographer and naval officer, serving the United States and then joining the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
William Alexander Anderson was a Virginia lawyer, Confederate soldier and Democratic politician, who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, twice won election as Attorney General of Virginia, and also served as rector of his alma mater, Washington & Lee University.
The Oak Grove Cemetery, originally known as the Presbyterian Cemetery, is located on South Main Street in downtown Lexington, Virginia, less than a mile from the campuses of Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. The cemetery was renamed in 1949 as the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery after the Confederate general, who was buried here in 1863. The current name dates to September 3, 2020. Also buried here are 144 Confederate veterans, two Governors of Virginia, and Margaret Junkin Preston, the "Poet Laureate of the Confederacy".
Blandome is a historic hilltop home built circa 1830 and located overlooking the downtown area and within the city limits of Lexington, Virginia. Its history shows Virginia's changing racial relations: from 19th century occupation by privileged whites ranging from slaveowners to proponents of Jim Crow, to 20th century occupation by economically successful and politically active African Americans.
More than 160 monuments and memorials to the Confederate States of America and associated figures have been removed from public spaces in the United States, all but five since 2015. Some have been removed by state and local governments; others have been torn down by protestors.
Echols Farm is an historic farm property at the junction of United States Route 501 and Virginia State Route 130, just east of Glasgow, Virginia. The more than 250-acre (100 ha) property includes a vernacular frame farmhouse dating to circa 1855, and a number of 20th-century outbuildings. The property, which abuts the Maury River, also includes surviving traces of the James River and Kanawha Canal, including the remains of two locks.