Danville, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Worsham Street overlook, Main & Ridge St. intersection, Masonic building (River City Towers), Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge, municipal building from Union Street, repurposed Dan River Fabrics "Home" sign.(Clockwise from the top) | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Nicknames: River City, City of Churches, DanVegas, D'ville | |
| Motto: Reimagine That | |
 Location in the Commonwealth ofVirginia | |
  Danville Danville (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:36°35′14″N79°24′16″W / 36.58722°N 79.40444°W /36.58722; -79.40444 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| County | None (Independent city) |
| Named after | Dan River |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Mayor | Alonzo Jones |
| • Vice Mayor | Gary P. Miller |
| • Council | Danville City Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 43.70 sq mi (113.19 km2) |
| • Land | 42.80 sq mi (110.84 km2) |
| • Water | 0.90 sq mi (2.34 km2) |
| Elevation | 531 ft (162 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 42,590 |
| • Density | 995.2/sq mi (384.2/km2) |
| Demonym | Danvillian |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 24540-24541, 24543 |
| Area code | 434 |
| FIPS code | 51-21344[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1492837[3] |
| Website | www |
Danville is anindependent city in theCommonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The city is located in theSouthside Virginia region and on thefall line of theDan River.
The city was a center oftobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity during theAmerican Civil War,[4] due to its strategic location on theRichmond and Danville Railroad. In April 1865, Danville briefly served as the third and final capital of theConfederacy before its surrender later that year.
Danville has maintained an African American majority population since theReconstruction era. During this time, the city was represented politically by African American members of theReadjuster Party. However, this changed following theDanville Massacre of 1883, after which Democrats regained control both locally and statewide.[5][6] Decades later, during the civil rights era, Danville again became a flashpoint for racial violence and resistance to desegregation efforts.
Danville is the principal city of theDanville, Virginia Micropolitan Statistical Area. TheBureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with surroundingPittsylvania County for statistical purposes. The population was 42,590 at the2020 census.[7] It is bounded by Pittsylvania County to the north andCaswell County, North Carolina to the south. It hosts theDanville Otterbots baseball club of theAppalachian League.
NumerousNative American tribes had lived in this part of thePiedmont region since prehistoric times. During the colonial period, the area was inhabited bySiouan language-speaking tribes.
In 1728, English colonistWilliam Byrd headed an expedition sent to determine the true boundary between Virginia andNorth Carolina. Late that summer, the party camped upstream from what is now Danville. Byrd was so taken with the beauty of the land, that he prophesied a future settlement in the vicinity, where people would live "with much comfort and gaiety of Heart." He named the river along which they camped as the "Dan", for Byrd felt he had wandered "From Dan to Beersheba."[8]
After theAmerican Revolutionary War, the first settlement developed in 1792 downstream from Byrd's campsite, at a spot along the river shallow enough to allow fording. It was named "Wynne's Falls", after the first settler. The village developed from the meetings of pioneeringRevolutionary War veterans, who gathered annually here to fish and talk over old times.
In 1793, the state General Assembly authorized construction of a tobacco warehouse at Wynne's Falls. This marks the start of the town as "The World's Best Tobacco Market", Virginia's largest market forbrightleaf tobacco. The village was renamed "Danville" by an act of November 23, 1793.
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A charter for the town was drawn up on February 17, 1830, but by the time of its issue, the population had exceeded the pre-arranged boundaries. This necessitated a new charter, which was issued in 1833. In that year, James Lanier was elected the first mayor, assisted by a council of "twelve fit and able men."
By the mid-19th century,William T. Sutherlin, a planter and entrepreneur, was the first to apply water power to run a tobacco press. He became a major industrialist in the region.
In the mid to late 1800s, several railroads reached Danville, including theRichmond and Danville Railroad (completed 1856), and theAtlantic and Danville Railway (completed 1890). These enabled the export of Danville's manufacturing and agricultural products. The major growth in industry came in the late 19th century, after the war. TheSouthern Railway, successor to the Richmond and Danville, built a grand passenger station in Danville in 1899, which is still in use by Amtrak and is a satellite facility of the Virginia Museum.
At the outbreak of theCivil War, Danville had a population of approximately 5,000 people. During the war years, the town was transformed into a strategic center ofConfederate activity. William Sutherlin was namedquartermaster of its depot. The rail center was critical for supplying Confederate forces, and a hospital station was established for Confederate wounded. A network of batteries, breastworks, redoubts and rifle pits defended the town.[4]
A prison camp was set up, with the conversion of six tobacco warehouses, including one owned by Sutherlin, for use as prisons. At one time they held more than 5,000 captured Union soldiers.Malnutrition anddysentery, plus asmallpox epidemic in 1864, caused the death of 1,314 of these prisoners. Their remains have been interred in theDanville National Cemetery.
TheRichmond and Danville Railroad was the main supply route intoPetersburg, where Lee'sArmy of Northern Virginia washolding the defensive line to protectRichmond. The Danville supply train ran until GeneralStoneman's Union cavalry troops tore up the tracks. This event was immortalized in the song, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
In 1865, Danville hosted theConfederate government. Confederate PresidentJefferson Davis stayed at Sutherlin's mansion from April 3 to 10, 1865, and the house became known as the "Last Capitol of the Confederacy."[9] Here he wrote and issued his last Presidential Proclamation. The final Confederate Cabinet meeting was held at the Benedict House (since destroyed) in Danville. Davis and members of his cabinet left the city when they learned of Lee'ssurrender at Appomattox, and moved toGreensboro, North Carolina, making their way south. On the day they left, GovernorWilliam Smith arrived fromLynchburg to establish his headquarters here.
In 1882, the biracialReadjuster Party had gained control of the city council, causing resentment and even alarm among some white residents, even though the council was still dominated by white members; the city had a majority African-American population. The Readjuster Party had been in power at the state level since 1879. Violence broke out on November 3, 1883, a few days before the election, when a racially motivated street fight turned to shooting after a large crowd gathered; five men were killed, four of them black. A local Danville commission found African Americans at fault for the violence on November 3, but a US Senate investigation decided that white residents were to blame. No prosecution resulted from either inquiry.[10][11]
In the late 19th and continuing into the early 20th centuries, tobacco processing was a major source of wealth for business owners in the city, in addition to the textile mills. Wealthy planters and owners built fine houses, some of which have been preserved.
Given the falls on the river, the area was prime for industrial development based on water power. On July 22, 1882, six of Danville's residents (Thomas Benton Fitzgerald, Dr. H.W. Cole, Benjamin F. Jefferson and three brothers: Robert A., John H., and James E. Schoolfield) founded the Riverside Cotton Mills, making use of cotton produced throughout the South. Both the Riverside Cotton Mills and Danville itself grew tremendously during Fitzgerald's leadership of the company as President. In its day it was known nationally asDan River Inc., the largest single-unittextile mill in the world.
As the industrial town grew rapidly, it attracted many single workers, and associated gambling, drinking, and prostitution establishments. By the early 20th century, the city passed laws against gambling, but it continued in small, private places.[9] On September 9, 1882, Danville Mayor John H. Johnston shot and killed John E. Hatcher, his chief of police. Hatcher had demanded an apology for a statement Johnston had made regarding unaccounted fine money. Johnston was charged with murder, but he was acquitted at trial. The Southern "culture of honor" was still strong and jurors apparently believed the killing was justified.[12]
TheSouthern Railway constructed a railroad line to the city in the late 19th century and had facilities here, which contributed to the growing economy. In 1899, the company completed a grand passenger station, designed by its noted architectFrank Pierce Milburn. For many years, passenger traffic was strong on the railroad; it also operated freight trains.
A serious train wreck occurred in Danville on September 27, 1903. "Old 97", theSouthern Railway's crack express mail train, was running behind schedule. Its engineer "gave her full throttle", but the speed of the train caused it to jump the tracks while on a high trestle crossing the valley of the Dan River. The engine and five cars plunged into the ravine below, killing nine and injuring seven. The locomotive and its engineer, Joseph A. ("Steve") Broadey, were memorialized in song. A historic marker at the train crash site is located on U.S. 58 between Locust Lane and North Main Street. A mural of theWreck of the Old 97 has been painted on a downtown Danville building to commemorate the incident.
Afterward Democrats forced African Americans out of office and suppressed their voting rights. In November 1883 Democrats regained control of the state legislature by a large majority, and pushed out the Readjuster Party.
White Democratic legislators interpreted the Danville events as more reason to push blacks out of politics. In 1902, the state legislature passed a new constitution that raised barriers to voter registration, effectivelydisenfranchising most blacks and many poor whites, who had been part of the Readjuster Party. They excluded them from the political system, causing them to be underrepresented and their segregated facilities to be underfinanced.[13]
On July 15, 1904, the Danville police successfully broke up a lynching party by firing warning shots above a crowd. About 75 white men had gathered at the jail to take Roy Seals, an African American man arrested as a suspect in the murder of a white railroad worker. The police saved Seals and the city quickly indicted some of the lynch mob; several men were convicted, fined and served 30 days in jail. The killer was found to have been another white man, who was prosecuted.[9]
On March 2, 1911, Danville police chief R. E. Morris, who had been elected to three two-year terms and was running for a fourth term, was arrested as an escaped convicted murderer. He admitted that he was really Edgar Stribling ofHarris County, Georgia. He had been on the run for thirteen years.[14]
On October 13, 1917, Walter Clark was lynched. He was an African American man who had fatally shot a policeman while resisting arrest for the killing of his common-law wife. Clark held off the police for two hours, but a mob gathered and set his house on fire. He was shot multiple times and killed as he left the house. His was the last lynching in Danville.[9]
Heightened activism in thecivil rights movement in Virginia occurred in Danville during the summer of 1963. Since the early 20th century, most blacks had been excluded from voting by the state constitution, which had created barriers to voter registration. White Democrats had imposed legal segregation after regaining control of the state legislature following theReconstruction era, andJim Crow laws maintainedwhite supremacy. On May 31, representatives of the black community organized as the Danville Christian Progressive Association (DCPA), demanding an end to segregation and job discrimination in the city. They declared a boycott of white merchants who refused to hire blacks and marched to City Hall in protest of conditions.
Most of the marchers were high school students. Police and city workers, armed with clubs, beat the young protesters and sprayed them with fire hoses. Around forty protesters needed medical attention, but the marches and other protests continued for several weeks.[15] ReverendMartin Luther King Jr., leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), came to Danville and spoke at High Street Baptist Church about the police brutality. He said it was the worst he had seen in the South. The date of one protest on June 10, 1963, later came to be referred to as "Bloody Monday."[16]
TheStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) sent organizers to Danville to support the local movement. They helped lead protests, including demonstrations at theHoward Johnson Hotel and restaurant on Lee Highway. The hotel was known for discriminating locally against blacks as customers and excluding them as workers. A special grand jury indicted 13 DCPA,SCLC, and SNCC activists for violating the "John Brown" law. This law, passed in 1830 after a slave uprising, made it a serious felony to "...incite the colored population to acts of violence or war against the white population." It became known as the "John Brown" law in 1860 because it was used to convict and hang abolitionistJohn Brown after his raid onHarpers Ferry in 1859.[15]
By the end of August, more than 600 protesters had been arrested in Danville on charges of inciting to violence, contempt, trespassing, disorderly conduct, assault, parading without a permit, and resisting arrest. Because of the large number of arrests on these charges, often the jails were overcrowded, and protesters were housed in detention facilities in other nearby jurisdictions. The demonstrations failed to achieve desegregation in Danville at that time. Town facilities remained segregated until after passage of theCivil Rights Act of 1964. African American residents were mostly unable to register and vote until after the federal government enforced their constitutional rights under theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[15]
Since the late 20th century, the textile industry has moved to offshore, cheaper labor markets. The Dan River mill has closed and many of its buildings have been torn down, with the bricks sold for other uses. "The White Mill" of the Dan Mill complex, considered historically and architecturally significant, is being renovated in the early 21st century as an apartment complex.[17]
In the late 20th century, the restructuring of the tobacco, textile, and railroad industries all had an adverse effect, resulting in the loss of many jobs in Danville. The decline in passenger traffic caused the Danville railroad station to fall into disuse. It was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1995, and has been renovated by a combination of public and private funding. Today part of the station is devoted to the first satellite facility of theScience Museum of Virginia.
The station renovations were completed in 1996. This project spurred investment in other warehouse properties, "which have been redeveloped into offices, commercial spaces, apartments, lofts, and restaurants. The approximately $4 million of federal grant money initiated the redevelopment and leveraged additional funds from public and private sources."[18]
Related spaces were developed for a park with amphitheater, a community meeting and recreation facility, and the Danville Farmer's Market. The city used ISTEA funds in association with the Virginia Department of Transportation, and partnered also with Amtrak, Pepsi-Cola, and other private sources.
The city and region continue to work to develop new bases for the economy. At the beginning of the century, in the 2000s, the economic losses made it challenging to preserve the city's many architecturally and historically significant properties dating from its more prosperous years.[19]
In 2007,Preservation Virginia President William B. Kerkam, III, and its Executive Director Elizabeth S. Kostelny announced at a press conference held in Danville at Main Street Methodist Church that the entire city of Danville had been named as one of the Most Endangered Historic Sites in Virginia.[19] This designation highlighted the importance of preserving Danville's architectural and historical heritage and drew attention to the challenges of maintaining these properties amid economic struggles.
Danville has been actively working to redevelop its River District as a hub for community life and economic activity. This effort includes revitalizing historic buildings, fostering local businesses, and promotingheritage tourism to attract visitors and stimulate economic growth.[20]
In 2020, the city approved a referendum to open a casino at the site of the old mill, which is slated to open in 2024. It is expected to generate significant revenue and create jobs for the community.[needs update][21][22][23][24]
Danville is located along the southern border of Virginia, 70 miles (110 km) south ofLynchburg[25] and 45 miles (72 km) northeast ofGreensboro, North Carolina, viaU.S. Route 29.[26]U.S. Route 58 leads east 78 miles (126 km) toSouth Hill[27] and west 30 miles (48 km) toMartinsville.[28]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.9 square miles (113.7 km2), of which 43.1 square miles (111.6 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (2.3%) is water.[29]
Danville has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa). Winter nights usually average below freezing, withair frosts being abundant during that season. During summer, it is influenced by the strong sun and convective air masses, providing both hot temperatures and frequent thunderstorms.[30]
| Climate data forDanville Regional Airport, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1916–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 85 (29) | 91 (33) | 95 (35) | 101 (38) | 105 (41) | 105 (41) | 107 (42) | 105 (41) | 100 (38) | 86 (30) | 81 (27) | 107 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 69.5 (20.8) | 72.4 (22.4) | 80.8 (27.1) | 86.7 (30.4) | 90.5 (32.5) | 94.9 (34.9) | 96.9 (36.1) | 95.5 (35.3) | 92.0 (33.3) | 85.8 (29.9) | 76.9 (24.9) | 70.6 (21.4) | 97.9 (36.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 48.9 (9.4) | 52.7 (11.5) | 61.1 (16.2) | 71.1 (21.7) | 78.0 (25.6) | 85.2 (29.6) | 88.8 (31.6) | 87.2 (30.7) | 80.9 (27.2) | 71.3 (21.8) | 60.7 (15.9) | 51.7 (10.9) | 69.8 (21.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 38.5 (3.6) | 41.5 (5.3) | 49.0 (9.4) | 58.1 (14.5) | 66.0 (18.9) | 73.9 (23.3) | 77.9 (25.5) | 76.5 (24.7) | 70.0 (21.1) | 58.8 (14.9) | 48.1 (8.9) | 41.0 (5.0) | 58.3 (14.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 28.1 (−2.2) | 30.2 (−1.0) | 36.8 (2.7) | 45.0 (7.2) | 54.0 (12.2) | 62.7 (17.1) | 67.0 (19.4) | 65.8 (18.8) | 59.0 (15.0) | 46.2 (7.9) | 35.5 (1.9) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 46.7 (8.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 10.9 (−11.7) | 16.5 (−8.6) | 21.1 (−6.1) | 30.1 (−1.1) | 39.8 (4.3) | 51.5 (10.8) | 58.8 (14.9) | 57.1 (13.9) | 46.4 (8.0) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 22.2 (−5.4) | 17.8 (−7.9) | 9.2 (−12.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −5 (−21) | 2 (−17) | 9 (−13) | 20 (−7) | 29 (−2) | 40 (4) | 50 (10) | 46 (8) | 35 (2) | 22 (−6) | 11 (−12) | −1 (−18) | −5 (−21) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.41 (87) | 2.73 (69) | 3.53 (90) | 3.53 (90) | 4.13 (105) | 3.98 (101) | 4.88 (124) | 3.47 (88) | 4.25 (108) | 3.30 (84) | 3.46 (88) | 3.06 (78) | 43.73 (1,111) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.5 (6.4) | 2.5 (6.4) | 1.5 (3.8) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.1 (2.8) | 7.6 (19) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.2 | 9.7 | 11.1 | 10.2 | 12.0 | 11.0 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 121.6 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 3.5 |
| Source:NOAA[31][32] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,514 | — | |
| 1870 | 3,463 | — | |
| 1880 | 7,426 | 114.4% | |
| 1890 | 10,305 | 38.8% | |
| 1900 | 16,520 | 60.3% | |
| 1910 | 19,020 | 15.1% | |
| 1920 | 21,539 | 13.2% | |
| 1930 | 22,247 | 3.3% | |
| 1940 | 32,749 | 47.2% | |
| 1950 | 35,066 | 7.1% | |
| 1960 | 46,577 | 32.8% | |
| 1970 | 46,391 | −0.4% | |
| 1980 | 45,642 | −1.6% | |
| 1990 | 53,056 | 16.2% | |
| 2000 | 48,411 | −8.8% | |
| 2010 | 43,055 | −11.1% | |
| 2020 | 42,590 | −1.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[33] 1790–1960[34] 1900–1990[35] 1990–2000[36] 2010–2013<[37] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[38] | Pop 2020[39] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 20,107 | 16,884 | 46.70% | 39.64% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 20,725 | 21,733 | 48.14% | 51.03% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 66 | 88 | 0.15% | 0.21% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 394 | 503 | 0.92% | 1.18% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 11 | 1 | 0.03% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 33 | 143 | 0.08% | 0.34% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 474 | 1,164 | 1.10% | 2.73% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,245 | 2,074 | 2.89% | 4.87% |
| Total | 43,055 | 42,590 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[40] of 2010, Danville had a population of 43,055. The racial makeup of the city was White Non-Hispanic 46.7%, African American 48.3%, Hispanic 2.9%, Asian 0.9%, Native American or Alaska Native 0.2%, and two or more races 1.3%.
25.4% of the population never married, 46.6% were married, 5.4% were separated. 11.6% were widowed and 11.0% were divorced.[41]
Prior to the recession of 2008, the City of Danville and its partners began a major project focused on the revitalization of the Historic Downtown and Tobacco Warehouse districts, now coined "The River District." The project continues with a new momentum as the public sector has joined the movement. SeeDanville River District.[47][48][49]
Millionaire's Row has many homes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by successful tobacco planters, who gained their wealth in this commodity crop. The mansions are in an area of many street trees and often have their own well-developed landscaping.[50][51]
The entire area of Penn's Bottom, the nickname for the part of Main Street that was developed as the first suburb of Danville during the tobacco boom of the late 19th century, has been designated as a historic district. Other recognized historic districts include The Old West End,Tobacco Warehouse,Downtown Danville,Holbrook–Ross Street, andNorth Main.
Also located in this district is the "Sutherlin Mansion", now used as theDanville Museum of Fine Arts and History. ThisItalianate mansion was the plantation home of MajorWilliam T. Sutherlin, a major tobacco processing industrialist, banker, politician, and Confederate quartermaster.[52][53]
In April 1865, Sutherlin offered his mansion to President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet as the site of the last "Capitol of the Confederacy" after the fall of Richmond. The museum and its grounds occupy a block in this district.[53]In the late 19th century, Sutherlin's surrounding plantation was subdivided and developed to create the surrounding residential neighborhood.
Danville is known as "the city of churches" because it has more churches per square mile than any other city in the Commonwealth of Virginia.[54][55]
Danville Mall, formerly Piedmont Mall, opened in 1984.[56]
From 1948 until 2004, Danville was a consistent Republican stronghold in presidential elections. However, John Kerry won the city by 37 votes in 2004, and since then it has swung heavily into the Democratic column by margins of usually over 20 percentage points.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1880 | 575 | 43.43% | 749 | 56.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1884 | 888 | 47.11% | 997 | 52.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1888 | 812 | 43.08% | 1,070 | 56.76% | 3 | 0.16% |
| 1892 | 710 | 36.30% | 1,234 | 63.09% | 12 | 0.61% |
| 1896 | 1,078 | 37.53% | 1,702 | 59.26% | 92 | 3.20% |
| 1900 | 310 | 15.71% | 1,575 | 79.83% | 88 | 4.46% |
| 1904 | 101 | 10.32% | 836 | 85.39% | 42 | 4.29% |
| 1908 | 206 | 17.33% | 963 | 80.99% | 20 | 1.68% |
| 1912 | 93 | 7.38% | 1,066 | 84.60% | 101 | 8.02% |
| 1916 | 229 | 15.32% | 1,151 | 76.99% | 115 | 7.69% |
| 1920 | 551 | 22.25% | 1,888 | 76.25% | 37 | 1.49% |
| 1924 | 473 | 21.11% | 1,577 | 70.37% | 191 | 8.52% |
| 1928 | 2,360 | 66.37% | 1,196 | 33.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 740 | 23.99% | 2,264 | 73.41% | 80 | 2.59% |
| 1936 | 549 | 14.28% | 3,266 | 84.94% | 30 | 0.78% |
| 1940 | 787 | 19.01% | 3,324 | 80.27% | 30 | 0.72% |
| 1944 | 1,231 | 28.20% | 3,121 | 71.48% | 14 | 0.32% |
| 1948 | 1,579 | 28.98% | 2,334 | 42.84% | 1,535 | 28.18% |
| 1952 | 4,765 | 58.49% | 3,323 | 40.79% | 58 | 0.71% |
| 1956 | 4,561 | 59.03% | 2,409 | 31.18% | 756 | 9.79% |
| 1960 | 4,966 | 63.72% | 2,611 | 33.50% | 217 | 2.78% |
| 1964 | 7,900 | 62.09% | 4,539 | 35.67% | 285 | 2.24% |
| 1968 | 6,796 | 40.27% | 4,495 | 26.64% | 5,583 | 33.09% |
| 1972 | 12,463 | 73.68% | 4,148 | 24.52% | 305 | 1.80% |
| 1976 | 10,235 | 59.46% | 6,425 | 37.33% | 552 | 3.21% |
| 1980 | 10,665 | 61.43% | 6,138 | 35.35% | 559 | 3.22% |
| 1984 | 12,141 | 66.85% | 5,846 | 32.19% | 174 | 0.96% |
| 1988 | 12,221 | 61.49% | 7,353 | 37.00% | 300 | 1.51% |
| 1992 | 9,584 | 48.75% | 8,134 | 41.37% | 1,943 | 9.88% |
| 1996 | 9,254 | 49.97% | 8,168 | 44.11% | 1,097 | 5.92% |
| 2000 | 9,427 | 51.49% | 8,221 | 44.91% | 659 | 3.60% |
| 2004 | 9,399 | 49.18% | 9,436 | 49.37% | 277 | 1.45% |
| 2008 | 8,361 | 40.02% | 12,352 | 59.13% | 177 | 0.85% |
| 2012 | 7,763 | 38.42% | 12,218 | 60.47% | 223 | 1.10% |
| 2016 | 7,303 | 38.56% | 11,059 | 58.39% | 578 | 3.05% |
| 2020 | 7,428 | 38.31% | 11,710 | 60.40% | 251 | 1.29% |
| 2024 | 6,894 | 38.92% | 10,615 | 59.93% | 203 | 1.15% |
Danville has acouncil–manager government in which acity manager is hired by council to supervise the city government and ensure that the ordinances and policies made by the city council are carried out in an effective manner.[58]
The city council consists of nine members elected fromsingle-member districts representing residents. The city council selects themayor andvice mayor from among its members to serve two-year terms.[58]
The city council has the power "to adopt and enforce legislative and budgetary ordinances, policies, and rules and regulations necessary to conduct the public's business and to provide for the protection of the general health, safety and welfare of the public."[58]
TheDanville Braves were aminor league baseball team in Danville from 1993 to 2020.[59] They competed in theAppalachian League as a farm team of theAtlanta Braves. The Braves played their home games atAmerican Legion Field.
In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as acollegiate summer baseball league, and the Braves were replaced by theDanville Otterbots in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.[60][61]
Danville is served by television stations in the Roanoke/Lynchburg television market.
Danville was once the home of WDRL-TV 24, a station that was an affiliate of the WB and United Paramount Network before changing ownership from 2007 to 2014. Today, it is known asWZBJ, a sister channel ofWDBJ and is owned byGray Television.[90]
Amtrak'sCrescent train connects Danville with the cities ofNew York,Philadelphia,Baltimore,Washington,Charlotte,Atlanta,Birmingham andNew Orleans. TheDanville station, built in 1899 bySouthern Railways, is situated at 677 Craghead Street.[91]
U.S. Route 58 (Riverside Dr/River St) parallels the north bank of the Dan River traveling east–west through Danville's main commercial district while theUS 58Bypass route bypasses the city's center to the south via theDanville Expressway.
U.S. Route 29 splits into abusiness route and a bypass at theNorth Carolina/Virginia border. The business route enters the heart of Danville via West Main Street and Memorial Drive and exits via Central Boulevard and Piney Forest Road; US 29 Business travels relatively north–south. The bypass (futureInterstate 785) takes the eastern segment of theDanville Expressway and rejoins the business route north of the city nearChatham, Virginia.
U.S. Route 360, which connects Danville with Richmond, enters the city from the east concurrent with U.S. Route 58 (South Boston Road), continuing along U.S. Route 58 Business at theDanville Expressway interchange, and terminating at the North Main Street intersection just north of downtown.[92]
U.S. Route 311 in 2013 was expanded from North Carolina to terminate just outside Danville's western limits at U.S. Route 58.[93]
North Carolina Highway 86 becomesState Route 86 once it crosses the state line into Danville as South Main Street. It continues north to its terminus at US 29 Business/Central Boulevard.
State Route 293 was created in 1998 to mark the route of old US 29 Business, which was rerouted to the west. SR 293 enters Danville's downtown historic district as West Main Street, then Main Street, and then crosses theDan River to meetUS 29 Business as North Main Street.
State Route 51 parallels US 58 Business as Westover Drive from its western terminus at US 58 Business at the Danville's corporate limits to its eastern terminus at US 58 Business near the Dan River.
The city is also served byDanville Regional Airport.[94]
 Virgil Caine is the name and I served on the Danville train, 'till Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again. In the winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive... |
"It's a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville" are lyrics in "Wreck of the Old 97" a song memorializing the September 27, 1903, event that became arguably the most famous train wreck in U.S. history.[126]
TheRichmond and Danville Railroad, referenced as "the Danville train", is also mentioned in the popular folk-style song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."[127][128]
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