Williamsburg | |
|---|---|
_September_2012.jpg) The Williamsburg Governor's Palace in 2012 | |
 Flag  Seal  Coat of arms | |
 Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia | |
  Williamsburg  Williamsburg | |
| Coordinates: 37°16′15″N 76°42′25″W / 37.27083°N 76.70694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| Founded | 1632 |
| Named for | William III of England[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Doug Pons |
| • Vice Mayor | Pat Dent |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.10 sq mi (23.57 km2) |
| • Land | 8.94 sq mi (23.15 km2) |
| • Water | 0.16 sq mi (0.42 km2) |
| Elevation | 82 ft (15 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 15,425 |
| • Density | 1,700/sq mi (650/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 23185-23188 |
| Area code(s) | 757, 948 |
| FIPS code | 51-86160[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1498551[5] |
| Website | williamsburgva |
Williamsburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425.[6] Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is bordered by James City County on the west and south and York County on the east.
English settlers founded Williamsburg in 1632 as Middle Plantation, a fortified settlement on high ground between the James and York rivers, and farther inland than their headquarters at Jamestown. The city functioned as the capital of the Colony and Commonwealth of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and became the center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution. The College of William & Mary, established in 1693, is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the only one of the nine colonial colleges in the South. Its alumni include three U.S. presidents as well as many other important figures in the nation's early history.
The city's tourism-based economy is driven by Colonial Williamsburg, the city's restored Historic Area. Along with nearby Jamestown and Yorktown, Williamsburg forms part of the Historic Triangle, which annually attracts more than four million tourists.[7] Modern Williamsburg is also a college town, inhabited in large part by William & Mary students, faculty and staff.
- ^ "History". City of Williamsburg. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
2020CensusP2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Williamsburg city, Williamsburg city, Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Huh, Jin (March 2002). Tourist Satisfaction with Cultural/Heritage Sites: The Virginia Historic Triangle (Thesis). Virginia Polytechnic and State University. hdl:10919/32742. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2020.