Buchanan ( ) is a town in

Botetourt County, Virginia Botetourt County ( ) is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. Botetourt C ...

, United States. The population was 1,196 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Roanoke metropolitan area The Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Virginia as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Roanoke MSA is sometimes referred to as the Roanoke Valley, even though the ...

. It was the western terminus of the

James River and Kanawha Canal The James River and Kanawha Canal was a partially built canal in Virginia intended to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast. Ultimately its towpath became the roadbed for ...

when construction on the canal ended.

History

Buchanan was incorporated in 1832. The town of Pattonsburg was founded on the opposite side of the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

(named for Colonel James Patton), and was connected to Buchanan via a bridge. An 1855 gazetteer described Buchanan and Pattonsburg together containing "3 or 4 churches, 1 bank, 1 printing office, and several tobacco factories and mills." Buchanan was named for Virginia colonist John Buchanan (died 1769), a soldier and landowner who built Fort Fauquier on the James River, just south of the town.North American Forts: Southwestern Virginia
/ref>Robert Douthat Stoner, ''A Seed-bed of the Republic: a study of the pioneers in the upper (Southern) valley of Virginia,'' Roanoke: Roanoke Historical Society, 1962 The Buchanan Historic District, Buchanan Theatre,

Greyledge Greyledge is a historic home and national Historic district (United States), historic district in Botetourt County, Virginia. It encompasses 13 contributing buildings, 2 contributing sites, and 2 contributing structures, as well as woods and cr ...

Lauderdale Lauderdale is the valley of the Leader Water (a tributary of the River Tweed, Tweed) in the Scottish Borders. It contains the town of Lauder, as well as Earlston. The valley is traversed from end to end by the A68 road, A68 trunk road, which run ...

, Looney Mill Creek Site, and Wilson Warehouse 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

Buchanan is located at (37.525177, -79.683405). 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 , of which is land and , or 2.09%, is water.

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 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, Buchanan has 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 ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

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 2020, there were 1,196 people 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 540 people per square mile (210/km²). There were 596 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 91.9% White, 3.1% Black, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% Other, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,233 people, 540 households, and 359 families living in the town. The population density was 510.1 people per square mile (196.7/km²). There were 579 housing units at an average density of 239.5 per square mile (92.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.84% White, 7.95% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.32% Asian, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population. There were 540 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% 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, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 29.4% 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 2.28 and the average family size was 2.79. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $37,443. Males had a median income of $29,405 versus $20,565 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 $16,238. About 6.9% of families and 10.5% 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 14.2% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Buchanan operates a council–manager form of government. Buchanan Town Council is composed of a mayor and four council members who are elected at-large. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Buchanan Post Office within the town.

Education

The town is served by Botetourt County Public Schools. Public school students residing in Buchanan are zoned to attend Buchanan Elementary School, Central Academy Middle School, and James River High School. The closest higher education institutions are located in Hollins, Lexington, and Roanoke.

Infrastructure

The Town operates its own water and sanitary sewer systems.

Public safety

Law enforcement is provided by the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office. Fire protection services are provided by the Botetourt County Department of Fire and EMS. The department operates a fire station within the town. Historically, the Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department was responsible for fire protection in the town and surrounding areas. However, in 2012, the volunteer department dissolved its charter and transitioned into a volunteer component of the county's fire and EMS department.

Emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

are also provided by the Botetourt County Department of Fire and EMS. The department operates an ambulance out of the Buchanan fire station. Previously, the Buchanan Rescue Squad provided emergency medical services to the town and surrounding area. In 2010, Botetourt County began taking measures to aid the rescue squad which had been struggling with low volunteer participation.

Transportation

Airports

The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport is the closest airport with commercial service to the town.

Roads

U.S. Route 11 U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...

runs through the center of town as Main Street.

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

runs along the northwest side of the town, with access from Exit 167 to the north and Exit 162 to the south, both with Route 11. State Route 43 crosses the James River with Route 11 in the center of town; Route 43 leads northwest up the James River to

U.S. Route 220 U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways, which run east-west. US 220 extends for ...

at Eagle Rock and southeast to the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and National Scenic Byway, All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is the longest linear park in the U.S., runs for through 29 counties in Virginia and ...

and the

Peaks of Otter The Peaks of Otter are three mountain topographical summit, peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains, overlooking the town of Bedford, Virginia, which lies to the southeast along State Route 43 (Virginia), State Route 43. These peaks are Sharp Top, ...

Rail

The

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

operated

James River Subdivision The Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was built along the James River along the route of the James River and Kanawha Canal from Richmond on the Fall Line at the head of navigation to a point west of Lynchburg near Buchanan, Virginia, and combined w ...

and

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

operated Roanoke District both run through the town. The closest passenger rail service is located in Roanoke.

Notable people

* Mary Johnston, novelist and women's rights activist *

Matthew Ramsey Matthew Thomas Ramsey (born October 21, 1977) is an American country music singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of his band Old Dominion (band), Old Dominion, with several hit songs on country radio to his credit. ...

, songwriter and lead singer of country-rock music group Old Dominion * Hughie Thomasson, musician and member of

Outlaws An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

and

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

born in Buchanan * James Patton, first sheriff of Augusta County, owned a "small stone house" around 1750 at Cherry Tree Bottom, across the

from Buchanan.Chalkley, Lyman. ''Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia: Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County, 1745–1800,'' vol III The Commonwealth Printing Company, Rosslyn VA, 1912.
/ref> * John Buchanan, who lived for many years in the Anchor and Hope Plantation just west of the town.A 1932 historical marker, located on the west side of US 52, just south of I-81, reads "Anchor and Hope Plantation—One mile north
/ref>

References

External links

Town of Buchanan official website
{{authority control Towns in Botetourt County, Virginia Populated places on the James River (Virginia) U.S. Route 11 Populated places established in 1832 1832 establishments in Virginia Towns in Virginia