FACTS

Population (year 2000): 971
Estimated population (July 2002): 944 (-2.8% change)
Males: 436 (44.9%)
Females: 535 (55.1%)
Elevation: 2698 feet

County: Grayson

Land area: 2.3 square miles

Zip code: 24348

Median resident age: 51.3 years
Median household income: $18,264 (year 2000)
Median house value: $70,200 (year 2000)

Races in Independence
White Non-Hispanic: 89.6%
Black: 6.8%
Hispanic: 2.7%
Other race: 1.2%
Two or more races: 1.2%
American India: 0.5%

Ancestries
English: 16.5%
United States: 12.3%
Irish: 9.0%
German: 5.9%
Scotch-Irish: 3.1%

For population 25 years and over
High school or higher: 61.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 11.7%
Graduate or professional degree: 3.9%
Unemployed: 2.3%
Mean travel time to work: 21.4 minutes

For population 15 years and over
Never married: 16.6%
Now married: 51.1%
Separated: 4.0%
Widowed: 16.9%
Divorced: 11.4%

3.0% Foreign born (3.0% Latin America)

Nearest city with pop. 50,000+: Winston-Salem, NC (71.0 miles, pop. 185,776).

Nearest city with pop. 200,000+: Greensboro, NC (98.9 miles, pop. 223,891).

Nearest city with pop. 1,000,000+: Philadelphia, PA (474.2 miles, pop. 1,517,550).

Nearest towns: Sparta, NC (8.4 miles), Fries, VA (13.7 miles), Galax, VA (16.2 miles), Troutdale, VA (20.8 miles), Rural Retreat, VA (20.9 miles), Wytheville, VA (22.9 miles), Atkins, VA (24.6 miles).

Area code: 276

Industries providing employment:
Manufacturing: 33.2%
Retail trade: 18.7%
Educational,health, and social services: 16.3%

Crime in Independence (2001)
0 murders: 0.0 per 100,000
0 rapes: 0.0 per 100,000
0 robberies: 0.0 per 100,000
0 assaults: 0.0 per 100,000
0 burglaries: 0.0 per 100,000
3 larceny counts: 304.3 per 100,000
0 auto thefts: 0.0 per 100,000
City-data.com crime index = 12.4 (higher means more crime)

Hospitals/medical centers near Independence:
Alleghany County Memorial (about 9 miles; Sparta, NC)
Twin County Regional (about 16 miles; Galax, VA)
Wythe County Community (about 23 miles; Wytheville, VA)

Airports certified for carrier operations nearest to Independence:
Hickory Regional (about 64 miles; Hickory, NC; ID: HKY)
Smith Reynolds (about 73 miles; Winston-Salem, NC; ID: INT)
Raleigh County Memorial (about 80 miles; Beckley, WV; ID: BKW)

Other public-use airports nearest to Independence:
Mountain Empire (about 22 miles; Marion/Wytheville, VA; ID: MKJ)
Ashe County (about 24 miles; Jefferson, NC; ID: GEV)
Twin County (about 25 miles; Galax/Hillsville, VA; ID: HLX)

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Independence:
Bluefield State College (about 46 miles; Bluefield, WV; Full-time enrollment: 2,096)
New River Community College (about 47 miles; Dublin, VA; FT enrollment: 2,262)
Appalachian State University (about 48 miles; Boone, NC; FT enrollment: 12,245)
Radford University (about 55 miles; Radford, VA; FT enrollment: 8,034)
Southwest Virginia Community College (about 56 miles; Richlands, VA; FT enrollment: 2,412)
Concord College (about 58 miles; Athens, WV; FT enrollment: 2,723)
Catawba Valley Community College (about 65 miles; Hickory, NC; FT enrollment: 2,052)

Public high school in Independence:
Grayson County High (Students: 624; Location: 110 Blue Devil Drive)
Grayson County High Career & Tech Ed (Location: 110 Blue Devil Drive)

Public primary/middle schools in Independence:
Independence Middle (Students: 358; Location: 100 Blue Devil Drive)
Independence Elem. (Students: 241; Location: 915 E Main St)
Briddle Creek Elem. (Students: 110; Location: 77 Bridle Creek Rd)

Library in Independence:
Wythe-Grayson Regional Library (Operating income: $750,083; Location: 147 S. Independence Ave.; 121,544 books; 5,027 audio materials; 4,426 video materials; 287 serial subscriptions)

Average weather in Independence
Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations