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Falmouth is an unincorporated community in Stafford County
Stafford County, Virginia

Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population was 92,446, however, the estimated population as of 2007 was 124,117, a 33.0% increase....
, Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River

The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia in the United States, approximately 184 mi in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west across the Piedmont to Chesapeake Bay south of the Potomac River....
 at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 58 miles north of Richmond, Virginia....
. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place
Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a type of Place identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as city, towns and villages....
 (CDP), Falmouth population was 3,624 as of the 2000 census.

ded in 1728 by the same act of the Virginia Assembly that established neighboring Fredericksburg, Falmouth was created as a port town on the Rappahannock to serve inhabitants living north of the river within the vast Northern Neck holdings of Lord Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was the son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and of Catharine, daughter of Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway....
.






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Falmouth is an unincorporated community in Stafford County
Stafford County, Virginia

Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population was 92,446, however, the estimated population as of 2007 was 124,117, a 33.0% increase....
, Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River

The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia in the United States, approximately 184 mi in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west across the Piedmont to Chesapeake Bay south of the Potomac River....
 at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 58 miles north of Richmond, Virginia....
. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place
Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a type of Place identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as city, towns and villages....
 (CDP), Falmouth population was 3,624 as of the 2000 census.

History

Founded in 1728 by the same act of the Virginia Assembly that established neighboring Fredericksburg, Falmouth was created as a port town on the Rappahannock to serve inhabitants living north of the river within the vast Northern Neck holdings of Lord Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was the son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and of Catharine, daughter of Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway....
. His agent, Robert "King" Carter, promoted the establishment of the town, and the Carter family played a dominant role in the town's development throughout much of the colonial period. Originally located within King George County, Falmouth became part of Stafford County when county lines were redrawn in 1776.

During the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
, Falmouth was occupied by Union forces in 1862 and 1863, and Northern commanders located their headquarters southeast of the town during the Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, from December 11 to December 15, 1862, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major general Ambrose E....
 and Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863....
 campaigns. In May 1864, Union wounded and Confederate prisoners from the battles of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lieutenant general Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E....
 and Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second major battle in Lieutenant general Ulysses S....
 were transported through the area to the wharves at Belle Plain on Potomac Creek
Potomac Creek

Potomac Creek is a tidal tributary of the Potomac River in King George County, Virginia and Stafford County, Virginia counties, Virginia. Potomac Creek's source lies between the communities of Glendie, Virginia and Paynes Corner, Virginia in Stafford County and it empties into the Potomac River at Marlboro Point....
, a tributary of the Potomac River
Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States. The river is approximately 383 statute miles long, with a Drainage basin of about 14,700 square miles ....
, located east of Falmouth.

Today Falmouth is a residential community and a suburb of Fredericksburg. Among the community's significant historic structures is Belmont
Gari Melchers Home

Gari Melchers Home, also known as Belmont, was the home and studio of American artist Gari Melchers in Falmouth, Virginia. It is now a historic house museum administered by University of Mary Washington....
, the home of American artist Gari Melchers
Gari Melchers

Julius Garibaldi Melchers was an United States artist. He was one of the leading American proponents of Naturalism ....
, now a historic house museum administered by University of Mary Washington
University of Mary Washington

The University of Mary Washington is a Mixed-sex education, state-funded, four-year Liberal arts colleges in the United States and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges in Fredericksburg, Virginia....
. Chatham Manor
Chatham Manor

Chatham Manor is the Georgian-style home built between 1768 and 1771 by William Fitzhugh on the Rappahannock River in Stafford County, Virginia, opposite Fredericksburg and was for many years the center of a large, thriving plantation....
, the 1771 home of William Fitzhugh
William Fitzhugh

William Fitzhugh was an American planter and statesman who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress for Virginia in 1779.He was the great-grandson of immigrant Colonel William Fitzhugh who came to Virginia in about 1671 and owned 54,000 acres when he died in 1701....
 and a Union headquarters during the Civil War, is located downstream from Falmouth, opposite the historic district of Fredericksburg. It is administered by the National Park Service
National Park Service

The National Park Service is the List of United States federal agencies that manages all List of areas in the United States National Park System, many U.S....
 as part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is a unit of the National Park Service in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and elsewhere in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, commemorating four major battles in the American Civil War....
 and now serves as park headquarters.

Geography

Falmouth is located at (38.331790, -77.461361).

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....
, Falmouth has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.4 kmē), of which, 3.1 square miles (8.1 kmē) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 kmē) of it (3.09%) is water.

Demographics

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....
 of 2000, there were 3,624 people, 1,323 households, and 997 families residing in the CDP. 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 1,155.6 people per square mile (445.6/kmē). There were 1,412 housing units at an average density of 450.3/sq mi (173.6/kmē). The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.29% White, 6.46% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.22% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.61% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, and 2.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.15% of the population.

There were 1,323 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $57,697, and the median income for a family was $66,989. Males had a median income of $39,280 versus $31,202 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
 for the CDP was $25,544. About 5.9% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents and natives


  • Moncure Daniel Conway
    Moncure Daniel Conway

    Moncure Daniel Conway , was an American abolitionist, American Unitarian Association clergyman and author.He was born of an old Virginia family in Falmouth, Virginia, Stafford County, Virginia....
    , abolitionist
    Abolitionism

    File:BLAKE10.JPGAbolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and emancipate slaves in western Europe and the Americas. The slave system aroused little protest until the 18th century, when rationalist thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment criticized it for violating the rights of man, and Quaker and other evangelical religious groups con...
  • Bazil Gordon
    Bazil Gordon

    Bazil Gordon emigrated from Scotland to United States, settling in in 1786 where he opened a small store. Gordon grew his business, exporting large amounts of tobacco from plantations along the Rappahannock River to England....
    , America's first millionaire
    Millionaire

    A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account....
    .
  • Gari Melchers
    Gari Melchers

    Julius Garibaldi Melchers was an United States artist. He was one of the leading American proponents of Naturalism ....
    , artist.


External links