 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Southside" Virginia – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Southside, orSouthside Virginia, has traditionally referred to the portion of the state south of theJames River, the geographic feature from which the term derives its name. This was the first area to be developed in the colonial period.[1]
During the colonial era, Southside was considered the area where entrepreneurs settled, as opposed to some of the more established and wealthier families in theTidewater counties. Many early Southside settlers were younger sons of established Tidewater families. A major portion of the territory was formed in 1703, whenPrince George County, Virginia was organized from Charles City County. Four other counties and three independent cities were formed from this territory, the counties in the 18th century and some of the independent cities in the 19th and 20th centuries.
In the 21st century, however, some people use a more limited definition of the region that is confined to the Piedmont area: those counties lying south of the James River, west of theFall Line, and east of theBlue Ridge Mountains. This is the southern portion of Virginia'sPiedmont region. This definition describes an area often considered to be the heart of Southside. It also accounts for social and economic changes as the eastern counties developed dense populations, and theRichmond suburbs expanded to occupy large portions of Chesterfield and Powhatan counties.
Southside Virginia is also known as Virginia'sBlack Belt, as it has long had a high concentration ofAfrican-Americans relative to other regions of the state. Southside represents the northeastern extremity of theAmerican Black Belt, a heavily African-American region stretching from Virginia toEast Texas.
Counties considered part of the region began those divided from Prince George County:Brunswick,Dinwiddie,Nottoway,Amelia, andPrince Edward, formed from parts of Prince George County. In addition to Richmond, the independent city ofPetersburg, Virginia was established in this region.
In addition, the western part of Southside has long been reputed for its isolated, rural, and culturally conservative character. Associated counties arePatrick,Henry,Bedford,Pittsylvania,Halifax,Charlotte,Mecklenburg,Campbell,Lunenburg,Appomattox,Buckingham,Cumberland,Powhatan, andGreensville counties.
Theindependent cities ofDanville,Emporia, andMartinsville are also considered to be in the western part of the region.
The more rural, western areas of Southside are noted for sharing similarities and connections withNorth Carolina. For instance, residents ofDanville andMartinsville frequently visit thePiedmont Triad for amenities and thePiedmont Triad International Airport. Residents ofSouth Boston andClarksville, Virginia travel to theResearch Triangle for amenities, including use of theRaleigh–Durham International Airport.
Southside Piedmont region has a climate different from the coastal areas of Virginia. Summers are typically hot, with highs generally in the upper 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit or low 30s Celsius; quite often 5 to 7 °F (2.8 to 3.9 °C) hotter than inRichmond. Winters are moderately cold, and nighttime lows often drop below freezing; frequently 5 to 7 °F (2.8 to 3.9 °C) cooler thanNorfolk. Much of this has to do with the distance of the region from the temperature-moderating effect of theAtlantic Ocean.
Snow and frozen precipitation (usually less than 1 foot or 0.30 metres) usually falls every year in Southside, with the western and northern fringes of the area getting several inches more snow than the rest.
Southside, along with much of Upper South, was long known for itstobacco crop. The nutrient-rich soil, along with frequent spring rains, provided ideal growing conditions for tobacco, as well assoybeans and some cold-hardycotton plants. Tobacco exhausts the soil, however, and in the early 19th century, planters moving into the Piedmont area shifted to mixed crops.
TheFall Line was the area where the first industries were established, with mills running off the water power of rivers, in Richmond andPetersburg, Virginia, for instance. Petersburg was an industrial city with a large proportion offree blacks even before the American Civil War.
Beginning in the 1940s, varioustextile mills opened up in the Piedmont area of Southside, most notably the enormous Dan River Mills inDanville. Martinsville was also known for its textile mills as well. Companies like Tultex, Pannill Knitting Company, Fieldcrest, and Bassett-Walker. The city as called the" Sweatshirt Capital of the World". The textile industry, formerly located in New England and the Northeast, shifted to the South because of cheaper labor costs and less union organization. The cost of living in much of Southside is still low compared to most metropolitan areas. The Southside workforce found textile work to be much more lucrative than the low incomes associated with farming by that time. Mechanization required larger farms to be profitable.
Along withtobacco manufacturing, textile mills added to the prosperity of the Southside region to become more prosperous. Beginning in the 1970s, however, many of the textile mills closed, outsourcing work to other countries where labor costs were cheaper, such asMexico,India and other nations in Southeast Asia, and China. The waning demand for tobacco products due to health issues affected the Southside economy.
Furniture manufacturing was another major industry, Kenlea Furniture operated for many years inKenbridge and the Bassett Furniture company continues to operate in the town ofBassett. The Army basesFort Gregg-Adams andFort Barfoot employ many people. They were built up to a large extent duringWorld War II. Some residents commute from this area to thePhilip Morris factory in southRichmond.
In the 1990s new manufacturing jobs were established in the area, with manufacturing of industrial-grade metals and ceramics. Numerousprisons were established in the area, and employed local people in relatively high-paying security jobs.
Television stations are receivable from all parts of Southside, with the eastern parts receiving Richmond stations and the western parts receivingRoanoke/Lynchburg stations. In addition, some viewers on the northern edges of the region receiveCharlottesville stations, while viewers on the southern edge receiveGreensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point andRaleigh/Durham stations.
While most people receive large-marketradio stations from the same places as their TV stations, Southside has a large variety of local radio.Country stations tend to dominate Southside radio, though localclassic rock,adult contemporary,Top 40, andpublic radio formats exist.
All of Southside can receive Virginia's largest newspaper, theRichmond Times-Dispatch. Southside is also covered byCardinal News, a nonprofit newsroom that covers Southwest and Southside Virginia. In addition, all the towns listed below (and others) have local newspapers, and they are generally weekly publications.
Colleges in the Southside region include:
