Covington, Virginia

History

The first white settlers came to what is now Covington in 1745 when the area was part of Augusta County, Virginia. Botetourt County took over much of the area in 1769; although Bath County and Monroe County also lay claim to parts of what is now the Alleghany County-Covington region.

Starting in August 1818, lots were sold in what is now Covington on 25 acres of land owned by Dr. James Merry. The unnamed community was referred to as the Mouth of the Dunlap. It was designed the town of Covington in 1819. Covington is named in honor of General Leonard Covington, hero of the War of 1812 and friend of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.

On January 5, 1822, the town became part of Alleghany County, formed by the Virginia General Assembly by combining sections of Bath, Botetourt, and Monroe Counties. The General Assembly incorporated Covington in 1833. By 1855, Covington had two streets and 43 houses. It was an agricultural center, with businesses and stores that supported farming and raising livestock. Hemp was the main crop in the area, needed by ships in eastern Virginia

The Virginia Central Railroad (later the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway) came to Covington in 1867.

The Covington Iron Furnace opened in 1891, producing 110 tons of pig iron a day. This was followed by the Deford Tannery in 1892. the E. M. Nettlton Planning Mill, two flour mills, the Covington Brick Company, the Alleghany Brick Company, the Alleghany Pin and Bracket Company, the Bates Value Company, and the Covington Machine Shops, which made coke extractors (furnace cleaners) used in manufacturing steel. In 1899, A. Adams McAllister made a bargain land sale to entice the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (later called Westvaco and WestRock) to locate in Covington. The papermill would go on to become the community's largest employer.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway built its fourth largest freight paying station in Covington, after Chicago, Cincinnati, and Richmond. In addition fourteen passenger trains stopped in Covington, daily. In 1892, a $10,000 bond allowed Covington to build a sewerage and add sidewalks and a high school was constructed for $30,000. More industries opened in Covington, including Industrial Rayon Corporation (aka Applied Extrusion Technologies or AET) and Lear Corporation. In addition, Allied Chemical Corporation bought the former extraction plant.

The General Assembly designated Covington as the county seat of Alleghany County in 1902. As a result of its industrial boom, the population of Covington grew from 704 in 1890 to 5,632 in 1920. Covington expanded its town limited several times, finally becoming an independent city in 1952.

However, manufacturing has declined in recent times with Lear Corporation closing its facility in December 2005 and AET closing in March 2008. The C&O freight station also closed.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 sqmi, of which 5.5 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (3.6%) is water. Covington is located at the confluence of Jackson River and Dunlap Creek. It along both sides of the Jackson River and is surrounded by Alleghany County.

Covington is located within a 45 minute drive to The Homestead in Bath County, Virginia; Lexington, Virginia; The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia; Lewisburg, West Virginia; and Roanoke, Virginia.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Covington has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Using the 32 degree isotherm, it's in the transition zone with "Dfa", a humid continental climate.

|Jan record high F = 80 |Feb record high F = 79 |Mar record high F = 87 |Apr record high F = 93 |May record high F = 99 |Jun record high F = 100 |Jul record high F = 102 |Aug record high F = 102 |Sep record high F = 97 |Oct record high F = 93 |Nov record high F = 85 |Dec record high F = 80 |year record high F = 102 |Jan record low F = −19 |Feb record low F = −5 |Mar record low F = 1 |Apr record low F = 15 |May record low F = 26 |Jun record low F = 34 |Jul record low F = 41 |Aug record low F = 39 |Sep record low F = 28 |Oct record low F = 14 |Nov record low F = 9 |Dec record low F = −10 |year record low F = -19 | access-date = July 1, 2021}} | access-date = July 1, 2021}}

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

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.

2000 census

The population of Covington has gradually declined since reaching its peak of 11,062 in 1960. The population decline has mainly resulted from losses of manufacturing jobs in the area. One major loss of manufacturing jobs occurred after a fire at the Hercules plant in June 1980, causing $23 million in damage and worker layoffs.

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,303 people, 2,835 households, and 1,740 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,111.3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 84.1% White, 13.1% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. 0.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,195 housing units at an average density of 563.3 /mi2. There were 2,835 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. Of all households 34.0% were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,325, and the median income for a family was $36,640. Males had a median income of $30,755 versus $20,316 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,758. About 10.7% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Covington's economy is dominated by WestRock, which has been operating in the city since 1899. In 2024, it merged with Smurfit Kappa to become Smurfit Westrock. The facility employs about 1300 workers, mostly from Covington and Alleghany County. Its production includes bleached paper and paperboard for packaging, and is the second largest on the East Coast.

Both Alleghany County and Covington City are known for the low cost of their housing markets.

Arts and culture

Architecture

Forty acres of the historic core of the city are included in the Covington Historic District, consisting of late-19th and early-20th-century commercial buildings and residences. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Sports

The Covington Lumberjacks, members of the Valley Baseball League, play at Casey Field in downtown Covington. The city previously hosted the Covington Astros and Covington Red Sox of the Appalachian League.

Government

The city has a council–manager government. The current mayor of Covington is Fred F. Forbes III. Covington is one of three cities (with Roanoke and Salem) in the Roanoke Regional Partnership.

Politics

Education

Historically, Covington had one grades 8 through 12 high school (Covington High School), one grades 4 through 7 middle school called (Jeter-Watson), one pre-kindergarten through third grade elementary school (Edgemont Primary), one State Governors School (Jackson River Governor's School), one technical center for high-school students (Jackson River Technical Center), and one community college (Dabney S. Lancaster).

In late 2020, Alleghany County Public Schools and Covington City Public Schools merged due to declining attendance. The new school system is known as Alleghany Highlands Public Schools and the two high schools were merged to create a new Alleghany High School, that took on Covington's Cougar nickname beginning in 2023. The former Covington High School was converted into a new middle school.

Media

The local newspapers are The Virginian Review and The Recorder. Covington is served by two radio stations. WKEY simulcasts on 103.5 FM and 1340 AM, and WJVR broadcasts on 101.9 FM with simulcast on 1230 AM in nearby Clifton Forge.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The area is serviced by Interstate 64 (east-west) and U.S. Route 220 (north-south) offering rail, truck and interstate access to the area. Rail passenger service is provided at the Amtrak station in Clifton Forge, twelve miles away.

Fire protection

Fire protection is provided by the Covington Fire Department, which was chartered on March 4, 1902. The Covington Rescue Squad provides emergency medical services to the city of Covington. Both the fire department and rescue squad are volunteer organizations. The rescue squad was organized in 1933 and is the third oldest volunteer rescue squad in Virginia.

Gallery

File:Covington, Va - Allegheny General District Court.jpg|Alleghany General District Court File:Covington, Va - War Memorials.jpg|War memorials for soldiers from Alleghany County who died in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War File:Covington, Va - Civil War Memorial.jpg|Memorial to Confederate soldiers

Notable people

• Bimbo Coles, professional basketball player with the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.
• Addie Elizabeth Davis, first woman ordained as a Southern Baptist pastor.
• Bob Humphreys, professional baseball pitcher
• Jim Lemon, player, manager and coach in Major League Baseball.
• Edgar P. Rucker, Attorney General of West Virginia
• William R. Terrill, a United States Army general during the American Civil War.

References

References

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