Big Stone Gap, Virginia
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Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,856 at the 2000 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.6 km² (4.9 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 4,856 people, 1,995 households, and 1,332 families residing in the town. The population density was 384.2/km² (995.9/mi²). There were 2,197 housing units at an average density of 173.8/km² (450.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.68% White, 4.41% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.There were 1,995 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,584, and the median income for a family was $34,306. Males had a median income of $26,707 versus $21,915 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,284. About 22.4% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
Big Stone Gap is the birthplace of professional American football players Thomas Jones and Julius Jones. Both attended classes and played football at Powell Valley High School, a public school in the town.Author Adriana Trigiani grew up in Big Stone Gap, and in 2001 wrote a novel about the town titled Big Stone Gap, followed by two sequels, Big Cherry Holler and Milk Glass Moon.
Novelist and short-story writer John Fox, Jr. wrote about his experiences living among the coal miners in Big Stone Gap. He died there in 1919. Since 1964, a play version of Fox's novel The Trail of the Lonesome Pine has been performed in an outdoor theater in the town. [link]
Also born here was former governor Linwood Holton, who also played football for the Big Stone Gap Bucs.
External links
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
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