Lexington, Virginia

Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the state of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 6,867. Lexington is located in western Virginia, northwest of Lynchburg; it was first settled in 1777.

Economy

Today, Lexington's primary economic activity stems from higher education and tourism. Host to Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University, Lexington is first and foremost a small college town. As a Civil War attraction, Lexington attracts visitors from around the country. Items of interest in Lexington include the Stonewall Jackson House, Lee Chapel, Lime Kiln Theater, and the downtown historic district.

Related Topics:
Higher education - Tourism - College town - Stonewall Jackson House - Lee Chapel - Lime Kiln Theater

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lexington also contains a host of small businesses, catering to a unique mixture of tourist and collegiate clientele. Among the more noteworthy are the Cocoa Mill Chocolate Company, the Wilson-Walker House, and Virginia Born and Bred. Lexington's downtown district is also noteworthy as a set for several feature films. One of the main motion pictures was Sommersby, starring Richard Gere, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones, and Jodie Foster. Most recently, in Fall of 2004, director Stephen Spielberg and Tom Cruise came, and ended up filming scenes for War of the Worlds here, with Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins.

Related Topics:
Cocoa Mill Chocolate Company - Wilson-Walker House - Virginia Born and Bred

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The city is also home to a remarkable number of independent newspapers. There is the News-Gazatte, which comes out once a week. (The Gazette also produces a free shopper known as The Weekender.) The Gazette is an old, establishment oriented community paper. Then there is the Rockbridge Weekly, mostly noted in the area for printing police blotters and other crime reports. And there is the Rockbridge Advocate, a news-magazine that comes out once a month. The paper's motto is "independent as a hog on ice," and it seems to fit.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~