Editing Rural Retreat, Virginia

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Town of Rural Retreat, Virginia
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|website                  = {{URL|http://townofruralretreat.com}}
|image_skyline            = RR Depot.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = [[Rural Retreat Depot|Former railroad depot]]
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = Rural_Retreat_Seal.PNG
|image_map                = VAMap-doton-RuralRetreat.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in the Commonwealth of [[Virginia]]
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Virginia|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Virginia]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Wythe County, Virginia|Wythe]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Timothy G. Litz
|established_date         = 
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_sq_mi         = 2.28
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.28
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
|area_water_percent       = 
|population_as_of         = [[2010 United States Census|2010]]
|population_total         = 1483
|population_metro         = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 2019
|pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2019CenPopScriptOnlyDirtyFixDoNotUse"/>
|population_est           = 1448
|population_density_sq_mi = 636.20
|population_note          = U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Population Estimates
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|EST]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|coordinates              = {{coord|36|53|36|N|81|16|34|W|region:US-VA|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_ft             = 2513
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 24368
|area_code                = [[Area code 276|276]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 51-69456<ref name="GR2" />
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1486817<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
|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 = 5.90
|area_land_km2 = 5.89
|area_water_km2 = 0.00
|population_density_km2 = 245.66
}}
'''Rural Retreat''' is a town in [[Wythe County, Virginia|Wythe County]], [[Virginia]], United States. The population was 1,483 at the 2010 census.

==History==
Rural Retreat was originally named Mount Airy. The name was changed because of confusion with other communities named Mount Airy.<ref name="MountAiryMeet">{{multiref|{{cite web
|title=Rural Retreat times (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918
|publisher=U.S. Library of Congress
|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/sn95079025/
|access-date=April 14, 2025}};|{{cite web
|title=[Map of part of Wythe County, Va.]. [See left side of map]
|publisher=
|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2002627473/
|access-date=April 14, 2025}};|{{cite web
|title=The Town of Rural Retreat Virginia - History
|publisher=Town of Rural Retreat
|url=https://www.townofruralretreat.com/community/history.php
|access-date=April 14, 2025}}}}</ref> The community is located between [[Marion, Virginia|Marion]] and [[Wytheville, Virginia|Wytheville]] near the railroad line. During the 19th century, when the railroad was named [[Virginia and Tennessee Railroad]], it had a Mount Airy depot.<ref name="MapVAnMDnETN">{{Cite map
|author = J.H. Colton
|year = 1861
|title = J.H. Colton's Topographical Map of Virginia, Maryland & eastern Tennessee: & Part of Adjoining States.
|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/lva0000090/
|location = New York City
|publisher = Lang & Laing Lith.
|accessdate=April 11, 2025}}</ref>

The [[Kimberling Lutheran Cemetery]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1980; the [[Rural Retreat Depot]] was listed in 2014.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of 2.2&nbsp;square miles (5.8&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 286
|1920= 463
|1930= 436
|1940= 440
|1950= 478
|1960= 413
|1970= 872
|1980= 1083
|1990= 972
|2000= 1350
|2010= 1483
|estyear=2019
|estimate=1448
|estref=<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>
|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">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,350 people, 570 households, and 399 families living in the town. The [[population density]] was 600.6 people per square mile (231.7/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 629 housing units at an average density of 279.8 per square mile (107.9/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 98.52% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.37% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.30% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.15% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.37% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.30% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.37% of the population.

There were 570 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,141, and the median income for a family was $41,776. Males had a median income of $27,198 versus $21,128 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $15,993. About 7.7% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.
<!-- Missing image removed: [[Image:Dr Pepper Can.jpg|right|225px|thumb|The [[Dr Pepper]] company claims that the original "Dr. Pepper's Drug Store" was located in Rural Retreat, Virginia.  The store/pharmacy has since burned down and was not rebuilt.]] -->

==Notable people==
*[[Doris Crouse-Mays]], labor leader
*[[William N. Doak]], third [[United States Secretary of Labor]]
*Dr. [[Charles T. Pepper]], claimed as namesake of the drink "[[Dr Pepper]]"
*[[Deacon Phillippe]], [[major league baseball]] pitcher<ref name="The Baseball Encyclopedia">{{cite book |editor= Reichler, Joseph L. |title= The Baseball Encyclopedia |orig-year= 1969 |edition= 4th |year= 1979 |publisher= Macmillan Publishing |location= New York |isbn= 0-02-578970-8 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/baseballencyclop00reic }}</ref>
*[[Pamela Stafford]], model, fashion designer and artist

==References==
<references/>

==External links==

{{Wythe County, Virginia}}

[[Category:Towns in Wythe County, Virginia]]