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Crimora, Virginia

Crimora, Virginia
CDP
Location of Crimora, Virginia
Location of Crimora, Virginia
Coordinates: 38°9′39″N 78°50′21″W / 38.16083°N 78.83917°W / 38.16083; -78.83917Coordinates: 38°9′39″N 78°50′21″W / 38.16083°N 78.83917°W / 38.16083; -78.83917
Country United States
State Virginia
County Augusta
Area
 • Total 3.1 sq mi (8.0 km2)
 • Land 3.1 sq mi (8.0 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 1,253 ft (382 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 2,209
 • Density 710/sq mi (280/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 24431
Area code(s) 540
FIPS code 51-20240
GNIS feature ID 1492825

Crimora is a census-designated place (CDP) in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census, a 23% increase from the 1,796 reported in 2000. It is part of the StauntonWaynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Crimora is located at 38°9′39″N 78°50′21″W / 38.16083°N 78.83917°W / 38.16083; -78.83917 (38.160845, -78.839088).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²), all of it land.

What put Crimora on the map was the open-pit Crimora Manganese Mine that started in 1866. The mineral manganese was used in the production of steel. Mining at Crimora continued intermittently under a series of owners until March 1946. The Crimora deposit is about 500 feet wide, 200 feet deep, and half a mile long and consists of clay with scattered lumps of manganese ore. It lies under a layer of clay and quartz fragments about 15 feet thick. The Crimora deposit produced more manganese than any other single deposit in the United States and, at one time, the mining operations there were among the largest in the world.

The mines are located at the foothills of the mountains of the Shenandoah National Park. They are two miles east of Crimora Station on the Norfolk Southern Railway formerly known as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. Crimora Station was located at milepost 136.9 but the station is no longer there. The remains of the mine consist of three adjoining man-made lakes that range from 20 to 100 feet deep, with underwater shafts connecting multiple water sources around the Crimora area.


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