New Castle, Virginia

New Castle, Virginia
Town
Town hall
Town hall
Location of New Castle, Virginia
Location of New Castle, Virginia
Coordinates: 37°30′3″N 80°6′39″W / 37.50083°N 80.11083°W / 37.50083; -80.11083
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyCraig
Area
[1]
 • Total
0.17 sq mi (0.4 km2)
 • Land0.17 sq mi (0.4 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
1,352 ft (412 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
125
 • Density927.27/sq mi (358.02/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
24127
Area code540
FIPS code51-55592[2]
GNIS feature ID1498522[3]

New Castle (historically spelled as one word; "Newcastle") is the only town in Craig County, Virginia, United States. The population was 125 at the 2020 census.[4] It is the county seat of Craig County.[5]

The junctions of State Route 311 and State Route 42 and State Route 311 and State Route 615 are in New Castle.

New Castle is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

A view over New Castle to the mountains

New Castle is located at 37°30′3″N 80°6′39″W / 37.50083°N 80.11083°W / 37.50083; -80.11083 (37.500746, -80.110798).[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2), all of it land.

Two notable geophysical features of the town are the high cliffs just west of the city (which keeps the New River watershed flowing north away from New Castle) and Johns Creek gorge featuring some challenging whitewater (James River watershed). Due to an old land charter however, paddling Johns Creek was disputed as trespassing by the landowner, recent court rulings have opened the run up once again.

The town is just north of the Sinking Creek Valley Cluster, west of the Craig Creek Cluster, and south of the Barbours Creek-Shawvers Run Cluster; areas in the Jefferson National Forest designated by the Wilderness Society as containing "Mountain Treasures".[7]

Climate

Climate data for New Castle, VA (1991-2020 precipitation normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average precipitation inches 3.21 2.82 3.56 3.89 4.66 4.37 4.32 3.54 3.74 3.45 2.78 3.48 43.82
Average precipitation mm 82 72 90 99 118 111 110 90 95 88 71 88 1,114
Source: NOAA[8]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860225—
1870199−11.6%
1880182−8.5%
189021417.6%
190029939.7%
1920702—
1930259−63.1%
1940253−2.3%
1950239−5.5%
1960200−16.3%
197022512.5%
1980213−5.3%
1990152−28.6%
200017917.8%
2010153−14.5%
2020125−18.3%

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 179 people, 85 households, and 51 families living in the town. The population density was 1,105.0 people per square mile (432.0/km2). There were 93 housing units at an average density of 574.1 per square mile (224.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White.

There were 85 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $35,750. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $19,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,119. About 20.4% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 6.1% of those sixty-five or over.

References

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ "Search Results of US Census".
  5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. ^ Parsons, Shireen (May 1999). Virginia's Mountain Treasures, The Unprotected Wildlands of the Jefferson National Forest. Washington, D. C.: The Wilderness Society, OCLC: 42806366.
  8. ^ "Station: NEW CASTLE, VA US USC00446012" (PDF). Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020. National Centers for Environmental Information. p. 1. Retrieved 21 May 2024. Current Location: Elev: 1256 ft. Lat: 37.5092° N Lon: 80.0981° W