Colonial Heights is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,170. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Colonial Heights (along with the City of Petersburg) with Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes.
Colonial Heights is located in the Tri-Cities area of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
History
Like much of eastern Virginia at contact, the site of Colonial Heights was governed by the Powhatan Confederacy, ruled by Chief Powhatan, when the English colonists arrived at Jamestown on May 14, 1607. Captain John Smith's early map of Virginia testifies that the present area of Colonial Heights included the principal town of the Appamattuck tribe, led by their Weroance, Coquonasum, and his sister, Oppussoquionuske. In the aftermath of the confederacy's attacks in 1622 and 1644, the Appamattuck became tributary to England and relocated to nearby Ettrick, and its opposite bank, near Fort Henry (within modern-day Petersburg, Virginia).
The area including present-day Colonial Heights was made a part of "Henrico Cittie", one of 4 huge "incorporations" formed in the Virginia Colony in 1619 by the London Company. English colonists first settled in the Colonial Heights area in 1620. A small group sailed up the Appomattox River looking for clear land, and finally settled in an area where Swift Creek runs into the Appomattox River, which they named Conjurer's Neck. This confluence was formerly the residence of a Native American healer (known as a "conjurer") who was thought to have cast spells over the waters.
Shortly thereafter, Charles Magnor registered the first land patent in the area for , which he later developed into a plantation before selling it in 1634. That same year, by order of King Charles I of England, the Virginia Colony was divided into the 8 original shires of Virginia by the House of Burgesses, one of which was Henrico County, which included the future land of Colonial Heights.
In 1635, the English had a small town called Appamattucks near the "Old Towne" Creek, thought to be located near the intersection of Temple Avenue and Dimmock Parkway.Progress Index article, May 13, 2007 Also in that year, Captain Henry Fleet and Francis Poythress built a small fort nearby, on "Fleet's Hill" just west of the current city, now occupied by the campus of Virginia State University.
During the period from 1677 to 1685, one of the area's historic landmarks was constructed with the building of the Old Brick House. Richard Kennon came to Virginia prior to 1670 and became a merchant of Bermuda Hundred. He represented Henrico County in the House of Burgesses. His son, Richard Kennon, Jr., was also a member of the House of Burgesses and married the daughter of Col. Robert Bolling, the emigrant, and his second wife, the former Anne Stith. Richard's sister, Mary Kennon, was married to Major John Fairfax Bolling, half-brother of Richard's wife. Major Bolling was the son of Col. Robert Bolling and his first wife Jane Rolfe, who was granddaughter of the early colonist John Rolfe and his Native American wife, Pocahontas. The Bollings lived at Cobb's, a plantation in eastern Chesterfield near Point-of-Rocks.
The plantation house built by Richard Kennon (later known as the "Brick House") is now thought to be the oldest permanent structure in Colonial Heights. One wall of the house survived a fire in 1879, and the rest was rebuilt.
In 1749, an area south of the James River was divided from Henrico County by the House of Burgesses and named Chesterfield County. The area which became Colonial Heights was to remain in Chesterfield County for almost 200 more years, until 1948.
The name "Colonial Heights” comes from the American Revolutionary War. In May 1781, Continental Army troops under the General Marquis de Lafayette advanced south from Richmond and deployed artillery on the heights overlooking Petersburg from across the Appomattox River. Legend indicates that an English soldier stationed in Petersburg, upon seeing Lafayette’s troops across the river, exclaimed, “Look! There are the Colonials, up on the Heights!” The area thereafter came to be known as "Colonial Heights", and the name was given to a subdivision of the Oak Hill tract in 1906.
A historic site, Oak Hill, on Carroll Avenue, also called Archer's, Hector's, or Dunn's Hill, consisted of two one-story weatherboarded structures connected by a deep inside porch that extends from an uncovered section toward the street. From the lawn of this house, in May 1781, General Lafayette — with cannon behind a boxwood hedge that still fringes the hill — shelled Petersburg, then occupied by British troops under Major-General William Phillips (who died of typhoid during this bombardment).
The area also became involved in operations during the American Civil War. General Robert E. Lee made his headquarters at Violet Bank from June through September during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864.
In 1926, Colonial Heights became an incorporated town in Chesterfield County. Originally seeking to be annexed by the City of Petersburg, in the face of overwhelming public support, a judge's ruling instead saw Colonial Heights designated an incorporated town.
It was incorporated as a city in 1948; under Virginia law, it separated from Chesterfield County and became an independent city. Its current charter was granted in 1960. From 1960 to 1970, Colonial Heights experienced a period of rapid growth as the population jumped from 9,587 to 15,097.
In the mid-1980s, completion of the State Route 144 (Temple Avenue Connector) and a new bridge across the Appomattox River provided access to State Route 36 near Fort Lee. The new road and bridge effectively opened a large previously isolated tract of land along the southeastern edge of the city for commercial development. There, the regional Southpark Mall and many other retail businesses and offices were built.
On August 6, 1993, an F4 tornado (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) passed through Colonial Heights. It caused extensive damage to the Southpark Mall and collapsed the roof of an old Wal-Mart (now Sam's Club) store. It also did extensive damage in Petersburg and Hopewell. In the Tri-Cities area, the tornado killed four people (three in Wal-Mart and one in Prince George), injured 246, and caused an estimated $50 million in property damage.
On April 28, 2008, an EF1 tornado (max. wind speeds 86-110 mph) produced a near long, though discontinuous, path through Colonial Heights. The tornado first touched down near the Colonial Heights Middle School football field, damaging the field clubhouse roof, then causing roof damage and spill onto I-95 from Medallion Pool business. The tornado then jumped I-95 and touched down again in the Dimmock Square Shopping Center. Several cars were flipped and piled in the parking lot of a strip mall (which had extensive roof damage) that is less than a tenth of a mile from the site of the old Walmart which was destroyed by an F4 tornado on August 6, 1993. The tornado then continued across Temple Avenue, causing tree and roof damage in the neighborhood near Fine Drive and Puddledock Road (in Prince George County) before lifting for good. The tornado injured 21 and caused an estimated $10 million in property damage.
Historical attractions
Three area attractions with historic roots are Violet Bank and Swift Creek Mill. There are also several parks in the area, including Fort Clifton Park, Dimmock Boat landing, and White Bank Park.
Geography According to The Comparative Guide to American Suburbs, Colonial Heights's elevation is 95 feet.
Colonial Heights is located at (37.262257, -77.402728).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and of it (3.7%) is water.
Colonial Heights is located on the Appomattox River and north of the modern-day City of Petersburg at the river's fall line. It is located south of Chesterfield County (practically surrounded by it except for a south border with Petersburg); in some areas, Swift Creek divides the city from the county.
Adjacent county / Independent city Chesterfield County – west, north, southeast (Appomattox River islands) Petersburg – south Prince George County – east Hopewell – north
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Colonial Heights city, Virginia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)16,06915,39814,92014,02012,40997.33%95.85%88.30%80.52%68.29%Black or African American alone (NH)521281,0431,7322,8480.31%0.80%6.17%9.95%15.67%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)19322963320.12%0.20%0.17%0.36%0.18%Asian alone (NH)2213424535705691.34%2.13%2.68%3.27%3.13%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census14813xx0.08%0.05%0.07%Other race alone (NH)2131214850.13%0.02%0.07%0.08%0.47%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census152330938xx0.90%1.90%5.16%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1271612746741,2760.77%1.00%1.62%3.87%7.02%Total16,50916,06416,89717,41118,170 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Colonial Heights had a population of 18,170. The median age was 41.6 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.2 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 7,633 households in Colonial Heights, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.4% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 8,147 housing units, of which 6.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 12,652 69.6% Black or African American 2,915 16.0% American Indian and Alaska Native 42 0.2% Asian 579 3.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 13 0.1% Some other race 542 3.0% Two or more races 1,427 7.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,276 7.0%
2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 17,411 people living in the city of Colonial Heights. Of those 17,411 people, 76.2% of them were white, 16% were African American, 4.1% were Asian, and 5.9% were Hispanic. The population density of the city was recorded as 2315.3 people per square mile.
2012 educational attainment According to The Comparative Guide to American Suburbs, in 2012 88.3% of people living in Colonial Heights above the age of 25 have a high school diploma of GED.
Out of the adults 25+ living in Colonial Heights that same year, 20.7% have a bachelor's degree or higher and 6.9% have a masters or higher.
2012–2016 American Community Survey There were 7,735 housing units measured during the years 2012-2016 within the city limits. There were 7,206 households residing in those housing units, of which the average family per household during the same years, 2012–2016, was 2.41.
2000 census