Pearisburg, Virginia

Town of Pearisburg, Virginia
Town
Giles County Courthouse, Confederate Memorial and cupola in Pearisburg, Virginia
Official seal of Town of Pearisburg, Virginia Seal
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Giles
Government
• Mayor	Robert Dickerson
Area
• Total	3.1 sq mi (7.9 km2)
• Land	3.1 sq mi (7.9 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,808 ft (551 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,786
	U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Population Estimates
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	24134
Area code(s)	540
FIPS code	51-61208
GNIS feature ID	1498527
Website	http://www.pearisburg.org/

Pearisburg is a town in Giles County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,786 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. Pearisburg is part of the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Pearisburg was founded in 1808 when Giles County was established. It was named after George Pearis, a local landowner who donated a 50 acre tract to be used for a town that would grow up around the county court house. Pearis had operated a ferry on the New River at a settlement called "Bluff City" which is incorporated into the present boundaries of the town of Pearisburg.

Geography

Pearisburg is located at (37.329184, -80.732490).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.1 square miles (7.9 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	285		—
1890	341		19.6%
1900	464		36.1%
1910	470		1.3%
1920	537		14.3%
1930	668		24.4%
1940	987		47.8%
1950	2,005		103.1%
1960	2,268		13.1%
1970	2,169		−4.4%
1980	2,128		−1.9%
1990	2,064		−3.0%
2000	2,729		32.2%
2010	2,786		2.1%
Est. 2014	2,699		−3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,729 people, 1,219 households, and 789 families residing in the town. The population density was 890.7 people per square mile (344.3/km²). There were 1,279 housing units at an average density of 417.5 per square mile (161.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.12% White, 2.02% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 1,219 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,720, and the median income for a family was $39,938. Males had a median income of $30,347 versus $23,482 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,412. About 11.5% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Pearisburg has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.