Quantico, Virginia

Geography

Quantico is located in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. It is about 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bounded by the Potomac River to the east and the Quantico Creek to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.07 sqmi, all land.

Human geography

Quantico is surrounded on its remaining two sides by Marine Corps Base Quantico, one of the largest U.S. Marine Corps bases. The base is the site of the HMX-1 presidential helicopter squadron, the FBI Academy, the FBI Laboratory, the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, the Officer Candidates School, The Basic School, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration training academy, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations headquarters. A replica of the United States Marine Corps War Memorial stands at one of the entrances to the base.

Climate

Quantico has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

|Jan record high F = 82 |Feb record high F = 85 |Mar record high F = 89 |Apr record high F = 96 |May record high F = 99 |Jun record high F = 105 |Jul record high F = 106 |Aug record high F = 104 |Sep record high F = 105 |Oct record high F = 97 |Nov record high F = 85 |Dec record high F = 81 |year record high F = 106

|Jan avg record high F = 66.6 |Feb avg record high F = 68.7 |Mar avg record high F = 77.4 |Apr avg record high F = 86.5 |May avg record high F = 89.9 |Jun avg record high F = 93.9 |Jul avg record high F = 97.2 |Aug avg record high F = 94.8 |Sep avg record high F = 91.0 |Oct avg record high F = 83.7 |Nov avg record high F = 74.1 |Dec avg record high F = 67.9 |year avg record high F = 98.0

|Jan avg record low F = 11.8 |Feb avg record low F = 15.4 |Mar avg record low F = 21.6 |Apr avg record low F = 33.5 |May avg record low F = 43.0 |Jun avg record low F = 53.6 |Jul avg record low F = 61.5 |Aug avg record low F = 59.9 |Sep avg record low F = 49.0 |Oct avg record low F = 35.1 |Nov avg record low F = 26.3 |Dec avg record low F = 19.7 |year avg record low F = 9.3

|Jan record low F = −5 |Feb record low F = −6 |Mar record low F = 8 |Apr record low F = 24 |May record low F = 31 |Jun record low F = 43 |Jul record low F = 49 |Aug record low F = 46 |Sep record low F = 38 |Oct record low F = 24 |Nov record low F = 13 |Dec record low F = 4 |year record low F = -6 | access-date = July 5, 2021 | archive-date = July 24, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150724075300/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lwx | url-status = dead | access-date = July 5, 2021}}

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density was 7811.2 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup was 61.32% White, 20.32% African American, 10.16% Asian, 0.36% Native American, 2.32% from other races, and 5.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.53% of the population. The median income for a household in the town was $36,250.

About 22.4% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.4% of those under the age of 18.

History

The word Quantico is a corruption of Pamacocack, the name of a Doeg tribe village meaning “by the long stream” as recorded by English colonists in 1608.

Around 1690, a mill was built at the mouth of Quantico Creek. Scottish settlers traded in Virginia tobacco, which became a monoculture in the 17th and 18th century. They depended upon slaves. There was also a small iron industry. In 1774 Fredericksburg, south of Quantico, protested British taxation. Quantico served as main naval base for the Commonwealth of Virginia's fleet in the ensuing Revolutionary War. This and a silting harbor disrupted tobacco trade. Richard Henry Lee was a member of the Continental Congress. .

Popular culture

The headquarters of the FBI Academy at the Quantico Marine Corps Base are featured in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, the 2013–2015 TV series Hannibal, and the 2015–2018 series Quantico. The headquarters of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit are also featured in the 2005–2020 and 2022–2025 series Criminal Minds, and the 2017–2019 series Mindhunter.

Transportation

There are no significant highways passing through Quantico. All road vehicles must pass through Marine Corps Base Quantico in order to reach the town. A valid ID is required to enter the town by road and security may perform additional searches. All visitors and residents have ingress and egress rights, however.

Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Piedmont services, as well as the local Virginia Railway Express, all stop at Quantico station.

Stafford Regional Airport is the closest non-military airport, though the airfield exclusively serves general aviation and has no regularly scheduled commercial flights. Airports serving Washington, D.C. are the primary commercial air links for Quantico, with the closest being Reagan National Airport and the primary hub for international flights being Dulles International Airport.

Notable people

• Robert L. Crawford Jr., actor on Laramie
• Stuart Duncan, bluegrass musician
• Geof Isherwood, artist
• Shelby Lynne, musician, singer, songwriter, producer, owner of Everso Records, actress
• Brian Shul, decorated retired USAF major, pilot of the SR-71 Blackbird, author, nature photographer, Eagle Scout
• Roy Thomas, former pitcher for the Seattle Mariners
• Julie S. Cabus, criminal investigator

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. (October 25, 2007). "US Board on Geographic Names". [[United States Geological Survey]].
4. "Welcome. Town of Quantico".
5. "History".
6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
8. CharlesA.Fleming. (1 February 1978). "Quantico: Crossroads of the Marine Corps".
9. (1 May 2014). ""No Piece of Virginia Touches This Town": U.S.'s Only Civilian Town Encircled by a Military Base".