Rocky Mount, Virginia

Rocky Mount is a town in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Virginia, United States.GR|6 The town is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area, and had a population of 4,066 at the 2000 census.

History

First settled in 1760, Rocky Mount was named for a steep cliff near the town. The area originally consisted of two adjacent villages, Rocky Mount and Mount Pleasant. In 1873, Rocky Mount absorbed the smaller village to create the present boundaries of the town. [cite book |editor=Frank H. Gille |title=The Encyclopedia of Virginia 1999; Volume One |publisher=Somerset Publishers |pages=329 |id=ISBN 0403097533]

Geography

Rocky Mount is located at coor dms|36|59|59|N|79|53|23|W|city (36.999855, -79.889673)GR|1, along the Pigg River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 4,066 people, 1,698 households, and 1,018 families residing in the town. The population density was 886.5 people per square mile (342.0/km²). There were 1,796 housing units at an average density of 391.6/sq mi (151.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.50% White, 22.26% African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

There were 1,698 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,927, and the median income for a family was $38,688. Males had a median income of $30,947 versus $22,472 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,207. About 16.6% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

*Rocky Mount is the home town of actor Jesse L. Martin
*Rocky Mount was once the location of the law office of Confederate General Jubal A. Early. Early was the only Confederate general to attack Washington, D.C.
*Fomer slave and founder of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington, was also born in Franklin County.
*Former New York Mets catcher, Ron Hodges, is a native of Rocky Mount.

Further reading

* cite book
author=Fussell, Fred C.
id=080785459X
publisher=North Carolina Folklife Institute
title=Blue Ridge Music Trails: Finding a Place in the Circle
year=2003

References

External links

* http://www.rockymountva.com
* http://www.nps.gov/bowa
* http://www.jubalearly.org/jubal.html