Quantico (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bounded by the Potomac River to the east and the Quantico Creek to the north. The word 'Quantico' is a corruption of the name of a Doeg village recorded by English colonists as Pamacocack.

Quantico is surrounded on its remaining two sides by one of the largest U.S. Marine Corps bases, Marine Corps Base Quantico. The base is the site of the HMX-1 presidential helicopter squadron, the FBI Academy, the FBI Laboratory, the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, the Officer Candidates School, The Basic School, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration training academy, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations headquarters.

Geography

Quantico is located in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. It is about 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bounded by the Potomac River to the east and the Quantico Creek to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup was 61.32% White, 20.32% African American, 10.16% Asian, 0.36% Native American, 2.32% from other races, and 5.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.53% of the population. The median income for a household in the town was $36,250.

About 22.4% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.4% of those under the age of 18.

Around 1690, a mill was built at the mouth of Quantico Creek. Scottish settlers traded in Virginia tobacco, which became a monoculture in the 17th and 18th century. They depended upon slaves. There was also a small iron industry.

Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Piedmont services, as well as the local Virginia Railway Express, all stop at Quantico station.

Stafford Regional Airport is the closest non-military airport, though the airfield exclusively serves general aviation and has no regularly scheduled commercial flights. Airports serving Washington, D.C. are the primary commercial air links for Quantico, with the closest being Reagan National Airport and the primary hub for international flights being Dulles International Airport.

Notable people

  • Robert L. Crawford Jr., actor on Laramie
  • Stuart Duncan, bluegrass musician
  • Geof Isherwood, artist
  • Shelby Lynne, musician, singer, songwriter, producer, owner of Everso Records, actress
  • Brian Shul, decorated retired USAF major, pilot of the SR-71 Blackbird, author, nature photographer, Eagle Scout
  • Roy Thomas, former pitcher for the Seattle Mariners
  • Julie S. Cabus, criminal investigator

See also

  • Langley, Virginia
  • Behavioral Analysis Unit
  • Hostage Rescue Team
  • Marine Corps Base Quantico
  • Quantico station
  • Quantico National Cemetery

References

  • Town of Quantico (Town has not paid for renewal, link is not working)