Surrounded by Pittsylvania County and on the border with North Carolina, the City of Danville has been rated by Yahoo! Real Estate as a top retirement spot. It’s location in the rolling countryside, historical landmarks, and recreational offerings make it a popular spot for living and touring. The City is 43.9
square miles in size — 42.9 square miles of land and 1.0 square miles of water). The 2010 Census reported a population of 43,055. The population density is 1,004 per square mile.
Danville was ranked among the top 25 World Class Communities by Industry Week Magazine. It was also ranked nationally as a Playful City because it put the children’s wellbeing first by recognizing and harnessing the power of play. The City is well on its way to becoming a major center of culture in Southern Virginia. Three higher learning institutions have played a significant role in shaping the City’s business community and in training students with the strengths it has needed to continue to grow and to prepare for the future.
Transportation
Danville is connected to a number of cities in the South and on the Eastern Seaboard by Amtrak’s Crescent train. The major highways serving Danville include U.S. Routes 58, 29, 360, and 311 and State Routes 86, 293, and 51. While Danville’s roadways are relatively safe (no fatalities in 2015), the same cannot be said for the surrounding Pittsylvania County. Pittsylvania County was rated one of the top counties in Virginia for collisions and fatalities.
If you, or a loved one, are injured in any transportation accident or crash, we hope you will call Altizer Law, P.C. We know what you experience after a car crash or a train incident. We have been helping people throughout Virginia to recover and to win justice for injuries sustained in transportation events that were not their fault. Our staff will surround you with understanding and compassion, and we will fight – in mediation or in a trial – to win for you the maximum allowable financial settlement to help you get your life back on track. We know the kind of pain and suffering that follows these injuries, and we fight vigorously for each of our clients.
History
The earliest inhabitants of Danville were Native Americans from several tribes. During the period of colonization, the residents were members of Sioux (language) speaking tribes.
While on an expedition to determine the true boundary between Virginia and North Carolina, William Byrd looked at the beauty of the area and promised that there would be a settlement nearby. He named the river “Dan,” because he perceived the richness of the area and believed he had “wandered ‘from Dan to Beeersheba.’”
The earliest settlement by Europeans was planted beside the Dan River near a shallow part that allowed easy crossing in 1792. It was named “Wynne’s Falls” for the first settler. The village originated from the annual gathering of Revolutionary War veterans to fish at the spot.
By the middle of the 19th century, a planter named William T. Sutherlin became the first to use water power to operate a tobacco press. He became a major industrialist in the region. The falls on the Dan River facilitated much industrial development. In 1882 six of Danville’s citizens founded the Riverside Cotton Mills. At the time, it was known throughout the country as Dan River, Inc. It was the world’s largest single-unit textile mill in the world.
When it became popular to use labor in foreign countries late in the 20th century, most of the mills were shut down and the bricks were sold. The architecturally important White Mill remained; today it is an apartment complex. Since that time, the City has found it difficult to develop new foundations for an economic future.
Several railroads reached Danville in the latter part of the 19th century. The Richmond and Danville and the Atlantic and Danville Railways transported the City’s agricultural produce and manufactured goods. In September of 1903, a large train wreck occurred in Danville. The Southern Railways express mail train, “old 97” jumped the tracks because it was running too fast in an attempt to make up time on the run. The engine and five cars fell from the high trestle across the Dan valley. Nine were killed and seven were injured.
The restructuring of the tobacco, railroad and textile industries was very damaging to the City of Danville. Many jobs ceased to exist. This made it economically unfeasible for the City to maintain many of the architecturally and historically important structures that remained from the earlier and more
prosperous past. In 2007, Danville was named one of the “Most Endangered Historic Sites in Virginia.”
Economy
Today, the largest employers of citizens of Danville work in Health Care and Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Retail Trade, Local Government, and Accommodation and Food Services. The City’s largest employers are:
- The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.
- Danville City Public Schools
- City of Danville
- Danville Regional Medical Center
- Wal-Mart
- Telvista Incorporated — Telvista serves a diverse client base in industries including telecommunications, technology, travel, financial services, retail and more. We have a unique ability to scale and grow with our clients while offering the attentiveness, flexibility and focus you can only find with a smaller partner.
- Nestle U.S.A., Inc — Foods people love. Brands people trust. And a career that nourishes your future like no other. At Nestlé USA, we provide high quality products that are essential to living well. As individuals and teams, we embrace leadership, make important contributions and support each other’s professional development. Join the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company, and deliver the satisfying foods that help people around the world through every phase of life.
- EBI LLC – Furniture maker
- Adecco — staffing
- Averett College
- Roman Eagle Memorial Home – Rehabilitation and Health Care
- Unilin North America LLC – flooring store
- GCB Staffing
- Danville Community College
- Gretna Health Care Center
If you, or a loved one, are injured at work due to defective equipment, inadequate safety provisions, or due to the negligence or misdeeds of another, and you are not being treated fairly by your employer’s insurance company, call Altizer Law, P.C. We negotiate with insurance companies every day. We know how to work for our clients in obtaining full and appropriate coverage and compensation from them. We understand how pain and suffering are valued and how liability defines the coverage offered. We can help.
Tourism
The City of Danville has much to offer to both residents and visitors. In addition to outstanding fishing and canoeing and kayaking on the Dan River, there is much to see that is of historical or cultural importance to the area.
The River District includes the Historic Downtown and Tobacco Warehouse districts. A revitalization project for this part of the city was planned, but deferred due to the recession of 2008. Today, the project has been renewed and support broadened.
Millionaire’s Row has a number of 19th and early 20th Century homes once owned by successful tobacco planters. These homes are in an area where the properties are well landscaped and the streets are lined with trees.
“Penn’s Bottom” refers to the first suburb of Danville, dating from the tobacco boom of the late 19th Century. It has been designated as a Historical District. The other historical districts in the city are:
- The Old West End
- Tobacco Warehouse
- Downtown Danville
- Holbrook-Ross Street
- North Main Street
The Holiday Season is an ideal time to see many of these beautiful Victorian homes while they are a part of the Christmas tour.
Sunderlin Mansion is also located in this district. It is now the home of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. Sunderlin was a leading tobacco processing giant. The home was offered to Jefferson Davis near the end of the Civil War, and served as the last “White House” of the Confederacy.
Danville is also known as the City of Churches. There are more churches per square mile than any city in the Commonwealth.
The Arts and Humanities
The City of Danville is rich in cultural opportunities, providing a range of cultural activities throughout the year. These activities include music, visual arts, and performing arts. These include Danville Little Theatre, Danville Symphony Orchestra, Danville Concert Association, and the North Theater.
Danville’s Museums include the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, the Danville Science Center, the AAF Tank Museum (military history), Langhorne House (home of Nancy Langhorne, Viscountess Astor who was the first woman seated in the British House of Commons), and Schoolfield Museum (dedicated to the hstory and culture of the Schoolfield Mill Village).
Altizer Law, P.C., Can Help
If you, or a loved one, are injured by medical malpractice, automobile crash, workplace incident or you suffer some personal injury through no fault of your own, please know that have been trusted for 25 years to help people just like you. We will step up to answer your questions, to listen to your account of the situation, and to help you win justice and appropriate compensation for all of your injuries and losses. Altizer Law, P.C., is Your Shield of Protection. Your Sword for Justice.