| Victoria, Virginia |
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| lunenburg county, virginia | |
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GEOGRAPHY Victoria is located at 36°59'36" North, 78°13'30" West (36.993365, -78.224891). According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 7.4 Km&2 (2.9 Mi&2 ). 7.3 km&2 (2.8 mi&2) of it is land and 0.1 km&2 (0.04 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 1.05% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 1,821 people, 803 households, and 517 families residing in the town. The Population Density was 248.4/km&2 (644.6/mi&2). There were 903 housing units at an average density of 123.2/km&2 (319.6/mi&2). The racial makeup of the town was 76.22% White , 21.47% African American , 0.16% Native American , 0.05% Asian , 0.00% Pacific Islander , 0.38% from Other Races , and 1.70% from two or more races. 1.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 803 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were Married Couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.85. In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,694, and the median income for a family was $32,311. Males had a median income of $26,797 versus $17,054 for females. The Per Capita Income for the town was $13,693. 24.6% of the population and 18.6% of families were below the Poverty Line . 38.9% of those under the age of 18 and 18.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. HISTORY Born as a railroad town Victoria was founded in 1906 as a planned community on what had been largely undeveloped land in Lunenburg County, Virginia during the construction of the Tidewater Railway . This was a new railroad intended to transport Coal to be originated by its sister Deepwater Railway operating in southern West Virginia . The Tidewater Railway was chartered to cross Virginia by way of Roanoke to port at Sewell's Point on Hampton Roads near Norfolk, Virginia . In 1907 , as they began nearing completion, the Tidewater and Deepwater Railways were combined to form the Virginian Railway (VGN). The low gradient VGN, built by William N. Page and Henry Huttleston Rogers , was considered an engineering marvel of the time when it was completed in 1909 . Queen Victoria of England was a favorite of Henry Rogers, and the new town was named in her honor. Victoria was the midpoint of the VGN's Norfolk Division, which extended from Sewell's Point to Roanoke. It was the location of a large equipment maintenance operation on the Virginian Railway , with roundhouse, turntable coaling and water facilities for servicing steam locomotives, and a large yard. Norfolk Division offices were on the second floor of the passenger station. The Virginia General Assembly granted a charter and incorporated the Town of Victoria on March 11 , 1916 . End of steam, mergers, abandonment Victoria's importance as a rail point declined sharply in the 1950s when the change to Diesel-electric Locomotive s greatly reduced the labor and facilities needed. The last Virginian passenger train served Victoria in January, 1956. VGN steam operations ended completely in June, 1957. Then, on December 1 , 1959 , the Virginian Railway merged with the larger Norfolk And Western Railway . Under combined operations, the through coal traffic was shifted from Victoria to the bigger road's main line through Crewe, Virginia , fortunately within commuting distance for N&W's Victoria-based employees. Local customers on the former VGN line through Victoria and nearby Kenbridge were few, and the portion of the line through Victoria and Kenbridge was eventually abandoned in the 1980s. All tracks and virtually all structures were removed, and a portion of the land donated to the community by N&W. Much like many other communities all across the United States, the end of steam railroading and the era of mergers and consolidation in the second half of the 20th century reduced rail-oriented employment opportunities and had a generally negative impact upon Victoria and the surrounding area. However, the community and Lunenburg County proved resilient, and by the late 1990s, transportation employment represented only a minimal portion of the area's economy. Remembering Victoria's rail heritage and Early in the 21st century, work was begun to develop a rail heritage park and obtain a caboose to help present the town's rail heritage. After several years of work, one of the last C-10 cabooses built in-house by VGN employees at the company's massive shops complex in Princeton, West Virginia in the 1950s was located. Rail preservationist, historian, and photographer Kenneth Miller had purchased Caboose 342 in the 1980s, and had carefully restored it over a period of years. Miller, a long-time VGN fan, agreed to let Victoria have what is considered by many to be the finest extant VGN caboose for the new rail heritage park. To prepare an appropriate display area for Caboose 342, a short stretch of roadbed was prepared, ballasted, and ties and rail were laid by volunteers in Victoria. The initials "H.H.R." and "W.N.P." were engraved as a lasting tribute to the founders of the Virginian Railway , Henry Huttleston Rogers and William Nelson Page . Late in 2004, Norfolk Southern carefully transported Caboose 342 from Roanoke to the NS rail yard at Crewe, Virginia by rail. From there, it traveled overland by truck and was placed on the new rails at Victoria on December 22 , 2004 . REFERENCES Books
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