Louisa, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Main Street, Downtown Louisa | |
 Seal | |
 Location in Virginia | |
| Coordinates:38°1′27″N78°0′6″W / 38.02417°N 78.00167°W /38.02417; -78.00167 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Louisa |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Matthew L. Kersey Jr. |
| • Town Manager | Craig M. Buckley |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.84 sq mi (4.77 km2) |
| • Land | 1.83 sq mi (4.73 km2) |
| • Water | 0.015 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 466 ft (142 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,983 |
• Estimate (2023)[2] | 2,170 |
| • Density | 948.7/sq mi (366.28/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 23093 |
| Area code | 540 |
| FIPS code | 51-47144[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1498507[4] |
| Website | http://louisatown.org/ |
Louisa (originally namedLouisa Court House) is a town inLouisa County,Virginia, United States. The population was 1,983 at the 2020 census. It is thecounty seat of Louisa County.[5]
Louisa Court House was named for the county courthouse constructed in 1742, near the intersection of Courthouse Road (nowSR 208) and Main Street/Louisa Road (nowSR-22/US-33). The village of Louisa Court House had been the county seat for over a century when it became a strategic location during theCivil War for Virginia's supply and communication lines.
Chartered in 1836 as the Louisa Railroad by theVirginia General Assembly, theVirginia Central Railroad mainline passed through the village. On June 10, 1864, thousands of men and horses of Gen.Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry division camped around the courthouse prior to theBattle of Trevilian Station.[6] The VCR merged into theChesapeake and Ohio Railroad in 1868 (reorganized as theChesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1878). The C&O operated the mainline through Louisa over one hundred years, until theChessie System merged intoCSX in the 1980s.
The incorporatedTown of Louisa was created by Act of the General Assembly in 1873.[7] Many businesses found advantage in locating near the mainline, especially heavy industries that could transport using the railroad. As the road infrastructure improved and especially since the 1956 development of theinterstate highway system'sI-64, local businesses transport mainly via semi-truck usingUS 33.
East of the Town of Louisa on Jeff Davis Highway is the Cooke Industrial Rail Park, a 1400-acre contiguous tract of land with over 1 mile of rail frontage, served by CSX andBuckingham Branch Railroad.[8]
There are many places of local historic interest and some that are of national significance:Bloomington,Boxley Place, the 1905Louisa County Courthouse, andLouisa High School are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[9]
Louisa is located at38°1′27″N78°0′6″W / 38.02417°N 78.00167°W /38.02417; -78.00167 (38.024057, −78.001584).[10]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.21 square miles (4.7 km2), of which 2.20 square miles (4.7 km2) is land and 0.55% is water.
| Climate data for Louisa, 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) | 82 (28) | 89 (32) | 96 (36) | 99 (37) | 101 (38) | 108 (42) | 105 (41) | 104 (40) | 98 (37) | 88 (31) | 79 (26) | 108 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 45.2 (7.3) | 49.4 (9.7) | 58.2 (14.6) | 69.8 (21.0) | 76.0 (24.4) | 83.2 (28.4) | 86.7 (30.4) | 85.3 (29.6) | 79.0 (26.1) | 68.6 (20.3) | 57.4 (14.1) | 48.1 (8.9) | 67.2 (19.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 35.3 (1.8) | 38.2 (3.4) | 45.5 (7.5) | 56.1 (13.4) | 64.0 (17.8) | 71.9 (22.2) | 76.0 (24.4) | 74.4 (23.6) | 67.6 (19.8) | 56.5 (13.6) | 45.8 (7.7) | 38.1 (3.4) | 55.8 (13.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 27.0 (−2.8) | 32.8 (0.4) | 42.3 (5.7) | 52.0 (11.1) | 60.7 (15.9) | 65.2 (18.4) | 63.6 (17.6) | 56.3 (13.5) | 44.4 (6.9) | 34.1 (1.2) | 28.1 (−2.2) | 44.3 (6.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) | −21 (−29) | −5 (−21) | 13 (−11) | 26 (−3) | 36 (2) | 37 (3) | 36 (2) | 29 (−2) | 18 (−8) | 4 (−16) | −9 (−23) | −21 (−29) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.00 (76) | 2.74 (70) | 3.70 (94) | 3.38 (86) | 3.97 (101) | 4.33 (110) | 4.18 (106) | 3.68 (93) | 4.49 (114) | 3.81 (97) | 3.59 (91) | 3.33 (85) | 44.20 (1,123) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.5 (11) | 6.1 (15) | 1.5 (3.8) | 0.3 (0.76) | 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 (0.25) | 3.3 (8.4) | 15.8 (40) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.3 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 12.2 | 10.6 | 10.9 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 10.1 | 117.9 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 5.5 |
| Source:NOAA[11][12] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 315 | — | |
| 1900 | 261 | — | |
| 1910 | 318 | 21.8% | |
| 1920 | 289 | −9.1% | |
| 1930 | 301 | 4.2% | |
| 1940 | 365 | 21.3% | |
| 1950 | 344 | −5.8% | |
| 1960 | 576 | 67.4% | |
| 1970 | 633 | 9.9% | |
| 1980 | 932 | 47.2% | |
| 1990 | 1,088 | 16.7% | |
| 2000 | 1,401 | 28.8% | |
| 2010 | 1,555 | 11.0% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 1,733 | [2] | 11.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
At the2000 census there were 1,401 people, 584 households, and 331 families in the town. The population density was 766.8 people per square mile (295.6/km2). There were 620 housing units at an average density of 339.4 per square mile (130.8/km2). Theracial makeup of the town was 66.81% White, 29.48% African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.43%.[3]
Of the 584 households 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% were non-families. Of households, 37.0% were one person and 18.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.93.
The age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 73.1 males.
The median household income was $29,519 and the median family income was $42,396. Males had a median income of $27,578 versus $23,188 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,763. About 14.7% of families and 18.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.
Louisa is home to theNorth Anna Nuclear Generating Station which produces electricity and offers jobs for the county's inhabitants. The warm water produced from the power plant and discharged into the water of Lake Anna creates what some call Central Virginia's best fishing.
Louisa is also home to theTwin Oaks Community, anintentional community of 100 people living on 465 acres (1.88 km2). The community has been in Louisa since 1967.
The2011 Virginia earthquake had its epicenter just 7 miles (11 kilometers) south-southeast of Louisa.[14] This quake registered 5.8 magnitude and caused the evacuations of buildings onCapitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as well as New York City and was felt as far north as Canada.
Jefferson-Madison Regional Library is the regional library system that provides services to the citizens of Louisa.
Municipalities and communities ofLouisa County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
