Poquoson, Virginia
Encyclopedia : P : PO : POQ : Poquoson, Virginia
Poquoson (IPA: /pəˈko.sn̩/ or /pˈko.sn̩/) is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula, in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 11,566. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Poquoson with surrounding York county for statistical purposes.
The name of the city is a Native American word which roughly translates to "great marsh" or "flat land." The first reference to the city is believed to be in Colonial records of a land grant by a court in Elizabeth City County, Virginia to Christopher Calthorpe in 1631. Poquoson, which was formerly part of York County, was incorporated as a town in 1952 and became a city in 1975. (In Virginia, municipalities incorporated as cities are not part of any county.)
Poquoson, Virginia is one of the oldest continuously named cities in Virginia. It is a peninsula containing twenty square miles and is located between the Poquoson River on the north, Back River and Wythe Creek (the Old Poquoson River) on the south, the Chesapeake Bay on the east, and York County on the west. The town was formed in 1952, around the same time that York County began integrating the public school system, when a referendum, drafted to avoid such action, enabled Poquoson to establish its own public school system. The town became a city in 1975 in order to maintain this status.
The twentieth century city is a remnant of a larger area known from the first days of its settlement as the New Poquoson Parish. This land was opened for settlement in the year 1628 and was occupied by people from the settlement at Kecoughtan (Hampton).
The term "poquoson", with its varied spellings, was a term used by the area's inhabitants, the Algonquin Indians, to describe a low, marshy, woody place covered by water in the winter, but is dry in the summer. These Indians were part of the Powhatan Confederacy and were hostile to the early settlers. A petition to have the name of the parish and river changed was an attempt to rid the language of all vestiges of Indian terms. However, "poquoson" has survived through the centuries and has become a proper noun used to designate the present city .
Poquoson's population includes families with well-traveled backgrounds. This is primarily due to the large number of military-affiliated families from Langley Air Force Base, and the influx of professionally oriented families with the monetary means for travel. Poquoson has been determined to have the highest per capita income on the Peninsula.
Geography
Poquoson is located at (37.133153, -76.373881)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 203.1 km² (78.4 mi²). 40.2 km² (15.5 mi²) of it is land and 162.9 km² (62.9 mi²) of it (80.21%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 11,566 people, 4,166 households, and 3,370 families residing in the city. The population density was 287.7/km² (745.4/mi²). There were 4,300 housing units at an average density of 107.0/km² (277.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.26% White, 0.67% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.There were 4,166 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.08.
The age distribution is: 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $60,920, and the median income for a family was $65,460. Males had a median income of $45,284 versus $28,310 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,336. About 3.0% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Poquoson is served by two airports: Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, in nearby Newport News; and Norfolk International Airport, located on the other side of Hampton Roads in Norfolk.
External links
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