Crozet, Virginia

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Coordinates: 38°4′12″N, 78°42′6″W
Crozet, Virginia
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Albemarle County
Area
- City	3.7 sq mi (9.7 km²)
- Land	3.7 sq mi (9.7 km²)
Population (2000)
- City	2,820
- Density	755.7/sq mi (291.9/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)

Crozet is an unincorporated community located within Albemarle County in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is situated along the I-64 corridor approximately 12 miles west of Charlottesville and 21 miles east of Staunton. Originally called "Wayland's Crossing", it was renamed in 1870 in honor of Colonel Claudius Crozet, the French-born civil engineer who directed the construction of the Blue Ridge Tunnel.

1 Demographics
2 Education
3 Recreation
4 Culture
5 The future of Crozet
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Demographics

As of the 2000 census^GR2 there were 2,820 people, 995 households, and 757 families residing in Crozet. The population density was 291.9/km² (755.7/mi²). There were 1,041 housing units at an average density of 107.8/km² (279.0/mi²). The racial makeup of Crozet was 91.91% White, 5.89% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.

There were 995 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.07.

The population of Crozet was fairly evenly distributed by age, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in Crozet was $46,275, and the median income for a family was $53,125. Males had a median income of $30,805 versus $25,407 for females. The per capita income for Crozet was $18,647. About 1.8% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Western Albemarle High School is a public high school in Crozet serving the central area of Albemarle County. Its approximate enrollment is 1,100 students. In addition, Crozet is served by J.T. Henley Middle School, Brownsville Elementary School, and Crozet Elementary School. All three schools are situated along Highway 250 and nearby to Interstate 64.

Crozet is also home to a branch of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library System. The Crozet Library is housed in a railway depot which was built in 1923, originally for the Virginia Central Railroad.^[1] Plans for the construction a new library have been announced due to a lack of space in the older facility.

[edit] Recreation

Mint Springs Valley Park in Autumn

Because of Crozet's location in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, its natural scenery is one of its distinguishing features. Outdoor activity is popular among residents and visitors.

Crozet Park is a 22-acre recreational facility where various sports organizations local to Albemarle County come to play and practice throughout the year. It has fields for baseball, T-ball and soccer, as well as a swimming pool and several playgrounds.

Mint Springs Valley Park is another local park. It contains three lakes and 502 acres of land, and boasts an extensive network of hiking trails which offer beautiful views of the surrounding area. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the park's artificial beach is opened to the public and staffed with lifeguards.

[edit] Culture

Crozet is home to a number of independent and family-owned restaurants and businesses. One such establishment is Crozet Pizza, whose interior walls are lined with photographs of the owners' forebears, as well as with business cards stapled on as mementos by travelers from as near as the University of Virginia or as far away as other countries. Crozet did not see its first fast food chain until the late 1990s, when a Subway outlet was built, followed by a Dairy Queen.

Each year, Crozet holds an Independence Day celebration, which consists of a parade through the downtown area, a carnival in Crozet Park lasting for several days, and a sizeable fireworks show to bring the festivities to a close.

Crozet Park also hosts the semiannual Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival on Mother's Day weekend and the second weekend of October. This event typically features live entertainment and an outdoor barbecue.

The Crozet United Methodist Church, a diverse congregation located on Crozet Avenue in the heart of downtown, provides the community with a USDA-approved food pantry which serves Albemarle and Nelson counties, as well as the city of Charlottesville. The food pantry distributes over 30,000 pounds of food each year. In August of 2007, the church will open the Kingswood Christian Preschool at Crozet United Methodist Church, which is a half-day preschool featuring a weekly music program from Kindermusik International, called "ABC Music and Me."

The 2007 comedy film Evan Almighty (the sequel to Bruce Almighty) was partially filmed in Crozet. The ark seen in the movie, as well as the set for Evan's neighborhood, was constructed there.^[2] The film set was situated on a plot of land across from Western Albemarle High School which later became a housing subdivision.

Crozet is also the setting for author Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy series.

[edit] The future of Crozet

Crozet has long been known for its seclusion and slow pace of life. Recently, however, it has seen an increasing rate of housing development, largely because of nearby Charlottesville's reputation as an ideal living location,^[3] but also because there is a significant amount of undeveloped land near downtown Crozet.

In 2001, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors approved a framework dubbed the "Crozet Master Plan",^[4] developed by local architect groups,^[1][2] in order to regulate development patterns and provide a public forum for discussing the topic. The Master Plan predicts the population of Crozet to grow to at least 12,000 people by the 2020s - over quadruple its current population. These numbers have alarmed long-time residents accustomed to the rural tranquility of Crozet, and over a thousand people have petitioned the county to cut down on the number of planned households.^[5]