Iron Gate is a town in eastern Alleghany County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The population was 324 at the 2020 census. The town is located along U.S. Route 220, near

Clifton Forge Clifton Forge is a town in Alleghany County, Virginia, United States which is part of the greater Roanoke Region. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census. The Jackson River flows through the town, which as a result was once known as Jac ...

History

The Town of Iron Gate was incorporated in 1889. The town's founding was a direct result of the Iron Age. During the 1880s, iron mines began opening in Alleghany County and the Alleghany Iron and Ore Company opened its blast furnace in the northern end of Iron Gate. The proximity to the railroad made the site of Iron Gate an optimal location. Many men were employed by the company until 1919 when operations ceased.

Geography

Iron Gate is located at (37.798484, -79.791219). 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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²), all of it land. Iron Gate is also where the head waters of the James River arise.

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 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, nota ...

system, Iron Gate has a

marine west coast climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Iron Gate, Virginia
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Demographics

2020 census

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 in ...

of 2020, there were 324 people residing in the CDP. There were 170 housing units. The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.3%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 5.2% African American or Black, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.0% from other races, and 6.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 388 people residing in the CDP. There were 183 housing units. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.8% White, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.0% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 404 people, 185 households, and 121 families living in the town. The population density was 1,170.6 people per square mile (445.7/km²). There were 197 housing units at an average density of 570.8 per square mile (217.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.55% White, 5.20% African American, and 0.25% from two or more races. Of the 185 households 17.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 31.9% of households were one person and 17.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.73. The age distribution was 16.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% 65 or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males. The median household income was $26,094 and the median family income was $34,464. Males had a median income of $27,222 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,703. About 7.4% of families and 9.9% 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 8.8% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Iron Gate operates a Mayor–council form of government. Iron Gate Town Council is composed of a mayor and six council members who are elected at-large. Law enforcement is provided by the Alleghany County Sheriff's Office. Fire protection is provided by the Iron Gate Volunteer Fire Department which operates a fire station within the town.

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

are provided by the Iron Gate Volunteer Fire Department and Clifton Forge Rescue Squad.

Education

Iron Gate is served by

Alleghany County Public Schools Alleghany County Public Schools is a public school system which serves Alleghany County, Virginia of the lower Shenandoah Valley. The system consists of approximately 2,172 students across five schools, of which there are three elementary scho ...

. Public school students residing in Iron Gate are zoned to attend Sharon Elementary School, Clifton Middle School (until 2023), and Alleghany High School. Mountain Gateway Community College in nearby Clifton Forge is the closest higher education institution to the CDP.

Transportation

Air

The

Greenbrier Valley Airport Greenbrier Valley Airport is three miles north of Lewisburg in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Contour Airlines schedules airline flights, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program, to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Federal A ...

and Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport are the closest airports with commercial service to the town.

Roads

* U.S. Route 220

Rail

The

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

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 wi ...

runs through the town. The closest passenger rail service is located in

References

{{authority control Towns in Alleghany County, Virginia Populated places on the James River (Virginia)