Hopewell, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Location in the State ofVirginia | |
| Coordinates:37°17′25″N77°18′18″W / 37.29028°N 77.30500°W /37.29028; -77.30500 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Incorporated | July 1, 1916 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Johnny Partin |
| Area | |
| 10.83 sq mi (28.05 km2) | |
| • Land | 10.36 sq mi (26.82 km2) |
| • Water | 0.47 sq mi (1.23 km2) 4.9% |
| Elevation | 50 ft (15.2 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 23,033 | |
| • Density | 2,224/sq mi (858.8/km2) |
| • Metro | 1,314,434 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 23860 |
| Area code | 804 |
| FIPS code | 51-38424[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1495714[3] |
| Website | www.hopewellva.gov |
Hopewell is anindependent city surrounded byPrince George County and theAppomattox River in theCommonwealth ofVirginia, United States. At the2020 census, the population was 23,033.[4] TheBureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Hopewell withPrince George County for statistical purposes.
Hopewell is in theTri-Cities area of theRichmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
The city was founded to take advantage of its site overlooking theJames andAppomattox Rivers.City Point, the oldest part of Hopewell, was established in 1613 by SirThomas Dale. It was first known as "Bermuda City". (At this time,Bermuda, the Atlantic archipelago, was considered part of the Colony of Virginia and appeared on its maps.) The name soon changed toCharles City. In 1619, Samuel Sharpe and Samuel Jordan represented Charles City at the first meeting of theHouse of Burgesses. "Charles City Point" was inCharles City Shire when the first eightshires were established in the Colony of Virginia in 1634. Charles City Shire soon became known asCharles City County in 1643. The burgesses separated an area of the county south of the river, including City Point, establishing it separately as Prince George County in 1703.
During theAmerican Civil War, UnionGeneral Ulysses S. Grant used City Point as his headquarters during theSiege of Petersburg in 1864 and 1865. Grant's headquarters, which President Lincoln visited, were located atAppomattox Manor, one of the three plantations ofRichard Eppes, who cultivated wheat and other grains and held 130 slaves at the beginning of the war.[5]
His property included most of the present-day city of Hopewell and Eppes Island, a plantation across the James River from City Point. Richard Slaughter, a former slave of Eppes, escaped to a Union ship during the Civil War,[6] as did all but 12 of Eppes' 130 slaves, choosing freedom.[7] Slaughter recounted his life story for aWorks Progress Administration interviewer in 1936.[6]
TheCity Point Railroad, built in 1838 between City Point andPetersburg, was used as a critical part of the siege strategy. It is considered the oldest portion of theNorfolk and Western Railway, now a part ofNorfolk Southern.
City Point was an unincorporated town in Prince George County until the City of Hopewell annexed the Town of City Point in 1923. Despite the evolving name, Hopewell/City Point is the second-oldest continuously inhabited English settlement in the United States afterHampton.Jamestown is no longer inhabited.
Hopewell, part of the Eppes' plantation, was developed byDuPont Company in 1914 asHopewell Farm, an incorporated area in Prince George County. DuPont first built adynamite factory there, then switched to the manufacture ofguncotton duringWorld War I.[citation needed]
Nearly burned to the ground in the Hopewell Fire of 1915, the city prospered afterward and became known as the "Wonder City" as the village of Hopewell grew from a hamlet of 400 in 1916 to a city of more than 20,000 people in a few short months. Unlike most cities in Virginia, Hopewell was never incorporated as a town, but it was incorporated as anindependent city in 1916.
After DuPont abandoned the city following World War I, moving its manufacturing facilities elsewhere and specializing in other products, Hopewell briefly became a ghost town until 1923 when Tubize Corporation established a plant on the old DuPont site. The same year, the city of Hopewell annexed the neighboring town of City Point, which enabled it to expand and thrive. The Tubize plant was later acquired byFirestone Tire and Rubber Company and was a major employer in Hopewell for decades.Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation andHercules Chemical also established plants on portions of the old DuPont site.
As early as its incorporation, Hopewell was a city of industrious migrants. Immigrants fromBohemia (now the western lands of the Czech Republic),[8]Italy, andGreece[9] populated the city, working in factories and opening small businesses. Others migrated from other parts of Virginia and neighboring states ofNorth Carolina andWest Virginia to work in Hopewell's industries.
As was the case in most southern cities, African Americans in Hopewell were subject toJim Crow segregation until the success of theCivil Rights Movement. The picturesque theater in the middle of town, theBeacon Theatre, only allowed Blacks in the balcony.[10] In August 1966, theKu Klux Klan confronted the ReverendCurtis Harris and other Black Hopewell citizens when they attempted to petition the city manager to find an alternate location for a landfill that was going to be opened in the middle of a Black neighborhood.[10][11] Hopewell public schools were desegregated under court order in 1963, followingRenee Patrice GILLIAM et al v. School Board of the City of Hopewell, Virginia.[12]
Hopewell made national news when, on December 22, 1935, abus plunged through the open draw of the Appomattox River Drawbridge onState Route 10 just outside Hopewell's city limits. Only one of the 15 occupants of the bus survived. The modern twin spans of theCharles Hardaway Marks Bridges were built to replace that bridge and cross the river nearby.
Like many cities, Hopewell embarked on anurban renewal plan in the 1960s in an attempt to revitalize its downtown retail area. The plan was a failure because many of the retail businesses that had been located downtown moved elsewhere to new shopping centers being developed outside thecity limits in Petersburg, Chester, and Prince George County. With the exception of a new branch bank and aHardee's fast food restaurant constructed in the late 1970s, the former downtown area that was razed for redevelopment remained a vast gravel parking lot for decades.
However, a new urbanization is occurring, and many long vacant storefronts are now refurbished and occupied. Several others are now under construction. Further, the City invested $12 million in a new beautiful state of the art flagship library for the busy Appomattox Regional Library System, the Maude Langhorne Nelson Library. The library has a cyber cafe, extensive YA and children's collections, and a replica of the historic, 1600s-era frigate ship,Hopewell, installed as a centerpiece.[13] The city also restored the Beacon Theatre, which was built in 1928, and there are 70 or more concerts and other events annually. Performers there includeThe Temptations,The Four Tops,Vince Gill,Travis Tritt,Clint Black,Amy Grant,Average White Band,Vanilla Ice,The Commodores,Pure Prairie League,Delbert McClinton, and many more.
New plantings and street beautification projects have been put into place, to attract more businesses and shoppers to the East Broadway area.
Hopewell is located at the confluence of the Appomattox and James rivers.[14] The James River has suffered from seriouswater pollution problems attributable to chemical dumping;Kepone insecticide (manufactured in Hopewell from 1966–1975) was dumped in the river by the pesticide's manufacturerAllied Signal and subcontractor LifeSciences Product Company.[14] The LifeSciences facility in Hopewell was the world's only manufacturer of Kepone, producing up to 6,000 pounds daily.[15] Although closely related to the toxic pesticideDDT, which was banned in the U.S. in 1972 because of the dangers it presents to humans and wildlife, Kepone was not federally regulated until after the Hopewell disaster, in which 29 factory workers were hospitalized with various ailments.[15] In 1975, the state health department shut down the facility, and fishing in the James River from Richmond to theChesapeake Bay was banned due to contamination concerns.[15]
Kepone is cited amongst a handful of other noxious substances as the driver forGerald Ford's half-hearted approval of theToxic Substances Control Act, which "remains one of the most controversial regulatory bills ever passed".[16] Since the discovery of the Kepone disaster in 1975, the water quality has improved, and the fishing ban was lifted after 13 years.[14] In 2019, after years of planning, the city opened a "Riverwalk" boardwalk, seeking to use scenic views and water access as part of overall economic redevelopment efforts.[14]Bass andcatfish are now routinely fished at a Hopewell marina.[14]
Hopewell is the location of several large chemical plants owned by theHoneywell Corporation,Ashland,Evonik Industries, as well as aGreen Plains Inc. ethanol plant and paper mill owned byWestRock.
TheFederal Correctional Complex, Petersburg (FCC Petersburg), two federal prisons which house 3400 inmates, are located just outside the Hopewell city limits, in Prince George County[17][18]
Although still an important industrial city, Hopewell has struggled with transitions through loss of jobs due to plant closures, changes in residential housing patterns, and the costs of environmental clean-up. Much of its middle-class population moved to neighboring Prince George and Chesterfield Counties for newer housing during the suburban expansion of the 1960s and 1970s. The city's housing stock is dominated by relatively small homes with a significant percentage being offered as rental properties. Of these, many were hastily constructed over a century ago byDuPont to house plant workers during the First World War.[citation needed]
Hopewell has struggled with high rates of violent crime.[19][20]
In September 2010, a series of explosions occurred at a controversial new ethanol plant that had recently been constructed on a long vacant site formerly occupied by aFirestone plant. In 2007, former Hopewell mayor and civil rights leaderCurtis W. Harris, had marched against the proposed ethanol plant being built in Hopewell with support from the nationalSouthern Christian Leadership Conference.[21] The plant had not yet become fully operational when the explosions occurred. There was no loss of life due to the accident but shortly after the explosion Osage BioEnergy, the owners of the $150 million facility, announced that the plant was for sale. Although the facility was sitting idle through 2013 with the city of Hopewell taking legal action to recoup unpaid taxes on the property, the facility was eventually purchased by another firm and operations were restarted in 2014.[22] In 2015 the troubled ethanol plant closed again for a second time after less than a year in operation with its owners citing a lack of profitability as the reason for the shutdown.[23] The plant has since been purchased and re-opened by Green Plains Inc. ofOmaha, Nebraska.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.8 square miles (28.0 km2), of which 10.2 square miles (26.4 km2) are land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (4.9%) is water.[24]
| Climate data for Hopewell, 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) | 81 (27) | 84 (29) | 91 (33) | 100 (38) | 100 (38) | 104 (40) | 105 (41) | 106 (41) | 104 (40) | 100 (38) | 88 (31) | 85 (29) | 106 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50.4 (10.2) | 54.3 (12.4) | 61.7 (16.5) | 72.7 (22.6) | 79.1 (26.2) | 86.0 (30.0) | 89.6 (32.0) | 87.9 (31.1) | 81.9 (27.7) | 72.6 (22.6) | 62.2 (16.8) | 53.4 (11.9) | 71.0 (21.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 40.8 (4.9) | 43.6 (6.4) | 50.7 (10.4) | 60.7 (15.9) | 68.5 (20.3) | 76.2 (24.6) | 80.1 (26.7) | 78.4 (25.8) | 72.5 (22.5) | 61.9 (16.6) | 51.7 (10.9) | 44.0 (6.7) | 60.8 (16.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 31.2 (−0.4) | 32.9 (0.5) | 39.7 (4.3) | 48.6 (9.2) | 57.8 (14.3) | 66.3 (19.1) | 70.6 (21.4) | 68.9 (20.5) | 63.2 (17.3) | 51.2 (10.7) | 41.1 (5.1) | 34.6 (1.4) | 50.5 (10.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) | −3 (−19) | 8 (−13) | 20 (−7) | 30 (−1) | 40 (4) | 44 (7) | 45 (7) | 38 (3) | 23 (−5) | 14 (−10) | 3 (−16) | −11 (−24) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.53 (90) | 3.01 (76) | 4.02 (102) | 3.84 (98) | 4.25 (108) | 4.56 (116) | 5.18 (132) | 5.59 (142) | 5.15 (131) | 3.67 (93) | 3.43 (87) | 3.84 (98) | 50.07 (1,272) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.1 (5.3) | 1.0 (2.5) | 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) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 3.5 (8.9) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.9 | 9.3 | 10.6 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 10.4 | 10.7 | 9.4 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 10.1 | 116.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| Source:NOAA[25][26] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 1,397 | — | |
| 1930 | 11,327 | 710.8% | |
| 1940 | 8,679 | −23.4% | |
| 1950 | 10,219 | 17.7% | |
| 1960 | 17,895 | 75.1% | |
| 1970 | 23,471 | 31.2% | |
| 1980 | 23,397 | −0.3% | |
| 1990 | 23,101 | −1.3% | |
| 2000 | 22,354 | −3.2% | |
| 2010 | 22,591 | 1.1% | |
| 2020 | 23,033 | 2.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[27] 1790-1960[28] 1900-1990[29] 1990-2000[30] 2010-2020[31] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[32] | Pop 2020[31] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 12,005 | 9,819 | 53.14% | 42.63% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 8,216 | 9,689 | 36.37% | 42.07% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 78 | 86 | 0.35% | 0.37% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 174 | 251 | 0.77% | 1.09% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 23 | 15 | 0.10% | 0.07% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 37 | 129 | 0.16% | 0.56% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 578 | 1,155 | 2.56% | 5.01% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,480 | 1,889 | 6.55% | 8.20% |
| Total | 22,591 | 23,033 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[33] of 2000, there were 22,354 people, 9,055 households, and 6,075 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 2,182.3 people per square mile (842.6 people/km2). There were 9,749 housing units at an average density of 951.7 per square mile (367.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 47.1%White, 43.5%Black, 0.8%Asian, 0.4%Native American, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 1.2% fromother races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 3.7% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 9,055 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 21.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.
The age of the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 women aged 18 and over, there were 82.2 men.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,156, and the median income for a family was $49,730. Males had a median income of $34,849 versus $25,401 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $21,041. About 15.8% of families and 17.73% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
The following are schools in the Hopewell, Virginiaschool division.
All of the schools above are accredited by the Virginia Board of Education and by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Appomattox Regional Library serves as the library system for Hopewell, Virginia.
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The Hopewell News, locally managed and operated by HPC Media, was an 8,000 circulation twice-weekly newspaper that covers local news, sports and events of interest to the communities of Hopewell, Enon and Prince George.[42] For more than 90 years, The Hopewell News served the greater Hopewell and Prince George communities. The paper was shut down on January 18, 2018. HPC Media also published the News-Patriot newspaper covering Colonial Heights and communities in Southeastern Chesterfield County.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Hopewell has ahumid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[43]
Hopewell was, for many decades after 1952, a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. However, in 2008, the city saw a significant shift toward the Democratic party when it voted forBarack Obama by double digits, the best Democratic performance there since 1948. In every election since then (except for 2016) Democrats have consistently maintained their double-digit lead in the city.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1916 | 3 | 10.71% | 24 | 85.71% | 1 | 3.57% |
| 1920 | 41 | 29.50% | 97 | 69.78% | 1 | 0.72% |
| 1924 | 206 | 41.96% | 277 | 56.42% | 8 | 1.63% |
| 1928 | 505 | 51.17% | 482 | 48.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 342 | 25.91% | 957 | 72.50% | 21 | 1.59% |
| 1936 | 332 | 20.11% | 1,309 | 79.29% | 10 | 0.61% |
| 1940 | 308 | 23.88% | 981 | 76.05% | 1 | 0.08% |
| 1944 | 368 | 22.21% | 1,284 | 77.49% | 5 | 0.30% |
| 1948 | 570 | 28.77% | 1,242 | 62.70% | 169 | 8.53% |
| 1952 | 1,640 | 49.58% | 1,657 | 50.09% | 11 | 0.33% |
| 1956 | 1,908 | 53.91% | 1,388 | 39.22% | 243 | 6.87% |
| 1960 | 2,169 | 54.24% | 1,805 | 45.14% | 25 | 0.63% |
| 1964 | 3,183 | 55.93% | 2,498 | 43.89% | 10 | 0.18% |
| 1968 | 2,942 | 43.63% | 1,568 | 23.25% | 2,233 | 33.12% |
| 1972 | 5,229 | 75.88% | 1,485 | 21.55% | 177 | 2.57% |
| 1976 | 3,764 | 48.21% | 3,691 | 47.28% | 352 | 4.51% |
| 1980 | 4,423 | 56.19% | 3,102 | 39.41% | 347 | 4.41% |
| 1984 | 5,661 | 68.27% | 2,564 | 30.92% | 67 | 0.81% |
| 1988 | 4,672 | 63.48% | 2,566 | 34.86% | 122 | 1.66% |
| 1992 | 3,818 | 47.48% | 2,863 | 35.60% | 1,361 | 16.92% |
| 1996 | 3,493 | 49.46% | 2,868 | 40.61% | 701 | 9.93% |
| 2000 | 3,749 | 53.73% | 3,024 | 43.34% | 205 | 2.94% |
| 2004 | 4,251 | 53.57% | 3,573 | 45.02% | 112 | 1.41% |
| 2008 | 4,149 | 43.56% | 5,285 | 55.49% | 90 | 0.94% |
| 2012 | 3,739 | 41.40% | 5,179 | 57.35% | 113 | 1.25% |
| 2016 | 3,885 | 43.13% | 4,724 | 52.44% | 399 | 4.43% |
| 2020 | 4,020 | 41.84% | 5,430 | 56.52% | 158 | 1.64% |
| 2024 | 3,838 | 42.52% | 5,078 | 56.26% | 110 | 1.22% |
37°17′25″N77°18′12″W / 37.290399°N 77.303371°W /37.290399; -77.303371
Places adjacent to Hopewell, Virginia | |
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| Geographic | |
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| Other | |
