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Wikipedia

Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425.[5] Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is bordered by James City County on the west and south and York County on the east.

Williamsburg
The Williamsburg Governor's Palace in 2012
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Williamsburg
Williamsburg
Coordinates: 37°16′15″N 76°42′25″W / 37.27083°N 76.70694°W / 37.27083; -76.70694
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
Founded1632
Government
 • MayorDoug Pons
 • Vice MayorPat Dent
Area
 • Total9.10 sq mi (23.57 km2)
 • Land8.94 sq mi (23.15 km2)
 • Water0.16 sq mi (0.42 km2)
Elevation
82 ft (15 m)
Population
 • Total15,425
 • Density1,700/sq mi (650/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
23185-23188
Area code(s)757, 948
FIPS code51-86160[3]
GNIS feature ID1498551[4]
WebsiteOfficial website

English settlers founded Williamsburg in 1632 as Middle Plantation, a fortified settlement on high ground between the James and York rivers. The city functioned as the capital of the Colony and Commonwealth of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and became the center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution. The College of William & Mary, established in 1693, is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the only one of the nine colonial colleges in the South. Its alumni include three U.S. presidents as well as many other important figures in the nation's early history.

The city's tourism-based economy is driven by Colonial Williamsburg, the city's restored Historic Area. Along with nearby Jamestown and Yorktown, Williamsburg forms part of the Historic Triangle, which annually attracts more than four million tourists.[6] Modern Williamsburg is also a college town, inhabited in large part by William & Mary students, faculty and staff.

History edit

Origins edit

Before English settlers arrived at Jamestown to establish the Colony of Virginia in 1607, the area that would become Williamsburg formed part of the territory of the Powhatan Confederacy. By the 1630s, English settlements had grown to dominate the lower (eastern) portion of the Virginia Peninsula, and Powhatan tribes had abandoned their nearby villages. Between 1630 and 1633, after the war that followed the Indian Massacre of 1622, English colonists constructed a defensive palisade across the peninsula and a settlement named Middle Plantation as a primary guard-station along the palisade.[7]

Jamestown, the original capital of Virginia Colony, burned down during the events of Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. Once Governor William Berkeley had regained control, temporary government headquarters were established about 12 miles (19 km) away on the high ground at Middle Plantation, pending the rebuilding of the Statehouse at Jamestown. The members of the House of Burgesses discovered that the "temporary" location was both safer and more pleasant than Jamestown, which was humid and plagued with mosquitoes.

A school of higher education had long been an aspiration of the colonists. An early attempt at Henricus failed after the Indian Massacre of 1622; the location at the outskirts of the developed part of the colony had left it vulnerable to attack. In the 1690s, the colonists again tried to establish a school. They commissioned Reverend James Blair, who spent several years in England lobbying, and finally obtained a royal charter for the desired new school. It was to be named the College of William & Mary in honor of the monarchs of the time. When Blair returned to Virginia, the new school was founded in a safe place, Middle Plantation, in 1693. Classes began in temporary quarters in 1694, and construction soon started on the College Building, a precursor to the Wren Building.

Williamsburg as capital edit

 
Capitol Building from a silver gelatin photograph, c. 1934–1950

Four years later, in 1698, the rebuilt Statehouse in Jamestown burned down again, this time accidentally. The government again "temporarily" relocated to Middle Plantation, and in addition to the better climate now also enjoyed use of the college's facilities. The college students made a presentation to the House of Burgesses, and it was agreed in 1699 that the colonial capital would move to Middle Plantation permanently. A village was laid out and Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg in honor of King William III of England, befitting the town's newly elevated status.

After Williamsburg's designation as the colony's capital, immediate provision was made for construction of a capitol building and for platting the city according to Theodorick Bland's survey. His design utilized the college's extant sites and the almost new Bruton Parish Church as focal points, and placed the new Capitol building opposite the college, with Duke of Gloucester Street connecting them.

Alexander Spotswood, who arrived in Virginia as lieutenant governor in 1710, had several ravines filled and streets leveled, and assisted in erecting additional college buildings, a church, and a magazine for the storage of arms. In 1722, Williamsburg was granted a royal charter as a "city incorporate" (now believed to be the oldest charter in the United States). It was actually a borough.[8]

Middle Plantation was included in James City Shire when it was established in 1634, as the colony reached a total population of approximately 5,000. (James City and Virginia's other shires changed their names a few years later; James City Shire then became known as James City County). The middle ground ridge-line was essentially the dividing line with Charles River Shire, which was renamed York County after King Charles I (r. 1625–1649) fell out of favor with the citizens of England. As Middle Plantation (and later Williamsburg) developed, the boundaries were adjusted slightly. For most of the colonial period, the border between the two counties ran down the center of Duke of Gloucester Street. During this time, and for almost 100 years after the 1776 formation both of the Commonwealth of Virginia and of the United States, despite practical complications, the town remained divided between the two counties.

Williamsburg was the site of the first attempted canal in the United States. In 1771, Lord Dunmore, who was Virginia's last Royal Governor, announced plans to connect Archer's Creek, which leads to the James River, with Queen's Creek, leading to the York River. It would have formed a water route across the Virginia Peninsula, but was not completed. Remains of this canal are visible at the rear of the grounds behind the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg.[9]

In the 1770s, the first purpose-built psychiatric hospital in the United States, the Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds, was founded in the city. Known in modern times as Eastern State Hospital, it was established by Act of the Virginia colonial legislature on June 4, 1770. The Act to "Make Provision for the Support and Maintenance of Ideots, Lunaticks, and other Persons of unsound Minds" authorized the House of Burgesses to appoint a 15-man Court Of Directors to oversee the hospital's operations and admissions. In 1771, contractor Benjamin Powell constructed a two-story building on Francis Street near the college, capable of housing 24 patients. The design included "yards for patients to walk and take the Air in" as well as provisions for a fence to keep the patients out of the town.

The Gunpowder Incident began in April 1775 as a dispute between Dunmore and Virginia colonists over gunpowder stored in the Williamsburg magazine. Fearing rebellion, Dunmore ordered royal marines to seize gunpowder from the magazine. Virginia militia led by Patrick Henry responded to the "theft" and marched on Williamsburg. A standoff ensued, with Dunmore threatening to destroy the city if attacked by the militia. The dispute was resolved when payment for the powder was arranged. This was an important precursor[citation needed] in the run-up to the American Revolution. Following the Declaration of Independence from Britain, the American Revolutionary War broke out in 1776.

On July 25, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed at Williamsburg and received with "applause under discharge of cannon and firing of small arms with illuminations [fireworks] in the evening".

During the war, Virginia's capital was moved again, in 1780, this time to Richmond at the urging of then-Governor Thomas Jefferson, who feared Williamsburg's location made it vulnerable to a British attack. Williamsburg remained a venue for many important conventions during the war.

Decline and Civil War edit

Williamsburg ceased to be the capital of the new Commonwealth of Virginia in 1780 and went into decline, although not to the degree Jamestown had. Another factor was travel: 18th- and early 19th-century transportation in the colony was largely by canals and navigable rivers. As it had been built on "high ground", Williamsburg was not sited on a major water-route, unlike many early U.S. communities. The railroads that began to be built in the 1830s also did not yet come through the city.

Despite Williamsburg's loss of the business activity involved in government, the College of William and Mary continued and expanded, as did the Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds. The latter became known as Eastern State Hospital.

At the outset of the American Civil War (1861–1865), enlistments in the Confederate Army depleted the College of William and Mary's student body and on May 10, 1861, the faculty voted to close the college for the duration of the war. The College Building served as a Confederate barracks and later as a hospital before being burned by Union forces in 1862.[10][11]

The Williamsburg area saw combat in the spring of 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign, a Union effort to take Richmond from the east from a base at Fort Monroe. Throughout late 1861 and early 1862, the small contingent of Confederate defenders was known as the Army of the Peninsula, led by General John B. Magruder. He successfully created ruses to fool the invaders as to the size and strength of his forces, and deterred their attack. The subsequent slow Union movement up the peninsula gained valuable time for defenses to be constructed at the Confederate capital at Richmond.[citation needed]

In early May 1862, after holding off Union troops for over a month, the defenders withdrew quietly from the Warwick Line (stretching across the Peninsula between Yorktown and Mulberry Island). As General George McClellan's Union forces crept up the Peninsula to pursue the retreating Confederate forces, a rear-guard force led by General James Longstreet and supported by General J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry blocked their westward progression at the Williamsburg Line. This was a series of 14 redoubts east of town, with earthen Fort Magruder (also known as Redoubt # 6) at the crucial junction of the two major roads leading to Williamsburg from the east. College of William and Mary President Benjamin S. Ewell oversaw the design and construction. He owned a farm in James City County, and had been commissioned as an officer in the Confederate Army after the college closed in 1861.[12]

At the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5, 1862, the defenders succeeded in delaying the Union forces long enough for the retreating Confederates to reach the outer defenses of Richmond.

A siege of Richmond ensued, culminating in the Seven Days Battles (June to July 1862). McClellan's campaign failed to capture Richmond. Meanwhile, on May 6, 1862, Williamsburg had fallen to the Union. The college's Brafferton building operated for a time as quarters for the commanding officer of the Union garrison occupying the town. On September 9, drunken soldiers of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry set fire to the College Building,[13] allegedly to prevent Confederate snipers from using it for cover. Williamsburg underwent much damage during the Union occupation, which lasted until September 1865.[citation needed]

Late 19th century edit

 
Williamsburg Transportation Center is an intermodal facility located in a restored Chesapeake and Ohio Railway station located within walking distance of Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area, the College of William and Mary, and the downtown area.

In 1881, Collis P. Huntington's Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&O) built its Peninsula Extension through the area, eventually establishing six stations in Williamsburg and the surrounding area. The Peninsula Extension was good news for the farmers and merchants of the Virginia Peninsula, and they generally welcomed the railroad, which aided passenger travel and shipping. Williamsburg allowed tracks to be placed down Duke of Gloucester Street and even directly through the ruins of the capitol building. (They were later relocated, and Collis Huntington's real-estate arm, Old Dominion Land Company, donated the site to the forerunner of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.)

The railroad's main purpose was shipping eastbound West Virginia bituminous coal to Newport News. Using the new coal piers, coal was loaded aboard large colliers in the harbor of Hampton Roads for shipment to New England and to export destinations worldwide.[14]

Due in no small part to President Ewell's efforts, education continued at the College of William and Mary, although teaching was temporarily suspended for financial reasons from 1882 to 1888. Ewell's efforts to restore the school and its programs during and after Reconstruction became legendary in Williamsburg and at the college,[citation needed] and were ultimately successful, with funding both from the U.S. Congress and from the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 1888, the college secured $10,000 from the General Assembly of the Commonwealth and established a normal school to educate teachers; in 1906, the General Assembly modified the college charter, took ownership of the college buildings and grounds, and assumed primary responsibility for funding it. Ewell remained in Williamsburg as President Emeritus of the college until his death in 1894.

Beginning in the 1890s, C&O land agent Carl M. Bergh, a Norwegian-American who had earlier farmed in the midwestern states, realized that eastern Virginia's gentler climate and depressed post-Civil War land prices would be attractive to his fellow Scandinavians who were farming in other northern parts of the country. He began sending out notices and selling land. Soon there was a substantial concentration of relocated Americans of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish descent in the area. The location earlier known as Vaiden's Siding on the railroad just west of Williamsburg in James City County was renamed Norge. These citizens and their descendants found the local conditions favorable, and many became leading merchants, tradespersons, and farmers in the community. These transplanted Americans brought some new blood and enthusiasm to the old colonial capital area.

Revival edit

 
Colonial Williamsburg

Williamsburg remained a sleepy small town in the early 20th century. Some newer structures were interspersed with colonial-era buildings, but the town was much less progressive than Virginia's other, busier communities of similar size. Some local lore indicates that the residents liked it that way, as described in longtime Virginia Peninsula journalist, author and historian Parke S. Rouse Jr.'s work. On June 26, 1912, the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper ran an editorial that dubbed the town "Lotusburg", for "Tuesday was election day in Williamsburg but nobody remembered it. The clerk forgot to wake the electoral board, the electoral board could not arouse itself long enough to have the ballots printed, the candidates forgot they were running, the voters forgot they were alive."[15]

But even if such complacency existed, one Episcopal priest dreamed of expanding and changing Williamsburg's future to give it a new major purpose, turning much of it into a massive living museum. In the early 20th century, the Reverend Dr. W. A. R. Goodwin of Williamsburg's Bruton Parish Church championed one of the nation's largest historic restorations. Initially, Goodwin just aimed to save his historic church building. This he had accomplished by 1907, in time for the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Episcopal Church in Virginia. But upon returning to Williamsburg in 1923 after serving a number of years in upstate New York, he realized that many of the other remaining colonial-era buildings were also in deteriorating condition.

Goodwin dreamed of a much larger restoration along the lines of what he had accomplished with his church. Of modest means, he sought support and financing from a number of sources before successfully attracting the interest and major financial support of Standard Oil heir and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. Their combined efforts created Colonial Williamsburg, restoring much of downtown Williamsburg and developing a 301-acre (1.22 km2) Historic Area celebrating the patriots and early history of America.

As of 2022, Colonial Williamsburg is Virginia's largest tourist attraction by attendance and the cornerstone of the Historic Triangle, with Jamestown and Yorktown joined by the Colonial Parkway. In the 21st century, Williamsburg has continued to update and refine its attractions. There are more features designed to attract modern children and to offer better and additional interpretation of the black American experience in the town. A century after Goodwin's work began, Colonial Williamsburg remains a work in progress.

In addition to Colonial Williamsburg, the city's railroad station was restored to become an intermodal passenger facility. In nearby James City County, the c. 1908 C&O Railway combination passenger and freight station at Norge was preserved and, with a donation from CSX Transportation, relocated in 2006 to a site at the Williamsburg Regional Library's Croaker Branch. Other landmarks outside the historic area include Carter's Grove and Gunston Hall.

In 1932, a Catholic church was built to minister to students at the College of William & Mary. Old Saint Bede was made a national shrine, dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham.

 
9th G7 summit of 1983 in front of the Historic Capitol Building

Recent history edit

The third of three debates between Republican President Gerald Ford and Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter was held at Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at The College of William & Mary on October 22, 1976. Perhaps in tribute to the historic venue, as well as to the United States Bicentennial celebration, both candidates spoke of a "new spirit" in America.

The 9th G7 summit took place in Williamsburg in 1983. The participants discussed the growing debt-crisis, arms control and greater cooperation between the Soviet Union and the G7 (subsequently the G8). At the end of the meeting, Secretary of State George P. Shultz read to the press a statement confirming the deployment of American Pershing II-nuclear missiles in West Germany later in 1983.[16]

On May 3, 2007, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II visited Jamestown and Williamsburg.[17] She had previously visited Williamsburg in 1957.[18] Many world leaders,[19][citation needed] including President George W. Bush, visited Jamestown to mark its 400th anniversary. The celebration began in part in 2005 with events leading up to the anniversary, and was celebrated statewide throughout 2007, though the official festivities took place during the first week of May.[20]

On February 5, 2009, President Barack Obama took his first trip aboard Air Force One to a House Democrats retreat in the city to attend and address their "Issues Conference".[21][22]

Geography edit

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 km2), of which 8.9 square miles (23.1 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2) (1.8%) is water.[23]

Williamsburg stands upon a ridge on the Virginia Peninsula between the James and York Rivers. Queen's Creek and College Creek partly encircle the city. James City County is to the west and south and York County to the north and east. As with all cities in Virginia, Williamsburg is legally independent of both counties.

The city is on the I-64 corridor, 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Richmond and about 37 miles (60 km) northwest of Norfolk. It is in the northwest corner of Hampton Roads, the nation's 37th-largest metropolitan area, with a population of 1,576,370. Within Hampton Roads, Norfolk is recognized as the central business district, while the Virginia Beach seaside resort district and Williamsburg are primarily tourism centers.

Climate edit

Williamsburg is in the humid subtropical climate zone, with cool to mild winters, and hot, humid summers. Due to the inland location, winters are slightly cooler and spring days slightly warmer than in Norfolk, though lows average 3.2 °F (1.8 °C) cooler here due to the substantial urban buildup to the southeast. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches (11 cm) per season, and the summer months tend to be slightly wetter.[24] With a period of record dating only back to 1951, extreme temperatures range from −7 °F (−22 °C) on January 21, 1985, to 104 °F (40 °C) on August 22, 1983, and June 26, 1952.[25]

Climate data for Williamsburg, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 81
(27)
83
(28)
90
(32)
96
(36)
98
(37)
104
(40)
103
(39)
104
(40)
103
(39)
96
(36)
85
(29)
82
(28)
104
(40)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 49.1
(9.5)
52.3
(11.3)
59.8
(15.4)
70.0
(21.1)
77.2
(25.1)
84.4
(29.1)
88.5
(31.4)
86.5
(30.3)
80.5
(26.9)
71.0
(21.7)
61.1
(16.2)
52.6
(11.4)
69.4
(20.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 39.8
(4.3)
42.2
(5.7)
49.1
(9.5)
58.9
(14.9)
67.1
(19.5)
74.9
(23.8)
79.3
(26.3)
77.6
(25.3)
71.8
(22.1)
61.1
(16.2)
51.0
(10.6)
43.4
(6.3)
59.7
(15.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 30.6
(−0.8)
32.0
(0.0)
38.5
(3.6)
47.7
(8.7)
57.0
(13.9)
65.3
(18.5)
70.2
(21.2)
68.7
(20.4)
63.1
(17.3)
51.3
(10.7)
40.9
(4.9)
34.1
(1.2)
49.9
(9.9)
Record low °F (°C) −7
(−22)
1
(−17)
10
(−12)
22
(−6)
31
(−1)
37
(3)
48
(9)
44
(7)
38
(3)
21
(−6)
15
(−9)
0
(−18)
−7
(−22)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.77
(96)
3.05
(77)
4.25
(108)
3.98
(101)
3.89
(99)
4.16
(106)
5.92
(150)
5.68
(144)
5.40
(137)
4.21
(107)
3.13
(80)
3.80
(97)
51.24
(1,301)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 1.7
(4.3)
1.6
(4.1)
0.2
(0.51)
0.1
(0.25)
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)
0.7
(1.8)
4.3
(11)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 10.6 9.7 10.6 10.3 11.3 10.7 12.0 10.8 10.2 8.8 9.1 10.6 124.7
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.5 0.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.6
Source: NOAA[25][24]

Demographics edit

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18201,402
1850877
18601,11326.9%
18701,39225.1%
18801,4806.3%
18901,83123.7%
19002,04411.6%
19102,71432.8%
19202,462−9.3%
19303,77853.5%
19403,9424.3%
19506,73570.9%
19606,8321.4%
19709,06932.7%
19809,8708.8%
199011,53016.8%
200011,9984.1%
201014,06817.3%
202015,4259.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[26]
1790-1960[27] 1900-1990[28]
1990-2000[29] 2010-2020[2]

During the Revolutionary era, African Americans made up over 50% of Williamsburg's population.[30]

Williamsburg was 78% White and 13% Black at the 2000 census,[31] and 71% White and 14% Black at the 2010 census.[32] The 2020 census indicated a dramatic demographic shift in the city, reporting that Williamsburg was 48% White and 37% Black.[2] Census data shows almost all of the Black population growth occurring in Census blocks containing William and Mary dorms, but data from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shows no growth in the number of Black students in William and Mary dorms during the 2010s.[33] University of Virginia researchers believe that the high Black population figure was not due to an actual demographic shift but instead due to "the Bureau’s decision to swap some census respondents’ identities with other respondents for privacy protection", a phenomenon known as differential privacy.[33][34]

2020 census edit

Williamsburg city, Virginia - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000[31] Pop 2010[32] Pop 2020[2] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 9,352 9,952 7,370 77.95% 70.74% 47.78%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,593 1,918 5,648 13.28% 13.63% 36.62%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 31 35 20 0.26% 0.25% 0.13%
Asian alone (NH) 546 802 497 4.55% 5.7% 3.22%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 6 4 25 0.05% 0.03% 0.16%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 15 23 53 0.13% 0.16% 0.34%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 153 393 597 1.28% 2.79% 3.87%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 302 941 1,215 2.52% 6.69% 7.88%
Total 11,998 14,068 15,425 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 Census edit

 
Age distribution in Williamsburg

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 14,068 people, 3,619 households, and 1,787 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,404.1 people per square mile (542.1 people/km2). There were 3,880 housing units at an average density of 454.1 per square mile (175.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.0% White, 14.0% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 5.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. 6.7% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

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

The age distribution was: 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,093, and the median income for a family was $52,358. Males had a median income of $28,625 versus $26,840 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,483. 18.3% of the population and 9.3% of families were 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 were living below the poverty line.

A high proportion of Williamsburg residents derive a significant percentage of their annual income from investments, either in addition to or in lieu of income from work. This is because many retirees relocate to Williamsburg and typically draw income from investments such as 401(k) plans and the like.

Economy edit

 
Entrance to Busch Gardens Williamsburg featuring the countries' flags

The tourist volume of Colonial Williamsburg has attracted many related businesses to the area. Notable among these was Anheuser-Busch, which established large operations in James City County and York County just outside the city. The company operates a large brewery there. It also used to operate two theme parks near the brewery, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Water Country USA, but both properties were sold to private investors after foreign brewer InBev took over Anheuser-Busch in 2010. Anheuser-Busch also previously operated a commerce park, McLaw's Circle, and Kingsmill on the James, a gated residential neighborhood that contains a resort of the same name.

Williamsburg has an outlet mall, Williamsburg Premium Outlets. A second outlet mall, Williamsburg Outlet Mall, closed in December 2013. Williamsburg Pottery Factory also has outlet stores.

Arts and culture edit

 
Duke of Gloucester Street in Colonial Williamsburg

As with most of Virginia (the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. metro area being a notable exception), Williamsburg is often associated with the larger American South. People who grew up in the Hampton Roads area have a unique Tidewater accent that differs from a stereotypical Southern accent. Vowels have a longer pronunciation than in a regular southern accent. For example, "house" is pronounced "hoose" in the Tidewater accent.[35] Due to the strong military presence in the Tidewater Area, the Tidewater accent has been slowly dying out for years.

Tourist sites include Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum depicting the lifestyles and culture of the 18th-century colonial period. Within this area is Virginia's first capitol building, the Governor's Palace, Bruton Parish Church (the oldest continually operating church in the United States), the Peyton Randolph House (home of Peyton Randolph, the first President of Continental Congress) and The College of William & Mary.

Other sites include the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, The Williamsburg Winery (Virginia's largest), the Williamsburg Botanical Garden, the National Center for State Courts and the Virginia Musical Museum. Williamsburg has two theme parks, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. Presidents Park was an educational attraction that displayed outdoor statue heads and biographies of 43 presidents.[36][37] In 2010, Presidents Park closed due to financial issues.[38]

Government edit

Federally, Williamsburg is part of Virginia's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Rob Wittman, who was first elected in 2007.

When Williamsburg received its charter in 1722, it had portions in both James City and York County. In 1870, the Virginia General Assembly changed the boundaries so that it was entirely within James City County.

A year later, a new state constitution created the political entity known as an independent city, which is not located in any county. Williamsburg subsequently incorporated as a city in 1884 and separated from James City County,[8] but continues to share several constitutional officers with James City County. The city also operates a joint school division with James City County, under a voluntary agreement that leaders revisit at planned intervals.

As an independent city, Williamsburg has had a council-manager form of government since 1932. The city council elects the mayor, who presides over council meetings and serves as the city's Chief Elected Official. The city council consists of five members who serve staggered, four-year terms. It hires a city manager, comparable to a corporation's chief executive officer, who is usually a professionally trained public administrator and is charged with implementing the council's policies and directives and has broad administrative authority with strict rules prohibiting political interference in administrative matters.[39]

As of 2020, Williamsburg's mayor is Douglas Pons, and the vice mayor is W. Pat Dent. Other city council members are Barbara Ramsey, Ted Maslin and Caleb Rogers.[40] The city manager is Andrew O. Trivette.[41]

The city now shares all constitutional officers, courts, and the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools system (WJCC) with adjacent James City County, and is the county seat.[42] Until 1998, the city had its own Sheriff's Office. It was consolidated with the James City County Sheriff's Office, becoming Williamsburg-James City County Sheriff's Office.[43]

As a college town, Williamsburg's large student population has also resulted in a few conflicts with the city government. For example, in addressing concerns of property values and noise complaints near campus, the council has undertaken initiatives to reduce student off-campus residential presence in the city by instituting a maximum occupancy rule of three unrelated persons for single-family dwellings,[44] as well as a plan to buy rental houses with taxpayer dollars and resell them with the stipulation that the new owners must occupy them.[45] Until July 1, 2007, the voting registrar, David Andrews, had interpreted Virginia law to exclude a high percentage of students, arguing that students should be registered where their parents live. The new voter registrar, Win Sowder, said she is registering students as she would "any other resident of the city. If they're living in the dorms for eight months out of the year, and have an address located within the city limits on a Virginia driver's license, they're entitled to register to vote."[46]

In presidential elections, Williamsburg was a Republican-leaning city for most of the time from the 1950s to the 1980s. Between 1948 and 1988, it supported a Democratic presidential nominee once, during Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide victory. This changed in the 1990s when Democrat Bill Clinton won Williamsburg in both of his presidential campaigns. Due in part to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader's strong showing as a left-wing protest candidate in the college town, Republican George W. Bush secured a very narrow plurality in 2000.

Democrat John Kerry won the city by a single-digit margin over Bush in 2004. In the elections since then, Williamsburg has swung heavily to the Democrats, and has become one of the most Democratic areas of Hampton Roads and Virginia. Democrat Barack Obama swept Williamsburg by 29-point margins in both the 2008 and 2012 elections. In the 2016 election, Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Republican Donald Trump in Williamsburg by 45 points. Trump won 25% of the vote, the worst showing for a Republican in the city in over a century. Four years later, the city gave an equally massive victory to Joe Biden, who carried the county with 69% of the vote, the best showing for a Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

United States presidential election results for Williamsburg, Virginia[47]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 1,963 28.52% 4,790 69.59% 130 1.89%
2016 1,925 25.24% 5,206 68.27% 495 6.49%
2012 2,682 34.62% 4,903 63.28% 163 2.10%
2008 2,353 34.67% 4,328 63.77% 106 1.56%
2004 2,064 47.78% 2,216 51.30% 40 0.93%
2000 1,777 47.70% 1,724 46.28% 224 6.01%
1996 1,560 43.43% 1,820 50.67% 212 5.90%
1992 1,349 36.27% 1,856 49.91% 514 13.82%
1988 1,648 50.91% 1,534 47.39% 55 1.70%
1984 1,913 56.23% 1,469 43.18% 20 0.59%
1980 1,344 45.51% 1,199 40.60% 410 13.88%
1976 1,654 51.77% 1,468 45.95% 73 2.28%
1972 1,786 57.46% 1,274 40.99% 48 1.54%
1968 1,156 46.73% 991 40.06% 327 13.22%
1964 906 43.29% 1,171 55.95% 16 0.76%
1960 721 59.10% 486 39.84% 13 1.07%
1956 775 62.60% 362 29.24% 101 8.16%
1952 797 62.12% 483 37.65% 3 0.23%
1948 334 39.34% 312 36.75% 203 23.91%
1944 211 31.45% 454 67.66% 6 0.89%
1940 168 31.05% 367 67.84% 6 1.11%
1936 96 19.63% 389 79.55% 4 0.82%
1932 99 19.60% 387 76.63% 19 3.76%
1928 98 24.02% 310 75.98% 0 0.00%
1924 31 13.60% 196 85.96% 1 0.44%
1920 62 27.19% 166 72.81% 0 0.00%
1916 21 17.80% 97 82.20% 0 0.00%
1912 11 7.91% 113 81.29% 15 10.79%
1908 48 28.24% 120 70.59% 2 1.18%
1904 37 26.06% 103 72.54% 2 1.41%
1900 88 34.38% 161 62.89% 7 2.73%
1896 90 43.48% 113 54.59% 4 1.93%
1892 120 49.38% 122 50.21% 1 0.41%
1884 177 60.41% 116 39.59% 0 0.00%
1880 108 46.15% 126 53.85% 0 0.00%

Education edit

 
Matthew Whaley Elementary School, the sole public elementary school in the Williamsburg city limits

The Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools operates the following schools in Williamsburg: Matthew Whaley School, Berkeley Middle School, James Blair Middle School, Lafayette High School, and Warhill High School.[citation needed]

There are several private schools that also serve the Williamsburg and James City Country area, including Williamsburg Christian Academy, a Christian International Baccalaureate School, Walsingham Academy, a private Catholic school serving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, Williamsburg Montessori School, and Providence Classical School.

 
The Wren Building on the campus of The College of William & Mary

The city has been the home to The College of William & Mary since its founding in 1693, making it America's second-oldest college (after Harvard University). Technically a university, William & Mary was also the first U.S. institution to have a Royal Charter, and the only one to have coat-of-arms from the College of Arms in London. The campus adjoins the Historic District, and the Wren Building at the head of Duke of Gloucester Street was one of the earliest restored by W. A. R. Goodwin and the family of John D. Rockefeller Jr. as they began creating Colonial Williamsburg. Over 70% of the college's students either work part-time or volunteer in the community. Students contribute over 300,000 hours of volunteer service to Williamsburg annually.[48]

Media edit

Williamsburg is primarily served by two newspapers, The Virginia Gazette and Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily.[49]

The Gazette is a biweekly, published in Williamsburg, and was the first newspaper to be published south of the Potomac River, starting in 1736.[citation needed] Its publisher was William Parks, who had similar ventures in Maryland.[50][51] After his death in 1750, Parks's shop foreman William Hunter restarted the paper in 1751.[52]

The Daily Press, published in nearby Newport News, covers local, regional and national news. The College of William & Mary has two student newspapers; the student-fee-supported campus newspaper The Flat Hat and the independent campus newspaper The Virginia Informer.[53] William & Mary students produce many other publications and run their own radio station, WCWM. Hampton Roads Magazine is a bimonthly regional magazine for Williamsburg and the Hampton Roads area.[54] Williamsburg is served by a variety of AM and FM radio stations, with towers around the Hampton Roads area.[55]

Williamsburg is served by the NorfolkPortsmouthNewport News designated market area (DMA), the nation's 42nd-largest, with 712,790 homes (0.64% of the total U.S.).[56]

Infrastructure edit

Transportation edit

 
Greyhound's bus loading at Williamsburg's Transportation Center

Williamsburg is located adjacent to Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 60, which connect the city with Richmond to the northwest and Norfolk to the southeast. State Route 199, officially named the Humelsine Parkway after a former Colonial Williamsburg president, surrounds the city in a semicircle. State Route 5 links the city with the James River Plantations along the north shore of the James River, Interstate 295 and Richmond. State Route 31 provides a route to Jamestown and the toll-free Jamestown Ferry. The Colonial Parkway provides a bucolic low-speed link to Jamestown and Yorktown, passing under Colonial Williamsburg in a tunnel. With the exception of buses, commercial vehicles are not allowed on the Parkway.[57]

The community's public bus system, Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA), has its central hub at the transportation center. A network of disabled-accessible transit bus routes serve the city, James City County, and most portions of York County adjacent to the Williamsburg area, with hourly service seven days a week, and half-hourly service on select routes during peak weekday hours. The routes operated by WATA include a loop around the William & Mary campus while classes are in session. The system also provides paratransit services and operates replica trolley buses at the Yorktown Riverfront attraction.[58] WATA connects with the much larger Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) bus system at Lee Hall in northwestern Newport News and at the Williamsburg Transportation Center.[59]

Walking is a major mode of transportation in Williamsburg, with about a fifth of people walking to work between 2006 and 2010.[60] Walk Score, a website which algorithmically determines how friendly communities are to walkers, describes the city as "very walkable".[61] With few exceptions, motorized traffic is not allowed on Duke of Gloucester Street, which passes through Colonial Williamsburg and the shopping district of Merchant's Square.[62] The city is also increasingly bicycle-friendly, having built 48 miles of bicycle facilities in the area since 1992.[63] Upon completion, the Virginia Capital Trail will provide a paved off-road path to Richmond for bicyclists and pedestrians via the Colonial Parkway.

The primary airport for the Virginia Peninsula is the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport in Newport News, a twenty-minute drive from Williamsburg.[64] Norfolk International Airport and Richmond International Airport also serve passengers from the city. Amtrak serves Williamsburg with three trains a day stopping at the Amtrak Station. The line runs west along the Virginia Peninsula to Richmond and points beyond. A high-speed rail connection at Richmond to both the Northeast Corridor and the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor are also under study.[65] Intercity bus services are provided by Greyhound.

Utilities edit

Waller Mill Reservoir is the main water source for Williamsburg. A 350-acre lake holding 1.5 billion gallons of water, it has been in operation since 1945. The City owns a large percentage of the surrounding watershed. During drought, this source may be supplemented by groundwater from a well at Waller Mill and from raw (untreated) water from Newport News Waterworks under a long-term agreement.[66]

The City provides wastewater services for residents and transports wastewater to the regional Hampton Roads Sanitation District treatment plants.[67]

Notable people edit

In Fiction edit

Williamsburg, Virginia, was the second location of the Magical Congress of the United States of America in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Williamsburg city, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
  3. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "Williamsburg city, Williamsburg city, Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Huh, Jin (March 2002). Tourist Satisfaction with Cultural/Heritage Sites: The Virginia Historic Triangle (Thesis). Virginia Polytechnic and State University. hdl:10919/32742. (PDF) from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Morgan 2004, pp. 21–22.
  8. ^ a b Cities of Virginia August 26, 2017, at the Wayback Machine at Encyclopedia Virginia
  9. ^ Charles A. Grymes (1998). . Archived from the original on March 21, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
  10. ^ "Wren Building: Oldest academic structure in America". History.org. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  11. ^ . Daily Press. May 20, 1998. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  12. ^ . Daily Press. February 7, 1993. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  13. ^ . The College of William and Mary. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  14. ^ . Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  15. ^ . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  16. ^ . dailypress.com/virginiagazette. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  17. ^ Puente, Maria (May 4, 2007). "Queen, Cheney tour Jamestown". USA Today. from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  18. ^ Evans Asbury, Edith (October 17, 1957). "Special to The New York Times. Queen in Virginia, acclaims leaders of the revolution". New York Times.
  19. ^ . America's 400th Anniversary Legacy Site. CINIVA. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  20. ^ "Bush nearly places Queen Elizabeth in 18th century". Reuters. May 7, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "Obama taking first Air Force One trip as president". Archived from the original on February 9, 2009.
  22. ^ "Obama Goes Airborne Today For First Time As President". CBS News. from the original on March 17, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  23. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  24. ^ a b "Station: Williamsburg 2 N, VA". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  25. ^ a b "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  26. ^ "Census of Population and Housing from 1790". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  27. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  28. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  29. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  30. ^ "Half the History". Colonial Williamsburg.
  31. ^ a b "P004HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE [73] - Williamsburg city, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
  32. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Williamsburg city, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
  33. ^ a b "Why 2020 Census data needs to be treated with caution". University of Virginia Demographics and Workforce Group.
  34. ^ "Census 2020: Differential Privacy". University of Virginia Demographics and Workforce Group.
  35. ^ . Fairfax County Public Library. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  36. ^ . Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  37. ^ . Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  38. ^ Kimberlin, J. (September 15, 2014). . The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. on June 2, 2015
  39. ^ Williamsburg City Manager . Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  40. ^ . City of Williamsburg, VA. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  41. ^ . www.williamsburgva.gov. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  42. ^ Williamsburg-James City Courthouse . Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  43. ^ . James City County, VA. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  44. ^ Evans, James (November 5, 2004). . DoG Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 19, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2006.
  45. ^ Damon, James (March 17, 2006). . The Flat Hat. Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2006.
  46. ^ Day, Shawn (September 26, 2007). "Registrar gives nod to students". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia.
  47. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  48. ^ Whitson, Brian (April 27, 2006). "Community contributions: Students invest more than 300,000 hours". William and Mary News. from the original on September 3, 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2006.
  49. ^ . Archived from the original on July 3, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  50. ^ "Hampton Roads news, information, weather, hurricane coverage, sports, entertainment, restaurants, real estate, jobs, business, classifieds". Daily Press. from the original on July 3, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  51. ^ . dailypress.com/virginiagazette. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015.
  52. ^ Bryson 2000, p. 526.
  53. ^ "Hampton Roads Magazine". Hampton Roads Magazine. from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
  54. ^ Holmes, Gary. "Nielsen Reports 1.1% increase in U.S. Television Households for the 2006–2007 Season." Nielsen Media Research. August 23, 2006. Retrieved on February 20, 2007. July 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  55. ^ "Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)". from the original on October 17, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  56. ^ "Home - WATA". from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  57. ^ "Route 121- Hampton Roads Transit" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  58. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics: 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2012.[dead link]
  59. ^ "Walk Score of Williamsburg VA". from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  60. ^ "Duke of Gloucester Street". from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  61. ^ . City of Williamsburg. Archived from the original on February 12, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  62. ^ . Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport. Archived from the original on January 20, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  63. ^ . Southeast High Speed Rail. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2007.
  64. ^ . City of Williamsburg. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  65. ^ "Hampton Roads Sanitation District". Hampton Roads Sanitation District. from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
  66. ^ "A Biography of John Blair 1732-1800". University of Groningen. from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  67. ^ Rosen, Harvey. "A strikeout is called on first Jewish umpire", Cleveland Jewish News, July 26, 2001. Accessed March 7, 2023. "When I read the story, which implicated American League umpire Al Clark, I was overwhelmed by a sense of sadness.... The Trenton, N.J., native, who now lives in Williamsburg, Va., became an umpire, he says, because he loved baseball, but only had sufficient talent to play ball at the college and the semipro levels."

Further reading edit

  • Bryson, William Hamilton (2000). Virginia Law Books: Essays and Bibliographies, Volume 239. American Philosophical Society. ISBN 0871692392.
  • McCartney, Martha W. (1977). James City County: Keystone of the Commonwealth. Virginia Beach: Donning and Company. ISBN 0-89865-999-X.
  • Morgan, Timothy E. (2004). Williamsburg: A City that History Made. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. ISBN 978-0-738-52473-3.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Convention an Visitors' Bureau

williamsburg, virginia, this, article, about, independent, city, virginia, city, historic, district, colonial, williamsburg, williamsburg, independent, city, virginia, united, states, 2020, census, population, located, virginia, peninsula, williamsburg, northe. This article is about the independent city in Virginia For the city s historic district see Colonial Williamsburg Williamsburg is an independent city in Virginia United States As of the 2020 census it had a population of 15 425 5 Located on the Virginia Peninsula Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area It is bordered by James City County on the west and south and York County on the east WilliamsburgIndependent cityThe Williamsburg Governor s Palace in 2012FlagSealCoat of armsLocation in the Commonwealth of VirginiaWilliamsburgShow map of VirginiaWilliamsburgShow map of the United StatesCoordinates 37 16 15 N 76 42 25 W 37 27083 N 76 70694 W 37 27083 76 70694CountryUnited StatesStateVirginiaFounded1632Government MayorDoug Pons Vice MayorPat DentArea 1 Total9 10 sq mi 23 57 km2 Land8 94 sq mi 23 15 km2 Water0 16 sq mi 0 42 km2 Elevation82 ft 15 m Population 2020 2 Total15 425 Density1 700 sq mi 650 km2 Time zoneUTC 5 EST Summer DST UTC 4 EDT ZIP codes23185 23188Area code s 757 948FIPS code51 86160 3 GNIS feature ID1498551 4 WebsiteOfficial websiteEnglish settlers founded Williamsburg in 1632 as Middle Plantation a fortified settlement on high ground between the James and York rivers The city functioned as the capital of the Colony and Commonwealth of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and became the center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution The College of William amp Mary established in 1693 is the second oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the only one of the nine colonial colleges in the South Its alumni include three U S presidents as well as many other important figures in the nation s early history The city s tourism based economy is driven by Colonial Williamsburg the city s restored Historic Area Along with nearby Jamestown and Yorktown Williamsburg forms part of the Historic Triangle which annually attracts more than four million tourists 6 Modern Williamsburg is also a college town inhabited in large part by William amp Mary students faculty and staff Contents 1 History 1 1 Origins 1 2 Williamsburg as capital 1 3 Decline and Civil War 1 4 Late 19th century 1 5 Revival 1 6 Recent history 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 3 Demographics 3 1 2020 census 3 2 2010 Census 4 Economy 5 Arts and culture 6 Government 7 Education 8 Media 9 Infrastructure 9 1 Transportation 9 2 Utilities 10 Notable people 11 In Fiction 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External linksHistory editMain articles History of Williamsburg Virginia Middle Plantation Virginia and Colonial Williamsburg Origins edit Before English settlers arrived at Jamestown to establish the Colony of Virginia in 1607 the area that would become Williamsburg formed part of the territory of the Powhatan Confederacy By the 1630s English settlements had grown to dominate the lower eastern portion of the Virginia Peninsula and Powhatan tribes had abandoned their nearby villages Between 1630 and 1633 after the war that followed the Indian Massacre of 1622 English colonists constructed a defensive palisade across the peninsula and a settlement named Middle Plantation as a primary guard station along the palisade 7 Jamestown the original capital of Virginia Colony burned down during the events of Bacon s Rebellion in 1676 Once Governor William Berkeley had regained control temporary government headquarters were established about 12 miles 19 km away on the high ground at Middle Plantation pending the rebuilding of the Statehouse at Jamestown The members of the House of Burgesses discovered that the temporary location was both safer and more pleasant than Jamestown which was humid and plagued with mosquitoes A school of higher education had long been an aspiration of the colonists An early attempt at Henricus failed after the Indian Massacre of 1622 the location at the outskirts of the developed part of the colony had left it vulnerable to attack In the 1690s the colonists again tried to establish a school They commissioned Reverend James Blair who spent several years in England lobbying and finally obtained a royal charter for the desired new school It was to be named the College of William amp Mary in honor of the monarchs of the time When Blair returned to Virginia the new school was founded in a safe place Middle Plantation in 1693 Classes began in temporary quarters in 1694 and construction soon started on the College Building a precursor to the Wren Building Williamsburg as capital edit nbsp Capitol Building from a silver gelatin photograph c 1934 1950Four years later in 1698 the rebuilt Statehouse in Jamestown burned down again this time accidentally The government again temporarily relocated to Middle Plantation and in addition to the better climate now also enjoyed use of the college s facilities The college students made a presentation to the House of Burgesses and it was agreed in 1699 that the colonial capital would move to Middle Plantation permanently A village was laid out and Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg in honor of King William III of England befitting the town s newly elevated status After Williamsburg s designation as the colony s capital immediate provision was made for construction of a capitol building and for platting the city according to Theodorick Bland s survey His design utilized the college s extant sites and the almost new Bruton Parish Church as focal points and placed the new Capitol building opposite the college with Duke of Gloucester Street connecting them Alexander Spotswood who arrived in Virginia as lieutenant governor in 1710 had several ravines filled and streets leveled and assisted in erecting additional college buildings a church and a magazine for the storage of arms In 1722 Williamsburg was granted a royal charter as a city incorporate now believed to be the oldest charter in the United States It was actually a borough 8 Middle Plantation was included in James City Shire when it was established in 1634 as the colony reached a total population of approximately 5 000 James City and Virginia s other shires changed their names a few years later James City Shire then became known as James City County The middle ground ridge line was essentially the dividing line with Charles River Shire which was renamed York County after King Charles I r 1625 1649 fell out of favor with the citizens of England As Middle Plantation and later Williamsburg developed the boundaries were adjusted slightly For most of the colonial period the border between the two counties ran down the center of Duke of Gloucester Street During this time and for almost 100 years after the 1776 formation both of the Commonwealth of Virginia and of the United States despite practical complications the town remained divided between the two counties Williamsburg was the site of the first attempted canal in the United States In 1771 Lord Dunmore who was Virginia s last Royal Governor announced plans to connect Archer s Creek which leads to the James River with Queen s Creek leading to the York River It would have formed a water route across the Virginia Peninsula but was not completed Remains of this canal are visible at the rear of the grounds behind the Governor s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg 9 In the 1770s the first purpose built psychiatric hospital in the United States the Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds was founded in the city Known in modern times as Eastern State Hospital it was established by Act of the Virginia colonial legislature on June 4 1770 The Act to Make Provision for the Support and Maintenance of Ideots Lunaticks and other Persons of unsound Minds authorized the House of Burgesses to appoint a 15 man Court Of Directors to oversee the hospital s operations and admissions In 1771 contractor Benjamin Powell constructed a two story building on Francis Street near the college capable of housing 24 patients The design included yards for patients to walk and take the Air in as well as provisions for a fence to keep the patients out of the town The Gunpowder Incident began in April 1775 as a dispute between Dunmore and Virginia colonists over gunpowder stored in the Williamsburg magazine Fearing rebellion Dunmore ordered royal marines to seize gunpowder from the magazine Virginia militia led by Patrick Henry responded to the theft and marched on Williamsburg A standoff ensued with Dunmore threatening to destroy the city if attacked by the militia The dispute was resolved when payment for the powder was arranged This was an important precursor citation needed in the run up to the American Revolution Following the Declaration of Independence from Britain the American Revolutionary War broke out in 1776 On July 25 1776 the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed at Williamsburg and received with applause under discharge of cannon and firing of small arms with illuminations fireworks in the evening During the war Virginia s capital was moved again in 1780 this time to Richmond at the urging of then Governor Thomas Jefferson who feared Williamsburg s location made it vulnerable to a British attack Williamsburg remained a venue for many important conventions during the war Decline and Civil War edit Williamsburg ceased to be the capital of the new Commonwealth of Virginia in 1780 and went into decline although not to the degree Jamestown had Another factor was travel 18th and early 19th century transportation in the colony was largely by canals and navigable rivers As it had been built on high ground Williamsburg was not sited on a major water route unlike many early U S communities The railroads that began to be built in the 1830s also did not yet come through the city Despite Williamsburg s loss of the business activity involved in government the College of William and Mary continued and expanded as did the Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds The latter became known as Eastern State Hospital At the outset of the American Civil War 1861 1865 enlistments in the Confederate Army depleted the College of William and Mary s student body and on May 10 1861 the faculty voted to close the college for the duration of the war The College Building served as a Confederate barracks and later as a hospital before being burned by Union forces in 1862 10 11 The Williamsburg area saw combat in the spring of 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign a Union effort to take Richmond from the east from a base at Fort Monroe Throughout late 1861 and early 1862 the small contingent of Confederate defenders was known as the Army of the Peninsula led by General John B Magruder He successfully created ruses to fool the invaders as to the size and strength of his forces and deterred their attack The subsequent slow Union movement up the peninsula gained valuable time for defenses to be constructed at the Confederate capital at Richmond citation needed In early May 1862 after holding off Union troops for over a month the defenders withdrew quietly from the Warwick Line stretching across the Peninsula between Yorktown and Mulberry Island As General George McClellan s Union forces crept up the Peninsula to pursue the retreating Confederate forces a rear guard force led by General James Longstreet and supported by General J E B Stuart s cavalry blocked their westward progression at the Williamsburg Line This was a series of 14 redoubts east of town with earthen Fort Magruder also known as Redoubt 6 at the crucial junction of the two major roads leading to Williamsburg from the east College of William and Mary President Benjamin S Ewell oversaw the design and construction He owned a farm in James City County and had been commissioned as an officer in the Confederate Army after the college closed in 1861 12 At the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5 1862 the defenders succeeded in delaying the Union forces long enough for the retreating Confederates to reach the outer defenses of Richmond A siege of Richmond ensued culminating in the Seven Days Battles June to July 1862 McClellan s campaign failed to capture Richmond Meanwhile on May 6 1862 Williamsburg had fallen to the Union The college s Brafferton building operated for a time as quarters for the commanding officer of the Union garrison occupying the town On September 9 drunken soldiers of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry set fire to the College Building 13 allegedly to prevent Confederate snipers from using it for cover Williamsburg underwent much damage during the Union occupation which lasted until September 1865 citation needed Late 19th century edit nbsp Williamsburg Transportation Center is an intermodal facility located in a restored Chesapeake and Ohio Railway station located within walking distance of Colonial Williamsburg s Historic Area the College of William and Mary and the downtown area In 1881 Collis P Huntington s Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad C amp O built its Peninsula Extension through the area eventually establishing six stations in Williamsburg and the surrounding area The Peninsula Extension was good news for the farmers and merchants of the Virginia Peninsula and they generally welcomed the railroad which aided passenger travel and shipping Williamsburg allowed tracks to be placed down Duke of Gloucester Street and even directly through the ruins of the capitol building They were later relocated and Collis Huntington s real estate arm Old Dominion Land Company donated the site to the forerunner of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities The railroad s main purpose was shipping eastbound West Virginia bituminous coal to Newport News Using the new coal piers coal was loaded aboard large colliers in the harbor of Hampton Roads for shipment to New England and to export destinations worldwide 14 Due in no small part to President Ewell s efforts education continued at the College of William and Mary although teaching was temporarily suspended for financial reasons from 1882 to 1888 Ewell s efforts to restore the school and its programs during and after Reconstruction became legendary in Williamsburg and at the college citation needed and were ultimately successful with funding both from the U S Congress and from the Commonwealth of Virginia In 1888 the college secured 10 000 from the General Assembly of the Commonwealth and established a normal school to educate teachers in 1906 the General Assembly modified the college charter took ownership of the college buildings and grounds and assumed primary responsibility for funding it Ewell remained in Williamsburg as President Emeritus of the college until his death in 1894 Beginning in the 1890s C amp O land agent Carl M Bergh a Norwegian American who had earlier farmed in the midwestern states realized that eastern Virginia s gentler climate and depressed post Civil War land prices would be attractive to his fellow Scandinavians who were farming in other northern parts of the country He began sending out notices and selling land Soon there was a substantial concentration of relocated Americans of Norwegian Swedish and Danish descent in the area The location earlier known as Vaiden s Siding on the railroad just west of Williamsburg in James City County was renamed Norge These citizens and their descendants found the local conditions favorable and many became leading merchants tradespersons and farmers in the community These transplanted Americans brought some new blood and enthusiasm to the old colonial capital area Revival edit nbsp Colonial WilliamsburgWilliamsburg remained a sleepy small town in the early 20th century Some newer structures were interspersed with colonial era buildings but the town was much less progressive than Virginia s other busier communities of similar size Some local lore indicates that the residents liked it that way as described in longtime Virginia Peninsula journalist author and historian Parke S Rouse Jr s work On June 26 1912 the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper ran an editorial that dubbed the town Lotusburg for Tuesday was election day in Williamsburg but nobody remembered it The clerk forgot to wake the electoral board the electoral board could not arouse itself long enough to have the ballots printed the candidates forgot they were running the voters forgot they were alive 15 But even if such complacency existed one Episcopal priest dreamed of expanding and changing Williamsburg s future to give it a new major purpose turning much of it into a massive living museum In the early 20th century the Reverend Dr W A R Goodwin of Williamsburg s Bruton Parish Church championed one of the nation s largest historic restorations Initially Goodwin just aimed to save his historic church building This he had accomplished by 1907 in time for the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Episcopal Church in Virginia But upon returning to Williamsburg in 1923 after serving a number of years in upstate New York he realized that many of the other remaining colonial era buildings were also in deteriorating condition Goodwin dreamed of a much larger restoration along the lines of what he had accomplished with his church Of modest means he sought support and financing from a number of sources before successfully attracting the interest and major financial support of Standard Oil heir and philanthropist John D Rockefeller Jr and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Their combined efforts created Colonial Williamsburg restoring much of downtown Williamsburg and developing a 301 acre 1 22 km2 Historic Area celebrating the patriots and early history of America As of 2022 update Colonial Williamsburg is Virginia s largest tourist attraction by attendance and the cornerstone of the Historic Triangle with Jamestown and Yorktown joined by the Colonial Parkway In the 21st century Williamsburg has continued to update and refine its attractions There are more features designed to attract modern children and to offer better and additional interpretation of the black American experience in the town A century after Goodwin s work began Colonial Williamsburg remains a work in progress In addition to Colonial Williamsburg the city s railroad station was restored to become an intermodal passenger facility In nearby James City County the c 1908 C amp O Railway combination passenger and freight station at Norge was preserved and with a donation from CSX Transportation relocated in 2006 to a site at the Williamsburg Regional Library s Croaker Branch Other landmarks outside the historic area include Carter s Grove and Gunston Hall In 1932 a Catholic church was built to minister to students at the College of William amp Mary Old Saint Bede was made a national shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham nbsp 9th G7 summit of 1983 in front of the Historic Capitol BuildingRecent history edit The third of three debates between Republican President Gerald Ford and Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter was held at Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at The College of William amp Mary on October 22 1976 Perhaps in tribute to the historic venue as well as to the United States Bicentennial celebration both candidates spoke of a new spirit in America The 9th G7 summit took place in Williamsburg in 1983 The participants discussed the growing debt crisis arms control and greater cooperation between the Soviet Union and the G7 subsequently the G8 At the end of the meeting Secretary of State George P Shultz read to the press a statement confirming the deployment of American Pershing II nuclear missiles in West Germany later in 1983 16 On May 3 2007 Britain s Queen Elizabeth II visited Jamestown and Williamsburg 17 She had previously visited Williamsburg in 1957 18 Many world leaders 19 citation needed including President George W Bush visited Jamestown to mark its 400th anniversary The celebration began in part in 2005 with events leading up to the anniversary and was celebrated statewide throughout 2007 though the official festivities took place during the first week of May 20 On February 5 2009 President Barack Obama took his first trip aboard Air Force One to a House Democrats retreat in the city to attend and address their Issues Conference 21 22 Geography editAccording to the United States Census Bureau the city has an area of 9 1 square miles 23 6 km2 of which 8 9 square miles 23 1 km2 is land and 0 2 square miles 0 5 km2 1 8 is water 23 Williamsburg stands upon a ridge on the Virginia Peninsula between the James and York Rivers Queen s Creek and College Creek partly encircle the city James City County is to the west and south and York County to the north and east As with all cities in Virginia Williamsburg is legally independent of both counties The city is on the I 64 corridor 45 miles 72 km southeast of Richmond and about 37 miles 60 km northwest of Norfolk It is in the northwest corner of Hampton Roads the nation s 37th largest metropolitan area with a population of 1 576 370 Within Hampton Roads Norfolk is recognized as the central business district while the Virginia Beach seaside resort district and Williamsburg are primarily tourism centers Climate edit Williamsburg is in the humid subtropical climate zone with cool to mild winters and hot humid summers Due to the inland location winters are slightly cooler and spring days slightly warmer than in Norfolk though lows average 3 2 F 1 8 C cooler here due to the substantial urban buildup to the southeast Snowfall averages 4 3 inches 11 cm per season and the summer months tend to be slightly wetter 24 With a period of record dating only back to 1951 extreme temperatures range from 7 F 22 C on January 21 1985 to 104 F 40 C on August 22 1983 and June 26 1952 25 Climate data for Williamsburg Virginia 1991 2020 normals extremes 1951 present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high F C 81 27 83 28 90 32 96 36 98 37 104 40 103 39 104 40 103 39 96 36 85 29 82 28 104 40 Mean daily maximum F C 49 1 9 5 52 3 11 3 59 8 15 4 70 0 21 1 77 2 25 1 84 4 29 1 88 5 31 4 86 5 30 3 80 5 26 9 71 0 21 7 61 1 16 2 52 6 11 4 69 4 20 8 Daily mean F C 39 8 4 3 42 2 5 7 49 1 9 5 58 9 14 9 67 1 19 5 74 9 23 8 79 3 26 3 77 6 25 3 71 8 22 1 61 1 16 2 51 0 10 6 43 4 6 3 59 7 15 4 Mean daily minimum F C 30 6 0 8 32 0 0 0 38 5 3 6 47 7 8 7 57 0 13 9 65 3 18 5 70 2 21 2 68 7 20 4 63 1 17 3 51 3 10 7 40 9 4 9 34 1 1 2 49 9 9 9 Record low F C 7 22 1 17 10 12 22 6 31 1 37 3 48 9 44 7 38 3 21 6 15 9 0 18 7 22 Average precipitation inches mm 3 77 96 3 05 77 4 25 108 3 98 101 3 89 99 4 16 106 5 92 150 5 68 144 5 40 137 4 21 107 3 13 80 3 80 97 51 24 1 301 Average snowfall inches cm 1 7 4 3 1 6 4 1 0 2 0 51 0 1 0 25 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 7 1 8 4 3 11 Average precipitation days 0 01 in 10 6 9 7 10 6 10 3 11 3 10 7 12 0 10 8 10 2 8 8 9 1 10 6 124 7Average snowy days 0 1 in 0 5 0 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 6Source NOAA 25 24 Demographics editHistorical population CensusPop Note 18201 402 1850877 18601 11326 9 18701 39225 1 18801 4806 3 18901 83123 7 19002 04411 6 19102 71432 8 19202 462 9 3 19303 77853 5 19403 9424 3 19506 73570 9 19606 8321 4 19709 06932 7 19809 8708 8 199011 53016 8 200011 9984 1 201014 06817 3 202015 4259 6 U S Decennial Census 26 1790 1960 27 1900 1990 28 1990 2000 29 2010 2020 2 During the Revolutionary era African Americans made up over 50 of Williamsburg s population 30 Williamsburg was 78 White and 13 Black at the 2000 census 31 and 71 White and 14 Black at the 2010 census 32 The 2020 census indicated a dramatic demographic shift in the city reporting that Williamsburg was 48 White and 37 Black 2 Census data shows almost all of the Black population growth occurring in Census blocks containing William and Mary dorms but data from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shows no growth in the number of Black students in William and Mary dorms during the 2010s 33 University of Virginia researchers believe that the high Black population figure was not due to an actual demographic shift but instead due to the Bureau s decision to swap some census respondents identities with other respondents for privacy protection a phenomenon known as differential privacy 33 34 2020 census edit Williamsburg city Virginia Demographic Profile NH Non Hispanic Race Ethnicity Pop 2000 31 Pop 2010 32 Pop 2020 2 2000 2010 2020White alone NH 9 352 9 952 7 370 77 95 70 74 47 78 Black or African American alone NH 1 593 1 918 5 648 13 28 13 63 36 62 Native American or Alaska Native alone NH 31 35 20 0 26 0 25 0 13 Asian alone NH 546 802 497 4 55 5 7 3 22 Pacific Islander alone NH 6 4 25 0 05 0 03 0 16 Some Other Race alone NH 15 23 53 0 13 0 16 0 34 Mixed Race Multi Racial NH 153 393 597 1 28 2 79 3 87 Hispanic or Latino any race 302 941 1 215 2 52 6 69 7 88 Total 11 998 14 068 15 425 100 00 100 00 100 00 Note the US Census treats Hispanic Latino as an ethnic category This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category Hispanics Latinos can be of any race 2010 Census edit nbsp Age distribution in WilliamsburgAs of the census 3 of 2010 there were 14 068 people 3 619 households and 1 787 families residing in the city The population density was 1 404 1 people per square mile 542 1 people km2 There were 3 880 housing units at an average density of 454 1 per square mile 175 3 km2 The racial makeup of the city was 74 0 White 14 0 Black or African American 0 3 Native American 5 7 Asian 0 0 Pacific Islander 2 5 from other races and 3 5 from two or more races 6 7 of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race There were 3 619 households out of which 16 5 had children under the age of 18 living with them 37 2 were married couples living together 9 6 had a female householder with no husband present and 50 6 were non families 35 9 of all households were made up of individuals and 11 4 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 2 07 and the average family size was 2 66 The age distribution was 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 were 65 years of age or older The median age was 23 years For every 100 females there were 81 3 males For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 80 8 males The median income for a household in the city was 37 093 and the median income for a family was 52 358 Males had a median income of 28 625 versus 26 840 for females The per capita income for the city was 18 483 18 3 of the population and 9 3 of families were 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 were living below the poverty line A high proportion of Williamsburg residents derive a significant percentage of their annual income from investments either in addition to or in lieu of income from work This is because many retirees relocate to Williamsburg and typically draw income from investments such as 401 k plans and the like Economy edit nbsp Entrance to Busch Gardens Williamsburg featuring the countries flagsThe tourist volume of Colonial Williamsburg has attracted many related businesses to the area Notable among these was Anheuser Busch which established large operations in James City County and York County just outside the city The company operates a large brewery there It also used to operate two theme parks near the brewery Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA but both properties were sold to private investors after foreign brewer InBev took over Anheuser Busch in 2010 Anheuser Busch also previously operated a commerce park McLaw s Circle and Kingsmill on the James a gated residential neighborhood that contains a resort of the same name Williamsburg has an outlet mall Williamsburg Premium Outlets A second outlet mall Williamsburg Outlet Mall closed in December 2013 Williamsburg Pottery Factory also has outlet stores Arts and culture edit nbsp Duke of Gloucester Street in Colonial WilliamsburgAs with most of Virginia the Northern Virginia Washington D C metro area being a notable exception Williamsburg is often associated with the larger American South People who grew up in the Hampton Roads area have a unique Tidewater accent that differs from a stereotypical Southern accent Vowels have a longer pronunciation than in a regular southern accent For example house is pronounced hoose in the Tidewater accent 35 Due to the strong military presence in the Tidewater Area the Tidewater accent has been slowly dying out for years Tourist sites include Colonial Williamsburg a living history museum depicting the lifestyles and culture of the 18th century colonial period Within this area is Virginia s first capitol building the Governor s Palace Bruton Parish Church the oldest continually operating church in the United States the Peyton Randolph House home of Peyton Randolph the first President of Continental Congress and The College of William amp Mary Other sites include the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum The Williamsburg Winery Virginia s largest the Williamsburg Botanical Garden the National Center for State Courts and the Virginia Musical Museum Williamsburg has two theme parks Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA Presidents Park was an educational attraction that displayed outdoor statue heads and biographies of 43 presidents 36 37 In 2010 Presidents Park closed due to financial issues 38 Government editFederally Williamsburg is part of Virginia s 1st congressional district represented by Republican Rob Wittman who was first elected in 2007 When Williamsburg received its charter in 1722 it had portions in both James City and York County In 1870 the Virginia General Assembly changed the boundaries so that it was entirely within James City County A year later a new state constitution created the political entity known as an independent city which is not located in any county Williamsburg subsequently incorporated as a city in 1884 and separated from James City County 8 but continues to share several constitutional officers with James City County The city also operates a joint school division with James City County under a voluntary agreement that leaders revisit at planned intervals As an independent city Williamsburg has had a council manager form of government since 1932 The city council elects the mayor who presides over council meetings and serves as the city s Chief Elected Official The city council consists of five members who serve staggered four year terms It hires a city manager comparable to a corporation s chief executive officer who is usually a professionally trained public administrator and is charged with implementing the council s policies and directives and has broad administrative authority with strict rules prohibiting political interference in administrative matters 39 As of 2020 update Williamsburg s mayor is Douglas Pons and the vice mayor is W Pat Dent Other city council members are Barbara Ramsey Ted Maslin and Caleb Rogers 40 The city manager is Andrew O Trivette 41 The city now shares all constitutional officers courts and the Williamsburg James City County Public Schools system WJCC with adjacent James City County and is the county seat 42 Until 1998 the city had its own Sheriff s Office It was consolidated with the James City County Sheriff s Office becoming Williamsburg James City County Sheriff s Office 43 As a college town Williamsburg s large student population has also resulted in a few conflicts with the city government For example in addressing concerns of property values and noise complaints near campus the council has undertaken initiatives to reduce student off campus residential presence in the city by instituting a maximum occupancy rule of three unrelated persons for single family dwellings 44 as well as a plan to buy rental houses with taxpayer dollars and resell them with the stipulation that the new owners must occupy them 45 Until July 1 2007 the voting registrar David Andrews had interpreted Virginia law to exclude a high percentage of students arguing that students should be registered where their parents live The new voter registrar Win Sowder said she is registering students as she would any other resident of the city If they re living in the dorms for eight months out of the year and have an address located within the city limits on a Virginia driver s license they re entitled to register to vote 46 In presidential elections Williamsburg was a Republican leaning city for most of the time from the 1950s to the 1980s Between 1948 and 1988 it supported a Democratic presidential nominee once during Lyndon Johnson s 1964 landslide victory This changed in the 1990s when Democrat Bill Clinton won Williamsburg in both of his presidential campaigns Due in part to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader s strong showing as a left wing protest candidate in the college town Republican George W Bush secured a very narrow plurality in 2000 Democrat John Kerry won the city by a single digit margin over Bush in 2004 In the elections since then Williamsburg has swung heavily to the Democrats and has become one of the most Democratic areas of Hampton Roads and Virginia Democrat Barack Obama swept Williamsburg by 29 point margins in both the 2008 and 2012 elections In the 2016 election Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Republican Donald Trump in Williamsburg by 45 points Trump won 25 of the vote the worst showing for a Republican in the city in over a century Four years later the city gave an equally massive victory to Joe Biden who carried the county with 69 of the vote the best showing for a Democrat since Franklin D Roosevelt United States presidential election results for Williamsburg Virginia 47 Year Republican Democratic Third partyNo No No 2020 1 963 28 52 4 790 69 59 130 1 89 2016 1 925 25 24 5 206 68 27 495 6 49 2012 2 682 34 62 4 903 63 28 163 2 10 2008 2 353 34 67 4 328 63 77 106 1 56 2004 2 064 47 78 2 216 51 30 40 0 93 2000 1 777 47 70 1 724 46 28 224 6 01 1996 1 560 43 43 1 820 50 67 212 5 90 1992 1 349 36 27 1 856 49 91 514 13 82 1988 1 648 50 91 1 534 47 39 55 1 70 1984 1 913 56 23 1 469 43 18 20 0 59 1980 1 344 45 51 1 199 40 60 410 13 88 1976 1 654 51 77 1 468 45 95 73 2 28 1972 1 786 57 46 1 274 40 99 48 1 54 1968 1 156 46 73 991 40 06 327 13 22 1964 906 43 29 1 171 55 95 16 0 76 1960 721 59 10 486 39 84 13 1 07 1956 775 62 60 362 29 24 101 8 16 1952 797 62 12 483 37 65 3 0 23 1948 334 39 34 312 36 75 203 23 91 1944 211 31 45 454 67 66 6 0 89 1940 168 31 05 367 67 84 6 1 11 1936 96 19 63 389 79 55 4 0 82 1932 99 19 60 387 76 63 19 3 76 1928 98 24 02 310 75 98 0 0 00 1924 31 13 60 196 85 96 1 0 44 1920 62 27 19 166 72 81 0 0 00 1916 21 17 80 97 82 20 0 0 00 1912 11 7 91 113 81 29 15 10 79 1908 48 28 24 120 70 59 2 1 18 1904 37 26 06 103 72 54 2 1 41 1900 88 34 38 161 62 89 7 2 73 1896 90 43 48 113 54 59 4 1 93 1892 120 49 38 122 50 21 1 0 41 1884 177 60 41 116 39 59 0 0 00 1880 108 46 15 126 53 85 0 0 00 Education editMain articles Williamsburg James City County Public Schools and The College of William amp Mary nbsp Matthew Whaley Elementary School the sole public elementary school in the Williamsburg city limitsThe Williamsburg James City County Public Schools operates the following schools in Williamsburg Matthew Whaley School Berkeley Middle School James Blair Middle School Lafayette High School and Warhill High School citation needed There are several private schools that also serve the Williamsburg and James City Country area including Williamsburg Christian Academy a Christian International Baccalaureate School Walsingham Academy a private Catholic school serving pre kindergarten through 12th grade Williamsburg Montessori School and Providence Classical School nbsp The Wren Building on the campus of The College of William amp MaryThe city has been the home to The College of William amp Mary since its founding in 1693 making it America s second oldest college after Harvard University Technically a university William amp Mary was also the first U S institution to have a Royal Charter and the only one to have coat of arms from the College of Arms in London The campus adjoins the Historic District and the Wren Building at the head of Duke of Gloucester Street was one of the earliest restored by W A R Goodwin and the family of John D Rockefeller Jr as they began creating Colonial Williamsburg Over 70 of the college s students either work part time or volunteer in the community Students contribute over 300 000 hours of volunteer service to Williamsburg annually 48 Media editWilliamsburg is primarily served by two newspapers The Virginia Gazette and Williamsburg Yorktown Daily 49 The Gazette is a biweekly published in Williamsburg and was the first newspaper to be published south of the Potomac River starting in 1736 citation needed Its publisher was William Parks who had similar ventures in Maryland 50 51 After his death in 1750 Parks s shop foreman William Hunter restarted the paper in 1751 52 The Daily Press published in nearby Newport News covers local regional and national news The College of William amp Mary has two student newspapers the student fee supported campus newspaper The Flat Hat and the independent campus newspaper The Virginia Informer 53 William amp Mary students produce many other publications and run their own radio station WCWM Hampton Roads Magazine is a bimonthly regional magazine for Williamsburg and the Hampton Roads area 54 Williamsburg is served by a variety of AM and FM radio stations with towers around the Hampton Roads area 55 Williamsburg is served by the Norfolk Portsmouth Newport News designated market area DMA the nation s 42nd largest with 712 790 homes 0 64 of the total U S 56 Infrastructure editTransportation edit Main articles Transportation in Williamsburg Virginia and Williamsburg Amtrak station nbsp Greyhound s bus loading at Williamsburg s Transportation CenterWilliamsburg is located adjacent to Interstate 64 and U S Route 60 which connect the city with Richmond to the northwest and Norfolk to the southeast State Route 199 officially named the Humelsine Parkway after a former Colonial Williamsburg president surrounds the city in a semicircle State Route 5 links the city with the James River Plantations along the north shore of the James River Interstate 295 and Richmond State Route 31 provides a route to Jamestown and the toll free Jamestown Ferry The Colonial Parkway provides a bucolic low speed link to Jamestown and Yorktown passing under Colonial Williamsburg in a tunnel With the exception of buses commercial vehicles are not allowed on the Parkway 57 The community s public bus system Williamsburg Area Transit Authority WATA has its central hub at the transportation center A network of disabled accessible transit bus routes serve the city James City County and most portions of York County adjacent to the Williamsburg area with hourly service seven days a week and half hourly service on select routes during peak weekday hours The routes operated by WATA include a loop around the William amp Mary campus while classes are in session The system also provides paratransit services and operates replica trolley buses at the Yorktown Riverfront attraction 58 WATA connects with the much larger Hampton Roads Transit HRT bus system at Lee Hall in northwestern Newport News and at the Williamsburg Transportation Center 59 Walking is a major mode of transportation in Williamsburg with about a fifth of people walking to work between 2006 and 2010 60 Walk Score a website which algorithmically determines how friendly communities are to walkers describes the city as very walkable 61 With few exceptions motorized traffic is not allowed on Duke of Gloucester Street which passes through Colonial Williamsburg and the shopping district of Merchant s Square 62 The city is also increasingly bicycle friendly having built 48 miles of bicycle facilities in the area since 1992 63 Upon completion the Virginia Capital Trail will provide a paved off road path to Richmond for bicyclists and pedestrians via the Colonial Parkway The primary airport for the Virginia Peninsula is the Newport News Williamsburg International Airport in Newport News a twenty minute drive from Williamsburg 64 Norfolk International Airport and Richmond International Airport also serve passengers from the city Amtrak serves Williamsburg with three trains a day stopping at the Amtrak Station The line runs west along the Virginia Peninsula to Richmond and points beyond A high speed rail connection at Richmond to both the Northeast Corridor and the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor are also under study 65 Intercity bus services are provided by Greyhound Utilities edit Waller Mill Reservoir is the main water source for Williamsburg A 350 acre lake holding 1 5 billion gallons of water it has been in operation since 1945 The City owns a large percentage of the surrounding watershed During drought this source may be supplemented by groundwater from a well at Waller Mill and from raw untreated water from Newport News Waterworks under a long term agreement 66 The City provides wastewater services for residents and transports wastewater to the regional Hampton Roads Sanitation District treatment plants 67 Notable people editSee also List of people from Hampton Roads Virginia John Amson English physician and former alderman and mayor of Williamsburg Brent Ashabranner Peace Corps administrator and author Matt Behncke former professional soccer player John Blair Jr a signer of the United States Constitution 68 Lemuel J Bowden former US Senator Al Clark born 1948 former professional baseball umpire who worked in 3 392 major league games in his 26 year career 69 Richard Coke and Octavius Coke were born in Williamsburg Jimmy Fortune singer and member of The Statler Brothers Bruce Hornsby singer and keyboardist Keith Hornsby NBA G League player son of Bruce Hornsby John Nicholas former US Congressman Robert C Nicholas former New York State Senator Robert Carter Nicholas Sr judge Wilson Cary Nicholas former US Senator Edmund Randolph First Attorney General Governor of Virginia Second Secretary of State Carolynn Reid Wallace academic administrator Lawrence Taylor former New York Giants linebacker Georgia O Keeffe iconic American painter Canaan Smith country music artist John Tayloe II owner of Tayloe House In Fiction editWilliamsburg Virginia was the second location of the Magical Congress of the United States of America in J K Rowling s Wizarding World See also editColonial Williamsburg Hampton Roads National Register of Historic Places listings in Williamsburg Virginia Williamsburg Winery Wren Building Virginia Peninsula Tayloe House Williamsburg Virginia Williamsburg CharterReferences edit 2019 U S Gazetteer Files United States Census Bureau Retrieved August 7 2020 a b c d P2 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amp York Counties Archived from the original on July 3 2016 Retrieved July 3 2016 Hampton Roads news information weather hurricane coverage sports entertainment restaurants real estate jobs business classifieds Daily Press Archived from the original on July 3 2016 Retrieved July 3 2016 The Virginia Gazette Williamsburg Breaking News dailypress com virginiagazette Archived from the original on April 28 2015 Bryson 2000 p 526 Hampton Roads News Links abyznewslinks com Archived from the original on June 24 2007 Retrieved August 6 2007 Hampton Roads Magazine Hampton Roads Magazine Archived from the original on September 28 2007 Retrieved August 6 2007 Hampton Roads Radio Links ontheradio net Archived from the original on August 5 2007 Retrieved August 6 2007 Holmes Gary Nielsen Reports 1 1 increase in U S Television Households for the 2006 2007 Season Nielsen Media Research August 23 2006 Retrieved on February 20 2007 Archived July 5 2009 at the Wayback Machine Colonial National Historical Park U S National Park Service Archived from the original on October 17 2010 Retrieved July 3 2016 Home WATA Archived from the original on August 4 2012 Retrieved July 3 2016 Route 121 Hampton Roads Transit PDF Archived PDF from the original on October 11 2016 Retrieved October 9 2016 Selected Economic Characteristics 2006 2010 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates U S Census Bureau Retrieved July 12 2012 dead link Walk Score of Williamsburg VA Archived from the original on April 29 2012 Retrieved July 12 2012 Duke of Gloucester Street Archived from the original on June 30 2016 Retrieved July 3 2016 BikeWalk to Work Day 2012 City of Williamsburg Archived from the original on February 12 2011 Retrieved July 12 2012 Directions Newport News Williamsburg International Airport Archived from the original on January 20 2017 Retrieved December 26 2016 Southeast High Speed Rail Southeast High Speed Rail Archived from the original on May 15 2013 Retrieved October 15 2007 Water Sewer Division City of Williamsburg Archived from the original on December 27 2016 Retrieved December 26 2016 Hampton Roads Sanitation District Hampton Roads Sanitation District Archived from the original on March 11 2008 Retrieved March 8 2008 A Biography of John Blair 1732 1800 University of Groningen Archived from the original on August 17 2016 Retrieved August 18 2016 Rosen Harvey A strikeout is called on first Jewish umpire Cleveland Jewish News July 26 2001 Accessed March 7 2023 When I read the story which implicated American League umpire Al Clark I was overwhelmed by a sense of sadness The Trenton N J native who now lives in Williamsburg Va became an umpire he says because he loved baseball but only had sufficient talent to play ball at the college and the semipro levels Further reading editBryson William Hamilton 2000 Virginia Law Books Essays and Bibliographies Volume 239 American Philosophical Society ISBN 0871692392 McCartney Martha W 1977 James City County Keystone of the Commonwealth Virginia Beach Donning and Company ISBN 0 89865 999 X Morgan Timothy E 2004 Williamsburg A City that History Made Charleston SC Arcadia ISBN 978 0 738 52473 3 External links editWilliamsburg Virginia at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Definitions from Wiktionary nbsp Media from Commons nbsp News from Wikinews nbsp Quotations from Wikiquote nbsp Texts from Wikisource nbsp Textbooks from Wikibooks nbsp Resources from Wikiversity nbsp Travel information from Wikivoyage Official website Convention an Visitors Bureau Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Williamsburg Virginia amp oldid 1195711219, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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