Galax, Virginia
| Galax, Virginia | |
|---|---|
| Independent city | |
Central Galax
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 Galax, Virginia
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| Coordinates: 36°39′53″N 80°55′13″W / 36.66472°N 80.92028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | None (Independent city) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.3 sq mi (21 km2) |
| • Land | 8.2 sq mi (21 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,372 ft (723 m) |
| Population (2015) | |
| • Total | 6,914 |
| • Density | 855/sq mi (330/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 24333 |
| Area code(s) | 276 |
| FIPS code | 51-30208 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1483573 |
Galax /ˈɡeɪlæks/ is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,042. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Galax with neighboring Carroll County for statistical purposes. Galax is bounded to the northeast by Carroll County and to the southwest by Grayson County.
The area that later became Galax was part of an 800-acre land grant given to James Buchanan in 1756 by the English Crown. The first plat map for Galax is dated December 1903; The town founders selected the site for the city on a wide expanse of meadowland bisected by Chestnut Creek and sitting at an altitude of 2,500 feet on a plateau. The Virginia General Assembly officially chartered the town of Galax in 1906. The town is named for Galax urceolata, an evergreen groundcover plant found throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains. At the time, the plant was gathered and sold by many people in southwestern Virginia and northwestern North Carolina as an ornamental plants; a Norfolk and Western Railway Company official suggested that the town be named for the plant. The first Galax Agricultural Fair took place in September 1908, when Galax had 600 residents.
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Wikipedia