Middleburg, Virginia

Middleburg, Virginia
—  Town  —
Motto: Semel et Semper
Coordinates: 38°58′6″N 77°44′15″W / 38.96833°N 77.7375°W / 38.96833; -77.7375Coordinates: 38°58′6″N 77°44′15″W / 38.96833°N 77.7375°W / 38.96833; -77.7375
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Loudoun
Government
- Mayor	Betsy Davis
Area
- Total	0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
- Land	0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	486 ft (148 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	976
- Density	1,083.3/sq mi (420.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern Time Zone (ET) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	20117-20118
Area code(s)	540
FIPS code	51-51448[1]
GNIS feature ID	1470422[2]
Website	middleburg.org

Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States with a population of approximately 976 as of July 2010.^[3]

History

The town was established in 1787 by American Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman, Levin Powell. He purchased the land for Middleburg at $2.50 per acre from Joseph Chinn, a first cousin of George Washington. It had been called "Chinn's Crossroads", but Powell chose the new name of Middleburg because of the village's location midway between Arlington and Winchester, Virginia, on the Ashby Gap trading route (now followed by the U.S. Route 50 highway).

Since the early 1900s, Middleburg began welcoming visitors that descended on the town for foxhunting and steeplechasing. The village soon earned a reputation as the "Nation's Horse and Hunt Capital", attracting prominent visitors from across the U.S. Middleburg is the home of the 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m²) National Sporting Library research center for horse and field sports, which publishes Thoroughbred Heritage on the Internet. New addition is being made to include an art gallery and museum.

The Middleburg Historic District, comprising the 19th-century center of town, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the Red Fox Inn, the oldest building in town.^[4]

Geography

Middleburg is located at 38°58′6″N 77°44′15″W / 38.96833°N 77.7375°W / 38.96833; -77.7375 (38.968411, -77.737631)^[5].

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²), all of it land. The elevation is 486 feet.^[6]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 632 people, 322 households, and 171 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,083.8 people per square mile (420.7/km²). There were 364 housing units at an average density of 624.2 per square mile (242.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 76.58% White, 20.25% African American, 0.16% Asian, 1.27% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.27% of the population.^[3]

There were 322 households out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.6% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.57.

In the town the population was spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 72.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,625, and the median income for a family was $60,313. Males had a median income of $41,875 versus $32,708 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,643. About 6.7% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture

Middleburg was named as the location of the mysterious crop circles in the horror film spoof Scary Movie 3 (2003). The film shows an actual map of the Middleburg area, complete with actual surrounding towns and VA-15 pictured on the map.

The New Hampshire scenes in the season three "Manchester" episodes of The West Wing were filmed in Middleburg.

Notable natives or residents

^{[citation needed][clarification needed]}

• Melanie Blunt, former First Lady of Missouri (2005–2009)
• Jack Kent Cooke (1912–1997), businessman and former owner of the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Orioles, and the Los Angeles Lakers
• Sheila Johnson, Billionaire and Co-founder of BET^[7]
• Alice du Pont Mills (1912–2002), aviatrix, thoroughbred race-horse breeder and owner, environmentalist and philanthropist; a member of the Du Pont family
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929–1994), book editor and First Lady of the United States (1961–1963); a member of the Kennedy family
• Wendy Pepper (born 1964), fashion designer^[8]
• Bruce Sundlun (born 1920), businessman, lawyer and politician; former Governor of Rhode Island (1991–1995)
• Elizabeth Taylor (1932–2011), actress, jewelry and perfume designer, activist
• John Warner (born 1927), lawyer and politician; former U.S. Secretary of the Navy (1972–1974), former U.S. Senator from Virginia (1979–2009)
• Keshia Knight Pulliam (born 1979) is an American actress, best known for her role on The Cosby Show as Rudy Huxtable

Newspapers

• Purcellville Gazette, a weekly newspaper, based in Purcellville, Virginia, serving Middleburg and western Loudoun County.
• Middleburg Eccentric (middleburgeccentric.com), Middleburg's only locally owned and operated newspaper.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "City-Data Profile: Middleburg, Virginia". city-data.com. http://www.city-data.com/city/Middleburg-Virginia.html. Retrieved 2011-01-04. 
4. ^ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (December 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Middleburg Historic District". National Park Service. http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Loudoun/259-0162_Middleburg_Historic_District_1982_Final_Nomination.pdf. Retrieved 19 September 2011. 
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
6. ^ "Middleburg, VA Maps, Facts & Figures". hometownlocator.com. 2011-01-04. http://virginia.hometownlocator.com/va/loudoun/middleburg.cfm. Retrieved 2011-01-04. 
7. ^ www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/pdf/sheila_johnson_bio.pdf
8. ^ Wendy Pepper Biography

• Moon, Vicky. The Middleburg Mystique: A Peek Inside the Gates of Middleburg, Virginia (2001) Capital Books ISBN 978-1-931868-02-0 www.middleburgmystique.com
• Hunt Country Stable Tour

External links

• middleburg.org, Town of Middleburg's official website
• middleburg.com, Middleburg Online, a commercial, general-information website
• "Middleburg Historic District", at The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising national awareness of the history in the region from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Charlottesville, Virginia

Maps