Troutdale, Virginia

Troutdale is located at 36°42′3″N 81°26′41″W (36.700963, -81.444823).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.1 km²), all land.

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Troutdale has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.[6]

Troutdale was chartered as a town by the Virginia Legislature in 1906 and remains an incorporated town with a council and mayor. The Troutdale town limit is a circle of 1 mile radius. In 1930, Carrie Wright was elected as mayor, possibly the first female mayor in Virginia.

The original 2000 census listed Troutdale with a population of 1,230, a very sharp increase from 192 in 1990. This, and the similarly anomalous figure of 30.89% African-American population, was the result of a tabulation error in which much of the population of Wise County's correctional facilities were counted as Troutdale residents. census revision

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,230 people, 79 households, and 56 families living in the town. The population density was 395.5 inhabitants per square mile (152.7/km²). There were 111 housing units at an average density of 35.7 per square mile (13.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.80% White, 30.89% African American, 0.41% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 0.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 79 households, out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,438, and the median income for a family was $45,833. Males had a median income of $24,258 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,139. About 3.2% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

The Troutdale Fire Department sponsors "Troutdale Days" on the second Saturday of August each year, including a parade, contests, entertainment, and food.

• The American writer Sherwood Anderson lived here during the summers from 1927 and full-time in his later years. His Ripshin Farm has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.[8]

• Fussell, Fred C. (2003). Blue Ridge Music Trails: Finding a Place in the Circle. North Carolina Folklife Institute. 080785459X.
• Clayton, Ed (2016). A History of Troutdale Virginia: Living In the Land of the Rhododendron, the Balsam Tree, and the Mountain Trout.
• David Combs (2014). Troutdale Boy: The story of a correctional worker from Appalachia. Waldenhouse Publishers, Inc.