Culpeper, Virginia
Culpeper (formerly Culpeper Courthouse, earlier Fairfax) is the only incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,062 at the 2020 census.[2] It is the county seat of Culpeper County.[5]
Culpeper, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Culpeper | |
| Motto(s): "Preserving the Past, Embracing the Future" | |
 Location in Virginia | |
| Coordinates: 38°28′19″N 77°59′57″W / 38.47194°N 77.99917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Culpeper |
| Founded | 1759 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.32 sq mi (18.96 km2) |
| • Land | 7.28 sq mi (18.85 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2) |
| Elevation | 413 ft (126 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 20,062 |
| • Density | 2,756.1/sq mi (1,064.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 22701, 22735 |
| Area code | 540 |
| FIPS code | 51-20752[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1498471[4] |
| Website | www |
Geography
changeCulpeper is located at 38°28′19″N 77°59′57″W / 38.47194°N 77.99917°W (38.471915, −77.999168).[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²), of which 7.3 square miles (18.9 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.57%) is water.
History
changeAfter forming Culpeper County, Virginia, in 1748, the Virginia House of Burgesses voted to establish the Town of Fairfax on February 22, 1759. The name honored Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.[7] He was the proprietor of the Northern Neck, a vast domain north of the Rappahannock River. His territory was then defined as stretching from Chesapeake Bay to what is now Hampshire County, West Virginia.
The original plan of the town called for ten blocks, which form the core of Culpeper's downtown area today. The original town was surveyed by a young George Washington. In 1795, the town received a post office under the name "Culpeper Court House" Most maps of the time, however, continued to show the Fairfax name. The confusion resulting from the difference in official and postal names was finally resolved when the Virginia Assembly formally renamed the town Culpeper in 1869 (Acts, 1869–1870, chapter 118, page 154).
During the American Revolutionary War, the Culpeper Minutemen, a pro-independence militia, formed in the town of Culpeper. They organized in what was then known as "Clayton's Old Field," near today's Yowell Meadow Park.
During the Civil War, Culpeper was a crossroads for a number of armies marching through central Virginia, with both Union and Confederate forces occupying the town by turn. In the heart of downtown, the childhood home of Confederate General A.P. Hill stands at the corner of Main and Davis streets. One block north on Main St. (present location of Piedmont Realty) was the frame house where "The Gallant Major" John Pelham died after being wounded at the Battle of Kelly's Ford.
Culpeper began to grow dramatically in the 1980s, becoming a "bedroom community" of more densely populated Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. suburbs. A growing number of residents of the town and county of Culpeper once lived and continue to work in those areas.
In 2011, East Davis Street in downtown Culpeper was named as a 2011 "America's Great Place" by the American Planning Association.[8]
2011 earthquake
changeDowntown Culpeper was one of the communities most affected by the August 23, 2011 Virginia earthquake. Several buildings along Main Street and East Davis Street suffered severe damage, and some have been condemned.[9] The earthquake led to the temporary evacuation of the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation. At the time it was hosting a town hall event for U.S. Senator Mark Warner.[10] In 2014 the Museum of Culpeper History moved into the town's historic train depot.[11]
Demographics
change| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,056 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,800 | 70.5% | |
| 1880 | 1,613 | −10.4% | |
| 1890 | 1,620 | 0.4% | |
| 1900 | 1,618 | −0.1% | |
| 1910 | 1,796 | 11.0% | |
| 1920 | 1,819 | 1.3% | |
| 1930 | 2,379 | 30.8% | |
| 1940 | 2,316 | −2.6% | |
| 1950 | 2,527 | 9.1% | |
| 1960 | 2,412 | −4.6% | |
| 1970 | 6,056 | 151.1% | |
| 1980 | 6,621 | 9.3% | |
| 1990 | 8,581 | 29.6% | |
| 2000 | 9,664 | 12.6% | |
| 2010 | 16,379 | 69.5% | |
| 2020 | 20,062 | 22.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] | |||
As of the 2020 Census, the racial makeup of the town was 52.5% White, 17.6% Black, 1.2% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.1% from some other race, and 11.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.9% of the population.
The town's population included 28.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. The gender makeup was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.[13]
As of 2022, the median yearly income for a household was about $86,940, and the median income for a family was about $91,841.[14] The per capita income was about $36,432.[15] About 2.5% of families[16] and 10.5% of all people in Culpeper lived below the poverty line. This includes 13.3% of children under 18 years old and 6.4% of people over 65 years old.[17]
Climate
change| Climate data for Culpeper, Virginia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) |
84 (29) |
91 (33) |
95 (35) |
100 (38) |
103 (39) |
107 (42) |
102 (39) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
86 (30) |
79 (26) |
107 (42) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
49 (9) |
60 (16) |
70 (21) |
79 (26) |
86 (30) |
90 (32) |
87 (31) |
81 (27) |
70 (21) |
59 (15) |
48 (9) |
69 (20) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 25 (−4) |
28 (−2) |
34 (1) |
43 (6) |
52 (11) |
61 (16) |
66 (19) |
64 (18) |
58 (14) |
45 (7) |
37 (3) |
29 (−2) |
45 (7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) |
−9 (−23) |
5 (−15) |
18 (−8) |
28 (−2) |
37 (3) |
48 (9) |
44 (7) |
31 (−1) |
18 (−8) |
6 (−14) |
−6 (−21) |
−14 (−26) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.26 (83) |
2.96 (75) |
3.55 (90) |
3.32 (84) |
4.34 (110) |
4.39 (112) |
4.23 (107) |
4.13 (105) |
4.36 (111) |
3.81 (97) |
3.71 (94) |
3.13 (80) |
45.19 (1,148) |
| Source: [18] | |||||||||||||
References
change- ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Culpeper town, Virginia; United States". Census.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
- ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 97.
- ↑ "Davis Street Culpeper, Virginia". Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ↑ "EARTHQUAKE IN CULPEPER: The damage done". Star-Exponent; Culpeper, Virginia. August 24, 2011. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ Johnston, Donnie (August 24, 2011). "Earthquake forces Warner outside for public forum". The Free Lance-Star; Fredericksburg, Virginia. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ Museum of Culpeper History web site
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "S1902: Mean Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "S1702: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months of Families". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "S1701: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Average Weather for Culpeper, VA - Temperature and Precipitation". Weather.com. August 2011. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011.