Painter, Virginia

History

From its earliest settlement, most villages and towns on the Eastern Shore of Virginia were located near the coasts at navigable ports where crops or livestock could be transported by boat. The coming of the New York, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk Railroad in the 1880s initiated a shift in population and commerce to the center of the shore and created the need for new towns, including the town of Painter.

The Painter-Garrisons United Methodist Church was established in nearby Mappsburg, Virginia in 1784 when Bishop Francis Asbury made his first of six visits to the home of Jonathan Garrison. The congregation constructed a chapel by 1787, the first house of worship to be built by the Methodist Episcopal Church on the Eastern Shore. The present church was erected in 1855 and was the scene of the establishment of the Independent Convention of Accomack, a group of Methodist Churches that left the northern church in 1860 and, at the close of the war, joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. By the turn of the 20th century, as the population continued to shift from Mappsburg to Painter and other new towns, the church erected a second building in Painter in 1906. Twenty years later, the older church was moved to Painter and adjoined to the existing building at which time it took the name Painter-Garrisons Church. The 1855 building is today the second-oldest Methodist Church building on the Eastern Shore.

Willowdale and Central High School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Painter is located at (37.585632, −75.783445).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 square mile (1.6 km), all land.

It lies at an elevation of 36 feet.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 246 people, 104 households, and 69 families living in the town. The population density was 388.0 people per square mile (150.8/km). There were 117 housing units at an average density of 184.6 per square mile (71.7/km). The racial makeup of the town was 65.45% White, 30.08% African American, 0.41% Native American, 2.44% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.69%.

Of the 104 households 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 31.7% of households were one person and 21.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.

The age distribution was 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 69.6 males.

The median household income was $19,583 and the median family income was $31,250. Males had a median income of $24,167 versus $20,469 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,350. About 13.9% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 19.4% of those sixty-five or over.

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, Painter has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

|Jan record high F = 75 |Feb record high F = 80 |Mar record high F = 85 |Apr record high F = 93 |May record high F = 95 |Jun record high F = 99 |Jul record high F = 101 |Aug record high F = 98 |Sep record high F = 98 |Oct record high F = 93 |Nov record high F = 82 |Dec record high F = 78 |year record high F = 101 | Jan avg record high F = 67.1 | Feb avg record high F = 68.4 | Mar avg record high F = 75.5 | Apr avg record high F = 82.6 | May avg record high F = 88.0 | Jun avg record high F = 93.7 | Jul avg record high F = 95.6 | Aug avg record high F = 92.7 | Sep avg record high F = 89.1 | Oct avg record high F = 83.1 | Nov avg record high F = 74.6 | Dec avg record high F = 68.9 |year avg record high F = 96.8 | Jan avg record low F = 14.4 | Feb avg record low F = 17.6 | Mar avg record low F = 23.1 | Apr avg record low F = 32.5 | May avg record low F = 41.6 | Jun avg record low F = 51.6 | Jul avg record low F = 59.0 | Aug avg record low F = 57.6 | Sep avg record low F = 48.9 | Oct avg record low F = 36.4 | Nov avg record low F = 25.9 | Dec avg record low F = 20.4 |year avg record low F = 12.3 |Jan record low F = −5 |Feb record low F = −1 |Mar record low F = 9 |Apr record low F = 24 |May record low F = 31 |Jun record low F = 36 |Jul record low F = 47 |Aug record low F = 44 |Sep record low F = 39 |Oct record low F = 24 |Nov record low F = 16 |Dec record low F = -1 |year record low F = -5 | access-date = July 5, 2021}} | access-date = July 5, 2021}}

Transportation

Major highways

Public transportation

STAR Transit provides public transit services, linking Painter with Cape Charles, Onley, and other communities in Accomack and Northampton counties on the Eastern Shore.

Railroads

The Bay Coast Railroad provided Painter with freight rail service until going out of business in 2018.

References

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 1472020
4. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Painter town, Virginia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. (1979). "Revival's Children: A Religious History of Virginia's Eastern Shore". Peninsula Press.
6. {{NRISref
7. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. (May 24, 2020). "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
10. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=574644&cityname=Painter%2C+Virginia%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Painter, Virginia]