Hampton, Virginia
Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAM : Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city in Virginia. It is on the southern end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering on Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 146,437; but the U.S. Census' 2004 estimate shows that the city's population is 159,983.
History
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. It 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.The former town 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.
Geography
Hampton is located at (37.034946, -76.360126)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 352.8 km² (136.2 mi²). 134.1 km² (51.8 mi²) of it is land and 218.7 km² (84.4 mi²) of it (61.99%) is water.
Adjacent counties and cities
- York County, Virginia (north)
- Poquoson, Virginia (northeast)
- Norfolk, Virginia (south; border within the waters of Hampton Roads)
- Newport News, Virginia (west)
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] 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: Est. population in July 2002: 145,921 (-0.4% change) Males: 72,579 (49.6%), Females: 73,858 (50.4%) Source: http://www.city-data.com/city/Hampton-Virginia.html
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.
Major Neighborhoods
- Aberdeen Gardens
- Bethel Park
- Buckroe
- Buckroe Beach
- Farmington
- Fox Hill
- Grandview
- Hampton Woods
- Northampton
- Phoebus
- Pine Chapel
- Pine Grove
- Riverdale
- Tide Mill
- Wythe
Points of interest
- Air Power Park
- Bluebird Gap Farm
- Buckroe Beach
- Coliseum Mall
- Fort Monroe
- Grandview Fishing Pier
- 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
Famous Hamptonians
- Ronald Curry – professional football player for the Oakland Raiders.
- 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.
- Shaun Gayle – professional football player with the San Diego Chargers.
- Chris Hanburger – popular Washington Redskins player in the 1970s.
- Mike Husted – former kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins.
- Allen Iverson - Philadelphia 76ers basketball player (point guard), born in Hampton, but was also raised in neighboring Newport News, Virginia. He attended Jefferson Davis Middle and Bethel High schools, both located in Hampton. He served as football quarterback at Bethel High School, as well as captain of the Bethel High's boys varsity basketball squad.
- Nikki Nova – actress.
- Dwight Stephenson – professional football player for the Miami Dolphins and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
See also
- List of Mayors of Hampton, Virginia
- List of famous people from Hampton Roads
- Buckroe Beach
- Old Point Comfort
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.