Danville, Virginia

Danville is an independent city in Virginia, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for statistical purposes. 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 recently closed leaving a large number of Danvillians without jobs.

Geography

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.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 48,411 people, 20,607 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.

Crime has also increased dramatically in Danville in the past five years with a national crime index of 166. Danville has suffered double digit unemployment since 2001 and currently has the highest jobless rate in the state and the eighth highest in the USA.

Transportation

Railroad

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 Craighead Street.

Highway

US 58 Business route (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. US 29 splits into a Business route and a Bypass route 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 US 29 Bypass (Future Interstate 785) takes the eastern segment of the Danville Expressway and rejoins its Business counterpart north of the city near Chatham, Virginia.

NC 86 becomes VA 86 once it crosses the state line into Danville as South Main St. It continues north to its terminus at US 29 Business/Central Boulevard.

VA 293 was created in 1998 to mark the route of old US 29 Business, which was rerouted to the west. VA 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.

VA 51 parallels US 58 Business as Westover Dr 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.

History

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 also occurred in Danville. 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.

The most 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 lead a protest at the Howard Johnson Hotel and restaurant on Route 29. The hotel was known for discriminating towards African Americans.

Notable Danville Natives

Ferrell Edmunds, NFL Player
John Newman, NBA Player
Eric Owens, former Major League Baseball player
Nathan Poole, NFL Player
Tony Rice, bluegrass musician
Wendell Scott, first African-American NASCAR driver
Tony Womack, Major League Baseball player
Herman Moore, former NFL Player, former University of Virginia football player
Jon Dalton (Johnny Fairplay), Professional Wrestler, Reality TV star
Robert H. Edmunds, Jr., North Carolina Supreme Court Justice
Mojo Nixon, Punk rock icon, actor and DJ

Newspapers Distributed in Danville

Danville Register & Bee
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Greensboro News & Record
Star Tribune (Chatham, VA)(non-daily)
News & Record (South Boston, VA)(non-daily)
Roanoke Times (Sunday Only)
Washington Post (Sunday Only)

External links

Cities in Virginia | Danville, Virginia | Danville (Virginia) | Danville (Virginie) | Danville (Virgínia)

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