Tightsqueeze is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the center of

Pittsylvania County Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 60,501. The county seat is Chatham. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical ...

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. It is included in the

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The city is located in the Southside (Virginia), Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River ( ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community of Tightsqueeze got its name due to the construction of two buildings close to a road that connected Chatham and Danville during the 19th century. In 1870, W. H. Colbert built his

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

close enough to the road that women could go straight from their carriages to the store without getting muddy or dusty. Soon, another merchant, Isaiah Giles, built a blacksmith-wheelwright shop directly across the road from the general store. It, too, was on the road's edge. Due to the closeness of the two buildings, buggies and wagons had to slow down as they passed between the two buildings. Thus, individuals were told to slow down for the "tight squeeze" where the two stores were located. As related by Virginia journalist Guy Friddell in his book ''What Is It About Virginia?'', at one point, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors changed the name of Tightsqueeze to "Fairview." However, after public protest, the name of Tightsqueeze was restored. It has frequently been noted on lists of

unusual place names Place names considered unusual can include those which are also offensive words, inadvertently humorous (especially if mispronounced) or highly charged words, as well as place names of unorthodox spelling and pronunciation, including especiall ...

.Next American City » Buzz » Tidbits: What’s in a name? A list of city- and other-related eponyms
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References

External links

Historic Tightsqueeze, Virginia

Unincorporated communities in Virginia Unincorporated communities in Pittsylvania County, Virginia Danville, Virginia micropolitan area {{PittsylvaniaCountyVA-geo-stub