Hampton is an independent city in Virginia,
and therefore not part of any Virginia county. One of the Seven Cities of Hampton
Roads, it is on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering on
Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.
As of the 2000 U.S. census, the city population was 146,437, but the
census estimate for 2005 showed that the city's population was down slightly to 145,579. [1]
Hampton hosts Fort Monroe, Langley Air Force
Base, NASA Langley Research Center, the
Virginia Air and Space Center, and features a wide array of business and industrial enterprises,
retail and residential areas, historical sites, and miles of waterfront and beaches.
History
The former Native American community of Kecoughtan settled in 1610 in the Virginia Colony forms
the basis for Hampton's claim to the oldest continuously occupied English settlement in North
America. Considered strategic for defense purposes against other Europeans, it was seized from the natives by colonists
under Virginia's Governor, Sir Thomas Gates in 1610.
Hampton was named for Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of
Southampton, an important leader of the Virginia Company of London, for whom the
Hampton River, Hampton Roads, Southampton
County and Northampton County were also named.
Long a town in Elizabeth City County, the current independent city of Hampton became
much larger after a municipal consolidation with the incorporated town of
Phoebus and Elizabeth City County,
Virginia in 1952. Today, the City of Hampton essentially incorporates the boundaries of Elizabeth City County which was
created in 1643 from Elizabeth River Shire, one of the eight original
shires of 1634 in Colonial Virginia, with several
minor exceptions.
The original site of the Native American's Kecoughtan Settlement was near the present site of a Hampton Roads Transit facility. [2] To the south of present-day Hampton, a small unrelated incorporated town also named Kecoughtan many years later and also located in Elizabeth City County was
annexed by the City of Newport News in 1927, and now forms part of that city's
East End.
Hampton had the misfortune to be burned during both the American Revolutionary
War and the American Civil War. From the ruins of Hampton left by evacuating
Confederates in 1861, "Contraband" slaves (formerly owned by
Confederates and under a degree of Union protection) built the Grand Contraband
Camp, the first self-contained African American community in the United States.
A number of modern-day Hampton streets retain their names from that community. The large number of contrabands who sought the
refuge of Fort Monroe and the Grand Contraband Camp led to educational efforts which
eventually included establishment of Hampton University, site of the famous
Emancipation Oak.
Geography
Hampton is located at 37°2′5″N, 76°21′36″W (37.034946,
-76.360126)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 352.8 square kilometers (136.2 mi²). 134.1
square kilometers (51.8 mi²) of it is land and 218.7 square kilometers (84.4 mi²) of it (61.99%) is water.
Adjacent counties and cities
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 146,437 people, 53,887 households, and 35,888 families
residing in the city. The population density was 1,091.9/km² (2,828.0/mi²). There
were 57,311 housing units at an average density of 427.3/km² (1,106.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.55%
White, 44.68% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. 2.84% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 53,887 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were
non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02.
The age distribution is 24.2% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.3%
who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100
females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
Population update: estimated population in July 2002: 145,921 (-0.4% change) Males: 72,579 (49.6%), Females: 73,858 (50.4%)
Source: [3] The
Census estimate for 2005 shows that the city's population was down slightly to more, 145,579. [4]
The median income for a household in the city was $39,532, and the median income for a family was $46,110. Males had a median
income of $31,666 versus $24,578 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$19,774. About 8.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Hampton is served by two airports. The primary airport for the Hampton Roads area is
Norfolk International Airport, on the opposite side of Hampton Roads in
Norfolk. The region's secondary airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, is located on the
Virginia Peninsula in Newport News.
Schools
Hampton City Public Schools bus.
- Moton Early Childhood Center
- Aberdeen Elementary School
- Armstrong Elementary School
- Asbury Elementary School
- Barron Elementary School
- Bassette Elementary School
- Booker Elementary School
- Bryan Elementary School
- Burbank Elementary School
- Cary Elementary School
- Cooper Elementary School
- Forrest Elementary School
- Kraft Elementary School
- Langley Elementary School
- Lee Elementary School
- Machen Elementary School
- Mallory Elementary School
- Mary Peake Elementary School
- Merrimack Elementary School
- Phillips Elementary School
- Smith Elementary School
- Tarrant Elementary School
- Tucker-Capps Elementary School
- Tyler Elementary School
- Wythe Elementary School
- Davis Middle School
- Eaton Middle School
- Jones Middle School
- Lindsay Middle School
- Spratley Middle School
- Syms Middle School
- Bethel High School
- Hampton High School
- Kecoughtan High School
- Phoebus High School
Defunct Schools
- Phenix High School
- Pembroke High School
- Y.H. Thomas Middle School
Major neighborhoods
The old "lighthouse" at Buckroe Beach was built as a part of the amusement park.
Points of interest
F-89J s/n 52-2129 on display at the
Air Power Park and Museum in
Hampton, Virginia.
Famous Hamptonians
* DeVante Swing One Fourth of Jodeci, Producer, Songwriter, and Singer
See also
External links
Coordinates:
37.034946° N 76.360126°
W
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