Community Information - Colonial Heights, Virginia

Colonial Heights History >

"The name Colonial Heights results from an incident during the American Revolutionary War. In 1781 the French troops of Lafayette, known as the Colonials, retreated north from Petersburg and set up artillery on the heights overlooking Petersburg and the Appomattox River. The area came to be known as Colonial Heights and the name was given to a subdivision of the Oak Hill tract in 1906.

The area also became involved in operations during the Civil War. General Robert E. Lee made his headquarters at Violet Bank from June through September during the siege of Petersburg in 1864.

The area was first incorporated in 1926 and became an independent city in 1948. From 1960 to 1970, Colonial Heights experienced a period of rapid growth as the population jumped from 9,587 to 15,097."

The Information above is an excerpt from - History of Colonial Heights. Written by David W. Hawkins, then Commissioner of Revenue for the City of Colonial Heights, August 1947, for the Virginia Municipal Review.

Colonial Heights History Page

Location >

25 miles south of Richmond in central Virginia. It is part of the Richmond-Petersburg Metropolitan Statistical area. Chesterfield forms the north, west and east boundaries with the southern border shared with the city of Petersburg. Colonial Heights, along with Petersburg and Hopewell, make up the well-known "Tri-cities area. Colonial Heights is an independent city, not associated with any county.

Colonial Heights Facts & Figures >

The population of Colonial Heights is approximately 16,700 (1999).
The approximate number of families is 6,592 (1990).
The amount of land area in Colonial Heights is 19.327 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Colonial Heights is 8.14 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 0.839 sq kilometers.
The distance from Colonial Heights to Washington DC is 115 miles. The distance to the Virginia state capital is 18 miles. (as the crow flies)
Colonial Heights is positioned 37.26 degrees north of the equator and 77.39 degrees west of the prime meridian.

(This information was collected from a variety of public domain sources. Please visit the sites below for more information about the area.)

Colonial Heights Web Site

Community

Chester
Chesterfield
Colonial Heights
Dinwiddie
Hopewell
Petersburg
Prince George
Surry
Sussex