Williamsburg, Virginia

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The Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Williamsburg is a city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 11,998. It is the county seat of James City County Template:GR, although it is itself an independent city. Williamsburg is well-known for the restored colonial area of the city, Colonial Williamsburg, and for the College of William and Mary which is situated mostly within the city of Williamsburg.

Contents

1 History

1.1 Shire to county to city
1.2 20th century restoration: Colonial Williamsburg
1.3 Anheuser-Busch: brewery, theme park, development

2 Geography

2.1 Adjacent counties

3 Demographics

3.1 Households
3.2 Age distribution
3.3 Income

4 Transportation

4.1 Highways and ferry
4.2 Bus
4.3 Rail
4.4 Airports

5 External links

History

Shire to county to city

Williamsburg was settled in 1632 and was called Middle Plantation. The College of William and Mary was founded in Middle Plantation in 1693. In 1699 the village was laid out and renamed to Williamsburg in honor of King William III of England. The town was granted a royal charter as a city in 1722. As a result of the burning of Jamestown in 1676, Williamsburg became the capital of Virginia. In 1780, during the American Revolutionary War, the capital was moved to Richmond at the urging of then-Governor Thomas Jefferson, who was afraid that Williamsburg's location made it vulnerable to a British attack. During the Revolutionary War many important conventions were held in Williamsburg. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Williamsburg was fought nearby on May 5, 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign.

20th century restoration: Colonial Williamsburg

In the early 20th century, one of the largest historic restorations ever undertaken, was championed by the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin of Williamsburg's Bruton Parish Church to celebrate the patriots and the early history of America. He enlisted the financial support of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who financed a project to restore a large portion of the city's 18th century buildings to their original condition. The restored area is known as Colonial Williamsburg, and forms part of the Historic Triangle with Jamestown and Yorktown.

Anheuser-Busch: brewery, theme park, development

Anheuser-Busch has large operations in James City County, just outside the city. The company operates a large brewery there, and a subsidiary of the company operates two of its Busch Gardens theme parks near the brewery. Anheuser-Busch's subsidiary Busch Properties operates a commerce park, McLaw's Circle and Kingsmill on the James a residential neighborhood that contains a resort of the same name.

Geography

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Location of Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg is located at 37°16'29" North, 76°42'30" West (37.274882, -76.708339)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.5 km² (8.7 mi²). 22.1 km² (8.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.50% water.

Adjacent counties

York County, Virginia (east)
James City County, Virginia (west)

Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there are 11,998 people, 3,619 households, and 1,787 families residing in the city. The population density is 542.4/km² (1,404.1/mi²). There are 3,880 housing units at an average density of 175.4/km² (454.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 79.54% White, 13.34% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 4.58% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 2.52% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Households

There are 3,619 households out of which 16.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% are married couples living together, 9.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.6% are non-families. 35.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.07 and the average family size is 2.66.

Age distribution

The age distribution, which is heavily influenced by the College of William and Mary, is: 9.6% under the age of 18, 46.0% from 18 to 24, 17.7% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 23 years. For every 100 females there are 81.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.8 males.

Income

The median income for a household in the city is $37,093, and the median income for a family is $52,358. Males have a median income of $28,625 versus $26,840 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,483. 18.3% of the population and 9.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Williamsburg is notable for the fact that a high proportion of city residents derive a significant percentage of their annual income from investment sources, either in addition to or in lieu of income from work. This is because many retirees relocate to Williamsburg, who typically draw income from investments such as 401k plans and the like (see also retirement community).

Transportation

Highways and ferry

Williamsburg is served by east-west Interstate 64 which parallels U.S. Highway 60 in the area. State Highway 199 surrounds the city in a semicircle and is occasionally humorously called the Williamsburg Beltway. Virginia State Highway 5 links the city with the James River Plantations along the north shore of the river, Interstate 295 and Richmond. Virginia State Highway 31 links the city to Jamestown and the toll-free Jamestown Ferry which connects to Virginia State Highway 10 at Surry, offering access to plantations south of the river as well as Hopewell, City Point, and Smithfield, Virginia.

The Colonial Parkway provides a bucolic low-speed link between the points of the Historic Triangle which in addition to Colonial Williamsburg, included Jamestown and Yorktown.

Bus

Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines. Local public transit bus and paratransit services are provided by James City County Transit.

In addition, the College of William and Mary operates a bus service for students of the university, which runs between locations on the central university campus, points in the city of Williamsburg and James City County, the law school campus, and various outlying dormitories and auxiliary buildings owned or operated by the university that are not contiguous with the main campus.

Rail

Williamsburg is served by several Amtrak trains a day, with direct service to Newport News, Richmond, and points along the Northeast Corridor from Washington DC through New York City to Boston.

Airports

Williamsburg is officially served by Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, in nearby Newport News. However, residents and visitors often fly out of Norfolk International Airport or Richmond International Airport which are larger; both airports have considerably more flights, and Williamsburg is roughly equidistant from the two. Also, Williamsburg-Jamestown airport[1] (http://www.airnav.com/airport/KJGG) (JGG) is a small general aviation airport located 3 miles southwest of Williamsburg.