Chatham, Virginia
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Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, United States. It is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Pittsylvania County. Chatham's population was 1,269 at the 2010 census. It is included in the
Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
. The town was originally called Competition, but the name was changed to Chatham by the Virginia General Assembly on May 1, 1852. Chatham is home to Chatham High School, Hargrave Military Academy, and Chatham Hall, an all-female boarding high school.


History

It is the home to the oldest continually used building in Pittsylvania County, once an 18th-century tavern, since turned into a house and now occupied by Chatham Hall faculty. Chatham is the county seat for Pittsylvania County and has held that status since 1777. There is a large U.S. Department of Agriculture office to support farmers in the area and a small branch office of the U.S. Forestry Service. The State of Virginia has built a new state prison at the site of an old work-release camp and this led to infrastructure upgrades in fire and water services to support the increased population. Chatham did not see any battle action during the Civil War although it is between Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, and Danville, which contained Confederate prisons for captured Union soldiers. On Confederate Memorial Day each year, the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy places flowers at the statue of a Confederate soldier which is prominent in the front of the historic Pittsylvania County Court House. There is a walking tour of this downtown historic district and a brochure for this is available at the Town Hall, or at the Historical Society building next to Town Hall. There are several bed & breakfast establishments located on Main Street in historic Greek Revival homes.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, Chatham has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km2), all of it land.


Demographics

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, 1,338 people, 554 households, and 350 families resided in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 654.6 people per square mile (253.2/km2). The 612 housing units averaged 299.4 per square mile (115.8/km2). The
racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the town was 71.52% White, 26.08% African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.52% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.60% of the population. Of the 554 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were not families. About 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87. In the town, the population was distributed as 19.6% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,938, and for a family was $50,391. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $23,472 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the town was $20,785. About 6.3% of families and 12.3% 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 t ...
, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over. For people 25 years and over in Chatham: * High school or higher: 77.4% * Bachelor's degree or higher: 33.1% * Graduate or professional degree: 13.2% * Unemployed: 5.3% * Mean travel time to work (commute): 20.8 minutes For people 15 years and over in Chatham: * Never married: 23.4% * Now married: 49.6% * Separated: 3.8% * Widowed: 9.8% * Divorced: 13.4% Nineteen residents are foreign born (1.4%).


Government

The Mayor of Chatham serves a two-year term. The current mayor is William A. Pace. Town Council serves four-year terms. The current town council members are Janet R. Bishop, William P. Black, Matthew Bell, Irvin W. Perry, Robert B. Thompson, and Andrew D. Wall.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Chatham has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.Climate Summary for Chatham, Virginia
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References

{{authority control Towns in Pittsylvania County, Virginia Towns in Virginia County seats in Virginia Danville, Virginia micropolitan area