Mathews County, Virginia
Encyclopedia
As of the census
Census
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 2010, there were 8,978 people, 3,932 households, and 2,823 families residing in the county. 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 108 people per square mile (41/km²). There were 5,333 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile (24/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.0% White
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...

, 9.2% Black
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...

 or African American
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...

, 0.2% Native American
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...

, 0.3% Asian
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...

, 0.3% 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 1.9% from two or more races. 1.2% of the population were Hispanic
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...

 or Latino
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...

 of any race.
There were 3,932 households out of which 24.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% 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, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the county, the population was spread out with 19.90% under the age of 18, 5.20% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 30.10% from 45 to 64, and 21.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,222, and the median income for a family was $50,653. Males had a median income of $36,294 versus $23,434 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 county was $23,610. 6.00% of the population and 4.30% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.50% are under the age of 18 and 4.80% are 65 or older.

Tourism, leisure, and fishing industries are the major sources of employment. The county is reputed to be one of the few remaining in Virginia with no traffic lights. Along State Route 223 at Gwynn's Island, there is a small drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...

 which is manned 24 hours daily.

Communities

  • Hudgins
    Hudgins, Virginia
    Hudgins is an unincorporated community in northern Mathews County, Virginia, United States. It lies north of the community of Mathews, the county seat of Mathews County. Its elevation is 10 feet...

  • Mathews
    Mathews, Virginia
    Mathews is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Mathews County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 555. Established around 1700, the small town of Westville was designated as the county seat in 1791. In modern times, it is variously known as Mathews...

  • Susan
    Susan, Virginia
    Susan is an unincorporated community in Mathews County, in the U. S. state of Virginia.-References:...


Prominent among Mathews County tourism and leisure locations is Gwynn's Island
Gwynn's Island
Gwynn's Island is an island located in the Chesapeake Bay on Virginia's Middle Peninsula. The island is located in the northeast part of Mathews County, south of the mouth of the Piankatank River. It is connected to the rest of the county by a drawbridge over Milford Haven...

, a popular spot for recreational boating and sailing. It is located where the Piankatank River
Piankatank River
The Piankatank River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. Located on the Middle Peninsula, between the Rappahannock and York rivers, it was the site of numerous actions during the American Civil War....

 feeds into the Chesapeake Bay. Nearby is the off-shore location of the historic New Point Comfort Light
New Point Comfort Light
New Point Comfort Light is a lighthouse in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the third oldest surviving light in the bay, and the tenth oldest in the United states.-History:...

.

Sports, events

Mathews County hosts the annual Tour De Chesapeake, (due to its lack of hills except for the north section of the county near the Mathews-Gloucester border). The bicycling event is a benefit for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay in the United States. It was founded in 1967 and has headquarters offices in Annapolis, Maryland...

. The community also sponsors Mathews Market Days, featuring local artists such as P. Buckley Moss
P. Buckley Moss
P. Buckley Moss was born on May 20, 1933 on Staten Island in New York City. She attended Washington Irving High School for the Fine Arts in Manhattan. In what turned out to be quite ironic in light of her later career, she was voted "Least Likely to Succeed" by the students of her high school. She...

.

In Susan, Virginia, which is in Matthews County is where the DIY Blog Cabin 2011 is located. This event has drawn more attention to the county.

Despite lackluster football and basketball teams, Mathews High School is known for success in several sports including Boy's and Girl's Crew Teams, Boys Cross Country, Volleyball, Wrestling, Softball, and Track and Field. The wrestling team won the 1990 and 1991 state championships, boys track won the 1969 and 1986 state championships, and baseball won the state title in 2004.

Notable natives

Captain Sally Tompkins
Sally Louisa Tompkins
Sally Louisa Tompkins was a humanitarian, nurse, and philanthropist. She is best-remembered for privately sponsoring a hospital in Richmond, Virginia to treat soldiers wounded in the American Civil War...

 was a Mathews County native. Gwynn's Island resident William B. Livermon, Sr. appeared throughout the 1970s on television in religion segments as "The Circuit Rider". Mathews is also home to former NFL football player Stuart Anderson (football)
Stuart Anderson (football)
Stuart Noel Anderson is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns. He played college football at the University of Virginia and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.-References:...

 of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

 and baseball player Keith Atherton
Keith Atherton
Keith Rowe Atherton , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues primarily in relief from -. Atherton played for the Oakland Athletics , Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians ....

 of the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

. Former journeyman NFL punter Mark Royals
Mark Royals
Mark Alan Royals is a former American football punter in the National Football League. He is currently a color commentator for coverage of the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm on the regional sports television network Bright House Sports Network. He has also co-hosted various sports radio...

 also lives in Mathews.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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