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History
Two Centuries ago, an enterprising settler built a tavern
on the stagecoach route running between the Blue Ridge
and Allegheny mountains at a spot near the New River.
The tavern, called Lovely Mount, was the beginning of
Radford, Virginia.
Radford acquired its name in 1887 from the surname
of one of the prominent families in the area before
the railroad came. Boom times in the 1880's and early
1890's caused the city to prosper and a promising iron
industry brought a "furnace" to the west end
of town. The Norfolk & Western railroad made Radford
a rail yard center when it built a spur to the Pocahontas
coalfield near the West Virginia Line. Incorporated
in 1892, Radford was a somewhat rough town until the
arrival of a state teacher's college for women in 1913,
the germ of today's Radford University. Radford University
plays a dynamic role in the City's economic and cultural
life with over 1,000 employees and over 9000 students.
Demographics
Population: 15,859
Average Household Size: 2.35
Number of Housing Units: 5,496
Median Age: 22.8
Population of Virginia: 7,078,515 (2000 U.S. Census
data)
Median Income: $32,433
Per Capita Personal Income: $9,704
Terrain: Rolling
Average elevation: 1800 ft.
Land area: 9.63 sq. mi.
Latitude: 37 degrees, 08' ,12"
Longitude: 80 degrees, 34', 18"
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