South Boston,formerlyBoyd's Ferry,[4]is a town inHalifax County,Virginia,United States. The population was 8,142 at the 2010 census,[5]down from 8,491 at the 2000 census. It is the most populous town in Halifax County.
South Boston, Virginia | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 | |
| Nickname: SoBo | |
 Location of South Boston, Virginia | |
| Coordinates:36°42′28″N78°54′12″W/ 36.70778°N 78.90333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Halifax |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Edward Owens |
| Area | |
• Total | 13.15 sq mi (34.07 km2) |
| • Land | 13.06 sq mi (33.83 km2) |
| • Water | 0.09 sq mi (0.24 km2) |
| Elevation | 430 ft (130 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,966 |
| • Density | 605.57/sq mi (233.81/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5(Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4(EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 24592 |
| Area code | 434 |
| FIPS code | 51-73712[2] |
| GNISfeature ID | 1501641[3] |
| Website | www |
History
edit| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1992 | 1,435 | 52.05% | 1,051 | 38.12% | 271 | 9.83% |
| 1988 | 1,694 | 64.05% | 936 | 35.39% | 15 | 0.57% |
| 1984 | 1,899 | 65.64% | 974 | 33.67% | 20 | 0.69% |
| 1980 | 1,615 | 60.97% | 971 | 36.66% | 63 | 2.38% |
| 1976 | 1,389 | 56.97% | 1,001 | 41.06% | 48 | 1.97% |
| 1972 | 1,865 | 71.59% | 709 | 27.22% | 31 | 1.19% |
| 1968 | 1,298 | 50.17% | 620 | 23.97% | 669 | 25.86% |
| 1964 | 1,206 | 65.44% | 636 | 34.51% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1960 | 807 | 62.70% | 477 | 37.06% | 3 | 0.23% |
On December 8, 1796, theVirginia General Assemblyauthorized eight commissioners to establish at Boyd's Ferry on the south side of theDan Riverthe town of South Boston, named forBoston,Massachusetts.Because this site proved vulnerable to flooding, it was eventually abandoned in favor of a new settlement on the north side. By the 1850s theRichmond and Danville Railroadpassed through South Boston, which eventually developed into an important market for brightleaf tobacco. In 1884 it was incorporated as a town; in 1960 it became anindependent city;and in 1995 it made history by being the first city in Virginia to revert to town status and rejoined Halifax County.
Within the town limitsBerry Hill Plantation,E. L. Evans House,Reedy Creek Site,South Boston Historic District,are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[7]Fourqurean House,Glennmary,Glenwood,Tarover,andSeatonare nearby.
South Boston was home to the National Tobacco Festival (a typically three day annual festival held every Fall) from its inception in 1935 to 1941, when it was suspended during World War II. In 1948, the festival was moved toRichmond, Virginiawhen it outgrew the town. It was held in Richmond until 1984, when it was canceled due to rising production costs and decreased interest.[8][9]South Boston was the second largest producer of tobacco in the United States until theGreat Depression.
Geography
editSouth Boston is located south of the center of Halifax County at36°42′28″N78°54′12″W/ 36.70778°N 78.90333°W(36.707722, −78.903388).[10]It is bordered to the south by the unincorporated community ofRiverdale.U.S. Route 501passes through the center of the town, leading north 5 miles (8 km) toHalifax,thecounty seat,and south 23 miles (37 km) toRoxboro, North Carolina.U.S. Route 360crosses the southeast corner of the town limits, leading northeast 37 miles (60 km) toKeysvilleand west 31 miles (50 km) toDanville.U.S. Route 58passes through the southernmost part of South Boston with US 360, leading west with it to Danville but running east 48 miles (77 km) toSouth Hill.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau,South Boston has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34.1 km2), of which 13.1 square miles (33.8 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2), or 0.74%, are water.[5]TheDan River,a tributary of theRoanoke River,flows to the east along the southern edge of the town.
Climate
edit| Climate data for South Boston, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1977–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) |
83 (28) |
89 (32) |
95 (35) |
98 (37) |
103 (39) |
104 (40) |
104 (40) |
103 (39) |
102 (39) |
87 (31) |
80 (27) |
104 (40) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50.7 (10.4) |
54.0 (12.2) |
61.9 (16.6) |
71.8 (22.1) |
78.7 (25.9) |
86.2 (30.1) |
90.0 (32.2) |
88.3 (31.3) |
82.6 (28.1) |
72.8 (22.7) |
62.6 (17.0) |
53.8 (12.1) |
71.1 (21.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 38.6 (3.7) |
41.1 (5.1) |
48.1 (8.9) |
57.5 (14.2) |
66.0 (18.9) |
74.3 (23.5) |
78.7 (25.9) |
77.1 (25.1) |
70.8 (21.6) |
59.3 (15.2) |
48.6 (9.2) |
41.6 (5.3) |
58.5 (14.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 26.5 (−3.1) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
34.2 (1.2) |
43.3 (6.3) |
53.4 (11.9) |
62.5 (16.9) |
67.4 (19.7) |
65.9 (18.8) |
59.0 (15.0) |
45.7 (7.6) |
34.7 (1.5) |
29.3 (−1.5) |
45.8 (7.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −7 (−22) |
1 (−17) |
9 (−13) |
18 (−8) |
28 (−2) |
38 (3) |
42 (6) |
39 (4) |
29 (−2) |
21 (−6) |
10 (−12) |
−4 (−20) |
−7 (−22) |
| Averageprecipitationinches (mm) | 3.56 (90) |
2.95 (75) |
4.03 (102) |
3.67 (93) |
4.35 (110) |
4.88 (124) |
4.01 (102) |
3.82 (97) |
4.69 (119) |
3.43 (87) |
3.40 (86) |
3.58 (91) |
46.37 (1,178) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.0 (7.6) |
1.1 (2.8) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.0 (2.5) |
5.5 (14) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 10.4 | 9.4 | 10.2 | 10.1 | 10.9 | 9.8 | 10.3 | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 10.3 | 116.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 2.1 |
| Source:NOAA[11][12] | |||||||||||||
Major highways
edit
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 328 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,789 | 445.4% | |
| 1900 | 1,851 | 3.5% | |
| 1910 | 3,516 | 90.0% | |
| 1920 | 4,338 | 23.4% | |
| 1930 | 4,841 | 11.6% | |
| 1940 | 5,252 | 8.5% | |
| 1950 | 6,057 | 15.3% | |
| 1960 | 5,974 | −1.4% | |
| 1970 | 6,889 | 15.3% | |
| 1980 | 7,093 | 3.0% | |
| 1990 | 6,997 | −1.4% | |
| 2000 | 8,491 | 21.4% | |
| 2010 | 8,142 | −4.1% | |
| 2020 | 7,966 | −2.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
As of the census[2]of 2000, there were 8,491 people, 3,502 households, and 2,185 families residing in the town. The population density was 694.7 people per square mile (268.3/km2). There were 3,946 housing units at an average density of 322.8 per square mile (124.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 50.63%White,47.25%African American,0.21%Native American,0.48%Asian,0.51% fromother races,and 0.92% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 1.45% of the population.
There were 3,502 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.1 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 73.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,964, and the median income for a family was $34,848. Males had a median income of $28,212 versus $20,371 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,872. About 15.3% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 23.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable Places
editNotable people
edit- Jeremy Jeffress,former pitcher for theMilwaukee BrewersandToronto Blue Jays
- Michael Tucker,Major League Baseball player
- William M. Tuck,55th Governor ofVirginia,born inHalifax County, Virginiaand rests in South Boston.
- Walter B. Scates,Chief Justice of theIllinois Supreme Courtand Illinois Attorney General, born in South Boston
- Burton Family ofNASCAR.WardandJeff Burton,both brothers, are from South Boston and prepared for their racing career atSouth Boston Speedway.Their childrenJeb(Ward) andHarrison(Jeff) are from the city as well.
- NFLplayerTyrone Davisof theNew York JetsandGreen Bay Packersis from South Boston.
- Robert Llewellyn,born December 29, 1945, inRoanoke, Virginia,is a professional photographer who grew up in South Boston and now lives inEarlysville, Virginia.
- Grandmaster Slice,American hip-hop musician
- Greg Vanney,former professional soccer player and head coach of theLA Galaxy.
- G. C. Waldrep,poet and historian, was born and raised in South Boston.
- Olympic high jumperTisha Walleris from South Boston.
- Jay Blackton,who won an Academy Award forBest Music, Scoring of a Musical PictureinOklahoma!,is buried in South Boston.
- Colin Garrett,racing driver
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedAugust 7,2020.
- ^ab"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
- ^"US Board on Geographic Names".United States Geological Survey.October 25, 2007.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
- ^"Encyclopedia of Virginia: Cities of Virginia".
South Boston, in Halifax County, was named for Boston, Massachusetts. The town was originally located on the south side of the Dan River and called Boyd's Ferry.
- ^ab"Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): South Boston town, Virginia".American Factfinder.U.S. Census Bureau. Archived fromthe originalon February 13, 2020.RetrievedMarch 20,2018.
- ^"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".Uselectionatlas.org.RetrievedFebruary 28,2019.
- ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.July 9, 2010.
- ^Heatwole, Anne-Ryan (July 21, 2010)."New Looks for the Old Belt".VirginiaLiving.RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
- ^"The Tobacco Festival Unfiltered".ArcGIS StoryMaps.May 6, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
- ^"US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990".United States Census Bureau.February 12, 2011.RetrievedApril 23,2011.
- ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJuly 2,2021.
- ^ "Station: S Boston, VA".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020).National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJuly 2,2021.
- ^"Census of Population and Housing".Census.gov.RetrievedJune 4,2015.
- ^"South Boston, Virginia Population".U.S. Census.RetrievedMay 16,2024.
Further reading
edit- Substantial Changes to Counties and County Equivalent Entities: 1970–PresentUnited States Census Bureau