Bon Air, Virginia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bon Air is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,213, at the 2000 census. However, the most recent estimate (2005) shows the community's population has grown to 21,210. The community is considered a suburb of the independent city of Richmond in the Richmond-Petersburg region. Originally developed as a resort, a central portion of Bon Air has been designated as a National Historical District with many structures of Victorian design from the late 19th and early 20th century. Its name means "good air," reflecting its role as a resort getaway that Richmonders enjoyed for its fresh air as opposed to the dirty air of Richmond's industrial downtown of the late 1800s.
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[edit] Geography
Bon Air is located at (37.519947, -77.568768)GR1. The elevation is 328 feet. The community is located in the Eastern Standard time zone.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 22.9 km² (8.9 mi²). 22.9 km² (8.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.23%) is water.
Just west of the fall line, which divides Virginia's Tidewater and Piedmont geological regions, the average elevation in the Bon Air area is approximately 200 feet above sea-level, which is significantly higher than most of Richmond, only 8 miles to the east. The two branches of the Powhite Creek originate nearby, and it flows into the James River just upstream from downtown Richmond.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 16,213 people, 6,308 households, and 4,459 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 708.1/km² (1,834.1/mi²). There were 6,502 housing units at an average density of 284.0/km² (735.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.91% White, 8.43% African American, 0.16% Native American, 2.53% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.73% of the population.
There were 6,308 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $57,493, and the median income for a family was $67,656. Males had a median income of $42,796 versus $31,551 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,527. About 0.8% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
The area came to be known as Brown's Summit, probably named for the Brown family farm which was located nearby along the old Warwick Road (near the southwest corner of present-day intersection of Belleau Drive and Jahnke and Brown Roads).
An 1864 map, noted as 'Published by D. Van Nostrand, New York', and entitled 'Map of Richmond, VA and Surrounding Country' appears to show a small cluster of buildings labelled 'Pawhite Stop' on the 'Railroad to Coal Mines' line at the site of historic Bon Air village.
[edit] Bon Air: the resort era
In the 19th century, it was believed that the higher elevation and distance from the urban area of Richmond provided a more healthful atmosphere, particularly in the hot summer months in central Virginia. With its nearby location and greater elevation, Bon Air offered these features nearby, and was originally founded as a summer resort town about 8 miles outside of Richmond, Virginia by railroad. One of the founders was Colonel Algernon S. Buford, of Chatham, Virginia, who is best known for his presidency of the Richmond and Danville Railroad during its massive postwar expansion which ended in 1894 with the formation of the Southern Railway System (now part of Norfolk Southern). Bon Air's connections with the railroad's leaders could possibly be evidenced by the fact that over many of the years until passenger service ended in 1957, the community simultaneously had three stops within 1 mile of trackage.
Colonel Buford was a graduate of the University of Virginia, became a lawyer, and represented Pittsylvania County in the Virginia House of Delegates during 1853 and 1854. During the American Civil War, Buford served the Confederacy in Richmond at Virginia Depot, although the title "Colonel" is believed to have been honorary, a southern custom common in the post-bellum years. With the support of Virginia Governor Francis H. Pierpont, on September 13, 1865, Buford became president of the 140-mile Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D).
Around 1875, Buford purchased a large tract of land known as the old Anderson Edwards plantation on the south side of the R&D right-of-way. He personally (as well as through the R&D Railroad) helped in the development of Brown's Summit, which was renamed Grand Summit, then Bon Air, after the French expression for good air. This choice may also have been related to the earlier settlement by French Huguenots, a group of religious refugees, slightly to the west.
In 1877, Buford was among the first investors and officers in the Bon Air Land and Improvement Company. Other R&D officials involved in the development of Bon Air were General Thomas M. Logan, Andrew Talcott, and his son, Thomas Mann Randolph Talcott. Col. Buford is honored by the naming of the thoroughfare Buford Road in Bon Air. Logan Street is named for General Logan.
Polk Street is named for Bon Air resident Polk Miller, a pharmacist and musician who founded what became Sergeant's Pet Care Products while creating treatments for his favorite hunting dog, Sergeant.
Other prominent residents included Dr. Hunter McGuire who was affiliated with the Medical College of Virginia and several other important hospitals and medical schools (and for whom McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center in Richmond was named), his wife Mary Stuart McGuire, and their 10 children, many of whom also went into the field of medicine.
[edit] Village period
In the 20th century, as the residential area around Richmond grew, Bon Air evolved into a middle-class neighborhood.
In 1911, the new Westham Bridge crossed the James River between Henrico County and Chesterfield County about 7 miles upstream from Richmond, Virginia. Built as a toll bridge, it was named for the nearby Westham Station of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1911.
The bridge was financed by developer George C. Gregory, who had plans to extend a streetcar line from an existing line at Westhampton Park (now the University of Richmond) to Bon Air, which he saw as becoming a "bedroom community" of Richmond. Between the James River and Bon Air, Gregory controlled large land areas along the proposed rail line which he hoped to develop. However, despite his plans, aside from grading of right-of-way all the way from the Westham Bridge to Bon Air, Gregory's planned streetcar line did not materialize.
After 1933, State Route 147 was routed across the Westham Bridge. It connected River Road and Westham Parkway in Henrico with Southampton Road and the new Huguenot Road in Chesterfield. In 1950, the Westham Bridge, which had been subject to flooding and was inadequate for traffic in the growing suburban area, was replaced by the new Huguenot Memorial Bridge (named in honor of the French Huguenot settlers who came to the area in the 18th century to escape religious persecution in France).
The old bridge was dismantled, but the abutments were still visible at each end, and overhead power and telephone lines continued to mark the route for many years. Traces of the old streetcar right-of-way may been seen along gently sloped Southampton Road and on Hazen Street in Bon Air. Gregory's old mansion, Granite Hall, located in the Cherokee Estates subdivision near Williams Dam, was still in use as a private residence in 2005. The C&O's Westham Station was relocated to a Richmond city park in 1961.
The Southern Railway ended commuter service to Richmond in 1957, and the Bon Air station was dismantled.
The original Southern Railway Station was a building brought to Bon Air from the Atlanta Cotton Exposition. This station was replaced in 1917 and portions of the old station were used in an old home on the south side of the tracks (still existent in 2005).
Other early stops in the Bon Air area include "The Steps" located on the north side of the tracks near the current Buford Road Bridge, a stop for the Bon Air Inn south of the Inn site on Burroughs Street, and a stop near the current subdivision of Woodmont for the Wherry Farm. This latter station was the only private station on this section of the railroad and was known as Lee Park.
The early railroad alignment through Bon Air may have been to take advantage of a Kaolin mine said to have been located on the south side of the tracks near the current Bufford Road bridge.
[edit] Schools
The Chesterfield County Public Schools serving the area are Bon Air Elementary School, Crestwood Elementary School, Greenfield Elementary School, Robious Middle School and James River High School. The independent St. Michael's Episcopal School, Riverside School Inc., and Stony Point School are also located in Bon Air. Bon Air Elementary was the inspiration for a series of children's books, The Kids of the Polk Street School by Patricia Reilly Giff.
[edit] See also
The Bon Air Philosophical Society
[edit] References
[edit] Books
Claflin, Mary Anne, and Richardson, Elizabeth Guy (1977) Bon Air: A History, Hale Publishing, Richmond, Virginia
[edit] External links
- Chesterfield County Planning Dept. Bon Air page
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
