Outdoor Advertising Billboards for Rent in Staunton, VA

Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,853 as of the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Augusta County. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Staunton (along with nearby Waynesboro) with Augusta county for statistical purposes. The city was originally named Beverley's Mill Place and was the westernmost courthouse in British North America prior to the American Revolution. The city was re-named Staunton after Lady Rebecca Staunton, the wife of the popular Colonial Governor William Gooch (for whom Goochland County, Virginia is named). It is known for being the birthplace of the 28th U.S. President, Woodrow Wilson and the home of Mary Baldwin College, a women's college that features a number of unique programs, including the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership and the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted. Staunton is also home to the older of the two campuses of the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. (The newer campus is in Hampton, Virginia.)

Staunton is the larger of the two principal cities of the Staunton-Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Augusta County and the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro.. The micropolitan area had a combined population of 108,988 at the 2000 census.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,853 people, 9,676 households, and 5,766 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,210.3 people per square mile (467.3/km²). There were 10,427 housing units at an average density of 529.1/sq mi (204.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.29% White, 13.95% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.

There were 9,676 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,941, and the median income for a family was $44,422. Males had a median income of $30,153 versus $22,079 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,161. About 7.7% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, provides service to Staunton under the Cardinal route. The route serves Staunton's downtown train station. It also serves as the closest station for Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The city is located very close to the intersection of I-81 and I-64. VA-262 provides a partial beltway around the city. US-11 passes through the city.

The nearest commercial airport is Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave, Virginia.

Healthcare

Staunton is home to two medical facilities:

• Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents (formerly the DeJarnette Center) psychiatric facility
• Western State Hospital (Virginia) psychiatric facility

Notable natives and residents

• John Brown Baldwin (1820—1873). Noted Staunton legislator and civic booster who met with President Abraham Lincoln in 1860 to try to find a way to avoid the coming Civil War.

• Mary Julia Baldwin (1829—1897), guided the Augusta Female Seminary in Staunton through the Civil War, keeping the school open when most similar institutions in the South folded. The school was renamed in her honor and is today Mary Baldwin College.

• Alexander Hart (1839-1911). A major in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.

• Francis Collins, born in Staunton, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

• Joseph DeJarnette (1866—1953). Lived in Staunton. Notable mid-20th century psychiatrist and eugenicist.

• Abraham Emmett, born in Staunton, father of Daniel Emmett, who would write the Southern anthem "Dixie".

• Dave Fultz, born in Staunton, Major League Baseball player

• John Greene, 1891-1975, notable for being the first American doughboy to be decorated for heroism after the United States entered World War I. He was decorated for his actions on March 1, 1918, in France, in which he single-handedly repulsed a German attack on American trenches.

• William Haines (1900—1973), born in Staunton, MGM film actor and interior designer.

• Wade H. Haislip (1889—1971), was born in Woodstock, Virginia and reared in Staunton. He became a United States Army four star general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1949 to 1951.

• Virginia Hammond (1893—1972), Vitagraph Studios film actress and stage star.

• John Harman (1824—1874). Born near Waynesboro, Virginia but spent most of his adult life in Staunton. Became most famous as the profane, volatile quartermaster for Confederate Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jackson during the American Civil War.

• John N. Hendren, Augusta County attorney and judge who served as the second Treasurer of the Confederate States of America

• Thomas D. Howie (1908—1944), teacher at Staunton Military Academy who died leading the liberation of Saint-Lô during World War II

• Jacob "Jack" Manch (1918-1958), co-pilot of the April 18, 1942 bombing raid on Tokyo led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle. Manch, who made the Air Force a career, crashed and died in 1958 after guiding his disabled jet fighter away from a Las Vegas housing development.

• Jerry Lee May, 1943-1996. Born in Staunton. Major League Baseball player from 1964-1973.

• Larry Sheets, Major League Baseball player primarily with the Baltimore Orioles.

• Members of the renowned country vocal group the Statler Brothers grew up and reside in Staunton. Don Reid, Harold Reid and Phil Balsley retired to Staunton in 2002, while the fourth member of the group, Jimmy Fortune, continues his music and recording career in Nashville, Tennessee.

• Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart (1807—1853), born and reared in Staunton. U.S. Congressman, Secretary of the Interior, chairman of the Committee of Nine.

• Woodrow Wilson (1856—1924), born in Staunton, 28th President of the United States