Editing Fredericksburg, Virginia (section)

===20th century to present===
In the early 20th century, as the [[Jim Crow]] era continued in the South, there was widespread population movement. Many African-Americans left rural areas of the South for work and other opportunities in industrial cities of the North and Midwest in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]]. Some settled in Washington, D.C., where there were more opportunities, or further north.

War-related buildup at defense facilities for [[World War II]] added to the area's population in the 1940s. The 1960s brought renewed growth and development, fueled by the construction of [[Interstate 95]], which eased commuting and trade. By the 1970s, the city and the area had become a bedroom community for jobs in [[Northern Virginia]] and [[Washington, D.C.]] Headquarters agencies, [[lobbyists]], [[consultants]], defense and [[government contractors]], and a range of other businesses were part of the regional economy influenced by the [[U.S. government]]. The city also benefited from its relative proximity to four military installations: the [[United States Marine Corps]]' [[Marine Corps Base Quantico|Quantico Base]], the [[U.S. Army]]'s [[Fort Belvoir]], the [[U.S. Navy]]'s [[Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division|Dahlgren Surface Weapons Base]], and the [[Virginia National Guard]]'s [[Fort A.P. Hill]].

The [[University of Mary Washington]] was founded in Fredericksburg in 1908 as the ''State Normal and Industrial School for Women'', to train white women for teaching K-12 and industrial skills. Adopting the name of Mary Washington College in 1938, the college was for many years associated with the [[University of Virginia]] (then limited to white men) as a women's [[liberal arts college]]. The college officially desegregated in 1964. The college became independent of the [[University of Virginia]] and began to accept men in 1970. In 2004, the college changed its name from Mary Washington College to the University of Mary Washington. Two additional campuses for graduate and professional studies and education and research are located in [[Stafford County, Virginia|Stafford County]] and in [[King George County, Virginia|King George County]], respectively.

Musician [[Link Wray]] invented the [[power chord]] of modern rock guitar in Fredericksburg in 1958 during an improvisation of the instrumental piece [[Rumble (instrumental)|"Rumble"]], a single subsequently released by Wray & His Ray Men.<ref>{{Cite news| first=Richard |last=Harrington |title=Prophet of the Rock Guitar |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/21/AR2005112101625.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=November 22, 2005 |access-date=October 24, 2008}}</ref> This innovation became widely used by rock guitarists. In the early 21st century, the local music scene includes a wide variety of genres.

A commuter rail line&nbsp;– the [[Virginia Railway Express]]&nbsp;– was established in the 1980s, providing passage to Washington, D.C. and other cities north of Fredericksburg.

The city has become the regional healthcare center for the area. Retail, real estate, and other commercial growth exploded in the early 21st century, eventually slowing during the [[Great Recession]] beginning in 2007. Hispanic growth skyrocketed from 2011 to 2020, with Chancellor Green in nearby Spotsylvania County becoming a local enclave.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}