The Plains is a small incorporated town in Fauquier County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 245 as of the 2020 census, up from 217 at the 2010 census. It is centered on the intersection of VA 55 (John Marshall Highway) and VA 245 (Old Tavern Road). The town of The Plains is situated off

I-66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the East Coast of the United States, eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with Interstate 81 in Virginia, I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its w ...

. As of November 2024, the mayor of The Plains is Lori Sisson.

History

In the 18th century, the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...

progressively expanded westward and allowed Europeans to begin to construct settlements in the area. Before and during the Civil War, the area was called "White Plains" on maps and a Post Office was named "The Plains" in 1831. A two-story house, with a blacksmith's shop above, was built in 1852. During the Civil War, John S. Mosby and his Mosby's Raiders used The Plains as part of their raiding area they controlled. The Plains was incorporated as a town in 1910.

Geography

The Plains is located in northeastern Fauquier County at (38.862698, -77.775464). VA 55 leads southeast to Gainesville and west to

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

. VA 245 leads southwest to

at Exit 31. I-66 leads east to

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 west to

Front Royal Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated at 15,400 as of 2023. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to beco ...

. 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 , all of it land.

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, The Plains 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 266 people, 110 households, and 70 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 1,035.1 people per square mile (395.0/km²). There were 118 housing units at an average density of 459.2 per square mile (175.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.85%

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 ...

and 10.15%

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 ...

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 0.38% of the population. There were 110 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% 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, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,750, and the median income for a family was $45,313. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $33,542 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 $27,909. About 13.7% of families and 14.1% 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 11.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 14.8% of those 65 or over.

Attractions

The Plains is home to Great Meadow, a large open-air and open-field facility that hosts several large events throughout the year, such as the Virginia Gold Cup steeplechase horse race, which attracts over 50,000 guests on the first Saturday of each May, as well as being the home of the Team America Rocketry Challenge held in the same month. Archwood Green Barns Farmer's Market features fresh, homemade and local products. Hours are Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. beginning the last Sunday in April through the 2nd Sunday in November. It is open the first two Sundays in December for the "Christmas on the Farm" show. A museum exhibit, "Footprint to Change", is located at 4243 Loudoun Avenue near the train tracks that go through town. The building houses the Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County offices, library and archives as well as the museum. Long Branch Baptist Church (est. 1786), the third oldest

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

church in Virginia, lies north of The Plains in the unincorporated area called Halfway. The evangelist William Broaddus, founder of Southwestern Seminary in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, Kentucky, was pastor there in the 1830s. His nephew John Broadus is often called "the father of

homiletics In religious studies, homiletics ( ''homilētikós'', from ''homilos'', "assembled crowd, throng") is the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific art of public preaching. One who practices or studies homiletics may be ...

" (preaching). Wakefield School, a pre-school through Grade 12 independent school, is located just south of the town limits. Actor

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor. With a career spanning seven decades, he is regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. He has received an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Awards ...

once owned a restaurant in The Plains called "The Rail Stop", named after the

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 ...

B-Line, which runs through the town. He still makes his residence north of town at his Byrnley Farm. The town is also home to a seasonal corn maze owned and operated by a family in Charlottesville. The National Association of Rocketry held NARAM-50 there in the summer of 2008. The

Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

was organized on a site near the present post office. The Plains Lodge U.D. held its first meeting on December 29, 1898, and continued to work "Under Dispensation" until the Grand Lodge of Virginia met in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

on December 15, 1899, and issued the lodge a charter under the name of Cochran Lodge No. 271. Beverley Mill was 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 ...

in 1972, and most of the town was listed as The Plains Historic District in 2014.

Transportation

Highways directly serving The Plains include

Virginia State Route 55 State Route 55 (SR 55) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known for most of its length as John Marshall Highway, the state highway runs from the West Virginia state line, where the highway continues as West Virginia Rou ...

and Virginia State Route 245. SR 55 extends east and west, serving as a local service road to nearby

, while SR 245 provides the most direct connection to I-66 from The Plains.

Gallery

File:2018-10-11 13 07 39 View east along Virginia State Route 55 (Main Street) between Stuart Street and Bragg Street in The Plains, Fauquier County, Virginia.jpg, View east along SR 55 approaching SR 245 Image:CarterHotel-8368.jpg, Carter Hotel next to

RR tracks Image:HighSchool-8384.jpg, Old High School at west end of town Image:TrainDepot-brick-8394.jpg, Train depot - brick Image:TrainDepot-frame-8410.jpg, Train depot - frame Image:FormerJail-8415.jpg, Former jail

References

External links

Town of The Plains official websitevirginia.org websiteGreat MeadowsVirginia Gold CupFauquier County tourism websiteCochran Lodge No. 271 A.F. & A.M.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plains, Virginia

The ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...