Stephens City, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Stephens City is an incorporated town in the southern part of Frederick County
, Virginia
, United States, with a population of 1,829 at the time of the 2010 Census.
Founded by Peter Stephens
in the 1730s, the colonial town was chartered and named for Lewis Stephens in October 1758. It was originally settled by German Protestants from Heidelberg
. Stephens City is the second-oldest municipality in the Shenandoah Valley
after nearby Winchester
, which is about 5 miles (8 km) to the north. "Crossroads", the first free black community in the Valley in the pre-Civil War
years, was founded east of town in the 1850s. Crossroads remained until the beginning of the Civil War when the freed blacks either escaped or were recaptured. Stephens City was saved from intentional burning in 1864 by Union
Major Joseph K. Stearns. The town has gone through several name changes in its history, starting as Stephensburg, then Newtown, and finally winding up as Stephens City, though it nearly became Pantops. Interstate 81
and U.S. Route 11
pass close to and through the town, respectively.
A large section of the center of the town, including buildings and homes, covering 65 acres (26.3 ha), is part of the Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District
and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1992. Stephens City celebrated its 250th anniversary on October 12, 2008. The town is a part of the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area
, an offshoot of the Washington–Baltimore–Northern Virginia, DC–MD–VA–WV Combined Statistical Area. It is a member of the Winchester–Frederick County Metropolitan Planning Organization.
in 1731. Peter Stephens and a small party of German Protestants from Heidelberg
, in the Palatinate, arrived about 1732 to buy and settle that land, including the site of what became Stephens City, named for the Stephens family. Although Hite's title to the land was challenged by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
, the land baron of the area, the matter was settled amicably.
Town lots were laid out beginning in 1754, and on September 21, 1758, Lewis Stephens petitioned the colonial government of Virginia in Williamsburg for a town charter. The Virginia General Assembly
approved the charter for the town of "Stephensburgh" on October 12, 1758. The mostly German-speaking residents soon left off the "h"; the town was usually spelled "Stephensburg". By the start of the Revolutionary War, Stephensburg was often called simply "New Town" or "Newtown", as the new settlement on the Great Wagon Road
south of Winchester.
Shenandoah Valley and Newtown's central location attracted heavy traffic through the region, and wagon-making emerged as an important industry for the town; Newtown artisans supplied wagons throughout the state. By 1830, the town's population had reached 800. In the late 1850s, free blacks began a settlement about a mile east of town which became known as Crossroads or Freetown, which lasted until the time of the American Civil War
. After the January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation
, most of the newly freed slaves and many of the already free blacks left the area.
When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the majority of Newtown's young men joined Confederate
forces. During the war, the town was "between the lines", nominally controlled by the Union
but with much Confederate partisan
activity. On May 24, 1862, Stonewall Jackson
's Confederate forces advanced northward on the Valley Pike and attacked Union troops. At Newtown, General George Henry Gordon
of the Second Massachusetts Infantry
ordered his Federal troops to make a stand. The skirmishing involved heavy artillery fire, but Gordon's men retreated without loss of the important supply wagons. When Gordon left the town to Jackson's forces, both sides claimed a victory.
In June 1864, Major Joseph K. Stearns of the 1st New York Cavalry arrived under orders to burn the town down to help stop Confederate ambushes on the wagon road. Because the remaining population mostly consisted of women, children and the elderly, Stearns allowed the town to stand. He required the adult residents to take the "Ironclad oath
", in which they swore that they had not voluntarily provided aid to the Confederacy. The government required the oath, effectively excluding ex-Confederates from the political arena during Reconstruction.
In April 1867, the Virginia General Assembly granted a charter to the Winchester and Strasburg Railroad Company. The company was authorized to construct a rail line between Winchester and Strasburg, linking Newtown to the rest of the nation by railroad for the first time. Though the railroad improved the local economy, which had lagged after the end of the war, it decimated the wagon-building trade. In 1880, the United States Post Office Department, faced with nearly a dozen Newtowns in Virginia, announced that the local post office would be renamed Pantops. Dissatisfied with the name, the townsfolk chose "Stephens City".
(I-81) during the early 1960s depressed business development in the town. The wagon road, which had been made part of U.S. Route 11
, had led traffic through the center of town, but the interstate passed less than a tenth of a mile to the east, encouraging development east of town and causing the downtown businesses to decline. Developers constructed new residential subdivisions both within and outside the town boundaries to the east for access to I-81.
The town surveyed its older buildings to establish architectural significance and to determine those that contributed to the town's historic center. The Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in August 1992. Renovation of the town center has attracted heritage tourism
. Anticipating more growth, the town annexed 360 acres (1.5 km²) of unincorporated Frederick County in 2005, another 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in 2006, and 175 acre (0.7082005 km²) in 2007. The town celebrated its 250th anniversary on October 12, 2008.
On September 17, 2004, remnants of Hurricane Ivan
spawned an F1 tornado
that touched down just south of the town along Interstate 81. It caused approximately $1 million in damage and injured two people. It was one of a record 40 tornadoes to hit northern Virginia that day.
and the Appalachian Mountains
in the northern Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia
in close proximity to West Virginia
, Maryland
, and Pennsylvania
. Washington, D.C.
, is approximately 65.9 miles (106.1 km) to the east and Baltimore
is 84 miles (135.2 km) to the northeast.
zone (Köppen climate classification
: Cfa), exhibiting four distinct seasons. Its climate is typical of Mid-Atlantic U.S. areas removed from bodies of water. The town is located in plant hardiness zone
7 throughout the town and surrounding Frederick County, indicating a temperate climate. Spring and fall are warm, with low humidity, while winter is cool, with annual snowfall averaging 15 inches (38.1 cm). Average winter lows tend to be around 30 °F (−1 °C) from mid-December to mid-February. Blizzards affect Stephens City on average once every four to six years. The most violent nor'easter
s typically feature high winds, heavy rains, and occasional snow. These storms often affect large sections of the U.S. East Coast.
Summers are hot and humid; during this season, highs average in the upper 80s °F (lower 30s °C) and lows average in the upper 60s °F (lower 20s °C). The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area. While hurricanes (or their remnants) occasionally track through the area in late summer and early fall, they have often weakened by the time they reach Stephens City, partly due to the city's far inland location.
The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (40.6 °C) in 1918, 1988, and again in 2010, while the lowest recorded temperature was -18 F in 1983.
there were 1,829 people. As of the 2010 U.S. census 500 households, and 291 families residing in the town. The 2009 population estimate showed 1,503 people living in the town, an increase of 31.2% from 2000. In 2000, population density
was 112 people per square mile. As of 2010, the racial makeup of the town was 81.0% White
, 6.7% African American
, 0.4% Native American
, 1.8% Asian
, 0.1 Native American
, and 3.1% from other races. Hispanics or Latinos
of any race were 7.3% of the population.
As of 2000, There were 500 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 50.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 3.0. The age distribution was 23.7% under 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.6 years. The median income for a household in the town was $35,200, and the median income for a family was $41,827. Employed males had a median income of $29,432 versus $22,313 for employed females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,998.
On the 2000 Census, residents self-identified with a variety of ethnic ancestries; the major categories reflect the settlers of the 18th and early 19th century. People of German
descent make up 17.6% of the population of the town, with American
at 14.7%, English
at 11.2%, Irish
at 8.9%, Scotch-Irish at 1.8%, Dutch at 1.4%, European
at 1.4%, French
at 1.3%, Italian
at 1.3%, Scottish
at 1.0%, Norwegian
at 0.7%, Swedish
at 0.6%, Canadian at 0.5%, Polish
at 0.4%, Slavic
at 0.4%, Subsaharan African
at 0.4%, Celtic at 0.2%, Czechoslovakian
at 0.2%, Pennsylvania Dutch
at 0.2%, Romanian
at 0.2%, and Slovak
rounding out at 0.1%. 20.0% of the population of the town are of "other ancestries".
The economy of Stephens City features several industries. According to the 2000 United States Census, the industries in the town (by percentage of employed civilian population 16 years and over) were manufacturing at 20.4%, educational, health and social services with 19.9%, retail trade at 12.8%, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services with 9.0%, construction at 8.0%, other services (except public administration) with 6.8%, transportation, warehousing, and utilities at 4.6%, public administration with 3.9%, professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services at 3.7%, finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing with 3.4%, wholesale trade at 3.4%, information with 2.2% and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining at 1.9%.
Of the people in the labor force
in the town over the age of 16, the majority, 597 people or 66.1% of the population, were in the civilian work force, while 306 people, or 33.9%, of the population were not in the labor force at all. At the time of the Census, only nine people, or 1.0%, were unemployed, with none in the Armed Forces
. Of the 588 residents employed age 16 and over, private-sector wage and salary workers accounted for 457 of them or 77.7%. Ninety-five people were classified as federal government
workers, or 16.2% of the population, with the self-employed making up 5.8% of the population or 34 people. Two people, or 0.3%, of the population were classified as unpaid workers.
The median household income
for the town of Stephens City was $35,200, with the majority, 126 persons, or 24.8%, of the population in that class of income. Eighty people, or 15.7%, identified themselves as retired.
Just outside Stephens City is Sherando Park. The park houses several trails, ponds, a pool, sports fields and more. Sherando Park is also home of the Virginia Tech Memorial Garden, planted in memory of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre
, which took place approximately 175 miles (281.6 km) from the park. It has "a winding sidewalk shaped in the college's trademark 'VT'" and "a flagpole surrounded by 32 Hokie Stone
s", one for each of the 32 victims of the shooting. The Memorial Garden was opened on April 16, 2009, the second anniversary of the shooting. The park was built by the Shenandoah Chapter of Virginia Tech Alumni Association, which is based in nearby Winchester, Virginia
.
The Family Drive-In Theatre, a two-screen drive-in theater
, is located near the town, on U.S. Route 11
just south of Stephens City. It is one of eight drive-ins in the state of Virginia. Stephens City is also the location of the annual "Newtown Heritage Festival" held each Memorial Day
weekend. The two-day event features many crafts, a tractor wagon ride through town, bluegrass music at Newtown Commons and a parade on Saturday.
Stephens City is one of the towns along the Route 11 Yard Crawl. A yearly event held during the second Saturday in August, the Yard Crawl is an almost 50-mile-long (80 km) yard sale that stretches from Stephens City's Newtown Commons south along U.S. Route 11 to New Market, Virginia
. The event is sponsored by the Shenandoah County
Chamber Advisory Group, five chambers of commerce, and the town of Stephens City. In years past, the Yard Crawl has attracted interest from people as far away as Canada.
Nearby Winchester, Virginia
—about 5 miles (8 km) to the north—is home to the Winchester Royals
, which is part of the Valley Baseball League
, a National Collegiate Athletic Association
-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia.
Bowers, Linden A. Fravel, Jr., James H. Harter, Joseph Hollis, and Martha W. Dilg. Dilg was elected in a May 4, 2010, election to succeed Michael Grim, who left the Town Council at the end of his term. Shull's replacement on Town Council was originally to be decided at a May 5, 2010, Town Council meeting but was not announced until June 29, 2010, when Joseph Grayson was officially named to fill Shull's seat.
As of 2010, the town is served by Police Chief Charles Bockey and Fire Chief Greg Locke, both of whom are on the town's Public Safety Committee. The town is served by five other committees: the Administrative Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Water and Sewer Committee, the Public Works Committee, and the Finance Committee. The members of those five committees are composed of Town Council members.
Stephens City is represented by Clifford L. "Clay" Athey
, (Republican
) in the Virginia House of Delegates
18th District. Jill Holtzman Vogel
(Republican) represents the town in the Virginia Senate
's 27th District. The town is represented by Frank R. Wolf (Republican) in the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 10th district
. Jim Webb
(Democrat
) and Mark Warner
(Democrat) represent the town in the United States Senate
.
operate the public schools that serve Stephens City, although none are located within Stephens City proper; public schools that serve Stephens City are within a mile of the town limits. The town and surrounding area are served by Bass-Hoover Elementary School, Robert E. Aylor Middle School, and Sherando High School
. The latter was named for one of the historic Iroquoian-speaking tribes encountered by early European settlers to the Shenandoah Valley. Local private schools are available, and are also outside the town's corporate limits. Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy is located at the northern section of the town limits. Powhatan School is in nearby Boyce
in Clarke County, Virginia
. Other smaller private or Christian-based schools are located throughout Frederick County and elsewhere in the area.
traverses Stephens City proper, while Interstate 81
serves as the eastern border of the town. Stephens City serves as the western terminus of State Route 277
, which begins at U.S. Route 11 and ends only 4.72 miles (7.6 km) away in Double Tollgate
, Clarke County, Virginia
, at U.S. Routes
340
and 522
.
Plans are in place to move State Route 277 to near The Family Drive-In Theatre, 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) south of its current western terminus with US Route 11 with the eastern terminus remaining at its current location. The planned construction will also move the I-81
interchange at Stephens City, where there are a number of service stations and fast food restaurants, south of the town limits to alleviate congestion on the current Route 277 bridge, which will remain after construction is completed. Planners expect expansion of Stephens City to the south.
church was created in the town. The first church structure, the "Methodist Episcopal Church in Stephensburg", which was built near the site of the current Stephens City United Methodist Church, dates from 1791. The oldest church building in the town is Orrick Chapel, built between 1866 and 1869 as the home of an African American Methodist congregation. It replaced an earlier chapel constructed in the late 1850s that was razed by Union troops during the winter months of 1864–1865 near the end of the Civil War.
As of 2010, within the town limits are congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
and United Methodist Church
as well as those of the Baptist, Mennonite
, Pentecostal
, Charismatic Episcopal
and Full Gospel
denominations of Christianity. Just south of the town limits is a Unitarian Universalist
church. A Roman Catholic parish affiliated with the Diocese of Arlington
, a Jewish
synagogue, and an Islam
ic mosque, which each function as centers for their respective members in the entire Shenandoah Valley, are located approximately 5 miles (8 km) north in Winchester.
Frederick County, Virginia
Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is included in the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. For ten years it was the home of George Washington. As of 2010, the population was...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States, with a population of 1,829 at the time of the 2010 Census.
Founded by Peter Stephens
Peter Stephens (pioneer)
Peter Stephens was the son of Gabriel Steffen and of Barbara . Stephens is known for founding present-day Stephens City, Virginia.-Biography:...
in the 1730s, the colonial town was chartered and named for Lewis Stephens in October 1758. It was originally settled by German Protestants from Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. Stephens City is the second-oldest municipality in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
after nearby Winchester
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
, which is about 5 miles (8 km) to the north. "Crossroads", the first free black community in the Valley in the pre-Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
years, was founded east of town in the 1850s. Crossroads remained until the beginning of the Civil War when the freed blacks either escaped or were recaptured. Stephens City was saved from intentional burning in 1864 by Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
Major Joseph K. Stearns. The town has gone through several name changes in its history, starting as Stephensburg, then Newtown, and finally winding up as Stephens City, though it nearly became Pantops. Interstate 81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
and U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
pass close to and through the town, respectively.
A large section of the center of the town, including buildings and homes, covering 65 acres (26.3 ha), is part of the Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District
Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District
The Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District is located in the central section of Stephens City, Virginia along U.S. Route 11 from the far northern to the far southern boundaries of the town and from just east of Green Hill Cemetery to just west of the interchange of State Route 277 and Interstate...
and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1992. Stephens City celebrated its 250th anniversary on October 12, 2008. The town is a part of the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area
Winchester, VA-WV MSA
Winchester, VA-WV MSA is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget as of June, 2003. Its population as of 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates is 122,369....
, an offshoot of the Washington–Baltimore–Northern Virginia, DC–MD–VA–WV Combined Statistical Area. It is a member of the Winchester–Frederick County Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Founding and early days
Jost Hite, a German immigrant, purchased a large land grant in the northern Shenandoah ValleyShenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
in 1731. Peter Stephens and a small party of German Protestants from Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, in the Palatinate, arrived about 1732 to buy and settle that land, including the site of what became Stephens City, named for the Stephens family. Although Hite's title to the land was challenged by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was the son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and of Catherine, daughter of Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway....
, the land baron of the area, the matter was settled amicably.
Town lots were laid out beginning in 1754, and on September 21, 1758, Lewis Stephens petitioned the colonial government of Virginia in Williamsburg for a town charter. The Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
approved the charter for the town of "Stephensburgh" on October 12, 1758. The mostly German-speaking residents soon left off the "h"; the town was usually spelled "Stephensburg". By the start of the Revolutionary War, Stephensburg was often called simply "New Town" or "Newtown", as the new settlement on the Great Wagon Road
Great Wagon Road
The Great Wagon Road was a colonial American improved trail transiting the Great Appalachian Valley from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and from there to Georgia....
south of Winchester.
Shenandoah Valley and Newtown's central location attracted heavy traffic through the region, and wagon-making emerged as an important industry for the town; Newtown artisans supplied wagons throughout the state. By 1830, the town's population had reached 800. In the late 1850s, free blacks began a settlement about a mile east of town which became known as Crossroads or Freetown, which lasted until the time of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. After the January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
, most of the newly freed slaves and many of the already free blacks left the area.
When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the majority of Newtown's young men joined Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
forces. During the war, the town was "between the lines", nominally controlled by the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
but with much Confederate partisan
Partisan (political)
In politics, a partisan is a committed member of a political party. In multi-party systems, the term is widely understood to carry a negative connotation - referring to those who wholly support their party's policies and are perhaps even reluctant to acknowledge correctness on the part of their...
activity. On May 24, 1862, Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
's Confederate forces advanced northward on the Valley Pike and attacked Union troops. At Newtown, General George Henry Gordon
George Henry Gordon
George Henry Gordon was an American lawyer and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
of the Second Massachusetts Infantry
2nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 2nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that saw extensive federal service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Gettysburg.-History:...
ordered his Federal troops to make a stand. The skirmishing involved heavy artillery fire, but Gordon's men retreated without loss of the important supply wagons. When Gordon left the town to Jackson's forces, both sides claimed a victory.
In June 1864, Major Joseph K. Stearns of the 1st New York Cavalry arrived under orders to burn the town down to help stop Confederate ambushes on the wagon road. Because the remaining population mostly consisted of women, children and the elderly, Stearns allowed the town to stand. He required the adult residents to take the "Ironclad oath
Ironclad oath
The Ironclad Oath was a key factor in the removing of ex-Confederates from the political arena during the Reconstruction of the United States in the 1860s...
", in which they swore that they had not voluntarily provided aid to the Confederacy. The government required the oath, effectively excluding ex-Confederates from the political arena during Reconstruction.
In April 1867, the Virginia General Assembly granted a charter to the Winchester and Strasburg Railroad Company. The company was authorized to construct a rail line between Winchester and Strasburg, linking Newtown to the rest of the nation by railroad for the first time. Though the railroad improved the local economy, which had lagged after the end of the war, it decimated the wagon-building trade. In 1880, the United States Post Office Department, faced with nearly a dozen Newtowns in Virginia, announced that the local post office would be renamed Pantops. Dissatisfied with the name, the townsfolk chose "Stephens City".
20th century to present
The 20th century brought improvements to energy and domestic systems: electrical service was introduced in 1915; and in 1941, just before World War II, the town installed a water system. The construction of Interstate 81Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
(I-81) during the early 1960s depressed business development in the town. The wagon road, which had been made part of U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
, had led traffic through the center of town, but the interstate passed less than a tenth of a mile to the east, encouraging development east of town and causing the downtown businesses to decline. Developers constructed new residential subdivisions both within and outside the town boundaries to the east for access to I-81.
The town surveyed its older buildings to establish architectural significance and to determine those that contributed to the town's historic center. The Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District
Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District
The Newtown-Stephensburg Historic District is located in the central section of Stephens City, Virginia along U.S. Route 11 from the far northern to the far southern boundaries of the town and from just east of Green Hill Cemetery to just west of the interchange of State Route 277 and Interstate...
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in August 1992. Renovation of the town center has attracted heritage tourism
Heritage tourism
Cultural heritage tourism is a branch of tourism oriented towards the cultural heritage of the location where tourism is occurring...
. Anticipating more growth, the town annexed 360 acres (1.5 km²) of unincorporated Frederick County in 2005, another 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in 2006, and 175 acre (0.7082005 km²) in 2007. The town celebrated its 250th anniversary on October 12, 2008.
On September 17, 2004, remnants of Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
spawned an F1 tornado
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
that touched down just south of the town along Interstate 81. It caused approximately $1 million in damage and injured two people. It was one of a record 40 tornadoes to hit northern Virginia that day.
Geography
The town is located between the Blue Ridge MountainsBlue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
and the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
in the northern Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in close proximity to West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, is approximately 65.9 miles (106.1 km) to the east and Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
is 84 miles (135.2 km) to the northeast.
Climate
Stephens City is located in the humid subtropical climateHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
zone (Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
: Cfa), exhibiting four distinct seasons. Its climate is typical of Mid-Atlantic U.S. areas removed from bodies of water. The town is located in plant hardiness zone
Hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographically defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone...
7 throughout the town and surrounding Frederick County, indicating a temperate climate. Spring and fall are warm, with low humidity, while winter is cool, with annual snowfall averaging 15 inches (38.1 cm). Average winter lows tend to be around 30 °F (−1 °C) from mid-December to mid-February. Blizzards affect Stephens City on average once every four to six years. The most violent nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...
s typically feature high winds, heavy rains, and occasional snow. These storms often affect large sections of the U.S. East Coast.
Summers are hot and humid; during this season, highs average in the upper 80s °F (lower 30s °C) and lows average in the upper 60s °F (lower 20s °C). The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area. While hurricanes (or their remnants) occasionally track through the area in late summer and early fall, they have often weakened by the time they reach Stephens City, partly due to the city's far inland location.
The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (40.6 °C) in 1918, 1988, and again in 2010, while the lowest recorded temperature was -18 F in 1983.
Demographics
As of the 2010 U.S. censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
there were 1,829 people. As of the 2010 U.S. census 500 households, and 291 families residing in the town. The 2009 population estimate showed 1,503 people living in the town, an increase of 31.2% from 2000. In 2000, population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 112 people per square mile. As of 2010, the racial makeup of the town was 81.0% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 6.7% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.4% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 1.8% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 0.1 Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, and 3.1% from other races. Hispanics or Latinos
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
of any race were 7.3% of the population.
As of 2000, There were 500 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 50.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 3.0. The age distribution was 23.7% under 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.6 years. The median income for a household in the town was $35,200, and the median income for a family was $41,827. Employed males had a median income of $29,432 versus $22,313 for employed females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,998.
On the 2000 Census, residents self-identified with a variety of ethnic ancestries; the major categories reflect the settlers of the 18th and early 19th century. People of German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
descent make up 17.6% of the population of the town, with American
American ethnicity
American ethnicity differs from United States nationality. An individual's nationality is American if he or she is a national of the United States of America. The circumstances under which a person is ethnically American are less clear....
at 14.7%, English
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
at 11.2%, Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
at 8.9%, Scotch-Irish at 1.8%, Dutch at 1.4%, European
European American
A European American is a citizen or resident of the United States who has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe...
at 1.4%, French
French American
French Americans or Franco-Americans are Americans of French or French Canadian descent. About 11.8 million U.S. residents are of this descent, and about 1.6 million speak French at home.An additional 450,000 U.S...
at 1.3%, Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
at 1.3%, Scottish
Scottish American
Scottish Americans or Scots Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scots-Irish Americans, descendants of Ulster Scots, and communities emphasize and celebrate a common heritage...
at 1.0%, Norwegian
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
at 0.7%, Swedish
Swedish American
Swedish Americans are Americans of Swedish descent, especially the descendants of about 1.2 million immigrants from Sweden during 1885-1915. Most were Lutherans who affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ; some were Methodists...
at 0.6%, Canadian at 0.5%, Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
at 0.4%, Slavic
Slavic Americans
Slavic Americans are Americans of Slavic descent. There are various subgroups of Slavic Americans, including:-East Slavic: Belarusian Americans Russian Americans Ukrainian Americans* Rusyn American...
at 0.4%, Subsaharan African
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
at 0.4%, Celtic at 0.2%, Czechoslovakian
Czech American
Czech Americans are citizens of the United States who were born in, or who descended from, the territory of the historic Czech lands, , or succession states, now known as the Czech Republic...
at 0.2%, Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
at 0.2%, Romanian
Romanian American
A Romanian American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Romanian heritage. For the 2000 US Census, 367,310 Americans indicated Romanian as their first ancestry, while 462,526 persons declared to have Romanian ancestry...
at 0.2%, and Slovak
Slovak American
Slovak Americans are Americans of Slovak descent. In the 1990 Census Slovak Americans made up the second-largest portion of Slavic ethnic groups. There are currently about 790,000 people of Slovak descent living in the United States. -Eighteenth century:...
rounding out at 0.1%. 20.0% of the population of the town are of "other ancestries".
Economy
Of the people in the labor force
Labor force
In economics, a labor force or labour force is a region's combined civilian workforce, including both the employed and unemployed.Normally, the labor force of a country consists of everyone of working age In economics, a labor force or labour force is a region's combined civilian workforce,...
in the town over the age of 16, the majority, 597 people or 66.1% of the population, were in the civilian work force, while 306 people, or 33.9%, of the population were not in the labor force at all. At the time of the Census, only nine people, or 1.0%, were unemployed, with none in the Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. Of the 588 residents employed age 16 and over, private-sector wage and salary workers accounted for 457 of them or 77.7%. Ninety-five people were classified as federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
workers, or 16.2% of the population, with the self-employed making up 5.8% of the population or 34 people. Two people, or 0.3%, of the population were classified as unpaid workers.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
for the town of Stephens City was $35,200, with the majority, 126 persons, or 24.8%, of the population in that class of income. Eighty people, or 15.7%, identified themselves as retired.
Culture
Town residents have access to two parks within town limits: Newtown Commons and Bel Air Street Park. Newtown Commons, sometimes called Newtown Park, is located along Main Street, and the other is on Bel Air Street. At Newtown Commons, residents can hold outdoor events such as picnics, fundraisers or small concerts. The Bel Air Street Park is a playground for children with standard swingsets and other activities.Just outside Stephens City is Sherando Park. The park houses several trails, ponds, a pool, sports fields and more. Sherando Park is also home of the Virginia Tech Memorial Garden, planted in memory of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre
Virginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
, which took place approximately 175 miles (281.6 km) from the park. It has "a winding sidewalk shaped in the college's trademark 'VT'" and "a flagpole surrounded by 32 Hokie Stone
Hokie Stone
Hokie Stone is a grey dolomite limestone named for the Hokie mascot of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University where the stone is the primary finishing material on campus buildings. Hokie Stone is limestone infused with magnesium and calcium under intense pressure and temperature....
s", one for each of the 32 victims of the shooting. The Memorial Garden was opened on April 16, 2009, the second anniversary of the shooting. The park was built by the Shenandoah Chapter of Virginia Tech Alumni Association, which is based in nearby Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
.
The Family Drive-In Theatre, a two-screen drive-in theater
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
, is located near the town, on U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
just south of Stephens City. It is one of eight drive-ins in the state of Virginia. Stephens City is also the location of the annual "Newtown Heritage Festival" held each Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend. The two-day event features many crafts, a tractor wagon ride through town, bluegrass music at Newtown Commons and a parade on Saturday.
Stephens City is one of the towns along the Route 11 Yard Crawl. A yearly event held during the second Saturday in August, the Yard Crawl is an almost 50-mile-long (80 km) yard sale that stretches from Stephens City's Newtown Commons south along U.S. Route 11 to New Market, Virginia
New Market, Virginia
New Market is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It had a population of 2,146 at the 2010 census. New Market is home to the Rebels of the Valley Baseball League, and the New Market Shockers of the Rockingham County Baseball League.-History:...
. The event is sponsored by the Shenandoah County
Shenandoah County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,075 people, 14,296 households, and 10,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 16,709 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
Chamber Advisory Group, five chambers of commerce, and the town of Stephens City. In years past, the Yard Crawl has attracted interest from people as far away as Canada.
Nearby Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
—about 5 miles (8 km) to the north—is home to the Winchester Royals
Winchester Royals
The Winchester Royals are a collegiate summer baseball team in Winchester, Virginia. They play in the northern division of the Valley Baseball League....
, which is part of the Valley Baseball League
Valley Baseball League
The Valley Baseball League is an NCAA-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Each Valley Baseball League season consists of 44 games played during summer. Many Valley Baseball League players have continued on to play in Major League Baseball.The...
, a National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
of Virginia.
Government
The head of Stephens City's government is Mayor Joy B. Shull, a former member of the Town Council, who was elected in an unopposed May 4, 2010 election, and is serving four years as mayor. Shull succeeded Ray E. Ewing, who had served since 1994, and retired at the end of his term. The representative body of Stephens City is known as the Town Council, whose members as of 2010 include RonaldBowers, Linden A. Fravel, Jr., James H. Harter, Joseph Hollis, and Martha W. Dilg. Dilg was elected in a May 4, 2010, election to succeed Michael Grim, who left the Town Council at the end of his term. Shull's replacement on Town Council was originally to be decided at a May 5, 2010, Town Council meeting but was not announced until June 29, 2010, when Joseph Grayson was officially named to fill Shull's seat.
As of 2010, the town is served by Police Chief Charles Bockey and Fire Chief Greg Locke, both of whom are on the town's Public Safety Committee. The town is served by five other committees: the Administrative Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Water and Sewer Committee, the Public Works Committee, and the Finance Committee. The members of those five committees are composed of Town Council members.
Stephens City is represented by Clifford L. "Clay" Athey
Clay Athey
Clifford L. "Clay" Athey is an American politician of the Republican Party. Since 2002 he has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He represents the 18th district in the northern part of the state, made up of Warren County and parts of Fauquier and Frederick Counties.-External links:...
, (Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
) in the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
18th District. Jill Holtzman Vogel
Jill Holtzman Vogel
Jill Holtzman Vogel is an American politician. A Republican, she was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 2007. She the 27th district in the northern part of the state, consisting of Clarke and Frederick Counties, the city of Winchester, and parts of Fauquier and Loudoun Counties.-External links:*...
(Republican) represents the town in the Virginia Senate
Senate of Virginia
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...
's 27th District. The town is represented by Frank R. Wolf (Republican) in the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Virginia's 10th district
Virginia's 10th congressional district
Virginia's Tenth Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The residents of the 10th District are currently represented by Republican Congressman Frank Wolf, first elected to the 10th's seat in the U.S...
. Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
) and Mark Warner
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving in the United States Senate as the junior senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of...
(Democrat) represent the town in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Education
Frederick County Public SchoolsFrederick County Public Schools (Virginia)
Frederick County Public Schools is a public school system run for the residents of Frederick County, Virginia.-High schools:*James Wood High School, Winchester*Millbrook High School, Winchester*Sherando High School, Stephens City...
operate the public schools that serve Stephens City, although none are located within Stephens City proper; public schools that serve Stephens City are within a mile of the town limits. The town and surrounding area are served by Bass-Hoover Elementary School, Robert E. Aylor Middle School, and Sherando High School
Sherando High School
Sherando High School is a public secondary school within Frederick County, Virginia, and is part of Frederick County Public Schools. The school is located east of the town of Stephens City.-History:...
. The latter was named for one of the historic Iroquoian-speaking tribes encountered by early European settlers to the Shenandoah Valley. Local private schools are available, and are also outside the town's corporate limits. Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy is located at the northern section of the town limits. Powhatan School is in nearby Boyce
Boyce, Virginia
Boyce is a town in Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 426 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Boyce is located at ....
in Clarke County, Virginia
Clarke County, Virginia
Clarke County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 14,034. Its county seat is Berryville.-History:Clarke County was established in 1836 by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron who built a home, Greenway Court, on part of his 5 million acre property,...
. Other smaller private or Christian-based schools are located throughout Frederick County and elsewhere in the area.
Transportation
Historic U.S. Route 11U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
traverses Stephens City proper, while Interstate 81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
serves as the eastern border of the town. Stephens City serves as the western terminus of State Route 277
Virginia State Route 277
Virginia State Route 277 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Fairfax Pike, the state highway runs from U.S...
, which begins at U.S. Route 11 and ends only 4.72 miles (7.6 km) away in Double Tollgate
Double Tollgate, Virginia
Double Tollgate is an unincorporated community in Clarke County, Virginia, USA. Double Tollgate is located at the intersection of Fairfax Pike , Front Royal Pike , Lord Fairfax Highway , and Stonewall Jackson Highway ....
, Clarke County, Virginia
Clarke County, Virginia
Clarke County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 14,034. Its county seat is Berryville.-History:Clarke County was established in 1836 by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron who built a home, Greenway Court, on part of his 5 million acre property,...
, at U.S. Routes
United States Numbered Highways
The system of United States Numbered Highways is an integrated system of roads and highways in the United States numbered within a nationwide grid...
340
U.S. Route 340
U.S. Route 340 is a spur of US 40. It currently runs for from Greenville, Virginia at US 11 to Frederick, Maryland at US 40. Between those two states, US 340 also passes briefly through West Virginia. In Virginia and West Virginia, it is signed north–south...
and 522
U.S. Route 522
U.S. Route 522 is a spur route of U.S. Route 22 in the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 60 in Powhatan, Virginia. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 15 in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. US 522 passes through the states of Virginia, West...
.
Plans are in place to move State Route 277 to near The Family Drive-In Theatre, 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) south of its current western terminus with US Route 11 with the eastern terminus remaining at its current location. The planned construction will also move the I-81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
interchange at Stephens City, where there are a number of service stations and fast food restaurants, south of the town limits to alleviate congestion on the current Route 277 bridge, which will remain after construction is completed. Planners expect expansion of Stephens City to the south.
Religion
The earliest organized religious services in Stephens City began in 1790s when a Methodist EpiscopalMethodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
church was created in the town. The first church structure, the "Methodist Episcopal Church in Stephensburg", which was built near the site of the current Stephens City United Methodist Church, dates from 1791. The oldest church building in the town is Orrick Chapel, built between 1866 and 1869 as the home of an African American Methodist congregation. It replaced an earlier chapel constructed in the late 1850s that was razed by Union troops during the winter months of 1864–1865 near the end of the Civil War.
As of 2010, within the town limits are congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
and United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
as well as those of the Baptist, Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
, Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
, Charismatic Episcopal
Charismatic Episcopal Church
The Charismatic Episcopal Church, more officially known as the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church , is an international Christian denomination established as an autocephalous communion in 1992...
and Full Gospel
Full Gospel
The term Full Gospel is often used as a synonym for Pentecostalism, a Protestant movement originating in the 19th century. Early Pentecostals saw their teachings on baptism with the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and divine healing as a return to the doctrines and power of the Apostolic Age...
denominations of Christianity. Just south of the town limits is a Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
church. A Roman Catholic parish affiliated with the Diocese of Arlington
Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States. The Diocese of Arlington comprises 68 located in the 21 northern-most counties within the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Clarke,...
, a Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
synagogue, and an Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic mosque, which each function as centers for their respective members in the entire Shenandoah Valley, are located approximately 5 miles (8 km) north in Winchester.
Notable people
- Timothy T. O'DonnellTimothy T. O'DonnellTimothy T. O’Donnell is the current president of Christendom College, located in Front Royal, Virginia. O'Donnell, a well known Catholic theologian, is the first layman to receive a licentiate and a doctorate in Ascetical and Mystical Theology from the Pontifical University of St...
– Author and professor (since 1992) and president (since 2002) of Christendom CollegeChristendom CollegeChristendom College is a small Catholic liberal arts college in Front Royal, Virginia, United States, which is located in the Shenandoah Valley.-Educational Mission:... - Kelley WashingtonKelley WashingtonJames Kelley Washington is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
– Professional footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...