ZIP Code 24401

Staunton (STAN-tn) is an independent city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,750. Staunton is known for being the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson. It is also the home of Mary Baldwin University, historically a women's college. It was the first city with a fully defined city manager system. It served as capital of Virginia in June 1781, when state legislators fled Richmond and then Charlottesville to avoid capture by the British. During the Civil War, the town became an important supply depot and supply center for the Confederacy, and a staging area for 10,000 troops to cut supply, communication and railway lines useful to the Confederacy. The city is home to Stuart Hall, a private co-ed preparatory school, as well as the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. In Virginia, independent cities are separate jurisdictions from the counties that surround them, so the government offices of Augusta County are in Verona, which is contiguous to Staunon. The area was first settled in 1732 by John Lewis and family. In 1736, William Beverley, a wealthy planter and merchant from Essex County, was granted by the Crown over 118,000 acres (48,000 hectares) in what would become Augusta County. Surveyor Thomas Lewis in 1746 laid out the first town plat for Beverley of what was originally called Beverley's Mill Place. Founded in 1747, it was renamed in honor of Lady Rebecca StaunTON, wife to Royal Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Gooch.

History

Staunton was first settled in 1732 by William Beverley, a wealthy planter and merchant from Essex County. Staunton served between 1738 and 1771 as regional capital for much of what was later known as the Northwest Territory. It served as capital of Virginia in June 1781, when state legislators fled Richmond and then Charlottesville to avoid capture by the British. The town developed as a trade, transportation and industrial center, particularly after the Virginia Central Railroad arrived in 1854. On July 10, 1902, Staunon became an independent city. Charles E. Ashburner was hired by the city as the nation's first city manager. The city is also home to the former Western State Hospital for the mentally ill, which began operations in 1828. After the passage of the Sterilization Act of 1924, this utopian model of care had vanished, replaced by overcrowding in the mid 19th Century, and the facility was closed in the 1950s. It is now the home of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which was founded in 1858. The museum is located in the historic town of Augusta, Virginia, on the banks of the Shenandoah River, near the border with West Virginia. It was originally known as Beverley's Mill Place, but was renamed in 1747 in honor of Lady Rebecca StaunTON, wife to Royal Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Gooch. It has been named after Lady Rebecca, the wife of the first British Lieutenant-governor of Virginia.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20 square miles (52 km²), virtually all of which is land. Staunton is located in the Shenandoah Valley in between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains of the Appalachian Mountains. It is drained by Lewis Creek, which flows into the Potomac, and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Staunon has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The city is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is based in the city's downtown area. It has a population of about 2,000 people, most of whom live in the central part of the city, near Lewis Creek and the Potamac River. The town has a high school population of around 1,000. It also has a college student population of approximately 1,200. It was the site of a World War II-era air base, which was used to protect the city from enemy fire. The area was also used as a military base during the Second World War, when the Army used it as a staging area for the defense of Washington, D.C. against the Soviet Union. It now has a low-lying area of about 1,500 acres (4.5 km²) and is home of the UVA College of Arts and Sciences, which has a campus of about 500 students.

Governance

Staunton operates under a council-manager form of government. In 1908, Staunton was the first city in the United States to give an appointed employee authority over city affairs through statute. In 1912, Sumter, South Carolina, was thefirst U.S. city to implement the council- manager form of city government. The city refers to itself on its website as the "birthplace of President Woodrow Wilson, and the city managerform of government" The city is part of Virginia's 6th congressional district. It has sister cities in Romania, Hungary, and Germany. It is located in Virginia's Sixth Congressional District, which includes parts of West Virginia, Maryland, and parts of Virginia and Loudon County. It also has a sister city in Maryland, which is in the 6th district of the Fourth District of the Sixth State. It was founded in 1788. It's located in the state of Virginia, and was once part of the Third District of Virginia. It had a population of 2,000 in 1791. It now has a total population of 3,000. It currently has a mayor-council ratio of 1:1. It operates under the city-manager system of government, with an appointed city manager in charge of day-to-day operations. The mayor is a former mayor of the city, who was re-elected in 2008. The current city manager is the current mayor-mayor-elect, who took office in 2010. The town has an annual budget of $1.2 million.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,853 people, 9,676 households, and 5,766 families residing in Staunton. The racial makeup of the city was 83.29% White, 13.95% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American,0.46% Asian, 1.11% Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 1.55% from two or more races. The city's population was spread out, with 19.8% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in the city is $32,941, and the median income. for a family is $44,422. The per capita income is $19,161. About 7.7% of families and 11.7%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7. of those age 65 or over. The U.S. Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of anyrace. The US Census treats Hispanics/Latinos as anethnic category. The 2020 census will include Latinos as a separate ethnic category and assign them a separate race.

Economy

According to Staunton's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: University of St.aunton, St. John's University, and St. Catherine's University. The city's economy is based on the economy, not education or health care, according to the city's report. The top employers are: U.S. Bank, Saint Catherine University and StaunTON University. St. Peter's University is the largest employer in the town, followed by St. Paul's University and Saint Paul's College of Pharmacy. The economy is the second largest in the state, after St. Petersburg, with a total of 1.2 million jobs. The largest employer is St. Mary's University with 1.3 million jobs, followed in second by Stauntons University with 9.7 million. The biggest employer in St. Patrick's is the University of Saint Catherine, with 7.6 million workers. The most employers in Staunpton are: St. Christopher University, with 6.3 percent of the city workforce. The state's top employer is the St. Louis University with 5.2 percent. The number of jobs in the county is 6.4 percent, with 3.6 percent of jobs coming from non-profit organizations. The highest-paid jobs are in the arts, with 2.7 percent of employment. The lowest-paid job is in the health care industry, with 0.7 per cent of jobs going to non-profits and 1.1 per cent to nonprofits.

Culture

Staunton is home to the American Shakespeare Center, a theatrical company centered at the Blackfriars Playhouse. The Staunton Music Festival features multiple concerts each day, with programs of music from the Renaissance to the present. The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library is open for visitors, as well as the Museum of American Frontier Culture, which provides insight into life in early America. The Queen City Mischief and Magic festival - which celebrated its 4th year in 2019 - is a new but quickly-growing festival for Harry Potter fans, attracting over 10,000 people in its 3rd year. The Statler Brothers, country music legends who until 1994 performed free concerts at the annual Fourth of July celebration, accompanied by other country music artists, grew up in the city. In 1993, a portion of the Showtime production of Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker was filmed here. In the summer of 2006, some scenes for the movie Evan Almighty were also filmed in Staunon. In 2013, scenes from the documentary film Rita Dove: An American Poet were filmed in and around the Temple House of Israel synagogue. The local Shenandoah Valley Railroad was used in filming of Hearts in Atlantis. The city is also the center of numerous galleries and art schools, the widely regarded Beverley Street Studio School and its associated Co-Art Gallery. In addition to the Hypnagogia Film Collective, a collection of avant-garde experimental filmmakers.

Attractions

Staunton is home to nearly 200 buildings designed by architect Jasper Collins. The city was once home to about ten hotels, but only one of them is still in operation. During World War II it was used by the INS as a detention center for enemy aliens. Montgomery Hall Park was the only park in the city open to African-Americans before segregation ended in the mid-1960s. The offices of the Department of Parks and Recreation are at the Givens Administration building, which also includes a kitchen, activity room, and conference room which are available for public use. The Knowles Park is a small parcel of land directly across from the main entrance of Staunton's downtown. The Woodrow Park was named in honor of President Wilson and features a scenic overlook of the city's downtown area. The New Street Parking Garage now stands on the site of the former Stonewall Jackson Hotel, which was demolished in 1930 to make way for a planned addition to the Stonewal Jackson Hotel which was never built. The National Register of Historic Places is located at 437 East Beverley Street and includes the Waverly Hill House, a Georgian-style frame house built in 1829. It was modified and enlarged in 1888 by famed cartographer and landscape designer Arthur Shurclcliff. It is located on the edge of the town. The T. J. Collins & Sons Building, which dates back to 1844, is on the other side of the street and was designed by the same architect.

Sports

Staunton fielded a baseball team in the original Virginia League: The Staunton Hayseeds in 1894. In 1914, the city fielded ateam in the Virginia Mountain League: the StaunTON Lunatics. From 1939 to 1942, Staunon fielded a team in a second Virginia League. The city currently has no minor league baseball, but the City Braves represent the city in the Valley Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league that plays in the Shenandoah Valley. The Braves are a member of the National Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which was established in 1966. The St Shaunton Braves were founded by the St Shaunte Braves, a former baseball player and coach, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were the first team to play in a major league summer league in the United States. They are currently the only team to have played in the league since it was founded in 1968. The team is currently in its 20th year of existence. The club was founded by former baseball players and coaches, and is based in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is the home of Harrisonburg High School's baseball team. The baseball team is known as the Harrisonburg Lunatics, which moved to Harrisonburg in July 1914, just before the league disbanded. The Lunatics were the last team to compete in the first Virginia League, before moving to the second league in 1939. The league was disbanded in 1942, and the city has no current team in any major league.

Infrastructure

The main highways through Staunton are U.S. Route 11, U.S. Route 250, Virginia State Route 252 and Virginia State Routes 254 and 261. Interstate 64 and Interstate 81 provide the main high-speed, high-volume roads to the city. Amtrak's Cardinal train station is the closest station to the nearby cities of Harrisonburg and Lexington. The nearest commercial airport is Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave, Virginia. The Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents (formerly the DeJarnette Center after eugenicist Joseph Dejarnette) psychiatric facility is located in the city, as is Virginia State Hospital (Virginia) for the mentally ill. The city is adjacent to the northernmost junction of I-81 and I-64, and is located on the Virginia-Maryland border. It is located at the junction of the Rappahannock River, which flows into the James River at the north end of the city and the James Branch, which runs to the east and south of the town. The town has a population of 2,000, with about 1,000 residents living in the downtown area. It was the site of one of the first mass murders in the United States in the early 20th century, when a white man shot and killed a black man who tried to rob a black woman in the town of $1,000. It has a history of civil rights activism, including a case in which an African-American woman was arrested for buying an intrastate ticket on an interstate bus.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Staunton, Staunton City, Virginia = 83. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 90. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Staunton = 4.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 25,750 individuals with a median age of 41.7 age the population dropped by -1.60% in Staunton, Staunton City, Virginia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,300 residents per square mile of area (500/km²). There are average 2.13 people per household in the 10,265 households with an average household income of $41,227 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.10% of the available work force and has dropped -4.77% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.36%. The number of physicians in Staunton per 100,000 population = 259.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Staunton = 37.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 20.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 106. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 216. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 22 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 52, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Staunton, Staunton City, Virginia which are owned by the occupant = 56.25%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 47 years with median home cost = $160,780 and home appreciation of -0.61%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.70 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,743 per student. There are 15.3 students for each teacher in the school, 298 students for each Librarian and 268 students for each Counselor. 4.42% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.35% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.08% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).