Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. The population was 33,740 at the 2000 census. It is in Tri-Cities area of the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Petersburg (along with Colonial Heights) with neighboring Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes.

History

Petersburg grew from the former Fort Henry, established on the south bank in 1645. The city developed rapidly, and the Virginia General Assembly formally organized it in 1784. The Battle of Petersburg in 1781 was a part of the British attempt to regain control of Virginia.

The Port of Petersburg became renowned as a commercial center for transporting and processing cotton, tobacco and metal, produced and shipped from the region. As travel technology developed, Petersburg became established as a railroad center, with links completed to Richmond to the north, Farmville and Lynchburg to the west, and Weldon, North Carolina to the south. The last major line was to the east, when the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad was completed in 1858.

Paved streets began to appear in 1813, soon followed by a canal bypassing the Appomattox falls; railroad lines linking it to all points of the compass came next, gaslights were introduced in 1851, and a new municipal water system was installed by 1857. All these civic improvements helped attract and hold a substantial business community, based on manufacture of tobacco products, but also including cotton and flour mills and banking.

Its 1860 population was 18,266, half of whom were black, and nearly a third of them were free. Ninety percent of the white half were native Virginians, whose devotion to the cause during the War of 1812 inspired the nickname "Cockade City" in honor of the rosette they wore on their caps. When Civil War came in 1861, Petersburg's men again responded, and they provided the South several infantry companies and artillery units, as well as three troops of cavalry.

In 1864, Petersburg came to be of importance in the American Civil War during the Overland Campaign of Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Because of the railroads, Petersburg was the lifeline to Richmond, the Capital of the Confederacy. After the Battle of Cold Harbor, Grant stayed east of Richmond and headed south to Petersburg. Grant decided to cut off the rail lines into Petersburg. On June 9th, troops under William F. "Baldy" Smith, of the 9th Corps, attacked the Dimmock Line. The Dimmock Line was a set of defensive breastworks erected in 1861 and 1862 to protect Petersburg against the Army of the Potomac under General George McClellan during the Peninsula Campaign. The Confederate troops at this time numbered around 2000. The lines could have easily been taken, but with the memory of Cold Harbor still fresh, Generals Smith and Hancock were reticent to attack a fortified line. Confederate General P.G.T.Beauregard, commanding the troops at this time, alerted Lee that he was facing the Army of the Potomac at Petersburg. Lee later arrived, and the 292 day Siege of Petersburg began.

On the Eastern Front, the trench lines were very close together. One soldier in the 48th Pennsylvania, a coal miner in his civilian life, remarked aloud "We could blow that battery into oblivion if we could dig a mine underneath it." Colonel Henry Pleasants, Division Commander, took this idea seriously and moved it up the chain of command. The plan was given the go ahead. On August 9th, the mine was exploded. Due to poor Union leadership and the timely arrival of Confederate General William Mahone, the Union lost the Battle of the Crater with over 4000 casualties. This famous battle is portrayed in the motion picture "Cold Mountain."

The Siege of Petersburg ended in April, 1865, and preceded Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender and the end of the war. Confederate General Ambrose P. (A.P.) Hill died on the last day the Confederates occupied the Petersburg trenches. The extended network of entrenchments established a precedent in warfare that would be seen in Europe during World War I.

The Petersburg area is also home to Virginia State University (in Ettrick), one of the first fully state-supported four-year institutions of higher learning for African-Americans. Central State (psychiatric) Hospital and Fort Lee, housing the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps Center and School, are also located nearby. The city was also ringed with a series of fortifications during the years of "Reconstruction" following the War, which are no longer active.

Location

Located along the eastern seaboard, approximately halfway between New York and Florida, Petersburg is at the juncture of Interstates 95 and 85, just 23 miles south of Virginia's state capital, Richmond. The city is one of 13 jurisdictions that comprise the Richmond-Petersburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. Petersburg is a part of the Tri-cities, Virginia regional economy known as the "Appomattox Basin" that includes the counties of Dinwiddie and Prince George, the southern part of Chesterfield County, and the cities of Hopewell and Colonial Heights.

Geography

Petersburg is located at (37.21295, -77.400417).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 60.1 km² (23.2 mi²). 59.3 km² (22.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.29%) is water.

Petersburg is located on the Appomattox River at the fall line, which marks the area where an upland region (continental bedrock) and a coastal plain (coastal alluvia) meet. The fall line is typically prominent where a river crosses it, for there will usually be rapids or waterfalls. Because of these features river boats typically can not travel any further inland, making the location the head of navigation. Because of the need of a port, and ready supply of water power, settlements often developed where a river crosses the fall line.

The most prominent example of fall line settlement was the establishment of the cities along the eastern coast of the United States where the Appalachian Rise and the coastal plains meet.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,740 people, 13,799 households, and 8,513 families residing in the city. The population density was 569.4/km² (1,474.6/mi²). There were 15,955 housing units at an average density of 269.2/km² (697.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 18.52% White, 78.97% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.37% of the population. Following school integration in the 1960s, many white families moved to suburban Colonial Heights, Va.

There were 13,799 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.1% were married couples living together, 26.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,851, and the median income for a family was $33,955. Males had a median income of $27,859 versus $21,882 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,989. About 16.7% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

Popular Reference

R&B singer Trey Songz was born in Petersburg.
R&B singer Tyra Bolling was born in Petersburg.
NBA All-time great Moses Malone was born in Petersburg.
Actor Blair Underwood was born in Petersburg.
Actor Joseph Cotton was born and raised in Petersburg
Punk Rocker Dee Dee Ramone was born at Ft. Lee Army base in Petersburg.
Funeral Director & Mortician Keith A. Ridley,IVwas raised/born in Petersburg

External links

Official City Government Website

Cities in Virginia | Richmond, Virginia