West Point, Virginia

West Point (formerly Delaware) is an incorporated town in King William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,414 at the 2020 census.^[5]

Geography

West Point is located at 37°32′37″N 76°48′19″W / 37.54361°N 76.80528°W / 37.54361; -76.80528 (37.543733, −76.805366).^[6] The York River is formed at West Point by the confluence of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey rivers; from there, it separates the Virginia Peninsula and Middle Peninsula regions of eastern Virginia as it flows approximately 40 miles (64 km) to the Chesapeake Bay.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17 km²), of which, 5.2 square miles (13 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it (23.12%) is water.

Much of the downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the West Point Historic District.

History

The current site of West Point was once the site of Cinquoteck, a

By treaty, the colonial government established reservations for the Mattaponi and Pamunkey in this area. More than 350 years later, Pamunkey and Mattaponi tribal members continue to occupy the reservations, located a few miles north of modern-day West Point. Both are state-recognized tribes, which now number 11.

In 1655, Port Richmond West Plantation, the home of John West, was developed to incorporate the former site of Cinquetock. West was a Governor of Virginia from 1635 to 1637.

After the West family sold off parts of the plantation, a settlement started at what became called West Point, which had access to the York River. In 1691, the Virginia General Assembly directed that West Point be chartered as a port of entry on the York. In 1705 the House of Burgesses authorized the town to qualify as a "free borough", and renamed it "Delaware" in honor of former Royal Governor Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. He was John West's elder brother, an early settler of Jamestown, and an earlier colonial governor.

When the

Until the early 20th century, West Point was a thriving commercial port and resort destination. However, the port status declined with the completion of more railroads to the ocean harbor area of Hampton Roads, notably including the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway at Newport News and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad at Portsmouth. Likewise, tourists began to frequent newer destinations closer to the ocean.

After the decline of both shipping and tourism, a shipyard built in 1917 and a 1914 pulp paper mill are credited with bringing new jobs to the town. In the 1980s, the railroad was acquired by the Norfolk Southern Railway system in continued restructuring of the industry. It has continued to serve the town's paper mill into the early 21st century.

Public schools

West Point is one of two towns in Virginia to have a

There were 1,068 households, out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $49,655, and the median income for a family was $56,932. Males had a median income of $40,071 versus $24,702 for females. The

Events

Since 1983 the town holds the Crab Carnival annually during the first weekend of October.^[10] According to the Crab Carnival official website, it is a time for the community to celebrate the Town's history and keep a tradition continuing.^[11]

Notable people

• Lewis "Chesty" Puller (1898–1971) – One of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Point, Virginia.

• Town website