Blackstone

Blackstone, Virginia
—  Town  —
Location of Blackstone, Virginia
Coordinates: 37°4′36″N 78°0′5″W / 37.07667°N 78.00139°W / 37.07667; -78.00139
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Nottoway
Area
- Total	4.5 sq mi (11.8 km2)
- Land	4.5 sq mi (11.7 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	453 ft (138 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,675
- Density	811.8/sq mi (313.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	23824
Area code(s)	434
FIPS code	51-07832[1]
GNIS feature ID	1463528[2]

Blackstone is a town in Nottoway County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,675 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Blackstone is located at 37°4′36″N 78°0′5″W / 37.07667°N 78.00139°W / 37.07667; -78.00139 (37.076661, -78.001302)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.8 km²), of which, 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.44%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,675 people, 1,430 households, and 886 families residing in the town. The population density was 811.8 people per square mile (313.2/km²). There were 1,581 housing units at an average density of 349.2/sq mi (134.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 50.23% White, 46.39% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 1.88% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.39% of the population.

There were 1,430 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,566, and the median income for a family was $41,520. Males had a median income of $26,419 versus $17,905 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,562. About 20.2% of families and 26.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.5% of those under age 18 and 31.7% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure and attractions

Nearby Fort Pickett was established by the U.S. Army in 1941 and was a very large training center during World War II. It was closed by the BRAC Commission in the 1990s and is now the headquarters for the Virginia National Guard. The 2-year Blackstone Female Institute / Blackstone College for Girls also operated in Blackstone for many years. The buildings and grounds are now owned by the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, which uses it as the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center (VUMAC), drawing 19,000 visitors a year, with $9 million in renovations planned. The Blackstone shopping district (including a Wal-Mart, medical center, and livestock market) attract customers from a large 3-county rural area. The town recently received a Main Street designation from the state, and a $1 million downtown revitalization project started in 2008. In 2009 the town opened the $22.4 million Dr. James Harris Memorial outpatient medical center. There are plans to build a regional bus terminal to serve 11 counties. The oldest building in town is Schwartz Tavern, built in stages from 1790 to 1840, now used as a museum. From November to January, a local hardware store displays a giant 52 by 16 foot (17 by 5 meter) model railroad layout with hundreds of figurines. The Robert Thomas Carriage Museum, containing 24 restored, antique carriages, sleighs, and buggies, was also opened in 2007.

Notable residents

• Bishop James Cannon, Jr., first President of Blackstone College, achieved fame as the leading prohibition advocate in the nation.
• Booker T. Spicely, U.S. Army soldier and victim of a racially-motivated murder in Durham, North Carolina, in 1944.
• Richmond Crinkley, nationally-known theatrical producer

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Town website

• Blackstone, Virginia is at coordinates 37°04′36″N 78°00′05″W / 37.076661°N 78.001302°W / 37.076661; -78.001302 (Blackstone, Virginia)Coordinates: 37°04′36″N 78°00′05″W / 37.076661°N 78.001302°W / 37.076661; -78.001302 (Blackstone, Virginia)

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