Culpeper, Virginia

After establishing Culpeper County, Virginia in 1748, the Virginia House of Burgesses voted to establish the Town of Fairfax on February 22, 1759. The name honored Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron

(1693–1781){{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n96 97]}} who was proprietor of the Northern Neck peninsula, a vast domain north of the Rappahannock River; his territory was then defined as stretching from Chesapeake Bay to what is now Hampshire County, West Virginia.

File:The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14739714546).jpg

The original plan of the town called for ten blocks, which form the core of Culpeper's downtown area today. The original town was surveyed by a young George Washington, who at age 17 was a protege of the 6th Lord Fairfax. In 1795, the town received a U.S. Post Office under the name Culpeper Court House, although most maps continued to show the Fairfax name. The confusion resulting from the difference in official and postal names, coupled with the existence to the northeast of Fairfax Court House and Fairfax Station post offices in Fairfax County, was finally resolved when the Virginia General Assembly formally renamed the town as simply Culpeper in 1869 (Acts, 1869–1870, chapter 118, page 154).

During the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the Culpeper Minutemen, a pro-Independence militia, formed in the town of Culpeper Courthouse. They organized in what was then known as "Clayton's Old Field," near today's Yowell Meadow Park.

During the Civil War (1861-1865), Culpeper was a crossroads for a number of armies marching through central Virginia, with both Union and Confederate forces occupying the town by turn. In the heart of downtown, the childhood home of Confederate General A.P. Hill stands at the corner of Main and Davis streets. One block north on Main Street (present location of Piedmont Realty) was the frame house where "The Gallant Major" John Pelham died after sustaining a wound at the Battle of Kelly's Ford.

In 1974, the town had a Choral Society, an Odd Fellows Hall, and an American Legion Hall.{{Cite news|title=Culpeper News|last=Wallace|first=Hester W|date=December 5, 1974|work=Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune}}

Culpeper began to grow dramatically in the 1980s, becoming a "bedroom community" of more densely populated Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. suburbs. A growing number of residents of the town and county of Culpeper once lived and continue to work in those areas.

In 2011, East Davis Street in downtown Culpeper was named as a 2011 America's Great Place by the American Planning Association.{{cite news|title=Davis Street Culpeper, Virginia|url=http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/streets/2011/index.htm#VA|access-date=April 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315195421/http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/streets/2011/index.htm#VA|archive-date=March 15, 2012|url-status=dead}}

Downtown Culpeper was one of the communities most affected by the August 23, 2011 Virginia earthquake. Several buildings along Main Street and East Davis Street suffered structural damage, and some were later condemned.{{cite news|title=EARTHQUAKE IN CULPEPER: The damage done|url=http://www2.starexponent.com/news/2011/aug/24/earthquake-culpeper-damage-done-ar-1258754/|access-date=August 24, 2011|newspaper=Star-Exponent; Culpeper, Virginia|date=August 24, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202235231/http://www2.starexponent.com/news/2011/aug/24/earthquake-culpeper-damage-done-ar-1258754/|archive-date=February 2, 2013|url-status=dead}} The earthquake led to the temporary evacuation of the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, which at the time was hosting a town hall event for U.S. Senator Mark Warner.{{cite news|last=Johnston|first=Donnie|title=Earthquake forces Warner outside for public forum|url=http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/082011/08242011/647382|access-date=August 24, 2011|newspaper=The Free Lance-Star; Fredericksburg, Virginia|date=August 24, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713071000/http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/082011/08242011/647382|archive-date=July 13, 2012|url-status=dead}}

In 2014, the Museum of Culpeper History moved into the town's historic train depot.[http://www.culpepermuseum.com Museum of Culpeper History web site]

Culpeper is in the Piedmont region of Virginia, approximately 70 miles (113 km) southwest of Washington, D.C. and 50 miles (80 km) north of Richmond, Virginia. The town lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 29 and U.S. Route 15, two major highways that provide important access to central and northern Virginia. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Culpeper has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²), of which 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²), or 1.52%, is water.{{cite web|title=2020 Census: QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/culpeertownvirginia,US/POP010220|access-date=October 26, 2021|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}

Culpeper has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with very warm, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is abundant and well spread (although the summer months are usually wetter), with an annual average of {{convert|45.19|in|mm|abbr=on}}.

{{US Census population

|1860= 1056

|1870= 1800

|1880= 1613

|1890= 1620

|1900= 1618

|1910= 1796

|1920= 1819

|1930= 2379

|1940= 2316

|1950= 2527

|1960= 2412

|1970= 6056

|1980= 6621

|1990= 8581

|2000= 9664

|2010= 16379

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

|2020=20062}}

As of the 2010 census, the racial makeup of the town was 61.5% White, 21.9% Black, 0.6% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.0% of the population.

The town's population included 25.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was at a time $35,438, and the median income for a family was $41,894 but due to the economic downturn this has changed. Males had a median income of $28,658 versus $25,252 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,842. About 23.0% of families and 26.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}

File:2016-09-06 13 23 47 View north along U.S. Route 15 Business, U.S. Route 29 Business and U.S. Route 522 (Main Street) at Page Street in Culpeper, Culpeper County, Virginia.jpg

File:Culpeper Theater, Culpeper, VA IMG 4310.JPG

File:Packard-campus-library-of-c.jpg, Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation in Culpeper]]

Culpeper houses many local restaurants, shops and stores in its historic downtown. There are many food options ranging from bakeries, authentic cuisines, delis, and breweries. Mainstreet also houses many locally owned boutiques.{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://visitculpeperva.com/ |access-date=November 7, 2023 |website=Visit Culpeper |language=en-US}}  In recent years many improvements have been added to provide new activities and opportunities to the community such as the reopening of The Dominion Skate Park and State Climb.{{Cite web |last=Star-Exponent |first=ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION Culpeper |date=September 30, 2023 |title='Too good an opportunity'—Culpeper man returns home, reopening skating rink |url=https://starexponent.com/news/community/too-good-an-opportunity-culpeper-man-returns-home-reopening-skating-rink/article_910c29d0-5d66-11ee-98e2-b3a5cbebc4d8.html |access-date=November 7, 2023 |website=Culpeper Star-Exponent |language=en}}

The historic George Washington Carver High School has since been renovated to better serve the community. In recent years it has been changed to become a community kitchen and provide the resources for locals to grow and produce to better serve the community.{{Cite web |last=Star-Exponent |first=Culpeper |date=September 4, 2023 |title=Carver Food Enterprise Center opens in Culpeper |url=https://starexponent.com/agriculture/carver-food-enterprise-center-opens-in-culpeper/article_839a69d8-490c-11ee-bdac-57360919eabb.html |access-date=November 7, 2023 |website=Culpeper Star-Exponent |language=en}}

• Culpeper was the location of the main encampment for the Army of the Potomac during the winter of 1863-64 during the Civil War. It was from Culpeper that General Ulysses S. Grant began the Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
• During the presidential election campaign of 1960, vice presidential nominee Lyndon B. Johnson began his whistle-stop campaign of the South by giving a speech at Culpeper. As the train was pulling away from the station, Johnson yelled out a phrase that would become a battle cry of the campaign: "What did Dick Nixon ever do for Culpeper?!"Hoppe, Arthur. Having a Wonderful Time: My First Half Century As a Newspaperman. Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 1995, p. 19. {{ISBN|081181145X}}{{cite news|last=Nelson|first=Zann|title=Celebrating Johnson's visit to Culpeper|url=http://www2.starexponent.com/lifestyles/2010/oct/07/celebrating-johnsons-visit-culpeper-ar-547718/|access-date=July 31, 2012|newspaper=Star-Exponent; Culpeper, Virginia|date=October 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102210828/http://www2.starexponent.com/lifestyles/2010/oct/07/celebrating-johnsons-visit-culpeper-ar-547718/|archive-date=January 2, 2011|url-status=dead}}
• In 1967, it was the site of a one-day standoff between members of the American Nazi Party and police and military personnel over the group's attempt to bury their leader George Lincoln Rockwell in the local National Cemetery.
• In 1995, former "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve lost his balance during a horse competition and fell, resulting in severe spinal injury and paralysis.
• Culpeper was featured in the nineteenth episode of the Small Town News Podcast, an improv comedy podcast that takes listeners on a fun and silly virtual trip to a small town in America each week. The hosts improvise scenes inspired by local newspaper stories.{{cite web | url=https://www.buzzsprout.com/1011646 | title=Small Town News }}

Public schools include:

• A.G. Richardson Elementary
• Emerald Hill Elementary
• Farmington Elementary
• Pearl Sample Elementary
• Sycamore Park Elementary
• Yowell Elementary
• Culpeper Middle School
• Floyd T. Binns Middle School
• Culpeper County High School
• Eastern View High School
• Culpeper Technical Education Center

File:Amtrak Station in Culpeper VA.jpg

Highways directly serving Culpeper include U.S. Route 15 Business, U.S. Route 29 Business, U.S. Route 522, Virginia State Route 3 and Virginia State Route 229. U.S. Route 15 and U.S. Route 29 pass just southeast of the town limits. US 15 Bus, US 29 Bus and US 522 share the same alignment through downtown, following Main Street. US 29 extends southwest towards Charlottesville and Interstate 64 westbound, while US 15 provides connections southward towards Orange and Gordonsville. US 15 and US 29 are concurrent to the north, providing connections to Warrenton and Washington, D.C. US 522 connects southward to I-64 eastbound, and northward towards Front Royal, Winchester and Interstate 81. SR 3 extends eastward, connecting to Fredericksburg and Interstate 95. SR 229 provides a connection northward towards Rixeyville and U.S. Route 211.

Amtrak operates a station in Culpeper, station code CLP. This station is served by the Cardinal, Northeast Regional and Crescent trains daily. Nearly 9,000 train passengers in 2010 used Culpeper station, which connects to New Orleans, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York and Boston via the Crescent, Cardinal, and Northeast Regional lines.

The town of Culpeper is also serviced by [http://www.vatransit.org Virginia Regional Transit]. Virginia Regional Transit operates three buses in town—one on a northern loop, one on a southern loop, and one for disabled individuals.

Academy Bus offers a commuter bus from Culpeper to Washington, D.C.

Culpeper Regional Airport serves the area with a 5,000 foot runway.

• William T. Amiger (1870–1929), educator, college president, Baptist minister; born in Culpeper{{Cite book |last=Mather |first=Frank Lincoln |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tWTXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA6 |title=Who's Who of the Colored Race: A General Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women of African Descent |date=1915 |volume=1 |pages=6–7 |language=en |chapter=Amiger, William Thomas}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7GMfAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA420 |title=Distinguished Successful Americans of Our Day: Containing Biographies of Prominent Americans Now Living |date=1911 |publisher=Successful Americans |location=Chicago, IL |pages=420 |language=en |via=Google Books}}
• Nell Arthur (1837–1880), wife of Chester A. Arthur, who became the 21st president of the United States after her death
• Kenny Alphin, of the country music group Big & Rich
• John S. Barbour Jr., U.S. congressman (1881–1887) and U.S. senator (1889-1892)
• Andrew J. Boyle, U.S. Army lieutenant general, resided in Culpeper during his retirement{{cite news |date=March 20, 2001 |title=Obituary, Andrew J. Boyle |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/fredericksburg/name/andrew-boyle-obituary?id=32939703 |work=The Free Lance–Star |location=Fredericksburg, VA |access-date=May 7, 2024 |via=Legacy.com}}
• Robert Young Button, Attorney General of Virginia (1962-1970) and Virginia State Senator (1945-1961)
• Cary Travers Grayson, highly decorated U.S. Navy surgeon, onetime chairman of the American Red Cross, and personal aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
• A. P. Hill (1825–1865), Confederate general during the American Civil War, commander of "Hill's Light Division," under Stonewall Jackson
• John Preston "Pete" Hill, Negro league baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, born in nearby Buena, Virginia
• John Jameson (1751–1810), Colonel in the American Revolutionary War
• Ann Jarvis, for whom Mother's Day was established by her daughter Anna Jarvis
• Keith Jennings, former NBA point guard, Golden State Warriors
• William Morgan, whose 1826 disappearance in New York state sparked a powerful anti-Freemasonry movement
• Waller T. Patton, Confederate colonel during the American Civil War, great-uncle of World War II General George S. Patton
• John Pendleton, American diplomat
• Eppa Rixey, major league pitcher and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
• D. French Slaughter Jr., former U.S. Congressman
• Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle
• J. Loren Wince, lead singer/songwriter for the band Hurt

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons category|Culpeper, Virginia}}

• {{official website|http://www.culpeperva.gov/}}
• [http://culpeperchamber.com Culpeper Chamber of Commerce]

{{Culpeper County, Virginia}}

{{Virginia}}

{{Virginia county seats and independent cities}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Micropolitan areas of Virginia

Category:County seats in Virginia

Category:Populated places established in 1759

Category:1759 establishments in the Colony of Virginia

Category:Towns in Culpeper County, Virginia