Hot Springs, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hot Springs, Virginia
|
|
|---|---|
Downtown Hot Springs in the late 2000s
|
|
 Hot Springs, Virginia
Location in Virginia
Hot Springs, Virginia
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Bath |
| Population
(2010)
|
|
| • Total | 738 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
24445
|
Hot Springs is a small community in Bath County, Virginia, United States. In 2020, about 524 people lived there. It is known for its natural hot springs, which have led to the creation of several famous resorts over the years. You can find Hot Springs about 5 miles southwest of Warm Springs, right on U.S. Route 220.
Contents
History of Hot Springs
Early Beginnings and Resorts
People have been visiting the hot springs here since the mid-1700s. In 1766, Thomas Bullitt built the first inn to welcome travelers. Later, Dr. Thomas Goode made it even bigger. The most famous resort today, The Homestead, started from this very first inn.
Several other important buildings in Hot Springs are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include Mustoe House, The Yard, Barton Lodge, Switchback School, and Garth Newel.
Hot Springs During World War II
During World War II, Hot Springs played a special role. In 1943, The Homestead resort hosted a big meeting for the United Nations. At this meeting, they created the Food and Agriculture Organization, which helps make sure people around the world have enough food.
From December 1941 to June 1942, after the United States joined World War II, The Homestead was used as a place for Japanese diplomats and their families to stay. There were 785 people in total. They stayed there until they could be safely exchanged for American diplomats who were in Japan. Later, these Japanese diplomats were moved to the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia.
The Railroad and Its End
Hot Springs was once the last stop for a train line called the Hot Springs Branch. This line belonged to the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Railroad. It ran from Covington to Hot Springs, mostly to bring passengers to the resort.
The C&O once thought about making the line longer into West Virginia. However, they decided to build a different line there instead. By 1975, the C&O stopped using the Hot Springs Branch. A tourist train, the Allegany Central, was supposed to start using the line. But The Homestead resort decided it did not want the railroad or the tourist line to reach Hot Springs anymore. So, the train tracks were removed up to the Bath County line.
In 1984, the tourist railroad stopped running. Part of the old train line in Alleghany County was turned into a walking and biking path called the Jackson River Scenic Trail. However, this trail was not extended into Bath County to follow the entire old train route to Hot Springs. One of the original steam engines that used to serve the Hot Springs Branch is now kept in Covington, Virginia.
Climate and Weather in Hot Springs
Hot Springs has a climate that is a mix of different types. It is mostly a humid continental climate, which means it has warm summers and cold winters. It also has some features of a humid subtropical climate.
The weather in Hot Springs can vary quite a bit throughout the year. Here is a summary of the average temperatures and precipitation:
| Climate data for Hot Springs, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 73 (23) |
77 (25) |
83 (28) |
89 (32) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
99 (37) |
100 (38) |
95 (35) |
90 (32) |
79 (26) |
75 (24) |
100 (38) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.8 (4.3) |
43.7 (6.5) |
52.4 (11.3) |
64.2 (17.9) |
72.2 (22.3) |
78.8 (26.0) |
82.1 (27.8) |
80.4 (26.9) |
74.1 (23.4) |
64.0 (17.8) |
52.8 (11.6) |
42.9 (6.1) |
62.3 (16.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 30.6 (−0.8) |
33.5 (0.8) |
41.0 (5.0) |
51.5 (10.8) |
60.0 (15.6) |
67.6 (19.8) |
71.1 (21.7) |
69.7 (20.9) |
63.3 (17.4) |
52.5 (11.4) |
42.1 (5.6) |
34.1 (1.2) |
51.4 (10.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 21.5 (−5.8) |
23.3 (−4.8) |
29.6 (−1.3) |
38.8 (3.8) |
47.9 (8.8) |
56.4 (13.6) |
60.2 (15.7) |
59.1 (15.1) |
52.6 (11.4) |
41.0 (5.0) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
40.6 (4.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−14 (−26) |
−2 (−19) |
10 (−12) |
18 (−8) |
25 (−4) |
35 (2) |
32 (0) |
22 (−6) |
14 (−10) |
0 (−18) |
−20 (−29) |
−20 (−29) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.64 (92) |
3.13 (80) |
4.31 (109) |
4.30 (109) |
4.69 (119) |
4.31 (109) |
4.22 (107) |
3.59 (91) |
4.13 (105) |
3.14 (80) |
3.35 (85) |
3.69 (94) |
46.50 (1,181) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.0 (20) |
7.0 (18) |
4.6 (12) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.6 (1.5) |
4.5 (11) |
25.3 (64) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.5 | 9.5 | 11.3 | 12.6 | 14.3 | 12.3 | 12.5 | 11.0 | 9.4 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 10.5 | 131.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.6 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 9.4 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Hot Springs (Virginia) para niños
