Front Royal is a town located in Warren County, Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 13,589. It is the county seat of Warren County⁶.

About the town

Front Royal was incorporated in 1788. It is situated near the junction of the North Fork and the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. It has a six-member town council and its mayor is James Eastham.

Front Royal is the home of Randolph-Macon Academy (founded 1893) which is the home of the nation's only co-ed Air Force Junior ROTC program. It is the home of Christendom College.

Commercially, it is the home to a Virginia Inland Port situated on Interstate 66.

Like many outer suburbs, Front Royal is facing the challenge of providing jobs to its community and preventing a slide into being a bedroom community. It also faces tensions between long-time residents, recent (10-20 years ago) arrivals and newly-arrived residents. In the past year, the town faced a struggle over Wal-Mart, which remains unresolved as many town council members supportive of Wal-Mart were defeated in recent elections and replaced by anti-Wal-Mart members.

Important tourist attractions include the Skyline Caverns and the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive. It also has a large number of American Civil War attractions, both in the town and in the surrounding Shenandoah Valley.

Geography

Front Royal is located at 38°55'33" North, 78°11'31" West (38.925768, -78.191914)¹.

It is roughly 76 miles west of Washington DC.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.6 km² (9.5 mi²). 24.0 km² (9.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.52% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 13,589 people, 5,425 households, and 3,585 families residing in the town. The population density is 565.4/km² (1,464.9/mi²). There are 5,752 housing units at an average density of 239.3/km² (620.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 88.31% White, 8.68% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 2.13% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 5,425 households out of which 32.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% are married couples living together, 14.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% are non-families. 28.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 3.01.

In the town the population is spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $34,786, and the median income for a family is $42,863. Males have a median income of $32,477 versus $24,002 for females. The per capita income for the town is $17,901. 12.5% of the population and 9.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.2% of those under the age of 18 and 13.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

• http://www.ci.front-royal.va.us/
• http://www.frontroyalchamber.com/

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=38.925768&longitude=-78.191914&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=38.925768&lon=-78.191914&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-78.191914&lat=38.925768&w=750&h=500)