Bedford,
Virginia
Bedford is an
independent
city located within the confines of
Bedford
County in the
state
of
Virginia. It serves
as the
county seat
of
Bedford
County.
Bedford is home of the National D-Day
Memorial; it was selected for that honor because it lost more residents per capita
in the Normandy landings than any other American community. Nineteen soldiers
from Bedford, whose 1944 population was about 3,200, were killed on D-Day. Two
other Bedford soldiers died later in the Normandy campaign.
It is also near
Poplar Forest, the rural retreat of Thomas
Jefferson. As of the 2000
census, the city had a total population of 6,299.
Geography
\nAccording
to the
United
States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.9
km²
(6.9
mi²). 17.8
km² (6.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.14% is water.
Demographics
\nAs
of the
census of
2000,
there are 6,299 people, 2,519 households, and 1,592 families residing in the city.
The
population
density is 353.0/km² (914.5/mi²). There are 2,702 housing units
at an average density of 151.4/km² (392.3/mi²). The racial makeup of
the city is 75.33% White, 22.38%
African
American, 0.24%
Native
American, 0.57%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 0.89%
of the population are
Hispanic
or
Latino of any race. There
are 2,519 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living
with them, 43.0% are married couples living together, 17.2% have a female householder
with no husband present, and 36.8% are non-families. 33.0% of all households are
made up of individuals and 15.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of
age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is
2.87. In the city the population is spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18,
7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who are
65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there
are 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.4 males. The
median income for a household in the city is $28,792, and the median income for
a family is $35,023. Males have a median income of $28,668 versus $18,065 for
females. The per capita income for the city is $15,423. 19.7% of the population
and 15.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living
in poverty, 29.4% are under the age of 18 and 11.1% are 65 or older.
