CITY OF COLONIAL
HEIGHTS
ECONOMY
& DEMOGRAPHICS
Demographic and Economic
Information
The City, with a land area of 8.14
square miles is located in the southern portion of the Richmond-Petersburg MSA.
In 2006, the
Richmond-Petersburg MSA had a population of approximately 1,194,008.
The City's goal is to promote
development and expansion of a diversified business base to enhance the quality and
standard of living through expanded job opportunities and tax base.
The City of Colonial
Heights is ideally situated to benefit from the
additional consumer and construction spending power
generated by the expansion of Fort Lee under the
recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure
Commission ("BRAC"). Fort Lee will be come the
logistical hub of the U.S. Army. The economic
impact of the newly arriving soldiers and civilian
employees is estimated to be approximately $500 million
in new income annually for regional businesses.
Back to top
Transportation
The City is conveniently located
with respect to major highways, rail and air transportation facilities. The City enjoys
direct access to Interstate 95, the primary north-south corridor for the eastern seaboard,
via two interchanges within the City limits. Interstate 85 begins only 3 miles south of
the City, providing access to Durham and central North Carolina. In addition, Interstate
64 connects with Interstate 95 approximately 20 miles north of the City in the state
capitol of Richmond. Interstate 64 is the primary east-west highway in Virginia,
connecting the Hampton Roads area, Richmond, and western Virginia. Interstate 295, which
partially encircles Richmond, provides access to the greater Richmond area and exits less
than five miles from the City. U.S. 460 runs through the City and provides
additional access to southern Hampton Roads to the east and to the cities of Lynchburg and
Roanoke to the west. About 25 carriers provide motor freight service to the City,
including both interstate and intrastate shipments.
In addition to the
highways mentioned above, there are two other major
recent highway projects that further enhance the greater
Richmond area's transportation options. State
Route 288 provides a north-south connector highway west
of Richmond through Chesterfield County and Goochland
County. Route 288 connects Interstate 64 in
Goochland County west of Richmond with the Powhite
Parkway extension (Route 76) in Chesterfield County
west-southwest of Richmond and with Interstate 95
between Richmond and the City. The second major
project is the Route 895 connector project which is also
known as the Pocahontas Parkway. This highway is
an 8.8 mile toll road that connects the Chippenham
Parkway at Interstate 95 in Chesterfield County with
Interstate 295 south of the Richmond International
Airport in Henrico County southeast of Richmond.
The Richmond International Airport,
located east of Richmond and approximately 35 miles from the City, is a major origination
and destination airport offering approximately 101 daily departures. Service is provided
six comprehensive network carriers, three low cost carriers, five cargo
airlines, and various charter services. During the fiscal year ending June
30, 2007, RIC provided service to 3.5 million total travelers and handled 115
million pounds of commercial cargo.
The City has several railway
facilities nearby that provide freight and passenger service. Norfolk Southern Corp.
and CSX Transportation have lines and sidings through Chesterfield County and
Petersburg. Amtrak provides passenger service from Richmond and a station
located in Chesterfield County approximately one mile from the City.
Back to top
Employment
The City has a civilian labor force
of 9,450 as of August 2007.
Southpark Mall is a regional shopping
complex. The mall and peripheral strip development contain more than
2,000,000 square feet of commercial retail space. More than 175 stores employ over 2,500
people and generate over $8.5` million in additional tax revenue for the City. This economic
development continues to be a stabilizing force for the City.
Another major impact on the local
economy is government. Central State Hospital, Southside Virginia Training Center and the U.S. Army Quartermaster
Center and Fort Lee are all significant state and federal employers that
continue to grow.
The following is a
list of the ten largest employers located within the City:
Ten Largest Employers
|
Employer |
Nature
of Business |
Approximate
Current
Employment |
| Wal-Mart |
Retail Consumer Goods |
500-900 |
| Ukrops Supermarket |
Grocery Store |
250-499 |
| Colonial Heights
Convalescent Center |
Health Care |
100-249 |
| Best Buy |
Retail Consumer Goods |
100-249 |
| J.C. Penney, Inc. Department Stores |
Retail Consumer Goods |
100-249 |
| Macy's Department Store |
Retail Consumer Goods |
100-249 |
| Target Department Store |
Retail Consumer Goods |
100-249 |
| Home Depot |
Retail Consumer Goods |
100-249 |
| Dillard's Department
Store |
Retail Consumer Goods |
100-249 |
| SAMS Club |
Retail Consumer Goods |
100-249 |
___________________
Source: Director of Finance, City of
Colonial Heights, Virginia.
The following tables present
comparative information regarding employment statistics.
Annual
Unemployment Rates
| |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
City of
Colonial Heights |
4.8% |
4.0% |
4.0% |
3.1% |
|
Commonwealth
of Virginia |
4.1% |
3.0% |
3.5% |
3.7% |
|
United
States |
6.0% |
5.5% |
5.1% |
4.6% |
________________________
Source: Virginia Employment
Commission (Data on a calendar year basis)
Annual Employment
| |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
City of
Colonial Heights |
8,379 |
8,720 |
8,913 |
8,977 |
|
Commonwealth
of VA |
3,619,741 |
3,712,763 |
3,797,730 |
3,878,988 |
|
United
States |
137,736,000 |
139,252,000 |
141,730,000 |
144,427,000 |
________________________
Source: Virginia Employment
Commission (Data on a calendar year basis)
Annual Employment
Growth
| |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
City of
Colonial Heights |
-0.24% |
4.07% |
2.21% |
0.72% |
|
Commonwealth
of Virginia |
1.06% |
2.57% |
2.29% |
2.14% |
|
United
States |
0.91% |
1.10% |
1.78% |
1.90% |
________________________
Source: Virginia Employment
Commission (Data on a calendar year basis)
Back to top
Personal
Income
The following table presents
comparative information regarding personal income.
Per Capita
Personal Income1
| |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
Combined
Area2 |
$ 27,155 |
$ 28,711 |
$ 29,141 |
|
Virginia |
33,976 |
35,698 |
37,503 |
_________________
1 Latest available data.
2 Combined area of the Cities of
Colonial Heights, Petersburg and Dinwiddie County.
Source: Virginia Employment Commission (Data
on a calendar year basis)
Back to top
Population
The following table presents
information on the City's population.
|
Year |
Population |
|
1950 |
6,077 |
|
1960 |
9,587 |
|
1970 |
15,097 |
|
1980 |
16,509 |
|
1990 |
16,064 |
|
2000 |
16,897 |
|
2001 |
17,006 |
|
2002 |
17,153 |
|
2003 |
17,286 |
|
2004 |
17,465 |
|
2005 |
17,567 |
|
2006 |
17,676 |
_________________
Source: United States
Bureau of Census Population Division.
Back to top
Retail
Sales
The following table presents
information on taxable retail sales for the City.
Taxable Retail
Sales and
Taxable Retail Sales Per Capita
Calendar
Year |
Population1 |
Taxable
Retail Sales2 |
Taxable Retail Sales
Per Capita |
|
1997 |
16,431 |
458,448,963 |
27,901 |
|
1998 |
16,735 |
484,899,483 |
28,875 |
|
1999 |
16,901 |
481,885,446 |
28,512 |
|
2000 |
16,897 |
527,739,781 |
31,233 |
|
2001 |
17,006 |
542,648,444 |
31,909 |
|
2002 |
17,153 |
563,724,338 |
32,864 |
|
2003 |
17,286 |
591,431,437 |
34,214 |
|
2004 |
17,465 |
619,809,018 |
35,489 |
|
2005(3) |
17,567 |
576,871,175 |
32,838 |
|
2006(3) |
17,676 |
670,690,127 |
37,944 |
___________________
1 U.S. Bureau
of the Census Population Division.
2 Department of
Taxation, Commonwealth of Virginia. Data excludes automobile sales, automobile titling,
prescription drug sales, A.B.C. store sales and gasoline sales.
3 Due
to the implementation of a new accounting system by the
Virginia Department of Taxation, the Taxable Retail
Sales of the third and fourth quarters were understated,
which resulted in the first quarter of 2006 being
overstated.
Back to top
Construction
Activity
The following data is presented to
illustrate construction activity in the City:
Building Permits
and Value (1)
|
Calendar
Year |
Residential |
Commercial & Industrial |
Total |
| |
No. |
Value |
No. |
Value |
No. |
Value |
|
1997 |
379 |
9,799,244 |
106 |
9,066,796 |
485 |
18,866,040 |
|
1998 |
431 |
8,273,068 |
129 |
7,820,984 |
560 |
16,094,052 |
|
1999 |
425 |
6,425,594 |
106 |
7,121,191 |
531 |
13,546,785 |
|
2000 |
348 |
8,524,833 |
87 |
8,702,148 |
435 |
17,226,981 |
|
2001 |
206 |
9,310,023 |
66 |
2,298,595 |
272 |
11,608,618 |
|
2002 |
191 |
8,250,878 |
93 |
5,628,717 |
284 |
13,879,595 |
|
2003 |
203 |
8,736,062 |
74 |
10,311,006 |
277 |
19,047,068 |
|
2004 |
196 |
7,919,167 |
77 |
6,733,787 |
273 |
14,652,954 |
|
2005 |
160 |
9,596,452 |
81 |
7,646,372 |
241 |
17,242,824 |
|
2006 |
184 |
7,028,671 |
88 |
11,903,769 |
272 |
18,932,440 |
__________________
Source: Engineering Division, City
of Colonial Heights, Virginia
1 One
building permit does not necessarily equal to one residential unit; in many
instances, one permit is for multiple residential units or remodeling.
Back to top
Housing
The following table illustrates the
trends in new housing that have occurred in the City.
Housing Profile
|
Type of
Structure |
1980
Number % |
1990
Number % |
2000
Number % |
2007
Number % |
|
Single Family: |
Detached |
5,122 |
84.3 |
5,291 |
80.6 |
5,797 |
82.2 |
6,140 |
81.5 |
Duplex |
329 |
5.4 |
421 |
6.4 |
298 |
4.2 |
180 |
2.4 |
|
Multi-Family: |
627 |
10.3 |
851 |
13.0 |
962 |
13.6 |
1,211 |
16.1 |
|
Total |
6,078 |
100.0% |
6,563 |
100.00% |
7,057 |
100.0% |
7,531 |
100.0% |
__________________
Source: City Assessor, City of
Colonial Heights, Virginia
Back to top
Health
Care
Southside Regional
Medical Center - Southside Regional Medical Center is a new, acute medical care 300-bed hospital
which opened in the summer of 2008. The City is within its primary
service area. In addition to short-term general, acute emergency
room, outpatient and maternity care, Southside Regional Medical Center
also provides a number of additional specific services. A School
of Nursing and a School of Radiation Sciences are both located on the
hospital premises. Southside Regional also operates a medical
center in the City offering diagnostic and out-patient care.
John Randolph Medical Center - John Randolph Medical
Center is a 147-bed
hospital located in Hopewell at the confluence of the Appomattox and
James rivers, offering acute-care inpatient and outpatient services, as
well as long-term care. Affiliated with the HCA Richmond Market, John
Randolph provides the Tri-Cities, Chester and surrounding communities
with a broad range of high-quality services from cardiology, oncology
and emergency medicine to obstetrics/gynecology, inpatient and
outpatient surgery, diagnostic testing and behavioral health services.
Other hospitals serving the City include 12 short-term, non-federal
hospitals in the Richmond area.
Back to top
Higher
Education
The City lies within Region #2 of the Virginia Community
College System and is served by John Tyler Community
College, a coeducational institution located five miles north of the City in
Chesterfield County, with an enrollment of approximately 7,100 students. Adjacent to the
City is Virginia State University. Founded in 1882,
Virginia State offers undergraduate, masters and technical programs, with an enrollment of
approximately 5,000. Just south of Petersburg is Richard
Bland College, a division of the College of William and Mary, with an enrollment of
approximately 1,400. Richard Bland offers two years of accredited college work, leading to
an Associate Degree in Arts, Science, or Science and Business.
Many other institutions of higher education are located
nearby in Richmond. These include the University of
Richmond, Virginia Union University, and Virginia Commonwealth University and its medical sciences
division, the VCU School of Medicine. Other schools within the City of Richmond offer
specialized secretarial and/or technical training.
Back to top
|
