Front Royal, Virginia
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Front Royal is the only incorporated town in
Warren County, Virginia Warren County is a U.S. county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The 2020 United States census places Warren County within the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 40,727. Th ...
, United States. The population was estimated at 15,400 as of 2023. It is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Warren County.


History

The entire
Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...
including the area to become Front Royal was annexed and claimed for hunting by the Iroquois Confederation during the later
Beaver Wars The Beaver Wars (), also known as the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars (), were a series of conflicts fought intermittently during the 17th century in North America throughout the Saint Lawrence River valley in Canada and the Great L ...
, by 1672. Some bands of the
Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...
settled in the area as client groups to the Iroquois and alternately to the Cherokee after 1721. The Iroquois formally sold their entire claim east of the Alleghenies to the
Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia was a British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colony lasted for t ...
at the Treaty of Lancaster in 1744. Front Royal, originally settled in 1754, had been known to European explorers as early as the 1670s, and the nearby settlement of Chester's Ferry was in existence by 1736. The town also had a well-known nickname by the 1790s, "Helltown," due to the many livestock wranglers and boatmen on the Shenandoah coming through the area, who came into town looking for alcohol. It was incorporated as "Front Royal" in 1788. Rail service was established in 1854 with the construction of the Alexandria, Orange and Manassas Gap Railroad between Manassas and Riverton. This line was soon extended to Strasburg in time to become a factor in the
Battle of Front Royal The Battle of Front Royal, also known as Guard Hill or Cedarville, was fought on May 23, 1862, during the American Civil War, as part of Jackson's Valley campaign. Confederate States of America, Confederate forces commanded by Major General (CS ...
on May 23, 1862, and throughout the Civil War. Lumber, agriculture, manufacturing and grain mills provided employment in the region for decades after the Civil War. The American Viscose rayon plant, once Front Royal's principal employer, with 3,000 workers at its peak, operated between the 1930s and 1989. The plant manufactured rayon for tires during World War II and later produced rayon for rocket nozzles for the Defense Department and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...
.


Etymology

Several theories regarding the origins of the name "Front Royal" have been suggested. A common theory is that the town was named for a giant
oak tree An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the Fagaceae, beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northe ...
– the "Royal" Tree of England – that stood in the public square during colonial days where Chester and Main Streets now join. It was there that the local militia were drilled. During drills, a frequent command given by the drill sergeant was, "front the Royal Oak!" The command was repeated and eventually shortened to simply "Front Royal". This theory is supported by a bulletin published by the
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
in 1905, which states that the town was first known as Royal Oak, with the current name being derived from the commands of a confused colonel. A second account holds that when local militia were stationed around the town during the American Revolution, the sentry would call out "Front", to which the required entry password was to respond "Royal". Eventually their military post became known as "Camp Front Royal". A third version holds that, in early decades of European settlement, the area was referred to in French as "le front royal", meaning the British frontier. French settlers, trappers, and explorers in the
Ohio Country The Ohio Country (Ohio Territory, Ohio Valley) was a name used for a loosely defined region of colonial North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Lake Erie. Control of the territory and the region's fur trade was disputed i ...
of the mid-18th century were referring to the land grant made by King Charles II, then in control of Thomas, Lord Fairfax, Baron of Cameron. In English, "le front royal" is translated to the "Royal Frontier". The name was in common usage by 1788, when the town was incorporated as "Front-Royal."


Geography

Front Royal is approximately west of
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, southeast of Middletown, 12.5 (20 km) miles east of Strasburg and northeast of
Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
. According to the 2010 United States Census, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (2.52%) is water. In 2014, the town annexed additional land, increasing the town's total land area to . Front Royal is located at the confluence of the
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
and
South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
Forks of the
Shenandoah River The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two River fork, forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August ...
.


Climate

Front Royal experiences a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, with summer highs in the low to mid 80s and winter lows in the upper 20s. Front Royal averages 43 inches of precipitation per year, with 24 inches of snowfall per year.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 13,589 people, 5,425 households, and 3,585 families residing in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 5,752 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 88.31%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 8.68%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.28% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.66% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population. There were 5,425 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,786, and the median income for a family was $42,675. Males had a median income of $32,373 versus $24,182 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $17,901. About 9.1% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Front Royal owns and manages the town's Economic Development Authority, an independent agency responsible for promoting economic development within the town.


Arts and culture


Attractions

Front Royal is the home of Randolph-Macon Academy (founded 1892). Front Royal is also the home of Christendom College and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI). Along with these institutions are the two rival high schools, Skyline High School and Warren County High School. Commercially, Front Royal hosts the Virginia Inland Port, a U.S. Customs-designated
port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border control, border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not impo ...
, situated on U.S. Route 522. Front Royal is home to the Avtex Fibers
Superfund Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...
Site. Once Virginia's largest Superfund site, remediation activities at this former
rayon Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose fiber, cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has t ...
manufacturing facility have been ongoing since 1989. The site is intended to eventually house a eco-friendly office park, of soccer fields, and of conservancy park along the
Shenandoah River The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two River fork, forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August ...
. The plant, which was built by the American Viscose Corporation in the 1930s and at one time employed nearly 3,500 workers, was closed in 1989 after being cited for more than 2,000 environmental violations over five years, including emissions of
polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organochlorine compounds with the formula Carbon, C12Hydrogen, H10−''x''Chloride, Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectri ...
s (PCBs) into the Shenandoah River. The plant's main buildings were demolished in 1997 as part of the cleanup. The
U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilita ...
's Canine Center Front Royal is located in Front Royal. This facility has trained dogs and their handlers in various detection abilities for federal and law enforcement agencies since 1974. The Front Royal Cardinals baseball team joined the Valley League in 1984. Games are played in Bing Crosby Stadium.
Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
helped raise funds for the building of the original stadium by arranging for his film '' Riding High'' to have its world premiere in Front Royal on April 1, 1950. Crosby's initial involvement came about on April 30, 1948, when after acting as grand marshal of the Grand Feature Parade of the 21st. Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in
Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
, he went on to Front Royal where he sang on the courthouse steps as part of a concert to help raise money for a new stadium. Bing was the first contributor to the Front Royal Recreation Center Building Fund when he donated $1,000. On April 1, 1950, Front Royal celebrated "Bing Crosby Day" and starting at 11 a.m., Crosby led a two-hour parade through the streets in front of a crowd of 20,000 to Recreation Park for the dedication of the baseball stadium. Park Theater was the venue for the official world premiere of ''Riding High'' at 8:30 p.m. where Crosby entertained the audience with several songs. During his appearance at the Park Theater, Bing wrote out a personal check for $3,595 to bring the gross receipts of the day to $15,000. In 1953, Frank Nesbitt coached a Little League team from Front Royal which came in 3rd in the world tournament. Freddie Moore was one of the players on that team, and later became active in Front Royal Little League. After Moore died of cancer one of Front Royal's Little League fields was named in his honor. The Confederate Museum on Chester Street has many interesting artifacts from the 1860s, as have the museum buildings of the Warren Heritage Society, the Ivy Lodge (c. 1859), the Belle Boyd Cottage (c. 1836) and the Balthis House (c. 1788). Front Royal was designated the "Canoe Capital of Virginia" in February 1999.


National Register of Historic Places

Within Front Royal, the following buildings, properties and districts are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
:


Government

The mayor and town council are Front Royal's elected officials. The mayor is Lori Cockrell, and members of the town council are Glenn Wood, Bruce Rappaport, Joshua Ingram, Wayne Sealock, Melissa DeDemonico-Payne, and Vice-Mayor Amber Veitenthal


Education

The Samuels Public Library is the town's public library. Its history goes back to 1799 as Virginia's second subscription library, in 1836 it was formed as the Front Royal Library Society, Bernard Samuels donated a building in 1952, and its current building opened to the public in 2009.


Primary and secondary schools

* Mountain Laurel Montessori School * A.S. Rhodes Elementary School * Blue Ridge Technical Center * E.W. Morrison Elementary School * Hilda J. Barbour Elementary School * Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School * Ressie Jeffries Elementary School * Skyline Middle School * Warren County Middle School * Brighter Futures Learning Community * Mountain Vista Governor's School * Skyline High School * Warren County High School * John XXIII Montessori Center * Chelsea Academy (grades K-12) * Randolph-Macon Academy (grades 6–12) *Divinum Auxilium Academy (grades preschool-6) *St. Edith Stein School for Girls (grades 7–12) *St. Joseph the Just School for Boys (grades 7–12) *John Paul the Great Montessori Academy (grades K-12)


Colleges and universities

*
Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation George Mason University (GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father of the United Sta ...
* Christendom College


Media

Three radio stations and two weekly newspapers are based and licensed to Front Royal. On radio, FM stations WZRV and WFQX are licensed to the town. WZRV is actually based in Front Royal, while WFQX is based in nearby
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
. Also, on radio, AM station WFTR is based and licensed to the town. '' The Northern Virginia Daily'' is a daily newspaper serving the area. Weekly newspapers ''The Sherando Times'' and ''The Warren County Report'' are based in Front Royal. ''The Warren County Report'' serves Warren County, while ''The Sherando Times'' serves the Stephens City, Middletown, and Kernstown areas of nearby Frederick County, Virginia. ''The Warren Sentinel'' is the county's oldest newspaper, dating back over 150 years. It is published each Thursday.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Front Royal is located at the intersection of US 340 and US 522. SR 55 also passes through Front Royal.
I-66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the East Coast of the United States, eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with Interstate 81 in Virginia, I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its w ...
passes just north of Front Royal. Virginia Regional Transit operates the Front Royal Trolley, which provides local bus service. Ride Smart Northern Shenandoah Valley provides commuter bus service between Front Royal and the DC area. The state-operated Virginia Breeze intercity bus provides service between Blacksburg and DC and stops in Front Royal.


In popular culture

In James Axler's Deathlands series, central protagonist Ryan Cawdor is a native of Front Royal and visits the town several times throughout the series.


Notable people

* Dana Allison, professional baseball player. * Howard Klein, pianist and former music critic for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' * J. Hillis Miller Sr., fourth president of the University of Florida. * W. K. Stratton, actor in the TV series Black Sheep Squadron. * Darrell Whitmore, professional baseball player.


References


External links

*
Front Royal Tourism Info

Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce

Warren Heritage Society
{{authority control Towns in Virginia Towns in Warren County, Virginia County seats in Virginia Populated places established in 1788 1788 establishments in Virginia