Editing Wytheville, Virginia

{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Wytheville, Virginia
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|website                  = {{URL|http://wytheville.org}}
|image_skyline            = WythevilleMainStreet.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Main Street in Wytheville
|image_flag               = Flag of Wytheville, Virginia.png
|image_seal               = Seal of Wytheville, Virginia.png
|image_map                = VAMap-doton-Wytheville.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         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Virginia]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Wythe County, Virginia|Wythe]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Beth A. Taylor<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wytheville.org/town-council-members|title=Town Council Members |publisher=Town of Wytheville |access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref>
|established_date         = 
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_sq_mi         = 14.58
|area_land_sq_mi          = 14.49
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.09
|area_water_percent       = 
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_total         = 8265
|population_metro         = 28,290
|population_note          = U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census
|population_density_sq_mi = 570.4
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset = &minus;5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST = &minus;4
|coordinates              = {{coord|36|56|52|N|81|05|13|W|region:US-VA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_ft             = 2287
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 24382
|area_code                = [[Area code 276|276]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 51-88000<ref name="GR2" />
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1498537<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                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 2022
|pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2022"/>
|population_est = 8177
|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 = 37.77
|area_land_km2 = 37.53
|area_water_km2 = 0.24
|population_density_km2 = 211.07
}}
'''Wytheville''' ({{IPAc-en|'|w|ɪ|θ|v|ɪ|l}} {{Respell|WITH|vil}}) is a town in and the county seat of [[Wythe County, Virginia|Wythe County]], [[Virginia]], United States. It is named after [[George Wythe]], a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]] and mentor to [[Thomas Jefferson]]. Wytheville's population was 8,264 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref>  Interstate Highways [[Interstate 77 in Virginia|77]] and [[Interstate 81 in Virginia|81]] were constructed to intersect at the town.

During the American Civil War, Wytheville had a strategic importance. It was attacked in 1863 ([[Toland's Raid]]) and 1865 ([[Stoneman's 1865 Raid]]).  The town is the birthplace of [[Edith Wilson|Edith Bolling Wilson]], second wife of President [[Woodrow Wilson]].

==History==
[[File:Historical Collections of Virginia - Wytheville.jpg|thumb|left|Wytheville {{Circa|1845}}]]
Wythe County was created in 1789 and named for [[George Wythe]], the "father of American Jurisprudence" and signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. In May 1790, Chris Simmerman donated 85 acres, Robert Williams II donated 50 acres, and John Davis donated 10 acres to establish a town and county seat. Robert Adams completed a town survey in November of that year, dividing the area into half-acre lots. The town did not have an official name yet, but was generally known as Wythe Court House.<ref name="wch"/>

Two years later, in October 1792, the town was officially named Evansham, for prominent local citizen Jesse Evans. After a disastrous fire in March 1839, the town was renamed Wytheville. At that time, it was home to about 500 residents.<ref name="wch">{{cite web | url=http://www.wythecogha.org/pages/home.php | title=Wythe County History | publisher=Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association | access-date=April 28, 2014}}</ref>

===Lynching of Raymond Byrd===
{{Main|Lynching of Raymond Byrd}}
In 1926, the last documented [[Lynchings in the United States|lynching]] in Virginia took place here, when [[Lynching of Raymond Byrd|Raymond Byrd]], an African-American man, was murdered by a large group of masked and costumed men while under arrest in the local jail.  Byrd was accused of raping or assaulting the three white daughters of Grover Grubb, his employer.  The two older sisters, both of whom bore Byrd's children, were of age and revealed that the relationship was consensual and thus did not constitute a crime. He was, however, eventually arrested on the accusation that he assaulted the minor daughter.  Byrd was shot and killed by the mob while he was in his jail cell. Then his dead body was dragged a few miles behind a truck, placed in the boot of a car, and then hanged from a tree on Charley Brown's land near St. Paul Lutheran Church.<ref name="smith">[https://books.google.com/books/about/Managing_White_Supremacy.html?id=dQ2bRvKy2pkC J. Douglas Smith, ''Managing White Supremacy: Race, Politics, and Citizenship in Jim Crow Virginia''], University of North Carolina Press, 2002</ref>  The event provoked outrage and national coverage by newspapers.<ref name="newsleader"/>

Byrd's death was a catalyst for Virginia's passing an anti-lynching law in 1928, largely because of a campaign led by [[Louis I. Jaffé]], editor of the ''[[Norfolk Virginian-Pilot]]''. It was supported by Governor [[Harry Flood Byrd Sr.]], who linked the bill to his efforts to attract new businesses to the state.<ref name="newsleader">[https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2016/05/16/shameful-chapter-virginia-history-lynchings/84470508/ Sterling Giles, "Shameful chapter in Virginia history: Lynchings"], ''News-Leader'', May 16, 2016; Accessed March 15, 2018</ref><ref name="smith"/>

===Polio epidemic===
A few cases of [[poliomyelitis|polio]] during the summer of 1950 swelled into an epidemic of hundreds. It was known to cause infantile and even adult paralysis. Of the 5,513 inhabitants of the town,<ref>U.S. Department of Commerce, "Characteristics of the Population," Census of Population: 1950, vol. 2, part 46 (Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1953)</ref> 184 people contracted the disease, resulting in 17 fatalities.<ref>J. Robert Anderson, ed., Virginia Health Bulletin 3, no. 12, series 2 (Richmond, VA: Virginia State Department of Health, April 1951)</ref> From the beginning of June until the end of August, parents kept children inside, and large gatherings were cancelled to diminish the chance of infection.<ref>{{cite journal|first= Albert Q.|last= Maisel|title=Wytheville's Message: Don't Be Afraid of Polio|journal= Look Magazine|volume= 15|number= 14 |date=July 3, 1951|pages= 67–74}}</ref>

As the epidemic progressed, ambulances drove victims approximately {{convert|80|mi}} to Memorial Crippled Children's Hospital in [[Roanoke, Virginia]]. Hearses from local [[funeral home]]s were used when ambulances were unavailable. [[African-American]] patients with polio were repeatedly denied admission to Roanoke's hospital and were forced to drive approximately {{convert|180|mi}} to St. Philip's Hospital in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], the closest hospital to serve blacks.<ref name=Logan>{{cite book|first=Linda|last= Logan|title= A Summer Without Children: An Oral History of Wythe County, Virginia's 1950 Polio Epidemic|location=Wytheville, VA|publisher= Town of Wytheville Department of Museums|year= 2005}}</ref>

The Town Council erected billboards at all five entrances to the county, warning potential visitors of the epidemic and urging tourists to return the following year. By the end of the summer, all five billboards were stolen or demolished. Though the Town Council offered a reward for information, no one came forward.<ref name=Logan/><ref>{{cite news|title=$100 Reward Says Council, Conviction of Person, Persons Tearing Down Signs|newspaper= Southwest Virginia Enterprise|date=August 1, 1950}}</ref>

===Historic sites===
The [[Crockett's Cove Presbyterian Church]], [[Haller-Gibboney Rock House]], [[Loretto (Wytheville, Virginia)|Loretto]], [[St. John's Episcopal Church (Wytheville, Virginia)|St. John's Episcopal Church]], [[St. John's Lutheran Church and Cemetery]], [[Wythe County Poorhouse Farm]], and [[Wytheville Historic District]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Wytheville is located at {{coord|36|56|52|N|81|5|13|W|type:city}} (36.947679, −81.086955).<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>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|37.0|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.1|km2|sigfig=1|abbr=on|order=flip}} (0.14%) is water.

Wytheville is an important point on both [[I-77]] and [[I-81]] and lies amidst a [[wrong-way concurrency]] of I-77 and I-81. It is located about halfway between [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]], [[Tennessee]]/[[Bristol, Virginia|Virginia]] and [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]]. On the I-77 corridor, it is located about halfway between [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]], [[West Virginia]] and [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. The nearby community of [[Fort Chiswell]] is the [[control city]] for the northbound traffic on I-77 coming from Charlotte, [[Statesville, North Carolina|Statesville]], [[Elkin, North Carolina|Elkin]], and [[Mount Airy, North Carolina]]. In the near future, [[Interstate 74]] will go through Wytheville in addition to the two other interstates.
[[File:WythevilleWaterTower.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Wytheville's hot air balloon-themed water tower, inspired by the town's yearly Chautauqua Festival balloon launches, can be seen by I-81 travellers near the I-77 interchange.]]

Due to the confluence of I-77, I-81, and several [[U.S. Highways]] and its location in the foothills of the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], Wytheville is known as "The Hub of Southwest Virginia" and "The Crossroads of the Blue Ridge".

=== Climate ===
Due to its elevation, the climate of Wytheville is either classified as [[oceanic climate|mountain temperate]] or [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfb'' or ''Cfa'', respectively), and the town straddles the border between [[Hardiness zone|USDA Plant Hardiness Zone]]s 6B and 7A.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/ZoneInfo.cfm?ZipCode=24382&submit=Look+it+up%21|title=What is my arborday.org Hardiness Zone?|publisher= The Arbor Day Foundation|access-date= November 11, 2013
}}</ref> Summers are warm and humid, although significantly cooler than low-elevation places within the state, with only 4.6 days of {{convert|90|°F|0}}+ highs annually, and winters are generally cool to cold, with occasional intervening warm periods and 11 nights of sub-{{convert|10|°F|0}} lows. Monthly mean temperatures range from {{convert|32.9|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|71.7|°F|1}} in July. Snowfall averages {{convert|20.5|in|cm|0}} per season and generally occurs from December to March.

{{Weather box
|location = Wytheville, Virginia, elev. {{convert|2458|ft|m|}} (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 78
|Feb record high F = 78
|Mar record high F = 83
|Apr record high F = 88
|May record high F = 91
|Jun record high F = 98
|Jul record high F = 98
|Aug record high F = 98
|Sep record high F = 97
|Oct record high F = 90
|Nov record high F = 80
|Dec record high F = 76
|year record high F = 98
|Jan high F = 42.2
|Feb high F = 45.9
|Mar high F = 54.0
|Apr high F = 64.5
|May high F = 72.5
|Jun high F = 79.3
|Jul high F = 82.8
|Aug high F = 81.8
|Sep high F = 76.5
|Oct high F = 66.6
|Nov high F = 55.5
|Dec high F = 45.8
|year high F = 63.9
|Jan mean F = 32.9
|Feb mean F = 35.7
|Mar mean F = 42.6
|Apr mean F = 51.9
|May mean F = 60.5
|Jun mean F = 68.0
|Jul mean F = 71.7
|Aug mean F = 70.6
|Sep mean F = 64.6
|Oct mean F = 53.7
|Nov mean F = 43.2
|Dec mean F = 36.2
|year mean F = 52.6
|Jan low F = 23.5
|Feb low F = 25.6
|Mar low F = 31.2
|Apr low F = 39.2
|May low F = 48.5
|Jun low F = 56.7
|Jul low F = 60.6
|Aug low F = 59.5
|Sep low F = 52.8
|Oct low F = 40.7
|Nov low F = 31.0
|Dec low F = 26.6
|year low F = 41.3
|Jan record low F = −20
|Feb record low F = −9
|Mar record low F = 0
|Apr record low F = 12
|May record low F = 23
|Jun record low F = 30
|Jul record low F = 39
|Aug record low F = 35
|Sep record low F = 25
|Oct record low F = 12
|Nov record low F = 2
|Dec record low F = −13
|year record low F = -20
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.16
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.88
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.60
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.75
|May precipitation inch = 4.30
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.06
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.22
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.63
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.36
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.92
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.62
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.18
|year precipitation inch = 41.68
|Jan snow inch = 5.9
|Feb snow inch = 4.9
|Mar snow inch = 2.9
|Apr snow inch = 0.5
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.4
|Dec snow inch = 3.8
|year snow inch = 18.4
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 11.1
|Feb precipitation days = 10.8
|Mar precipitation days = 11.9
|Apr precipitation days = 12.0
|May precipitation days = 13.5
|Jun precipitation days = 12.8
|Jul precipitation days = 12.4
|Aug precipitation days = 11.1
|Sep precipitation days = 9.9
|Oct precipitation days = 9.0
|Nov precipitation days = 9.2
|Dec precipitation days = 11.3
|year precipitation days = 135.0
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 2.8
|Feb snow days = 2.5
|Mar snow days = 1.5
|Apr snow days = 0.3
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.4
|Dec snow days = 2.1
|year snow days = 9.6
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= nws>
{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rnk
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 1, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00449301&format=pdf
| title = Station: Wytheville, VA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 1, 2021}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 1111
|1870= 1671
|1880= 1885
|1890= 2570
|1900= 3003
|1910= 3054
|1920= 2947
|1930= 3327
|1940= 4653
|1950= 5513
|1960= 5634
|1970= 6069
|1980= 7135
|1990= 8038
|2000= 7804
|2010= 8211
|2020=8265
|estyear=2022
|estimate=8177
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/wythevilletownvirginia/PST045223|date=March 18, 2024|title=Census QuickFacts|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 18, 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 2020 [[census]],
<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |title=2020 United States Census |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Wytheville%20town,%20Virginia&y=2020 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=19 March 2024}}</ref>
<!--I'm unfamiliar with what etiquette is for citing databases, my apologies if this is not up to standard-->
there were 8,264 people, residing in the town. The [[population density]] was 570.4 people per square mile (211.07/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 86.3% [[White Americans|White]] (85.9% [[non-Hispanic white]]), 6.7% [[African American|Black or African American]] (6.6% non-[[Black Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic black]]), 0.4% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 1.1% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.01% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.1% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 4,299 housing units at an average density of 296.7 units per square mile (113.8/km<sup>2</sup>), containing 3,922 households. There were 2,102 (53.6%) family households. 22.7% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.3% were [[cohabitating]] couples living together, 38% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.% had a male householder with no partner present. 40.8% of all households consisted of single individuals living alone. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.9.

In total 19.5% of the population was under the age of 18 and 25.3% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 87 males.

In the period of 2018-2022, the Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $39,459, while the mean income was $66,606. For family households, the median income was $75,964 while the mean income was $95,921. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $33,813. 27.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 39.7% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

[[File:WythevilleVACourthouse.jpg|thumb|The courthouse in Wytheville, Virginia.]]

==Media==
WYVE 1280 on the AM dial signed on in 1949. In August 2018, WYVE acquired FM translator dial position 99.9 FM. Blue Ridge Media Partners owns WYVE and its sister stations WXBX and WLOY, with towers in Wythe County and studio space adjacent to downtown Wytheville. Wytheville is also served by the newspapers the ''[[Wytheville Enterprise]]'' and the ''SWVA Sun''.

==Places of interest==

* Hitachi Energy Arena, a 3,600-seat arena home to the [[Blue Ridge Bobcats]] of the [[Federal Prospects Hockey League]].
* The [[Edith Bolling Wilson]] Birthplace 
* [[Big Walker Lookout]] Tower, a 100-foot observation tower located 12 miles to the north of Wytheville 
*The town is home to the [[Chautauqua]] Festival, held the third weekend in June every year since 1985. The festival features live concerts, [[stage magic]], arts and crafts, [[hot air ballooning]], dance, children's activities, and diverse carnival-style food. The presence of the hot air balloons for the yearly festival inspired the balloon-themed painting of the town's water tower, visible to I-81 travellers near the I-77 interchange.  The festival is held at Elizabeth Brown Memorial Park and is co-sponsored by the county, town, and the Wythe Arts Council.<ref>Fussell, pg. 92</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chautauqua Festival - Wytheville, Virginia|url=http://www.wythevillefestival.org/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140822005056/http://www.wythevillefestival.org/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 22, 2014|access-date=August 22, 2014}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[David French Boyd]], president of [[Louisiana State University|LSU]], 1877–1880; 1884–1886, born in Wytheville in 1834
* [[William Gibson]], writer, spent much of his childhood there
* [[William Nauns Ricks]], poet   
* [[E. Lee Trinkle]], Governor of Virginia
* [[James A. Walker|James Walker]], Lt. Governor of Virginia; Confederate General
* [[Edith Wilson]], second wife of President [[Woodrow Wilson]]
* [[Robert E. Withers]], former U.S. Senator, Lt. Governor of Virginia, first American Ambassador to China

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
|author=Fussell, Fred C.
|id=080785459X
|publisher=North Carolina Folklife Institute
|title=Blue Ridge Music Trails: Finding a Place in the Circle
|year=2003}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Wytheville, Virginia}}
* [http://www.visitwytheville.com/ Visit Wytheville] (Visitor's guide, history, and other resources)

{{Wythe County, Virginia}}
{{Virginia towns}}
{{Virginia}}
{{Virginia county seats and independent cities}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wytheville, Virginia|*]]
[[Category:21st-century Chautauquas]]
[[Category:Towns in Wythe County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Towns in Virginia]]
[[Category:County seats in Virginia]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 11]]
[[Category:Southwest Virginia]]