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{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name
| settlement_type
| image_skyline
| imagesize
| image_caption
| image_flag
| image_seal
| image_map
| image_blank_emblem
| image_shield
| mapsize
| map_caption
| named_for = [[William III of England]]<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.williamsburgva.gov/488/History#:~:text=Colonial%20leaders%20petitioned%20the%20Virginia,reigning%20monarch%2C%20King%20William%20III. |website=City of Williamsburg |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref>
|
|
|
| pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
| pushpin_relief = yes
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Virginia|County]]
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Virginia]]
| government_type =
| leader_title1 = [[Mayor]]
|
| leader_title2 = [[Vice Mayor]]
|
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 1632
| area_total_sq_mi = 9.10
| area_land_sq_mi = 8.94
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.16
| population_footnotes = <ref name=2020CensusP2/>
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_total = 15425
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| pop_est_footnotes =
|
| population_est =
|
| utc_offset = −5
| timezone_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST = −4
| elevation_ft = 82
| coordinates = {{coord|37|16|15|N|76|42|25|W|region:US-VA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m = 15
| website = {{URL|https://williamsburgva.gov}}
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code = 23185-23188
|
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 51-86160<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 1498551<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212191832/http://geonames.usgs.gov/|archive-date=February 12, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
| footnotes =
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_51.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
|
|
| area_water_km2 = 0.42
| population_density_km2 = auto
}}
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'''Williamsburg''' is an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]] in [[Virginia]], United States. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], it had a population of 15,425.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Williamsburg city, Williamsburg city, Virginia|url= https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5183096395|website= [[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref> Located on the [[Virginia Peninsula]], Williamsburg is in the northern part of the [[Hampton Roads]] metropolitan area. It is bordered by [[James City County, Virginia|James City County]] on the west and south and [[York County, Virginia|York County]] on the east.
English settlers founded Williamsburg in 1632 as [[Middle Plantation (Virginia)|Middle Plantation]], a fortified settlement on high ground between the [[James River|James]] and [[York River (Virginia)|York]] rivers, and farther inland than their headquarters at [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]]. The city functioned as the capital of the [[Colony of Virginia|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 [[Southern United States|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 Settlement|Jamestown]] and [[Yorktown, Virginia|Yorktown]], Williamsburg forms part of the [[Historic Triangle]], which annually attracts more than four million tourists.<ref>{{cite thesis|url= http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32742|title=Tourist Satisfaction with Cultural/Heritage Sites: The Virginia Historic Triangle |date= March 2002|access-date= September 26, 2020|author= Huh, Jin|publisher= Virginia Polytechnic and State University|hdl=10919/32742|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120904042723/http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05142002-171010/unrestricted/Thesis.pdf|archive-date= September 4, 2012|type=Thesis |url-status= live|df= mdy-all}}</ref> Modern Williamsburg is also a [[college town]], inhabited in large part by William & Mary students, faculty and staff.
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==History==
{{Main|History of Williamsburg, Virginia|Middle Plantation (Virginia)|Colonial Williamsburg}}
===17th century===
Before English settlers arrived at [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]] to establish the [[Colony of Virginia]] in 1607, the area that would become Williamsburg formed part of the territory of the [[Powhatan Confederacy]]. By the 1630s, English settlements had grown to dominate the lower (eastern) portion of the [[Virginia Peninsula]], and Powhatan tribes had abandoned their nearby villages. Between 1630 and 1633, after the war that followed the [[Indian Massacre of 1622]], English colonists constructed a defensive palisade across the peninsula and a settlement named [[Middle Plantation (Virginia)|Middle Plantation]] as a primary guard-station along the palisade.<ref>Morgan 2004, pp. 21–22.</ref>
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A school of higher education had long been an aspiration of the colonists. An early attempt at [[Henricus]] failed after the [[Indian Massacre of 1622]]; the location at the outskirts of the developed part of the colony had left it vulnerable to attack. In the 1690s, the colonists again tried to establish a school. They commissioned Reverend [[James Blair (clergyman)|James Blair]], who spent several years in England lobbying, and finally obtained a royal charter for the desired new school. It was to be named the [[The College of William & Mary|College of William & Mary]] in honor of the monarchs of the time. When Blair returned to Virginia, the new school was founded in a safe place, Middle Plantation, in 1693. Classes began in temporary quarters in 1694, and construction soon started on the College Building, a precursor to the [[Wren Building]].
Four years later, in 1698, the rebuilt Statehouse in Jamestown burned down again, this time accidentally. The government again "temporarily" relocated to Middle Plantation, and in addition to the better climate now also enjoyed use of the college's facilities. The college students made a presentation to the House of Burgesses, and it was agreed in 1699 that the colonial capital would move to Middle Plantation permanently. A village was laid out and Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg in honor of King [[William III of England]], befitting the town's newly elevated status.
After Williamsburg's designation as the colony's capital, immediate provision was made for construction of a capitol building and for platting the city according to [[Theodorick Bland (surveyor)|Theodorick Bland]]'s survey. His design utilized the college's extant sites and the almost new [[Bruton Parish Church]] as focal points, and placed the new Capitol building opposite the college, with [[Duke of Gloucester Street]] connecting them.
[[Alexander Spotswood]], who arrived in Virginia as [[Lieutenant Governor of Virginia|lieutenant governor]] in 1710, had several ravines filled and streets leveled, and assisted in erecting additional college buildings, a church, and a magazine for the storage of arms. In 1722, Williamsburg was granted a [[royal charter]] as a "city incorporate", which is
Middle Plantation was included in [[James City Shire]] when it was established in 1634, as the colony reached a total population of approximately 5,000. (James City and Virginia's other shires changed their names a few years later; James City Shire then became known as [[James City County, Virginia|James City County]]). The middle ground ridge-line was essentially the dividing line with [[Charles River Shire]], which was renamed [[York County, Virginia|York County]] after King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] ({{reign | 1625 | 1649}}) fell out of favor with the citizens of England. As Middle Plantation (and later Williamsburg) developed, the boundaries were adjusted slightly. For most of the colonial period, the border between the two counties ran down the center of Duke of Gloucester Street.
===18th century===
For almost a century after the 1776 formation both of the Commonwealth of Virginia and of the United States, despite practical complications, the town remained divided between the two counties.
Williamsburg was the site of the first attempted [[canal]] in the United States. In 1771, [[John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore|Lord Dunmore]], who was Virginia's last [[List of colonial governors of Virginia|Royal Governor]], announced plans to connect [[College Creek|Archer's Creek]], which leads to the [[James River]], with [[Queen's Creek]], leading to the [[York River (Virginia)|York River]]. It would have formed a water route across the [[Virginia Peninsula]], but was not completed. Remains of this canal are visible at the rear of the grounds behind the [[Governor's Palace (Williamsburg, Virginia)|Governor's Palace]] in [[Colonial Williamsburg]].<ref name="grymes">{{cite web|url=http://www.virginiaplaces.org/transportation/secondworst.html|title=Second-Worst Decision of the State of Virginia?|year= 1998|access-date= February 20, 2007|author= Charles A. Grymes|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070321020524/http://www.virginiaplaces.org/transportation/secondworst.html |archive-date= March 21, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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During the war, Virginia's capital was moved again, in 1780, this time to [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] at the urging of then-[[Governor of Virginia|Governor]] [[Thomas Jefferson]], who feared Williamsburg's location made it vulnerable to a British attack. Williamsburg remained a venue for many important conventions during the war.
Williamsburg ceased to be the capital of the new Commonwealth of Virginia in 1780 and went into decline, although not to the degree of Jamestown. Another factor was travel. In the 18th and early 19th-century, transportation in the colony was largely by [[canal]]s and navigable [[river]]s. As it had been built on "high ground", Williamsburg was not sited on a major water-route, unlike many early U.S. communities. The railroads that began to be built in the 1830s also did not yet come through the city.
===19th century===
Despite Williamsburg's loss of the business activity involved in government, the College of William and Mary continued and expanded, as did the Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds. The latter became known as [[Eastern State Hospital (Virginia)|Eastern State Hospital]].
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}}</ref> allegedly to prevent Confederate snipers from using it for cover. Williamsburg underwent much damage during the Union occupation, which lasted until September 1865.{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}
[[File:Trackside at Williamsburg Transportation Center 2-03-2008.jpg|thumb|[[Williamsburg Transportation Center]], an intermodal facility located in a restored [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] station within walking distance of [[Colonial Williamsburg]]'s Historic Area, the [[College of William and Mary]], and the downtown area]]
In 1881, [[Collis P. Huntington]]'s [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (C&O) built its [[Peninsula Extension]] through the area, eventually establishing six stations in Williamsburg and the surrounding area. The Peninsula Extension was good news for the farmers and merchants of the Virginia Peninsula, and they generally welcomed the railroad, which aided passenger travel and shipping. Williamsburg allowed tracks to be placed down Duke of Gloucester Street and even directly through the ruins of the capitol building. (They were later relocated, and Collis Huntington's real-estate arm, [[Old Dominion Land Company]], donated the site to the forerunner of the [[Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities]].)
The railroad's main purpose was shipping eastbound [[West Virginia]] [[bituminous coal]] to [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]]. Using the new [[coal pier]]s, coal was loaded aboard large [[Collier (ship type)|colliers]] in the harbor of [[Hampton Roads]] for shipment to New England and to export destinations worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cohs.org/|title=Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society|access-date=July 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211050906/http://www.cohs.org/|archive-date=February 11, 2009|url-status= dead}}</ref>
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Beginning in the 1890s, C&O land agent Carl M. Bergh, a Norwegian-American who had earlier farmed in the midwestern states, realized that eastern Virginia's gentler climate and depressed post-Civil War land prices would be attractive to his fellow Scandinavians who were farming in other northern parts of the country. He began sending out notices and selling land. Soon there was a substantial concentration of relocated Americans of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish descent in the area. The location earlier known as Vaiden's Siding on the railroad just west of Williamsburg in [[James City County, Virginia|James City County]] was renamed [[Norge, Virginia|Norge]]. These citizens and their descendants found the local conditions favorable, and many became leading merchants, tradespersons, and farmers in the community. These transplanted Americans brought some new blood and enthusiasm to the old colonial capital area.
===
[[File:Williamsburgcapitol.jpg|thumb|The [[Capitol (Williamsburg, Virginia)|Capitol Building]] depicted in a silver gelatin photograph, {{Circa|1934}}]]
[[File:Colonial Williamsburg11.JPG|thumb|Colonial Williamsburg]]
[[File:Photograph of the G-7 Economic Summit in Williamsburg, Virginia (left to right) Pierre Trudeau, Gaston Thorn, Helmut... - NARA - 198538.jpg|thumb|The [[9th G7 summit]] in 1983 in front of the [[Capitol (Williamsburg, Virginia)|Historic Capitol Building]]]]
In the early 20th century, Williamsburg remained a sleepy small town. Some newer structures were interspersed with colonial-era buildings, but the town was much less progressive than Virginia's other, busier communities of similar size. Some local lore indicates that the residents liked it that way, as described in longtime [[Virginia Peninsula]] journalist, author and historian [[Parke S. Rouse Jr.]]'s work. On June 26, 1912, the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'' published an editorial that dubbed Williamsburg "[[Lotophagi|Lotusburg]]," for "Tuesday was election day in Williamsburg but nobody remembered it. The clerk forgot to wake the electoral board, the electoral board could not arouse itself long enough to have the ballots printed, the candidates forgot they were running, the voters forgot they were alive."<ref>{{cite web|url= http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG99/coe/wpa_guide/before.html|title= WPA_Guide: Colonial Williamsburg: The Corporate Town-Before|access-date=July 3, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055639/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug99/coe/wpa_guide/before.html|archive-date= March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
But even if such complacency existed, one Episcopal priest dreamed of expanding and changing Williamsburg's future to give it a new major purpose, turning much of it into a massive [[living museum]]. In the early 20th century, the Reverend Dr. [[W. A. R. Goodwin]] of Williamsburg's [[Bruton Parish Church]] championed one of the nation's largest historic restorations. Initially, Goodwin just aimed to save his historic church building. This he had accomplished by 1907, in time for the 300th anniversary of the founding of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]] in Virginia. But upon returning to Williamsburg in 1923 after serving a number of years in upstate New York, he realized that many of the other remaining colonial-era buildings were also in deteriorating condition.
Goodwin dreamed of a much larger restoration along the lines of what he had accomplished with his church. Of modest means, he sought support and financing from a number of sources before successfully attracting the interest and major financial support of [[Standard Oil]] heir and philanthropist [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] and his wife [[Abby Aldrich Rockefeller]]. Their combined efforts created [[Colonial Williamsburg]], restoring much of downtown Williamsburg and developing a {{convert|301|acre|km2|adj=on}} Historic Area celebrating the patriots and early history of
{{As of
In addition to Colonial Williamsburg, the city's railroad station was restored to become an intermodal passenger facility. In nearby James City County, the {{circa}} 1908 [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway|C&O Railway]] combination passenger and freight station at [[Norge, Virginia|Norge]] was preserved and, with a donation from [[CSX Transportation]], relocated in 2006 to a site at the Williamsburg Regional Library's Croaker Branch. Other landmarks outside the historic area include [[Carter's Grove]] and [[Gunston Hall]].
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In 1932, a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] church was built to minister to students at the [[College of William & Mary]]. [[Saint Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg#National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham|Old Saint Bede]] was made a [[national shrine]], dedicated to [[Our Lady of Walsingham]].
On October 22, 1976, the third of three debates between Republican President [[Gerald Ford]] and Democratic challenger [[Jimmy Carter]] in the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]] was held at [[Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall]] at the [[College of William & Mary]], during which both candidates, perhaps in tribute to the historic venue and the [[United States Bicentennial]] celebration, spoke of a "new spirit" in America.
The [[9th G7 summit]] took place in Williamsburg in 1983. The participants discussed the growing debt-crisis, arms control and greater cooperation between the Soviet Union and the [[G7]] (subsequently the G8). At the end of the meeting, [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[George P. Shultz]] read to the press a statement confirming the deployment of American Pershing II-nuclear missiles in West Germany later in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/|title= The Virginia Gazette: Williamsburg Breaking News |website=dailypress.com/virginiagazette|access-date=October 6, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191006233449/https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/|archive-date=October 6, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===21st century===
On May 3, 2007, Britain's [[Queen Elizabeth II]] visited Jamestown and Williamsburg.<ref>{{cite news|last1= Puente |first1= Maria|title= Queen, Cheney tour Jamestown|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-05-03-queen-visits-va_N.htm|access-date=July 27, 2014|newspaper=USA Today|date=May 4, 2007|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131206212523/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-05-03-queen-visits-va_N.htm|archive-date=December 6, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> She had previously visited Williamsburg in 1957.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Special to The New York Times. Queen in Virginia, acclaims leaders of the revolution |last = Evans Asbury |first = Edith |date = October 17, 1957 |work = New York Times}}</ref> Many world leaders,<ref>{{cite web |title=Recap of America's 400th Anniversary Events |url= http://www.jamestown2007.org/signatureeventlist/ |website=America's 400th Anniversary Legacy Site |publisher= CINIVA |access-date=20 February 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190225161918/http://www.jamestown2007.org/signatureeventlist/ |archive-date= February 25, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} including President [[George W. Bush]], visited Jamestown to mark its 400th anniversary. The celebration began in part in 2005 with events leading up to the anniversary, and was celebrated statewide throughout 2007, though the official festivities took place during the first week of May.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-05-07 |title=Bush nearly places Queen Elizabeth in 18th century |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-queen-idUSN0733397220070507 |access-date=2022-06-24}}</ref>
On February 5, 2009, President [[Barack Obama]] took his first trip aboard [[Air Force One]] to a [[United States House of Representatives|House]] Democrats retreat in the city to attend and address their "Issues Conference".<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jE3FlLtgW6TwpHXAGGdF8Y0VSvdAD965NPA00|archive-url= https://archive.today/20090209111245/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jE3FlLtgW6TwpHXAGGdF8Y0VSvdAD965NPA00|url-status= dead|title= Obama taking first Air Force One trip as president|archive-date= February 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url= http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/02/05/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4777237.shtml|title= Obama Goes Airborne Today For First Time As President|website= [[CBS News]]|access-date=July 3, 2016|archive-url= https://web.
==Geography==
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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|archive-date=August 11, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/va190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215150359/http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/va190090.txt|archive-date=December 15, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218203824/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|archive-date=December 18, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> 2010-2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}
During the [[American Revolution|Revolutionary era]], [[African Americans]] made up over 50% of Williamsburg's population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Half the History|url=https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/trend-tradition-magazine/trend-tradition-winter-2019/half-history/|website=[[Colonial Williamsburg]]|date=February 5, 2020 }}</ref>
Williamsburg was 78% White and 13% Black at the 2000 census,<ref name=2000CensusP2/> and 71% White and 14% Black at the 2010 census.<ref name=2010CensusP2/> The 2020 census indicated a dramatic demographic shift in the city, reporting that Williamsburg was 48% White and 37% Black.<ref name=2020CensusP2/> Census data shows almost all of the Black population growth occurring in [[Census block|Census blocks]] containing [[College of William and Mary|William and Mary]] dorms, but data from the [[State Council of Higher Education for Virginia]] shows no growth in the number of Black students in William and Mary dorms during the 2010s.<ref name = "uvadem">{{Cite web|title=Why 2020 Census data needs to be treated with caution|url=https://statchatva.org/2021/08/27/why-2020-census-data-needs-to-be-treated-with-caution/|website=[[University of Virginia Demographics and Workforce Group]]|date=August 27, 2021 }}</ref> University of Virginia researchers believe that the high Black population figure was not due to an actual demographic shift but instead due to "the [[United States Census Bureau|Bureau]]’s decision to swap some census respondents’ identities with other respondents for privacy protection", a phenomenon known as [[differential privacy]].<ref name = "uvadem"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Census 2020: Differential Privacy|url=https://demographics.coopercenter.org/census2020-dp|website=[[University of Virginia Demographics and Workforce Group]]|date=February 2024 }}</ref>
===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Williamsburg city, Virginia - Demographic Profile'''<br> (''NH = Non-Hispanic'')
!Race / Ethnicity
!Pop
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Williamsburg city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5186160&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Williamsburg city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5186160&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|9,352
|9,952
|7,370
|{{Percentage|9352|11998|2}}
|{{Percentage|9952|14068|2}}
|{{Percentage|7370|15425|2}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|1,593
|1,918
|5,648
|{{Percentage|1593|11998|2}}
|{{Percentage|1918|14068|2}}
|{{Percentage|5648|15425|2}}
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|31
|35
|20
|{{Percentage|31|11998|2}}
|{{Percentage|35|14068|2}}
|{{Percentage|20|15425|2}}
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|546
|802
|497
|{{Percentage|546|11998|2}}
|
|{{Percentage|497|15425|2}}
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|6
|4
|25
|{{Percentage|6|11998|2}}
|{{Percentage|4|14068|2}}
|{{Percentage|25|15425|2}}
|-
|Some Other Race alone (NH)
|15
|23
|53
|{{Percentage|15|11998|2}}
|{{Percentage|23|14068|2}}
|{{Percentage|53|15425|2}}
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|153
|393
|597
|{{Percentage|153|11998|2}}
|{{Percentage|393|14068|2}}
|{{Percentage|597|15425|2}}
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|302
|941
|1,215
|{{Percentage|302|11998|2}}
|{{Percentage|941|14068|2}}
|{{Percentage|1215|15425|2}}
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''11,998'''
|'''14,068'''
|'''15,425'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
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''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''
===2010
[[File:USA Williamsburg city, Virginia age pyramid.svg
As of the 2010 census,<ref name="GR8" /> there were 14,068 people, 3,619 households, and 1,787 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1,404.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people}}. There were 3,880 housing units at an average density of {{convert|454.1|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the city was 74.0% [[White American|White]], 14.0% [[African American|Black or African American]], 0.3% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 5.7% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander American|Pacific Islander]], 2.5% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#Race|other races]], and 3.5% from [[Multiracial American|two or more races]]. 6.7% of the population were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics or Latinos]] of any race.
There were 3,619 households, out of which 16.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.6% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.66.
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==Economy==
[[File:Entrance to Busch Gardens - flags.JPG|thumb|Entrance to [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]] featuring the countries' flags]]
The tourist volume of Colonial Williamsburg has attracted many related businesses to the area. Notable among these was [[Anheuser-Busch]], which established large operations in [[James City County, Virginia|James City County]] and [[York County, Virginia|York County]] just outside the city. The company operates a large [[brewery]] there. It also used to operate two [[amusement park|theme parks]] near the brewery, [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]], and [[Water Country USA]], but both properties were sold to private investors after foreign brewer [[InBev]] took over Anheuser-Busch in 2010. Anheuser-Busch also previously operated a commerce park, [[McLaw's Circle]], and [[Kingsmill, Virginia|Kingsmill on the James]], a gated residential neighborhood that contains a resort of the same name.
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==Arts and culture==
[[File:Colonial Williamsburg Duke of Gloucester Street.jpg|thumb|Duke of Gloucester Street in [[Colonial Williamsburg]]]]
Williamsburg is often associated with the larger [[Southern United States|American South]]. People who grew up in the [[Hampton Roads]] area have a unique [[Tidewater accent]] that differs from a stereotypical [[Southern American English|Southern accent]]. Vowels have a longer pronunciation than in a regular southern accent. For example, "house" is pronounced "hoose" in the Tidewater accent.<ref name="Virginia Accents">{{cite web|url=http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/niceandcurious/manyvoices.htm |title=Virginia's Many Voices |access-date=March 7, 2008 |publisher=Fairfax County Public Library |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830052030/http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/niceandcurious/manyvoices.htm |archive-date=August 30, 2008 }}</ref>
Tourist sites include [[Colonial Williamsburg]], a [[living history]] museum depicting the lifestyles and culture of the 18th-century colonial period. Within this area is [[Capitol (Williamsburg, Virginia)|Virginia's first capitol building]], the [[Governor's Palace (Williamsburg, Virginia)|Governor's Palace]], [[Bruton Parish Church]] (the oldest continually operating church in the United States), the [[Peyton Randolph House]] (home of Peyton Randolph, the first President of [[Continental Congress]]) and [[The College of William & Mary]].
Other sites include the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, [[The Williamsburg Winery]]
==Government==
When Williamsburg received its charter in 1722, it had portions in both James City and York County. In 1870, the [[Virginia General Assembly]] changed the boundaries so that it was entirely within James City County.
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http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/aug/28/students_fighting_to/
-->
In presidential elections, Williamsburg was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-leaning city for most of the time from the 1950s to the 1980s. Between 1948 and 1988, it supported a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidential nominee only once, in [[Lyndon Johnson]]'s [[1964 United States presidential election|1964 landslide victory]] over Republican [[Barry Goldwater]]. This changed in the 1990s when Democrat [[Bill Clinton]] won Williamsburg in both of his presidential campaigns. Due in part to [[Green Party of the United States|Green Party]] candidate [[Ralph Nader]]'s strong showing as a left-wing protest candidate in the college town, Republican [[George W. Bush]] secured a very narrow plurality in [[United States presidential election in Virginia, 2000|2000]].
Democrat [[John Kerry]] won the city by a single-digit margin over Bush in [[United States presidential election in Virginia, 2004|2004]]. In the elections since then, Williamsburg has swung heavily to the Democrats, and has become one of the most Democratic areas of Hampton Roads and Virginia. Democrat [[Barack Obama]] swept Williamsburg by 29-point margins in both the [[United States presidential election in Virginia, 2008|2008]] and [[United States presidential election in Virginia, 2012|2012]] elections. In the [[United States presidential election in Virginia, 2016|2016]] election, Democrat [[Hillary Clinton]] beat Republican [[Donald Trump]] in Williamsburg by 45 points. Trump won 25% of the vote, the worst showing for a Republican in the city in over a century. Four years later, the city gave an equally massive victory to [[Joe Biden]], who carried the county with 69% of the vote, the best showing for a Democrat since [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]].
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==Education==
{{Main|Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools|The College of William & Mary}}
[[File:Matthew Whaley School, Williamsburg.JPG|thumb|[[Matthew Whaley Elementary School]], the sole public elementary school in
[[File:College of William and Mary Wren1 Williamsburg.jpg|thumb|The [[Wren Building]] on the campus of [[The College of William & Mary]]]]
The [[Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools]] operates the following schools in Williamsburg: [[Matthew Whaley School]], Berkeley Middle School, James Blair Middle School, [[Lafayette High School (Virginia)|Lafayette High School]], and [[Warhill High School]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
There are several private schools that also serve the Williamsburg and James City Country area, including [[Williamsburg Christian Academy]], a Christian [[International Baccalaureate]] School, [[Walsingham Academy]], a [[private school|private]] [[Catholic school]] serving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, Williamsburg Montessori School, and Providence Classical School.
The city has been the home to [[The College of William & Mary]] since its founding in 1693, making it America's second-oldest college (after [[Harvard University]]). Technically a university, William & Mary was also the first U.S. institution to have a [[Royal Charter]], and the only one to have [[coat-of-arms]] from the [[College of Arms]] in London. The campus adjoins the [[Colonial Williamsburg|Historic District]], and the [[Wren Building]] at the head of Duke of Gloucester Street was one of the earliest restored by [[W. A. R. Goodwin]] and the family of [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] as they began creating Colonial Williamsburg. Over 70% of the college's students either work part-time or volunteer in the community. Students contribute over 300,000 hours of volunteer service to Williamsburg annually.<ref name="whitson">{{cite web|url=http://www.wm.edu/news/?id=5786|title=Community contributions: Students invest more than 300,000 hours|date=April 27, 2006|access-date=May 31, 2006|author=Whitson, Brian|publisher=William and Mary News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903061559/http://www.wm.edu/news/?id=5786|archive-date=September 3, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref>
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The ''Gazette'' is a biweekly, published in Williamsburg, and was the first newspaper to be published south of the [[Potomac River]], starting in 1736.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}<!-- need [[WP:RS]], not newspaper's website --> Its publisher was [[William Parks (publisher)|William Parks]], who had similar ventures in Maryland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailypress.com|title=Hampton Roads news, information, weather, hurricane coverage, sports, entertainment, restaurants, real estate, jobs, business, classifieds|work=Daily Press|access-date=July 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703221418/http://www.dailypress.com/|archive-date=July 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428154853/http://www.vagazette.com/services/va-services_gazhistory%2C0%2C5332906.story?page=1|url-status=dead|title=The Virginia Gazette: Williamsburg Breaking News|archive-date=April 28, 2015|website=dailypress.com/virginiagazette}}</ref> After his death in 1750, Parks's shop foreman William Hunter restarted the paper in 1751.{{sfn|Bryson |2000|p=526}}
The ''[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]]'', published in nearby [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]], covers local, regional, and national news.
Williamsburg is served by the [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]–[[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]]–[[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]] [[designated market area]] (DMA), the nation's 42nd-largest, with 712,790 homes (0.64% of the total U.S.).<ref name="dma">Holmes, Gary. "[http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.55dc65b4a7d5adff3f65936147a062a0/?vgnextoid=6573d3b8b0c3d010VgnVCM100000ac0a260aRCRD# Nielsen Reports 1.1% increase in U.S. Television Households for the 2006–2007 Season]." [[Nielsen Media Research]]. August 23, 2006. Retrieved on February 20, 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705100549/http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.55dc65b4a7d5adff3f65936147a062a0/?vgnextoid=6573d3b8b0c3d010VgnVCM100000ac0a260aRCRD |date=July 5, 2009}}</ref>
==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg (Amtrak station)}}
[[File:Greyhound motorcoach at Williamsburg Transportation Center 2-03-2008.jpg|thumb
Williamsburg is located adjacent to [[Interstate 64 (Virginia)|Interstate 64]] and [[U.S. Route 60 (Virginia)|U.S. Route 60]], which connect the city with [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] to the northwest and [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] to the southeast. [[State Route 199 (Virginia)|State Route 199]], officially named the Humelsine Parkway after a former Colonial Williamsburg president, surrounds the city in a semicircle. [[State Route 5 (Virginia)|State Route 5]] links the city with the [[James River Plantations]] along the north shore of the [[James River (Virginia)|James River]], [[Interstate 295 (Virginia)|Interstate 295]] and Richmond. [[State Route 31 (Virginia)|State Route 31]] provides a route to Jamestown and the toll-free [[Jamestown Ferry]]. The [[Colonial Parkway]] provides a bucolic low-speed link to Jamestown and Yorktown, passing under Colonial Williamsburg in a tunnel. With the exception of buses, commercial vehicles are not allowed on the Parkway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/colo|title=Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|access-date=July 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017214021/http://www.nps.gov/colo/|archive-date=October 17, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>
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* [[Wilson Cary Nicholas]], former US Senator.
* [[Edmund Randolph]], First [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]], [[Governor of Virginia]], Second [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]
* [[Carolynn Reid-Wallace]], academic administrator
* [[Lawrence Taylor]], former [[New York Giants]] linebacker.
* [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], iconic American painter
* [[Canaan Smith]], country music artist
* [[John Tayloe II]], owner of [[Tayloe House (Williamsburg, Virginia)|Tayloe House]].
==See also==
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[[Category:Williamsburg, Virginia| ]]
[[Category:1638 establishments in the Colony of Virginia]]
[[Category:Cities in Virginia]]
[[Category:County seats in Virginia]]
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