Christiansburg, Virginia

Christiansburg is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,947 at the 2000 census and was estimated to have increased to 19,477 in 2008, an increase of 14.9%. It is the county seat of Montgomery County. Christiansburg, Blacksburg, and Radford are the three principal municipalities of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses those municipalities and all of Montgomery County.

Geography
Christiansburg is located at °N, °W (37.141164, -80.407700).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36.1 km²), of which, 13.9 square miles (36.1 km²) of it is land and 0.07% is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,947 people, 7,093 households, and 4,766 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,217.0 people per square mile (470.1/km²). There were 7,430 housing units at an average density of 533.6 per square mile (206.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.13% White, 4.83% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.

There were 7,093 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,851, and the median income for a family was $47,428. Males had a median income of $35,139 versus $23,398 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,579. About 6.4% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

The population for 2004 was 17,926 which is an increase of 979 from the 2000 census. Of this 8,151 (48.1%) are male and 8,796 (51.9%) are female.

History

 * Christiansburg was named after William Christian.
 * Davy Crockett lived in Christiansburg for some time and was bonded at Elijah Griffith's Hattery Shop which was located at today's 41 West Main Street. That business went bankrupt and Crockett was unable to pay his own debts.  Subsequently, John Snider, Jr., opened another hattery further up the block at today's 29 West Main Street.
 * Daniel Boone also lived in Christiansburg once. Among the records at the courthouse are a warrant for his arrest.
 * Christiansburg was the site of the Lewis/McHenry duel, known for being the first recorded duel with rifles.
 * "Christansburgh" is the original spelling of the town.

Notable people

 * George Rogers Clark Floyd, Secretary of Wisconsin Territory, and member of the West Virginia House of Delegates was born in Christiansburg.
 * Dr. Pepper, Inspiration for the soft drink
 * Mitchell Crawford of Lester Street is organist of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City.
 * Ronnie Thomas, 1978 NASCAR Rookie of the Year and his father Jabe Thomas, also a NASCAR Grand National driver.
 * Home of Don & the Deltone's, Playing Beach and Soul Music since the 1960s
 * Robert Craig- U.S. Congressman

Points of interest

 * Montgomery County Courthouse
 * The Montgomery Museum & Lewis Miller Regional Art Center, 300 Pepper St., is a nonprofit association established in 1983 and preserved what had been the Presbyterian Manse, which dated back to 1852. Its mission is to preserve and present the history and culture of the community and region.
 * The Starlite Drive-in is one of the few surviving Drive-in theaters in Virginia.
 * Booker T. Washington once resided at and was principal of Christiansburg Institute, one of the largest black high schools in southwestern Virginia. Many scholars visited there, such as George Washington Carver and other members of the Tuskegee University staff. Prominent industrial engineer John Wines Lester also lived on its campus.
 * The Christiansburg Aquatic Center, which opened in June 2010, is a multi-purpose fitness and aquatic center.