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Middleburg, Virginia

Coordinates: 38°58′6″N 77°44′15″W / 38.96833°N 77.73750°W / 38.96833; -77.73750
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Middleburg, Virginia
Town
Town of Middleburg
Aerial view of Middleburg
Aerial view of Middleburg
Motto(s): 
"Semel et Semper" ("Once and Always")
Middleburg is located in Northern Virginia
Middleburg
Middleburg
Middleburg is located in Virginia
Middleburg
Middleburg
Middleburg is located in the United States
Middleburg
Middleburg
Coordinates: 38°58′6″N 77°44′15″W / 38.96833°N 77.73750°W / 38.96833; -77.73750
Country United States
State Virginia
County Loudoun
Founded1787
Government
 • MayorBridge Littleton
Area
[1]
 • Total1.04 sq mi (2.70 km2)
 • Land1.04 sq mi (2.69 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation
486 ft (148 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total673
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
834
 • Density804.24/sq mi (310.49/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern Time Zone (ET))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
20117–20118
Area code540
FIPS code51-51448[3]
GNIS feature ID1470422[4]
Websitewww.middleburgva.gov

Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 673 as of the 2010 census. It is the southernmost town along Loudoun County's shared border with Fauquier County.

Middleburg is known as the "Nation's Horse and Hunt Capital" for its foxhunting, steeplechases, and large estates. The Middleburg Historic District, comprising the 19th-century center of town, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

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Cabin near Middleburg, Loudon, by Frances Benjamin Johnston, ca. 1930s. Photo shows African American man and woman, outdoors, standing at the corner of a house near the chimney

The town was established in 1787 by Revolutionary War officer and statesman Leven Powell. He purchased the land for Middleburg at $2.50 per acre in 1763 from Joseph Chinn, a first cousin of George Washington. It had been called "Chinn's Crossroads" and was then called Powell Town. When Leven Powell declined to have the town named after him, the town was called Middleburgh, and later, simply Middleburg. The village is located midway between the port of Alexandria[5] and Winchester, Virginia, on the Ashby Gap trading route (now followed by U.S. Route 50).

In 1863, Middleburg witnessed two skirmishes during the Gettysburg Campaign of the Civil War.

From the early 1900s, Middleburg began welcoming visitors who participated in foxhunting and steeplechasing. The village soon earned a reputation as the "Nation's Horse and Hunt Capital", attracting prominent visitors from across the U.S. Middleburg is the home of the 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) National Sporting Library research center for horse and field sports, which publishes Thoroughbred Heritage on the Internet. A new addition is being made to include an art gallery and museum.

In 1961, activists of the Civil Rights Movement pressed John F. Kennedy on local segregation issues during his residency outside town. That year, he and Jackie had rented Glen Ora.[6]

The Middleburg Historic District, comprising the 19th-century center of town, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The oldest building in town, the Red Fox Inn & Tavern,[7] was originally established in 1728 by Joseph Chinn as Chinn's Ordinary and is billed as the oldest continually operated inn in the U.S. The oldest known house still in use as a residence, "Middleburg House," was built in 1779. Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places are Benton, the Burrland Farm Historic District, Green Pastures, Huntland, Mill House, Gen. William Mitchell House, Much Haddam, Unison Historic District, and Welbourne.[8][9]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 square mile (1.5 km2), all land. The elevation is 486 feet.[10][11]

US 50 in Middleburg

Transportation

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U.S. Route 50 is the only primary highway directly serving Middleburg. US 50 continues westward from Middleburg to Winchester. Heading east, US 50 reaches Fairfax, continues on through Washington, D.C., and eventually ends in Ocean City, Maryland.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880419—
18904292.4%
1900296−31.0%
1910263−11.1%
19202837.6%
19302985.3%
1940629111.1%
19506635.4%
196076114.8%
19708339.5%
1980619−25.7%
1990549−11.3%
200063215.1%
20106736.5%
2019 (est.)834[2]23.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 632 people, 322 households, and 171 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,083.8 people per square mile (420.7/km2). There were 364 housing units at an average density of 624.2 per square mile (242.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 76.58% White, 20.25% African American, 0.16% Asian, 1.27% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.27% of the population.

There were 322 households, out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.6% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.57.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 16.9% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 72.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 71.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,625, and the median income for a family was $60,313. Males had a median income of $41,875 versus $32,708 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,643. About 6.7% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Public safety

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Middleburg is served by the Middleburg Police Department, composed of eight sworn officers and a civilian employee.[13] It is also served by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. The Middleburg Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1936, the third oldest fire department in Loudoun County. After facing numerous challenges in its final years, the fire department dissolved and turned over its operations to Loudoun County Fire-Rescue in 2015. The current Middleburg station 3 is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by career personnel from the county.

Notable people

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Newspapers

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[edit]
  • Middleburg was named as the location of the mysterious crop circles in the horror film spoof Scary Movie 3 (2003). The film shows an actual map of the Middleburg area, complete with actual surrounding towns and Route 15 pictured on the map.
  • The New Hampshire scenes in the season three "Manchester" episodes of The West Wing were filmed in Middleburg.
  • The Red Fox Inn is featured in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964) and the town's name as well as surrounding towns are mentioned over the loudspeaker in the bus station. Several horse riding scenes were also shot there. [23]

References

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  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ From Middleburg Virginia book by Kate Brenner & Genie Ford, viewed at Google Books preview page 7
  6. ^ "The Story of the Glen Ora Estate". HouseHistree.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  7. ^ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (December 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Middleburg Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  8. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  9. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/23/13 through 12/27/13. National Park Service. January 3, 2014. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  10. ^ "Middleburg, VA Maps, Facts & Figures". hometownlocator.com. January 4, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  11. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ^ "Police Department | Middleburg, VA". www.middleburgva.gov. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Jones, Charles (June 5, 2022). "John L. Dagg: Baptists' first writing theologian". The Christian Index. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  15. ^ http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/pdf/sheila_johnson_bio.pdf[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Inside John. F Kennedy's House in Virginia". January 31, 2015.
  17. ^ "Barbara Shaner Fiancee of William Von Klemperer". The New York Times. December 6, 1970.
  18. ^ "Stan Smith, the Tennis Player, Will Marry Marjory Gengler". The New York Times. August 4, 1974. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  19. ^ "Village of Flower Hill » Village History". Village of Flower Hill. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  20. ^ Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton University Press. 1971.
  21. ^ "Wendy Pepper Biography". Archived from the original on September 30, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  22. ^ "Welcome".
  23. ^ https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/m/Marnie.php#:~:text=The%20horse-riding%20scenes%20use%20the%20US%E2%80%99%20%E2%80%98Horse%20and,Virginia%2C%20about%2035%20miles%20west%20of%20Washington%20DC.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Middleburg, Virginia.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Middleburg.
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