Bridgewater, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Bridgewater is an incorporated town
in Rockingham County
, Virginia
, United States
. The population was 5,644 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia
Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bridgewater is home to the Reds of the Rockingham County Baseball League. Bridgewater is also home to Bridgewater College
, a private, coeducational, four-year liberal arts college founded in 1880, historically associated with the Church of the Brethren
.
and a grist mill on the North River
, a tributary of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River
. The tiny community was first called Dinkletown.
The name was changed to Bridgeport, because it was a flatboat port at a bridge. Even after it was no longer a port, the bridge was still there, hence the final renaming as Bridgewater.
In the late 19th century, Bridgewater received railroad service to connect it with Harrisonburg and beyond as the Chesapeake Western Railway
was built. It came under the control of the Norfolk and Western Railway
in 1954 and Norfolk Southern in 1982. The tracks were removed in 1987.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 5,203 people, 1,788 households, and 1,201 families residing in the town. The population density
was 2,169.2 people per square mile (837.0/km²). There were 1,850 housing units at an average density of 771.3 per square mile (297.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.18% White, 2.48% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.94% from other races
, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.08% of the population.
There were 1,788 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 21.9% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,038, and the median income for a family was $49,777. Males had a median income of $35,579 versus $25,255 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,215. About 3.4% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.
Incorporated town
-Canada:Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.-United States:...
in Rockingham County
Rockingham County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 67,725 people, 25,355 households, and 18,889 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 27,328 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,644 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bridgewater is home to the Reds of the Rockingham County Baseball League. Bridgewater is also home to Bridgewater College
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater College, is a private, coeducational, four-year liberal-arts college located in Bridgewater, Virginia, a town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States...
, a private, coeducational, four-year liberal arts college founded in 1880, historically associated with the Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...
.
History
Among the first families of European descent in the area were the Dinkle family. Around 1810, John Dinkle built a sawmillSawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
and a grist mill on the North River
North River (South Fork Shenandoah River)
The North River is a river in the mountains and Shenandoah Valley of northern Virginia, the United States. It joins the South River at Port Republic to form the South Fork Shenandoah River....
, a tributary of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is a tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each, in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia...
. The tiny community was first called Dinkletown.
The name was changed to Bridgeport, because it was a flatboat port at a bridge. Even after it was no longer a port, the bridge was still there, hence the final renaming as Bridgewater.
In the late 19th century, Bridgewater received railroad service to connect it with Harrisonburg and beyond as the Chesapeake Western Railway
Chesapeake Western Railway
The Chesapeake Western Railway is an intrastate railroad operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Railway in west-central Virginia. It extended from Elkton on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in Rockingham County to Stokesville in Augusta Country at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains. ...
was built. It came under the control of the Norfolk and Western Railway
Norfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
in 1954 and Norfolk Southern in 1982. The tracks were removed in 1987.
Geography
Bridgewater is located at 38°23′12"N 78°58′11"W (38.386748, -78.969678).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,203 people, 1,788 households, and 1,201 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,169.2 people per square mile (837.0/km²). There were 1,850 housing units at an average density of 771.3 per square mile (297.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.18% White, 2.48% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.94% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.08% of the population.
There were 1,788 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 21.9% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,038, and the median income for a family was $49,777. Males had a median income of $35,579 versus $25,255 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $18,215. About 3.4% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.