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Colonial Beach, Virginia (CBVA) is a river and beach town located in the northwestern part of Westmoreland County on
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
's
Northern Neck The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula). The P ...
peninsula. It is bounded by the
Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
, Monroe Bay and Monroe Creek. It is located from
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 ...
; from the state capital of
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
; and 35 nautical miles from the
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
. Colonial Beach was named Best Virginia Beach for 2018 by ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''. In 2019, Colonial Beach was named The Nicest Place in Virginia and a finalist for Nicest Places in America by
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
. Colonial Beach was a popular resort town in the early to mid-20th century, before the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge The Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge (informally called the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and, locally, the Bay Bridge) is a major twin bridges, dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the ...
made ocean beaches on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula that Ma ...
more accessible to visitors from
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 ...
The family of
Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...
maintained a summer home in Colonial Beach, the
Bell House Bell House or Bellhouse may refer to: Places Canada * Bell House (1910), a notable residence in Nutana, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada * Bellhouse Provincial Park, British Columbia Ireland * Bell House (Ireland), part of Cambridge House Gramm ...
, which still stands today.
Sloan Wilson Sloan Wilson (May 8, 1920 – May 25, 2003) was an American writer. Reporter Sloan was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, the grandson of U.S. Navy officer and Arctic explorer John Wilson Danenhower. Wilson graduated from Harvard University in 1942. ...
, author of '' The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit'', retired and died in Colonial Beach.
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
, the first President of the United States, was born near here at what is now the
George Washington Birthplace National Monument The George Washington Birthplace National Monument is a national monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia, at the confluence of Popes Creek and the Potomac River. It commemorates the birthplace location of George Washington, a Founding Father ...
. , the James Monroe Family Home Site, birthplace of President
James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...
, now has a replica of his birthplace.


History

Judging by excavations done on oyster pits, it would seem that Native Americans have inhabited the area of modern-day Colonial Beach since at least the Early Woodland Period (500 B.C.- A.D. 900). The town area now known as ‘The Point’ was originally patented by John Lancelott and S. Lancelott dyer and Sturman Escheaton October 29, 1651. Colonial Beach emerged as a bathing and fishing resort in the late 19th century known as the "Playground on the Potomac." Prior to automobile travel, most visitors arrived by boat from Washington, D.C.Town of Colonial Beach: History
at the official town website. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
The town was incorporated on February 25, 1892, and there was extensive construction of houses, summer cottages, and hotels. Arguably the most famous of these structures is the
Bell House Bell House or Bellhouse may refer to: Places Canada * Bell House (1910), a notable residence in Nutana, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada * Bellhouse Provincial Park, British Columbia Ireland * Bell House (Ireland), part of Cambridge House Gramm ...
, built for
Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...
as a summer home, which still stands today on Irving Avenue. The area was at the center of the Potomac River Oyster Wars between Virginia watermen and the Maryland State Oyster Police that lasted from the late 19th century to the 1960s.William J. Burnham, Mary K. Burnham, Bill Burnham. ''Rediscovering America: Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia and Maryland''. Hunter Publishing, 2003. p. 136. The town began to gradually decline as the automobile made travel to more distant ocean beaches more feasible. However, because gambling was legal in
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
and the Maryland state line ends at the low-water mark of Virginia's
Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
shore, from 1949 to 1958, Colonial Beach offered
slot machine A slot machine, fruit machine (British English), poker machine or pokie (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. A slot machine's standard layout features a screen disp ...
s in
pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
s extending into Maryland waters. This temporarily revitalized the town, although it was sometimes called "the poor man's Las Vegas." However, the piers burned in the 1960s in a devastating fire and the town continued to decline. The town is ranked fifth-safest place to live in Virginia by Safewise.


Geography

Colonial Beach is located at (38.253840, −76.968941), in the northwestern part of Westmoreland County in Virginia's
Northern Neck The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula). The P ...
, from
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 ...
, and from the state capital
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
. The Potomac River forms the northeast boundary of Colonial Beach. The southern part of the town forms a
peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
which ends just above
Monroe Bay Monroe Bay is a protected body of water in Colonial Beach, Virginia that connects at its south end to the Potomac River which is more than six miles wide in Colonial Beach. The bay is approximately two miles long and one third mile wide and fea ...
and divides Monroe Creek from the Potomac River. A short distance north of Colonial Beach is the community of Potomac Beach and the mouth of Rosier Creek. Inland from Colonial Beach lie the settlements of Monroe Hall, near the birthplace of President James Monroe, and Maple Grove. 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, of it is land and of it (8.80%) is water. The town's of beaches are second in length only to those of
Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...
in the Commonwealth of Virginia.


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, Colonial Beach 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

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 3,228 people, 1,437 households, and 863 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 2,030 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 79.21%
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 ...
, 16.95%
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 ...
, 0.09% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 1.64% from other races, and 1.49% 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 3.38% of the population. The population was 3,542 at the 2010 census. There were 1,437 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% 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, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.77. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,711, and the median income for a family was $38,080. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $19,535 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 $19,991.20 About 23.0% of families and 25.4% 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 45.7% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Colonial Beach is served by Virginia State Route 205, a spur of which bisects the town as State Route 205Y (Colonial Avenue). The town is accessible by boat and is the last deepwater port for pleasure boats going north on the Potomac River.


Education

All residential areas of the town is served by Colonial Beach Public Schools,
Text list
/ref> a
school division {{Use mdy dates, date=July 2023 A school division is a geographic division over which a school board has jurisdiction. Canada In Canada the term is used for the area controlled by a school board and is used interchangeably with school district, i ...
established in 1907. The school division operates two schools with a combined student population of about 580 as of 2024.Welcome to Colonial Beach School District
/ref> There are some commercial areas within the Westmoreland County Public Schools.


Notable people

*
Ed Mirvish Sir Yehuda Edwin "Honest Ed" Mirvish, (July 24, 1914 – July 11, 2007) was an American-Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario. He is known for his flagship business, Honest Ed's, a la ...
– Canadian businessman and philanthropist. *
Sloan Wilson Sloan Wilson (May 8, 1920 – May 25, 2003) was an American writer. Reporter Sloan was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, the grandson of U.S. Navy officer and Arctic explorer John Wilson Danenhower. Wilson graduated from Harvard University in 1942. ...
– author of ''The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit''. *
Torrey Smith James Torrey Smith (born January 26, 1989) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by ...
– Two-time Super Bowl winning
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
player. *
Sherryl Woods Sherryl Woods (pen names Alexandra Kirk and Suzanne Sherrill; born July 23, 1944, Arlington, Virginia) is an American writer of over 110 romance and mystery novels since 1982. Her Chesapeake Shores novels inspired a six season series on Hall ...
– Author of the Chesapeake Shore Series of novels and Producer of Chesapeake Shores Television show * Krystal Ball – Political pundit and journalist for '' The Hill''


References


External links


Welcome to the Town of Colonial BeachOfficial site for Town of Colonial Beach TourismColonial Beach Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Towns in Virginia Towns in Westmoreland County, Virginia Virginia populated places on the Potomac River Populated places established in 1892 Beaches of Virginia