Altavista, Virginia

Geography Altavista is located at 37°7'3" North, 79°17'23" West (37.117622, -79.289632)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²). 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.41% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 3,425 people, 1,502 households, and 940 families residing in the town. The population density is 270.4/km² (699.9/mi²). There are 1,650 housing units at an average density of 130.3/km² (337.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 74.25% White, 24.55% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,502 households out of which 26.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% are married couples living together, 16.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% are non-families. 34.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.23 and the average family size is 2.86.

In the town the population is spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 77.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 71.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $31,818, and the median income for a family is $40,039. Males have a median income of $32,017 versus $22,140 for females. The per capita income for the town is $17,997. 13.5% of the population and 13.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.4% are under the age of 18 and 16.7% are 65 or older.