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Mount Jackson, Virginia
Mount Jackson Town Hall, Visitor Center, Museum and Library in December 2013   Mt Jackson VA USA Historic District September 2013
Mount Jackson Town Hall, Visitor Center, Museum and Library in December 2013
Mt Jackson VA USA Historic District Sept 2013
Mt Jackson VA USA Historic District September 2013
Location of Mount Jackson, Virginia
Location of Mount Jackson, Virginia
Country United States
State Virginia
County Shenandoah
Area
 • Total 3.84 sq mi (9.93 km2)
 • Land 3.81 sq mi (9.87 km2)
 • Water 0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation
909 ft (277 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 1,994
 • Estimate 
(2019)
2,118
 • Density 555.91/sq mi (214.65/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
22842
Area code(s) 540
FIPS code 51-53992
GNIS feature ID 1498404

Mount Jackson is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,994 at the 2010 census.

For highway travelers passing by, Mount Jackson is easily identified from I-81 exit 273 by the water tower painted as a basket of apples, which was recently repainted. For those exploring off the highway, the town has history as a commercial and railroad hub in the region, with rich Civil War heritage and a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The Bauserman Farm, Meems Bottom Covered Bridge, J.W.R. Moore House, and Mount Jackson Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Mount Jackson is in the southern part of Shenandoah County, Virginia at 38°45′00″N 78°38′15″W / 38.749950°N 78.637638°W / 38.749950; -78.637638 (38.749950, -78.637638). The town is located just to the west of Short Mountain, a prominent peak of the Massanutten Mountain Ridge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 560
1870 270 −51.8%
1880 494 83.0%
1900 472
1910 479 1.5%
1920 500 4.4%
1930 575 15.0%
1940 562 −2.3%
1950 732 30.2%
1960 722 −1.4%
1970 681 −5.7%
1980 1,419 108.4%
1990 1,583 11.6%
2000 1,664 5.1%
2010 1,994 19.8%
2019 (est.) 2,118 6.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,664 people, 667 households, and 440 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,353.7 people per square mile (522.3/km2). There were 718 housing units at an average density of 584.1 per square mile (225.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 87.74% White, 0.66% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 9.68% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.12% of the population.

There were 667 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,471, and the median income for a family was $39,423. Males had a median income of $29,464 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,004. About 7.1% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.

Mount Jackson water tower - picture of basket and apples
Mount Jackson water tower

Transportation

2019-07-09 09 34 44 View south along Interstate 81 from the overpass for Virginia State Route 720 (Wissler Road) in Mount Jackson, Shenandoah County, Virginia
I-81 in Mount Jackson

The primary highway passing by Mount Jackson is Interstate 81, which continues south to southwestern Virginia and Tennessee, and north to West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. Virginia State Route 292 connects I-81 to U.S. Route 11, the original and historic Valley Turnpike which now serves as the main local road passes through downtown Mount Jackson. Rt. 11, the historic route through the Shenandoah Valley, roughly parallels I-81 and offers access to it. Virginia State Route 263 named Orkney Springs Road extends westward from US 11 in Mount Jackson, connecting to Basye resort area and the historic Orkney Springs in the mountains of westernmost Shenandoah County.

The out-of-service Norfolk Southern line in Mt. Jackson, Virginia
The out-of-service Norfolk Southern rail line in Mt. Jackson, Virginia was originally the terminus of the Manassas Gap Railroad.

Norfolk Southern has a rail line extending through Mt. Jackson, originally part of the historic Manassas Gap Railroad, that it has put out of service, lacking industrial demand. The last train traveled south from Mt. Jackson in 2014. In 2016 Norfolk Southern announced that it would no longer be maintaining the railbed, and the rail line has become overgrown with weeds and brush. Pending formal abandonment by the Norfolk Southern, a consortium of public, private and non-profit organizations based in the counties of Shenandoah and Rockingham, Virginia have come together in an exploratory group called the Shenandoah Rail Trail Partnership to seek transformation of the 38.5 mile out-of-service rail corridor from Strasburg to Broadway (including Mt. Jackson as a historic hub) into a multi-use trail.

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See also

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