Colonial Beach, Virginia
Seal
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates: 38°15′14″N 76°58′8″W / 38.25389, -76.96889
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Westmoreland
Founded
Area
- Total	2.8 sq mi (7.4 km²)
- Land	2.6 sq mi (6.7 km²)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
Elevation	120 ft (36 m)
Population (2004)
- Total	3,301
- Density	1,246.7/sq mi (481.2/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	22443
Area code(s)	804
FIPS code	51-18400[1]
GNIS feature ID	1493549[2]
Website: http://www.colonialbeachva.net/

Colonial Beach is a town in Westmoreland County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,228 at the 2000 census. Possessing the second largest beach front in the state, Colonial Beach was a popular resort town in the early to mid-20th century, before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge made ocean beaches on the Eastern Shore more accessible to visitors from Washington, D.C. Because the Maryland state line ended at the "low water mark" of Virginia's Potomac River shore, from 1949^[3] to 1958^[4] Colonial Beach offered slot machines in pier casinos extending into legal Maryland waters. Colonial Beach has twice been devastated by hurricanes, Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The family of Alexander Graham Bell maintained a summer home in Colonial Beach, The Bell House which still stands today. Sloan Wilson, author of The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, retired and died in Colonial Beach. As of 2007, efforts are underway to reconstruct the nearby birthplace of President James Monroe as a museum. George Washington, the first President of the United States was born here.

Geography

Colonial Beach is located at 38°15′14″N, 76°58′8″W (38.253840, -76.968941)^[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.4 km²), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (8.80%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,228 people, 1,437 households, and 863 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,246.7 people per square mile (481.2/km²). There were 2,030 housing units at an average density of 784.0/sq mi (302.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.21% White, 16.95% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 1.64% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.38% of the population.

There were 1,437 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,711, and the median income for a family was $38,080. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $19,535 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,991.20 About 23.0% of families and 25.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.7% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

External links

• Colonial Beach, Virginia is at coordinates 38°15′14″N 76°58′08″W / 38.25384, -76.968941 (Colonial Beach, Virginia)Coordinates: 38°15′14″N 76°58′08″W / 38.25384, -76.968941 (Colonial Beach, Virginia)
• Welcome to the Town of Colonial Beach
• Colonial Beach, VA Chamber of Commerce
• Pictures of Hurricane Isabel damage.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ "Slots on Piers Evade Law In Virginia" Washington Post 7/23/49
4. ^ "Supreme Court Refuses to Review Maryland Ban on Potomac Casinos" Washington Post 2/25/59
5. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.