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24-716: Gate City can mean: Gate City, Virginia , a city in Scott County, Virginia Gate City Historic District , a national historic district located at Gate City, Scott County, Virginia Gate City, a park in Ōsaki, Tokyo Gate City, a newly developed ring city near Almaty , Kazakhstan Gate City Bank , mutually owned bank headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, Gate City FC , an earlier American soccer club based in Greensboro, North Carolina City nicknames [ edit ]

48-532: A charter for a railroad from Bristol to Big Stone Gap . That same year he founded the Scott Banner . He participated in the founding of Virginia Coal & Iron Co. , which became Virginia's largest coal company, and many other coal companies, as well as banks, a telephone company, and other businesses, and he owned the Big Stone Gap Post . Ayers became involved with Virginia politics as

72-799: A member of the Democratic State Committee of the Ninth Congressional District in 1883. The next year, he was Vice-President of the Virginia delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, at which Grover Cleveland was nominated. In 1885, Virginia's Democrats nominated Ayers as their candidate for Attorney General, along with Fitzhugh Lee for governor and John E. Massey for lieutenant governor. Besides Ayers, once

96-483: A railroad log yard where logs from all over the county were stored and then loaded to be later transported by train. Iron ore from the Snowflake and Nickelsville areas as well as glass sand from the south of Clinch Mountain were manufactured and shipped from Gate City. In addition, the town had a thriving manufacturing center in the area of Water Street where wood pumps, staves, sleds, and harnesses were built. By 1915,

120-515: Is water. The town has expanded its boundaries since the 2000 census via a boundary adjustment agreement with the county. Bordered by a mountain, Gate City is a small city relative to its neighbors and located on U.S. Routes 23 and 421 near the Tennessee state line. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) plans for a large portion of the mountain at Moccasin Gap to be shorn away. As of

144-453: The census of 2000, there were 2,159 people, 984 households, and 604 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,058.8 inhabitants per square mile (408.8/km ). There were 1,119 housing units at an average density of 548.8 per square mile (211.9/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 95.69% White , 3.80% African American , 0.09% Native American , and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of

168-581: The Coupon case, and that Ayers had chosen instead of seeking re-election in 1889 to return to Southwest Virginia, "which is now enjoying a genuine boom." From 1889 to 1892, Ayers had as his law partner Joseph L. Kelly in Estillville. In 1893, along with his successor as Attorney General, R. Taylor Scott , and William F. Rhea from Bristol, Ayers represented Virginia before the Supreme Court in

192-405: The average family size was 2.81. In the town, 20.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.3% was from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 31,875, and

216-631: The boundary dispute with Tennessee over "a strip of land about 113 miles in length, and varying from 2 to 8 miles in width," that would have put all of Bristol, Tennessee in Virginia. They lost. In 1895, Ayers moved his family and his law practice from Scott County to Big Stone Gap. In 1901-02, Ayers was a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention , serving as Chairman of the Committee on Public Institutions and Prisons. Ayers ran for Congress in 1912 against

240-553: The county seat. The location of the town was such that it would emerge as an important commercial center for people and goods traveling through Big Moccasin Gap and the North Fork of the Holston River . When the county seat was established in 1815, it was named Winfield in honor of War of 1812 hero Gen. Winfield Scott . The main street of the new town honored war hero and future president Andrew Jackson . In 1817,

264-511: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gate_City&oldid=1142095271 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Gate City, Virginia Gate City is a town in Scott County, Virginia , United States. The population

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288-599: The median income for a family was $ 48,068. Males had a median income of $ 35,875 versus $ 22,292 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 19,268. About 4.1% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 22.9% of those age 65 or over. Rufus A. Ayers Ayers was born in Bedford County, Virginia . His family set out for Texas, but passed through Goodson (now Bristol ) en route, and decided to stay there. Ayers attended Goodson Academy until it

312-436: The nickname of Pocatello, Idaho the nickname of Nashua, New Hampshire the nickname of Greensboro, North Carolina a historic nickname for Atlanta, Georgia See also [ edit ] City Gate (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Gate City . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

336-407: The population. There were 984 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and

360-714: The south) attracted Gate City residents, several local businesses and small manufacturing companies shut down. By 2010, many former commercial buildings stood vacant, but the Gate City Historic District was newly listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Pilot Flying J , the largest network of service station/travel centers in North America operating in 44 states and 6 Canadian provinces, and headquartered in Knoxville, TN,

384-453: The town as the "Gate Way to the West." The town was incorporated in 1892. By the beginning of the twentieth-century, Gate City was one of several "boom towns" located in southwestern Virginia. Although the streets were little more than dirt byways in the town, the area was a vibrant commercial and transportation center. Up to six daily passenger trains passed through Gate City. The town also had

408-504: The town supported two livery stables on Willow Street and a blacksmith shop on Jackson Street, as well as a dentist's office, an ice plant, a casket shop, and a furniture manufacturing business. By the 1930s, Gate City had three movie theaters, banks, and a hotel. The town also had two businesses that dealt with auto sales and repairs. By the 1950s and 1960s, the town's momentum was slowing. As industry in Kingsport, Tennessee (6 miles to

432-774: The town was renamed Estillville in honor of Benjamin Estill, a local judge instrumental in the formation of the new county. As a result of the county seat's location near Big Moccasin Gap and the North Fork of the Holston River, the town grew into a commercial center for people passing through on their way westward, for farmers hoping to sell goods, and businessmen in town for legal affairs. A regular wagon train and coach line service conveying people, mail, and commercial goods between Bedford and Estilville. Gate City received its present name in 1886, when Attorney General Rufus A. Ayers pointed out that proximity to Big Moccasin Gap marked

456-493: The under-aged private, the other leading candidate for the nomination was James A. Walker , who had been a Confederate Army general. In the general election, Ayers defeated the incumbent Republican Frank S. Blair . Following the inauguration of Lee, Massey, and Ayers in 1886, the Democrats would control Virginia's statewide offices until 1970. As Attorney General, Ayers was made a defendant in litigation over Virginia's debt,

480-565: Was 2,034 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Scott County . Gate City is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol metropolitan area , which is a component of the " Tri-Cities " region. Some scenes from The River were shot here. In 1771, Silas Engart received a land grant of 200 acres that included the location of the future town. By the time of Scott County's formation in 1815, landowner James Davidson, Sr. donated approximately 13 acres of his plantation for establishing

504-554: Was admitted to the bar in 1872. In 1875, Ayers became the Commonwealth's Attorney for Scott County, Virginia , serving until 1879. Expanding his political career, Ayers served as reading clerk for the House of Delegates from 1875 to 1879, and was appointed a district supervisor by President Rutherford B. Hayes for the 1880 census. Ayers became one of Southwest Virginia's industrial development leaders. In 1876, Ayers obtained

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528-657: Was closed at the start of the Civil War. He never went to school again, for the rest of his life. At age 14, young Ayers ran away and joined the Confederate Army. Although under age, Ayers served for some months as a soldier in East Tennessee. After the war, Ayers went into business at age 19 in Estillville, now Gate City, Virginia . Encouraged by his uncle, a judge in Bedford, he began to study law and

552-765: Was held in contempt by the United States Circuit Court, and checked into the Richmond city jail on October 10, 1887. On December 5, before a packed courtroom, the Supreme Court of the United States announced its decision to grant Ayers' petition for habeas corpus. The Virginia Coupon issue was not resolved on the merits until 1890. That same year, the New York Times interviewed Ayers, noting that he had spent six days in jail in

576-552: Was started in Gate City in 1958. Gate City is located at 36°38′18″N 82°34′50″W  /  36.63833°N 82.58056°W  / 36.63833; -82.58056 (36.638325, −82.580659). According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km ), of which 2.0 square miles (5.2 km ) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km ), or 0.97%,

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