Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles (214 km) southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark. It has historic treasures, and a fine arts and crafts scene centered around the galleries and museums along Main Street.

Abingdon is part of the Kingsport–Bristol (TN)–Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

History
The land on which the town of Abingdon is situated was originally surveyed between the years 1748 and 1750 by Dr. Thomas Walker and was part of the Great Road that Colonel William Byrd III ordered cut through the wilderness on to Kingsport, Tennessee. In 1760, famed frontiersman, Daniel Boone, named the area Wolf Hills, after his dogs were attacked by a pack of wolves during a hunting expedition. The original location of the attack is located on 'Courthouse Hill' and is also the location of The Cavehouse Craft Shop. For a time, 27 wolf sculptures are found around the city, most were sold at an auction to raise money for Advance Abingdon. During Lord Dunmore's War, Black's Fort was established in 1774 by Joseph Black to protect local settlers in the region from Indian attacks. It consisted of a log stockade, with a few log cabins inside, to which nearby settlers were to repair in event of attack, as they did in 1776 when harassed by Dragging Canoe. Between the years 1765 and 1770 James Douglas, Andrew Colville, George Blackburn, Joseph Black, Samuel Briggs and James Piper settled in and around present day Abingdon under purchases from Dr. Thomas Walker. The settlement later became known as Black’s Fort prior to its present name of Abingdon. Abingdon was then the crossing point of two great Indian trails, themselves following ancient animal migration trails, and thus presented a logical location as a trade center and access point to the west and south. Black, Briggs and Walker donated the 120 acres of land upon which the original town of Abingdon was laid out. In 1776 the community of Black's Fort was made the county seat of the newly formed Washington county. In 1778, Black's Fort was incorporated as the town of Abingdon, said to be named for the ancestral home of Martha Washington. Martha Washington College, a school for women, operated in Abingdon from 1860 to 1932 in a former private residence; since 1935 the building has been occupied by a hotel, the Martha Washington Inn. The Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia, was opened in Abingdon in 1933. Virginia Governors Wyndham Robertson, David Campbell, and John B. Floyd lived here. Abingdon is also the final stop along the Virginia Creeper Trail, which allows pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian traffic. This trail is 35 miles long extending from White Top Mountain through Damascus, VA with the trailhead in Abingdon. The Washington County Historical Society is located in Abingdon and serves as a regional genealogy center, in addition as a repository for Washington County history.

The town of Abingdon was possibly named after Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, the ancestral home of Martha Washington. Other possible origins of the name include Daniel Boone's home in Abington, Pennsylvania, or Lord Abingdon, friend of settler William Campbell.

Geography
Abingdon is located at 36.70972°N, -81.97556°W (36.709773, -81.975694).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.6 km²), all of it land.

The town is located in the Great Appalachian Valley, between the Middle Fork and the North Fork of the Holston River.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,191 people, 3,878 households residing in the town. The population density was 932.6 people per square mile (360.2/km²). There were 3,788 housing units at an average density of 454.1 per square mile (175.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.8% White, 3.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 3,522 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 81.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,976, and the median income for a family was $46,106. Males had a median income of $32,005 versus $22,844 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,486. About 7.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Abingdon is served by Washington County Public Schools, in which students attend Abingdon Elementary, Watauga Elementary, Greendale Elementary, E.B. Stanley Middle School, and Abingdon High School.

Virginia Highlands Community College located in Abingdon is the local community college offering 2-year degrees.

Emory & Henry College is located 7 miles outside of town in the Emory community.

Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, on the campus of VHCC, provides the region with access to undergraduate and graduate degree programs and courses. Participating academic institutions include: Emory & Henry College, Old Dominion University, Radford University, University of Virginia, University of Virginia's College at Wise, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Highlands Community College, Virginia Intermont College, and Virginia Tech.

Points of interest

 * Abingdon Historic District, which includes the Fields-Penn 1860 House Museum, Arts Depot, and the Martha Washington Inn
 * Gallery District, which includes the Star Museum, Barr Photographics and Gallery, Zazzy'z Cafe and Gallery, Stone Mill Studios and many others.
 * Barter Theatre, designated as the "State Theatre of Virginia" in 1946 and is one of the longest-running professional regional theatres in the nation
 * The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail
 * The northern end of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail lies in Abingdon.
 * Virginia Creeper Trail, a 35-mile rail trail that runs from Abingdon to Whitetop, Virginia
 * Virginia Highlands Festival, held annually in August
 * William King Arts Center

Notable residents

 * Robert Armstrong, (1792–1854), born in Abingdon, United States Army officer and candidate to be Governor of Tennessee
 * Martin Beaty (1784–1856), born in Abingdon, United States Congressman from Kentucky
 * Francis Preston Blair, (1791–1876), born in Abingdon, journalist and politician
 * Rick Boucher, (b. 1946), Abingdon native, U.S. Congressman for the Virginia's 9th congressional district (map), served 13 terms (1983-2011).
 * James King Gibson, (1812–1879), born in Abingdon, United States Congressman from Virginia
 * John W. Johnston, (1818–1889), nephew of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, served as United States Senator after Virginia readmitted to the Union in 1869.
 * Joseph E. Johnston, (1807–1891), lived in Abingdon as a boy, Confederate General in the American Civil War.
 * William McMillan, (1764–1804), born in Abingdon, lawyer. district attorney, and United States Congressman from Ohio territory.
 * Granville Henderson Oury, (1825–1885), born in Abingdon, captain in the Confederate Army and later United States Congressman from Arizona.
 * John S. Preston, (1809–1881), born in Abingdon, Confederate general in the American Civil War and South Carolina politician
 * H. Emory Widener, Jr., (1923–2007), born and died in Abingdon, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and one of the longest serving federal judges in United States history.
 * Gail Harris, (b. 1931), born in Abingdon, major league baseball player for New York Giants and Detroit Tigers
 * Robert Sheffey (1820–1902), eccentric Methodist circuit-rider and evangelist, grew to maturity in Abingdon.
 * Eric McClure (b. 1978) Driver of the #14 Chevy in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.