Woodstock, Virginia

For the community in Northampton County, see Woodstock, Northampton County, Virginia.

Woodstock, Virginia
Town
The Woodstock Cafe and Shoppes, a typical business in the historic section of Woodstock, Virginia.
Location of Woodstock, Virginia
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Shenandoah
Government
• Type	Town Council/Mayor
Area
• Total	3.2 sq mi (8.4 km2)
• Land	3.2 sq mi (8.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	784 ft (239 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	3,952
• Density	1,216.9/sq mi (469.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	22664
Area code(s)	540
FIPS code	51-87712
GNIS feature ID	1500352

Woodstock is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It has a population of 5,097 according to the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Shenandoah County.

The Massanutten Military Academy is located in Woodstock, as is the national headquarters of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. Woodstock is also home to the River Bandits of the Valley League.

History

The town was established by charter in March 1761 as a part of what was then Frederick County. It was originally formed by a land grant from Lord Fairfax, and founded as Muellerstadt (Miller Town) in 1752 after founder Jacob Miller. The town's charter was sponsored by George Washington in Virginia's House of Burgesses. Woodstock has been the County Seat of Shenandoah County, since the County's formation in 1772.

In the late 1770s, John Muhlenberg was pastor at a Lutheran church located in the heart of Woodstock. As a famous story of Muhlenberg has it, at conclusion of his farewell sermon on January 21, 1776, Muhlenberg threw off his clerical robes to reveal an officer's uniform beneath and shouted, "there is a time to pray and a time to fight..." With that declaration, the story says he then called for volunteers to join the 8th Virginia Regiment under his command.

In 1795, the courthouse, designed by Thomas Jefferson, was built using native limestone. The courthouse, located on Main Street, is the oldest courthouse still in use west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Lantz Hall and the Shenandoah County Courthouse are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	998		—
1870	859		−13.9%
1880	1,000		16.4%
1890	1,068		6.8%
1900	1,069		0.1%
1910	1,314		22.9%
1920	1,580		20.2%
1930	1,552		−1.8%
1940	1,546		−0.4%
1950	1,816		17.5%
1960	2,083		14.7%
1970	2,338		12.2%
1980	2,627		12.4%
1990	3,182		21.1%
2000	3,952		24.2%
2010	5,097		29.0%
Est. 2014	5,226		2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,952 people, 1,685 households, and 1,029 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,216.9 people per square mile (469.5/km²). There were 1,840 housing units at an average density of 566.6 per square mile (218.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.62% White, 2.73% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.28% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.43% of the population.

There were 1,685 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,288, and the median income for a family was $38,778. Males had a median income of $25,616 versus $22,115 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,373. About 10.4% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Woodstock is located at (38.877075, -78.511521).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²), all of it land.

Transportation

• Shenandoah Valley Commuter Bus Service offers weekday commuter bus service from Northern Shenandoah Valley including Shenandoah County and Warren County to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. including Arlington County and Fairfax County. Origination points in Shenandoah County include Woodstock. Origination points in Warren County include Front Royal and Linden.

Notable people

• Robert Allen, United States Congressman from Virginia.
• Charles B. Gatewood, United States Army officer.
• John Magruder, Brigadier general in the U.S. Army, Deputy Director for Intelligence for the OSS
• Alfred C. Richmond, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.
• Jason F. Wright, Author.
• Jim Moran, Publicist.

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, Woodstock has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.