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Highland Springs, Virginia
Highland Springs historical marker, part of the Highland Springs Historic District.
Highland Springs historical marker, part of the Highland Springs Historic District.
Highland Springs, Virginia is located in Virginia
Highland Springs, Virginia
Highland Springs, Virginia
Location in Virginia
Highland Springs, Virginia is located in the United States
Highland Springs, Virginia
Highland Springs, Virginia
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  Virginia
County Henrico
Area
 • Total 8.3 sq mi (21.6 km2)
 • Land 8.0 sq mi (20.7 km2)
 • Water 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation
171 ft (52 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 16,604
 • Density 1,991/sq mi (768.7/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code
23075
Area code(s) 804
FIPS code 51-37032
GNIS feature ID 1499559

Highland Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Henrico County, Virginia, United States, 4.3 miles (7 km) east of Richmond. The population was 16,604 at the 2020 census.

History

Edmund Sewell Read founded the community of Highland Springs in the 1890s as a streetcar suburb of Richmond on the Seven Pines Railway Company's electric street railway line between the city and the Seven Pines National Cemetery. There, many Union dead were interred, primarily as a result of battles nearby during the Civil War (1861–1865), most notably during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. The potential traffic of visiting families to the Richmond area from out-of-town needing transportation to and from the cemetery was a motivating factor for inception of the new street railway.

Read came to the area from Boston in hopes of finding a suitable climate for his ailing wife. The natural springs in the area made it a suitable choice for the Read family, and apparently an inspiration for the new name.

Approximately mid-way along the new streetcar route from Richmond through eastern Henrico County, Read bought a 1,000-acre (400 ha) tract of land and divided it into lots. He laid out along the main street which was the pre-existing Nine Mile Road, new cross streets named in alphabetical order after plants, beginning from the west: Ash, Beech, Cedar, Daisy, Elm, Fern, Grove, Holly, Ivy, Juniper, Kalmia, Linden, Maple, Oak, Pine, Quince, Rose, and Spruce. One block south of and parallel to the Nine Mile Road, Read Street was named for its founder, Edmund Sewell Read.

The Sewells' large brick home is situated on the south side of Nine Mile Road between Grove and Holly, with Read Street to its rear. Today it serves as a medical office complex.

Geography

Highland Springs is located at 37°32′44″N 77°19′43″W / 37.54556°N 77.32861°W / 37.54556; -77.32861 (37.545445, −77.328524).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.6 km2), of which 8.0 square miles (20.7 km2) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.9 km2), or 4.09%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1970 7,345
1980 12,146 65.4%
1990 13,823 13.8%
2000 15,137 9.5%
2010 15,711 3.8%
2020 16,604 5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
2010 2020

2020 census

Highland Springs CDP, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 4,580 3,712 29.15% 22.36%
Black or African American alone (NH) 10,303 11,475 65.58% 69.11%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 66 62 0.42% 0.37%
Asian alone (NH) 76 80 0.48% 0.48%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 7 9 0.04% 0.05%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 24 92 0.15% 0.55%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 321 560 2.04% 3.37%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 334 614 2.13% 3.70%
Total 15,711 16,604 100.00% 100.00%

Other information

Although no physical traces of the street railway remain in Highland Springs, old brick streetcar barns are extant both in Richmond, in the Church Hill area, and in Sandston at Seven Pines, where an unusual street configuration is attributed to the turning path of the old trolley cars at today's U.S. Route 60.

The new ABA team the Richmond Elite are based in Highland Springs, their home arena being Highland Springs High School.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Highland Springs has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Highland Springs para niños

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