Altavista, Virginia

Altavista is an incorporated town in Campbell County, Virginia, United States. The town is in the Lynchburg Metropolitan Area, and its population was 3,378 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1907 by John Edward Lane and Henry L. Lane of the Lane Company, and was chartered in September 1912.

History

Colonial Period

Pre-colonial

Prior to the colonization of Virginia, the area around what would be Altavista was inhabited by the native Saponi people, in a tribal town that was called "Sapon Town", near what is now the Staunton River. The Saponi cleared out large networks of paths through the forests to connect their villages, inadvertently enabling colonists to come through the area with ease. The more hostile Occaneechi people were also present in the area, and killed some of the first colonizers in the area. Cherokee and Iroquois people also came through the area.

Founding

In 1905, John and Henry Lane's firm, The Lane Brothers Construction Company, had been awarded a contract to build 51 kilometers of railroad between Leesville and The Mansion for the Tidewater Railway Company, which was incorporated by William Nelson Page and Henry Huttleston Rogers. This railroad would also intersect the Southern Railway.

Recognizing the excellent location for a new town, the Lane Company bought 2000 acres of land around the intersection and started planning a town named Lane's Siding.</blockquote>Between July 1908 and May 1909, the town of Lane's Siding, which (after a hat toss in one of the company bungalows

In September 1912, the town of Altavista had been incorporated

thumb|Sanborn Fire Insurance map of Altavista

Lane Home Furnishings

In March 1912, John Edward Lane had bought a small box company which had gone bankrupt in an auction for $500,

The Lane Company was most famous for their Lane cedar chests made at the original plant in Altavista. In 1992, The Lane Company's parent company, Furniture Brands International, filed for bankruptcy, and the Lane Company was slated for transfer abroad. In the summer of 2001, the last Lane Cedar Chest was manufactured, and the plant was shut down.

Government

The current mayor of Altavista is Mike Mattox, a former teacher and local businessman; the Vice-Mayor is Reggie Bennett. There are five elected members of the Town Council.

Geography

Altavista is located in southwestern Campbell County at (37.117622, −79.289632). It is bordered to the south by the Roanoke River, which forms the boundary with Pittsylvania County. The town of Hurt is directly to the south across the river.

U.S. Route 29, a four-lane expressway, forms the northern border of the town and provides access from four exits. US 29 leads north to Lynchburg and south to Danville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Altavista has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.24%, is water.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Altavista had a population of 3,378. The median age was 41.6 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 78.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 74.7 males age 18 and over.

96.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,474 households in Altavista, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.7% were married-couple households, 17.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.