Editing Colonial Beach, Virginia

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                   = Colonial Beach, Virginia
| settlement_type                 = [[Town]]
| nicknames                       = Golf Cart Town, Playground on the Potomac
| motto                           = 
| image_skyline                   = Pier at Colonial Beach.jpg
| imagesize                       = 250px
| image_caption                   = Pier and Riverboat Off Track Betting, Restaurant, and Lounge.
| image_flag                      = 
| image_seal                      = ColonialBeachTownSeal.jpg
| image_map                       = VAMap-doton-ColonialBeach.PNG
| mapsize                         = 250px
| map_caption                     = Location in the Commonwealth of [[Virginia]]
| image_map1                      = 
| mapsize1                        = 
| map_caption1                    = 
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_type1               = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[List of counties in Virginia|County]]
| subdivision_name                = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_name1               = {{flag|Virginia}}
| subdivision_name2               = [[Westmoreland County, Virginia|Westmoreland]]
| government_type                 = 
| leader_title                    = 
| leader_name                     = 
| established_title               = Founded
| established_date                = '''1892'''
| area_total_sq_mi                = 2.78
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 2.45
| area_water_sq_mi                = 0.33
| population_as_of                = [[2010 United States Census|2010]]
| population_total                = 3542
| population_density_sq_mi        = 1478.35
| timezone                        = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset                      = &minus;5
| timezone_DST                    = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = &minus;4
| coordinates                     = {{coord|38|15|N|76|58|W|region:US-VA|display=inline}}
| elevation_ft                    = 10
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code                     = 22443
| area_code                       = [[Area code 804|804]]
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                      = 51-18400<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name                     = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info                     = 1493549<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
| footnotes                       = 
| website                         = http://www.colonialbeachva.net/
| name                            = 
|pop_est_as_of = 2019
|pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2019CenPopScriptOnlyDirtyFixDoNotUse">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|date=May 24, 2020|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>
|population_est = 3619
|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_51.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_km2 = 7.21
|area_land_km2 = 6.34
|area_water_km2 = 0.86
|population_density_km2 = 570.72
}}
'''Colonial Beach, Virginia (CBVA)''' is a river and beach town located in the northwestern part of [[Westmoreland County, Virginia|Westmoreland County]] on [[Virginia]]'s [[Northern Neck]] peninsula. It is bounded by the [[Potomac River]], Monroe Bay and Monroe Creek. It is located {{convert|65|mi|km|abbr=on}} from [[Washington, D.C.]]; {{convert|70|mi|km|abbr=on}} from the state capital of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]; and 35 nautical miles from the [[Chesapeake Bay]].

Colonial Beach was named Best Virginia Beach for 2018 by ''[[USA Today]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-virginia-beach/|title=Best Virginia Beach Winners: 2018 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards|website=10Best|language=en|access-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref> In 2019, Colonial Beach was named The Nicest Place in Virginia and a finalist for Nicest Places in America by [[Reader's Digest]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rd.com/nicestplaces/the-nicest-place-in-virginia-colonial-beach/|title=The Nicest Place in Virginia: Colonial Beach|last1=Self-Sullivan|first1=Caryn|last2=Price|first2=Katrina|website=Reader's Digest|language=en-US|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref>

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 of Maryland]] more accessible to visitors from [[Washington, D.C.]] The family of [[Alexander Graham Bell]] maintained a summer home in Colonial Beach, the [[Bell House (Colonial Beach, Virginia)|Bell House]], which still stands today. [[Sloan Wilson]], author of ''[[The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (novel)|The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit]]'', retired and died in Colonial Beach. [[George Washington]], the first President of the United States, was born near here at what is now the [[George Washington Birthplace National Monument]]. {{As of|2021}}, the [[James Monroe Family Home Site]], birthplace of President [[James Monroe]], now has a replica of his birthplace.<ref>Leggitt, Richard, "Blues Fest" Brings Thousands to the Beach," The Westmoreland Journal, June 26, 2013</ref>

==History==
Judging by excavations done on oyster pits, it would seem that [[Native American tribes in Virginia|Native Americans]] have inhabited the area of modern-day Colonial Beach since at least the [[Woodland period|Early Woodland Period]] (500 B.C.- A.D. 900).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wm.edu/sites/wmcar/_documents/gouldman_osm.pdf|title=Archaeological Data Recovery at the Gouldman Oyster Shell Midden Site (44WM0304) in Westmoreland County, Virginia}}</ref>

The town area now known as ‘The Point’ was originally patented by John Lancelott and S. Lancelott [Odyer and Sturman Escheat] on October 29, 1651.<ref>David Wolfe Eaton. "Historical Atlas of Westmoreland County, Virginia" The Dietz Press, Richmond Virginia, 1942. Pages 46, 62</ref>

Colonial Beach emerged as a bathing and fishing resort in the late 19th century known as the "Playground on the Potomac." Prior to automobile travel, most visitors arrived by boat from Washington, D.C.<ref name="History">[http://www.colonialbeachva.net/history.htm Town of Colonial Beach: History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514040229/http://www.colonialbeachva.net/history.htm |date=May 14, 2008 }} at the official town website. Retrieved November 5, 2008.</ref>

The town was incorporated on February 25, 1892, and there was extensive construction of houses, summer cottages, and hotels. Arguably the most famous of these structures is the [[Bell House (Colonial Beach, Virginia)|Bell House]], built for [[Alexander Graham Bell]] as a summer home, which still stands today on Irving Avenue.<ref name="History"/>

The area was at the center of the Potomac River [[Oyster Wars]] between Virginia watermen and the [[Maryland State Oyster Police]] that lasted from the late 19th century to the 1960s.<ref name="William J. Burnham 2003. p. 136">William J. Burnham, Mary K. Burnham, Bill Burnham. ''Rediscovering America: Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia and Maryland''. Hunter Publishing, 2003. p. 136. {{ISBN|978-1-58843-319-0}}</ref>

The town began to gradually decline as the automobile made travel to more distant ocean beaches more feasible.  However, because gambling was legal in [[Maryland]] and the Maryland state line ends at the low-water mark of Virginia's [[Potomac River]] shore, from 1949<ref>"Slots on Piers Evade Law In Virginia." ''[[The Washington Post]]''. July 23, 1949.</ref> to 1958,<ref>"Supreme Court Refuses to Review Maryland Ban on Potomac Casinos." ''The Washington Post''. February 25, 1959.</ref> Colonial Beach offered [[slot machine]]s in [[pier]] [[casino]]s extending into Maryland waters.  This temporarily revitalized the town, although it was sometimes called "the poor man's Las Vegas."<ref name="William J. Burnham 2003. p. 136"/>  However, the piers burned in the 1960s in a devastating fire and the town continued to decline.<ref name="History"/>   
[[Image:ColonialBeachPier.jpg|thumb|right|Entrance to the Colonial Beach Municipal Pier]]

The town is ranked fifth-safest place to live in Virginia by Safewise.

==Geography==
Colonial Beach is located at {{coord|38|15|14|N|76|58|8|W|type:city_region:US-VA|display=inline,title}} (38.253840, −76.968941),<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> in the northwestern part of Westmoreland County in Virginia's [[Northern Neck]], {{convert|65|mi|km|abbr=on}} from [[Washington, D.C.]], and {{convert|70|mi|km|abbr=on}} from the state capital [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]].

The Potomac River forms the northeast boundary of Colonial Beach.  The southern part of the town forms a [[peninsula]] which ends just above [[Monroe Bay]] and divides Monroe Creek from the Potomac River.  A short distance north of Colonial Beach is the community of [[Potomac Beach, Virginia|Potomac Beach]] and the mouth of Rosier Creek.  Inland from Colonial Beach lie the settlements of [[Monroe Hall, Virginia|Monroe Hall]], near the birthplace of President James Monroe, and [[Maple Grove, Virginia|Maple Grove]].
[[File:Photo by Linda Cole (13928555680).jpg|alt=Downtown transportation|thumb|Golf carts in downtown Colonial Beach]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|2.8|sqmi|km2}}, of which, {{convert|2.6|sqmi|km2}} of it is land and {{convert|0.2|sqmi|km2}} of it (8.80%) is water.  The town's {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} of beaches are second in length only to those of [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]] in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

===Climate===
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Colonial Beach has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=319144&cityname=Colonial+Beach%2C+Virginia%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Colonial Beach, Virginia]</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| align = left
| 1900 = 453
| 1910 = 721
| 1920 = 1093
| 1930 = 928
| 1940 = 1105
| 1950 = 1464
| 1960 = 1769
| 1970 = 2058
| 1980 = 2474
| 1990 = 3132
| 2000 = 3228
| 2010 = 3542
| 2020 = 3908
| estyear = 2022
| estimate = 3944
| estref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-51.xlsx |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Virginia: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=April 19, 2024}}</ref>
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 3,228 people, 1,437 households, and 863 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1246.7|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}. There were 2,030 housing units at an average density of {{convert|784.0|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}. The racial makeup of the town was 79.21% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 16.95% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.09% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.62% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.64% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.49% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.38% of the population. The population was 3,542 at the 2010 census.

There were 1,437 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were [[Marriage|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.
[[File:Alexander Graham Bell's Summer Home in Colonial Beach, Virginia.JPG|alt=Summer home of Alexander Graham Bell|thumb|Alexander Graham Bell's summer home in Colonial Beach, Virginia]]
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.

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
Colonial Beach is served by [[Virginia State Route 205]], a spur of which bisects the town as [[Virginia State Route 205Y|State Route 205Y]] (Colonial Avenue).  The town is accessible by boat and is the last deepwater port for pleasure boats going north on the Potomac River.<ref>William J. Burnham, Mary K. Burnham, Bill Burnham. ''Rediscovering America: Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia and Maryland''. Hunter Publishing, 2003. p. 137. {{ISBN|978-1-58843-319-0}}</ref>

==Education==
All residential areas of the town is served by [[Colonial Beach Public Schools]],<ref name=SDMap2020>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st51_va/schooldistrict_maps/c51193_westmoreland/DC20SD_C51193.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Westmoreland County, VA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-10-25}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st51_va/schooldistrict_maps/c51193_westmoreland/DC20SD_C51193_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref><ref name=Zoningmap>{{cite web|url=https://colonialbeachva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1342/zoningmap|title=Zoning Map|publisher=Colonial Beach|access-date=2024-10-25}}</ref> a [[school division]] established in 1907. The school division operates two schools with a combined student population of about 580 as of 2024.<ref name="cbps">[https://www.cbschools.net/home Welcome to Colonial Beach School District]</ref>

There are some commercial areas within the [[Westmoreland County Public Schools]].<ref name=SDMap2020/><ref name=Zoningmap/><!--Commercial areas = pay taxes to the SD-->

==Notable people==
*[[Ed Mirvish]] – Canadian businessman and philanthropist.
*[[Sloan Wilson]] – author of ''The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit''.
* [[Torrey Smith]] – Two-time Super Bowl winning [[NFL]] player.
* [[Sherryl Woods]] – Author of the Chesapeake Shore Series of novels and Producer of Chesapeake Shores Television show <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sherrylwoods.com/biography.html |title=Sherryl Woods - the Sweet Magnolias |access-date=April 9, 2018 |archive-date=April 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409171338/http://www.sherrylwoods.com/biography.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Krystal Ball]] – Political pundit and journalist for ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]''

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.colonialbeachva.net/ Welcome to the Town of Colonial Beach]
*[http://www.visitcbva.com/ Official site for Town of Colonial Beach Tourism]
*[http://www.colonialbeach.org/ Colonial Beach Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://mutteringfool.com/journal/2003/isabel/isabel.html Pictures of Hurricane Isabel damage.]

{{Virginia towns}}
{{Westmoreland County, Virginia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Virginia]]
[[Category:Towns in Westmoreland County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Virginia populated places on the Potomac River]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1892]]
[[Category:Beaches of Virginia]]