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Smithfield, Virginia
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Smithfield is an incorporated town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. The population was 6,324 at the 2000 census.
hfield, first colonized in 1634, is located on the Pagan River, not far from Jamestown. The Native Americans knew this area as Warascoyak, also spelled Warrosquoyacke, meaning “point of land.”
The town, established in 1752 by Arthur Smith IV as a seaport and incorporated in 1921, is most famous for the curing and production of the Smithfield ham.
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Encyclopedia
Smithfield is an incorporated town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. The population was 6,324 at the 2000 census.
History and industry
Smithfield, first colonized in 1634, is located on the Pagan River, not far from Jamestown. The Native Americans knew this area as Warascoyak, also spelled Warrosquoyacke, meaning “point of land.”
The town, established in 1752 by Arthur Smith IV as a seaport and incorporated in 1921, is most famous for the curing and production of the Smithfield ham. The Virginia General Assembly passed a statute defining Smithfield ham by law in 1926.
There were both Revolutionary and Civil War actions in and around the town mostly due to its proximity to the James River.
Smithfield is a river town, and its life and growth were dependent on the river until the fire of 1921 which destroyed its peanut warehouses and its growing peanut businesses. The peanut trade moved to the nearby railroad town of Suffolk.
Today, Smithfield Foods, a Fortune 500 Company that owns Smithfield Packing Company and others, is the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. The company, based in Smithfield, raises 12 million and processes 20 million hogs annually.
Smithfield's Historic District boasts over 70 buildings of exceptional architectural importance, including residences of the Colonial, Federal, and Victorian periods.
Geography
Smithfield is located at (36.978767, -76.618578).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.4 square miles (27.1 km˛), of which, 9.5 square miles (24.7 km˛) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.4 km˛) of it (8.80%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,324 people, 2,438 households, and 1,830 families residing in the town. The population density is 663.8 people per square mile (256.2/km˛). There were 2,552 housing units at an average density of 267.9/sq mi (103.4/km˛). The racial makeup of the town was 67.22% White, 30.87% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.
There were 2,438 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,224, and the median income for a family was $53,906. Males had a median income of $40,845 versus $24,419 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,301. About 11.8% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under the age of 18 and 15.6% of those 65 and older.
Schools
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