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Lexington is an independent city located in Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 6,867 at the 2000 census. Lexington is about 40 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.

It is home to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Washington and Lee University. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Lexington (along with nearby Buena Vista) with Rockbridge County for statistical purposes.

Lexington was partially razed by Union general David Hunter during the American Civil War. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are buried here. It is also the site of the only house Jackson ever owned, now open to the public as a museum.

Sam Houston, 19th century statesman, politician and soldier, and, as of 2005, the only person in U.S. history to have been the governor of two different states — Tennessee and Texas — was born near here. At the Sam Houston Wayside is a 38,000 pound piece of Texas pink granite commemorating Houston's birthplace.

Economy

Today, Lexington's primary economic activity stems from higher education and tourism. Host to Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University, Lexington is first and foremost a small college town. As a Civil War attraction, Lexington attracts visitors from around the country. Items of interest in Lexington include the Stonewall Jackson House, Lee Chapel, and the downtown historic district.

Lexington's two colleges have been the founding sites of three large national college fraternities; Alpha Tau Omega, Kappa Alpha Order, and Sigma Nu were all founded by Lexington students during Reconstruction. A monument now commemorates this so-called "Lexington Triad".

Lexington also contains a host of small businesses, catering to a unique mixture of tourist and collegiate clientele. Among the more noteworthy are the Cocoa Mill Chocolate Company and Virginia Born and Bred.

Lexington's downtown district is noteworthy as a set for several feature films. Parts of at least three motion pictures were filmed in Lexington. The first was the 1938 movie, Brother Rat, which starred Ronald Reagan. After the movie's release he was made an honorary VMI cadet. The second was the 1958 Mardi Gras, which starred Pat Boone as a VMI cadet and actress Christine Carere. The third was Sommersby, starring Richard Gere, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones, and Jodie Foster. Filming for parts of several Civil War films also took place in Lexington, including the documentary "Lee Beyond the Battles" and Gods and Generals. Most recently, in the fall of 2004, director Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise filmed scenes for War of the Worlds here, with Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins.

The city is also home to a number of independent newspapers. The News-Gazette is a weekly community paper; it also produces a free shopper known as The Weekender. The Rockbridge Weekly, another paper, is noted for printing police blotters and other crime reports. The Rockbridge Advocate is a newsmagazine that comes out once a month, and has the motto "Independent as a hog on ice."

Geography

Lexington is located at (37.782938, -79.445198).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²), all land. The Maury River, a tributary of the James River, forms the city's northeastern boundary.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,867 people, 2,232 households, and 1,080 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,064.8/km² (2,753.8/mi²). There were 2,376 housing units at an average density of 368.4/km² (952.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.01% White, 10.38% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.

There were 2,232 households out 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.

The age distribution, which is heavily influenced by the city's two colleges, is: 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 age 18 and over, there were 127.2 males. The unusual sex distribution can be partially explained by the presence of VMI, which did not admit women until 1997 and remains overwhelmingly male today.

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 for the city 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. However, traditional poverty statistics can be misleading when applied to communities with a large proportion of students, such as Lexington.

Points of interest

External links

Cities in Virginia

Lexington (Virginia) | Lexington (Virginie) | Lexington (Virgínia)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Lexington, Virginia".

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