For much of the 20th century, Alberta marked the junction of two railroad mainlines. The Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad from Petersburg, Virginia to Ridgeway Junction (today Norlina, North Carolina) was completed in 1900, at which point it was merged into the Seaboard Air Line (SAL).[5] By 1914, the population of Alberta was estimate by the railroad to be somewhere around 100.[6] The Seaboard line (dubbed the "S-line" after later mergers) continued to operate into the 1980s, and today Alberta is along the abandoned portion of the CSX Norlina Subdivision. The Virginian Railway opened in 1907 from Norfolk to Victoria, Virginia, passing through Alberta (with through-service from the coalfields of Appalachia starting in 1909). The Virginian continued in use until it was gradually abandoned following a merger with Norfolk and Western in the later half of the 20th century.
Alberta is located in north-central Brunswick County along U.S. Route 1. Interstate 85 passes south of the original portion of the town, with access from Exit 28. The town limits extend southwest along Route 1 and I-85 to Virginia State Route 46 and Southside Virginia Community College, with access from I-85 to VA 46 from Exit 27. Via I-85 it is 40 miles (64 km) northeast to Petersburg and 16 miles (26 km) southwest to South Hill.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Alberta has a total area of 2.15 square miles (5.56 km2), of which 2.14 square miles (5.53 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2), or 0.61%, is water.[8]
At the 2000 census there were 306 people, 128 households, and 86 families living in the town. The population density was 278.3 people per square mile (107.4/km2). There were 158 housing units at an average density of 143.7 per square mile (55.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 59.80% White, 39.54% African American, 0.33% Asian, 0.33% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.33%.[2]
Of the 128 households 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.7% of households were one person and 14.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.
The age distribution was 26.8% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.
The median household income was $27,361 and the median family income was $31,875. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,607. About 10.8% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 14.5% of those sixty five or over.
^Griffin, William E. Jr.; Dixon, Thomas W. Jr. (2010). Virginia Railroads: Railroading in the Old Dominion. Forest, Virginia: TLC Publishing Inc. pp. 79–87. ISBN9780939487974.
^Freight Traffic Department, Seaboard Air Line Railway (1914). Seaboard Air Line Railway Shippers Guide (1914 ed.). New York City: Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Company. p. 161. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
