Make room: City, county see population growth in 2020 Census
It’s not your imagination—it is getting more crowded around here. Charlottesville and Albemarle are both more populous than they were a decade ago, according to newly released census data. The 2020 census was delayed thanks to the pandemic, but the Census Bureau shared its first tranche of data last week.
The City of Charlottesville had 43,475 residents in 2010 and now has 46,553, meaning 7 percent more people live here than a decade ago. Albemarle County grew at approximately twice the rate of the city during that stretch, going from 98,970 residents in 2010 to 112,395 in 2020, a roughly 14 percent increase in population. The city and county combined have more than 16,000 more residents than in 2010.
Some of Albemarle’s rural neighboring counties in central Virginia saw significant population growth as well. Greene County has 12 percent more people than it did in 2010 and Louisa has 13 percent more.
The state as a whole got 8 percent more populous. That growth was most concentrated in northern Virginia—Loudoun County has 35 percent more residents than it did 10 years ago. Some regions of the state decreased in population, as well. The three counties with the most significant population loss were Lee, Wise, and Buchanan, down at the Old Dominion’s very southwestern tip. Each lost between 12 and 15 percent of its population.
Comedian Trevor Moore passes away
Comedian and Charlottesville native Trevor Moore passed away unexpectedly last week at age 41. Moore attended Covenant High School and got his start on Charlottesville area public access television before becoming nationally known for sketch comedy work with his group Whitest Kids U Know. He went on to work for Comedy Central and direct multiple films.
“Making @itrevormoore really laugh always gave me a sense of accomplishment. I’m so lucky I got to spend the last 20 years trying to get good at that,” tweeted long-time Whitest Kids U Know collaborator Sam Brown after hearing news of Moore’s death.
The Whitest Kids U Know skits, which aired from 2006 to 2011, have a spontaneous, early-internet-era charm. In “Sex Robot,” a cardboard-and-tinfoil robot parades down a residential street while techno music plays. And in “Lincoln,” the group reveals that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated not for his political views but because he was persistently heckling other audience members at Ford’s Theater from his presidential box.
On July 8, Moore tweeted, “When I die I want the obituary to refer to me as ‘local sexpot.’” Rest in peace Trevor Moore, local sexpot.
“One brave woman, Heather Heyer, a young civil rights activist, was murdered while representing the best of us. Her life and activism are reminders that while we have never fully lived up to the promise of America, we have never fully walked away from it either.”
President Joe Biden, in a statement commemorating the four-year anniversary of August 12.
In brief
Third shot available for some
The Blue Ridge Health District is offering a third dose of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to immunocompromised individuals, the health district announced on Monday. The new initiative is in line with federal guidance as coronavirus cases rise locally and nationally.
Show your cards
The Jefferson and The Southern have announced a new vaccine requirement: In order to enter the venues, all event attendees will be required to show their vaccine cards or proof of a negative COVID test within 48 hours of a show. That’s what we like to hear!
Incident postponed
The String Cheese Incident rescheduled its August 19 Ting Pavilion show, along with two other upcoming tour dates, citing the current wave of new coronavirus cases. The jam band will come to Charlottesville in April instead. At press time, the Pavilion’s August 17 Louis the Child show and upcoming slate of Fridays After Five performances will go ahead as scheduled.
It’s about the journey
Albemarle County’s Jack Jouett Elementary will be renamed Journey Elementary in July 2022, the school board decided last week. Jouett was a local Revolutionary War soldier and slave owner. It’s not the first name change in recent years: In 2019, the county changed Cale Elementary to Mountain View Elementary after segregationist comments from former superintendent Paul H. Cale saw the light of day.
Hot number
You’re reading the 33rd issue of the 33rd year of C-VILLE Weekly. Must be your lucky day.