Tappahannock, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Tappahannock is the oldest town in Essex County
Essex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,995 households, and 2,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 4,926 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
, 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,068 at the 2000 census. Located on the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
, Tappahannock is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Essex County
Essex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,995 households, and 2,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 4,926 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
. Its name comes from the Algonquian language
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
word lappihanne (also noted as toppehannock), meaning "Town on the rise and fall of water" or "where the tide ebbs and flows." In 1608 John Smith landed in Tapphannock but was driven back by the local Native American tribe. The town is older than Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Fredricksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, and Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
and was established as a port for the surrounding counties.
Geography
Tappahannock is located at Segen 37°55′20"N 76°51′47"W (37.922180, -76.863158).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (2.99%) is water.
Demographics
As of the 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...
of 2000, there were 2,068 people, 857 households, and 495 families residing in the town. The 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 793.6 people per square mile (305.9/km²). There were 946 housing units at an average density of 363.0 per square mile (139.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 54.60% White, 41.60% African American, 0.10% Native American, 2.50% Asian, 0.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.
There were 857 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% 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, 18.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 78.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,688, and the median income for a family was $41,579. Males had a median income of $28,409 versus $20,431 for 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 town was $17,862. About 10.6% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Places
- The Tappahannock-Essex County AirportTappahannock-Essex County AirportTappahannock-Essex County Airport is a public-use airport located five nautical miles south of the central business district of Tappahannock, a town in Essex County, Virginia, United States. It is owned by the Tappahannock Essex County Airport Authority....
is located approximately 4 miles outside of Tappahannock and opened in 2007. Prior to the opening of the new airport, the old Tappahannock Municipal AirportTappahannock Municipal AirportTappahannock Municipal Airport was a town-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Tappahannock, a town in Essex County, Virginia, United States...
was located inside town limits.
- Lowery's, a seafoodSeafoodSeafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
restaurant which has been open since 1938.
- Tappahannock is located on the banks of the Rappahannock RiverRappahannock RiverThe Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
. People traveling on U.S. Highway 360 from the northeast cross the Rappahannock via the Thomas Downing Bridge.
- The town is home to St. Margaret's SchoolSt. Margaret's School (Virginia)Saint Margaret's School is a private and religious all girls school located in the town of Tappahannock, Virginia, along the Rappahannock River. The school is 45 miles northeast of the Richmond metro area, it is 100 miles southeast of the Washington metro area, also 75 miles northwest of the...
, a private boarding school.
Notable residents
- Chris Brown - Grammy award nominated R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, actor.
- Stacy TuttStacy TuttStacy Tutt is a former American football fullback. He was originally signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
, Former New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
running back. - William "Bill" Moore - Legendary Blues Artist.