Hampton, Virginia
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| Hampton, Virginia | |||
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| Motto: America's First | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| County | Independent City | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Ross Kearney II | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 352.8 km² (136.2 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 134.1 km² (54.8 sq mi) | ||
| - Water | 218.7 km² (84.4 sq mi) 61.99% | ||
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| - City | 145,579 | ||
| - Density | 1,193.0/km² (2,919.3/sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 1,381,583 | ||
| estimated | |||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Website: http://www.hampton.va.us | |||
Hampton is an independent city in Virginia, and therefore not part of any Virginia county. It is on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering on Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. As of the 2000 U.S. census, the city population was 146,437, but the census estimate for 2005 showed that the city's population was down slightly to 145,579. [1]
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[edit] History
The former Native American community of Kecoughtan settled in 1610 in the Virginia Colony forms the basis for Hampton's claim to the oldest continuously occupied English settlement in North America. Considered strategic for defense purposes against other Europeans, it was seized from the natives by colonists under Virginia's Governor, Sir Thomas Gates in 1610.
Long a town in Elizabeth City County, the current independent city of Hampton became much larger after a municipal consolidation with the incorporated town of Phoebus and Elizabeth City County, Virginia in 1952. Today, the City of Hampton essentially incorporates the boundaries of Elizabeth City County which was created in 1643 from Elizabeth River Shire, one of the eight original shires of 1634 in Colonial Virginia, with several minor exceptions.
The original site of the Native American's Kecoughtan Settlement was near the present site of a Hampton Roads Transit facility. [2] To the south of present-day Hampton, a small unrelated incorporated town also named Kecoughtan many years later and also located in Elizabeth City County was annexed by the City of Newport News in 1927, and now forms part of that city's East End.
[edit] Geography
Hampton is located at (37.034946, -76.360126)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 352.8 square kilometers (136.2 mi²). 134.1 square kilometers (51.8 mi²) of it is land and 218.7 square kilometers (84.4 mi²) of it (61.99%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent counties and cities
- York County, Virginia (north)
- Poquoson, Virginia (northeast)
- Norfolk, Virginia (south; border within the waters of Hampton Roads)
- Newport News, Virginia (south and west)
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 146,437 people, 53,887 households, and 35,888 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,091.9/km² (2,828.0/mi²). There were 57,311 housing units at an average density of 427.3/km² (1,106.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.55% White, 44.68% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. 2.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 53,887 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02.
The age distribution is 24.2% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
Population update: estimated population in July 2002: 145,921 (-0.4% change) Males: 72,579 (49.6%), Females: 73,858 (50.4%) Source: [3] The Census estimate for 2005 shows that the city's population was down slightly to more, 145,579. [4]
The median income for a household in the city was $39,532, and the median income for a family was $46,110. Males had a median income of $31,666 versus $24,578 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,774. About 8.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Hampton is served by two airports. The primary airport for the Hampton Roads area is Norfolk International Airport, on the opposite side of Hampton Roads in Norfolk. The region's secondary airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, is located on the Virginia Peninsula in Newport News.
Hampton is home to NASA's Langley Research Center, Langley Air Force Base, and Hampton University.
[edit] Schools
- Aberdeen Elementary School
- Armstrong Elementary School
- Asbury Elementary School
- Barron Elementary School
- Bassette Elementary School
- Booker Elementary School
- Bryan Elementary School
- Burbank Elementary School
- Cary Elementary School
- Cooper Elementary School
- Forrest Elementary School
- Kraft Elementary School
- Langley Elementary School
- Lee Elementary School
- Machen Elementary School
- Mallory Elementary School
- Mary Peake Elementary School
- Merrimack Elementary School
- Phillips Elementary School
- Smith Elementary School
- Tarrant Elementary School
- Tucker-Capps Elementary School
- Tyler Elementary School
- Wythe Elementary School
- Davis Middle School
- Eaton Middle School
- Jones Middle School
- Lindsay Middle School
- Spratley Middle School
- Syms Middle School
- Bethel High School
- Hampton High School
- Kecoughtan High School
- Phoebus High School
[edit] Major neighborhoods
- Aberdeen Gardens
- Bethel Park
- Buckroe
- Buckroe Beach
- Farmington
- Fox Hill
- Grandview
- Hampton Woods
- Northampton
- Phoebus
- Pine Chapel
- Pine Grove
- Riverdale
- Sinclair Farms
- Tide Mill
- Wythe
Elizabeth Lakes Pasture Point
[edit] Points of interest
- Air Power Park
- Bluebird Gap Farm
- Buckroe Beach
- Fort Monroe
- Grandview Beach
- Hampton Coliseum
- Hampton History Museum
- Hampton National Cemetery
- Jefferson Davis Casemate Museum
- Langley Air Force Base
- Power Plant of Hampton Roads
- Sandy Bottom Nature Park
- Virginia Air and Space Center
[edit] Famous Hamptonians
- Robert Banks - Linebacker/defensive end; national high school player of the year by the Columbus, Ohio Touchdown Club in 1982.
- Elton Brown - offensive lineman of the Arizona Cardinals.
- Ronald Curry – professional football player for the Oakland Raiders; and former Hampton High School star football quarterback.
- Jefferson Davis; president of the Confederate States of America was imprisoned in a casemate at Fort Monroe after the American Civil War
- Steve Earle – popular country-rock musician and songwriter.
- La'Keshia Frett - Former WNBA basketball player. Led Phoebus High School to state championship in 1992.
- Shaun Gayle - captain of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears football team, and played with the San Diego Chargers.
- Marques Hagans - Quarterback/wide receiver with the St. Louis Rams.
- Chris Hanburger – popular Washington Redskins player in the 1970s.
- Allen Iverson - NBA basketball player (point guard) for the Denver Nuggets.
- Nikki Nova – TV personality, nude model.
- Dwight Stephenson – professional football player for the Miami Dolphins and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Mike Tomlin - NFL Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Jimmy Williams – professional football player for the Atlanta Falcons.
[edit] See also
- List of Mayors of Hampton, Virginia
- List of famous people from Hampton Roads
- Buckroe Beach
- Old Point Comfort
[edit] External links
- City of Hampton
- Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance - serving Hampton
- 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
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| Middle Peninsula: | |
| Virginia Peninsula: |
Hampton | James City County | Newport News | Poquoson | Williamsburg | York County |
| South Hampton Roads: |
Chesapeake | Isle of Wight County | Norfolk | Portsmouth | Suffolk | Surry County | Virginia Beach |
| Northeast North Carolina: |
