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Tazewell () is a town in
Tazewell County, Virginia Tazewell County () is a county located in the southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,429. Its county seat is Tazewell. Tazewell County is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA Micropoli ...
, United States. The population was 4,627 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield micropolitan area, which has a population of 107,578. 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 Tazewell County.


History

Named Jeffersonville until 1892, Tazewell was developed near the headwaters of the
Clinch River The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in ...
. It is one of the smallest towns in the United States to have once operated a streetcar. It is in a county that underwent rapid growth in population at the end of the 19th century during the period of the coal and iron boom, as resources of the
Pocahontas Coalfield Pocahontas Coalfield, which is also known as the Flat Top-Pocahontas Coalfield, is located in Mercer County/ McDowell County, West Virginia and Tazewell County, Virginia. The earliest mining of coal in the coalfield was in Pocahontas, Virgini ...
s were exploited. The
Big Crab Orchard Site Big Crab Orchard Site is a historic archaeological site located near Tazewell, Tazewell County, Virginia. The Crab Orchard site was patented in 1750, and was one of the first European settlements in Southwest Virginia. Parts of the tract were ...
, Bull Thistle Cave Archeological Site, Burke's Garden Rural Historic District, Chimney Rock Farm,
Tazewell Historic District Tazewell Historic District is a national historic district located at Tazewell, Tazewell County, Virginia. The district encompasses 112 contributing buildings in central business district and surrounding residential area of the town of Tazew ...
,
George Oscar Thompson House George Oscar Thompson House, also known as the Sam Ward Bishop House, was a historic home located near Tazewell, Tazewell County, Virginia. It was built in 1886–1887, and was a two-story, three-bay, T-shaped frame dwelling. It had a foundat ...
(now demolished), and
James Wynn House James Wynn House, also known as the Peery House, is a historic home located near Tazewell, Tazewell County, Virginia. It was built about 1828, and is a large two-story, three-bay, brick dwelling with a two-story rear ell. The main block has a ...
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 ...
.


Geography

Tazewell is located at (37.126938, −81.519455). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.5 km2), all land. A 32-mile stretch of
Virginia State Highway 16 State Route 16 is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from the North Carolina border at North Carolina Highway 16 north to the West Virginia border at West Virginia Route 16, passing through th ...
is known locally as the
Back of the Dragon State Route 16 is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from the North Carolina border at North Carolina Highway 16 north to the West Virginia border at West Virginia Route 16, passing through th ...
because of the hundreds of sharp rising and lowering turns between
Hungry Mother State Park Hungry Mother State Park is a state park in southwestern Virginia. The park's main feature is a 108-acre lake with a sandy beach. Much of the land for Hungry Mother State Park was donated by local landowners to develop a new state park in Smy ...
and Tazewell. The section of highway is popular with motorcycle enthusiasts and sports car aficionados.


Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Tazewell has a
marine west coast climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...
, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.


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 4,206 people, 1,650 households, and 1,098 families living 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 1,040.1 people per square mile (402.0/km2). There were 1,804 housing units at an average density of 446.1 per square mile (172.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 88.78%
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 ...
, 9.32%
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 ...
, 0.17% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 0.86% 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 0.62% of the population. There were 1,650 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.81. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,510, and the median income for a family was $37,792. Males had a median income of $35,912 versus $22,664 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 $15,468. About 11.6% of families and 20.6% 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 20.7% of those under age 18 and 27.8% of those age 65 or over.


Infrastructure


Healthcare

Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital is a 56 licensed bed acute care facility that provides general medical care. Tazewell Community Health Center is a Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems run clinic.


Notable people

*William Gibbony Baldwin, Co-founder of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency. * George W. L. Bickley - physician, founder of the
Knights of the Golden Circle The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country known as the Golden Circle (), where slavery would be legal. The country would have ...
* Kathryn Harrold – television and movie actress * Betony Vernon - American jewelry designer based in Paris *
Billy Wagner William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971), nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston ...
- MLB Baseball player and member of the
National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...
* Fred M. Wilcox – director of the film ''
Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction action film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on a film story by ...
''


References


External links


Town of Tazewell

Tazewell County Historical Society
{{authority control Towns in Tazewell County, Virginia County seats in Virginia Towns in Virginia