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 Galax
Land Area: 8 square miles
Population (2000): 6,837
Named for a mountain wildflower, the independent city of Galax is wedged
between Carroll County (pop. 29,245) to the east and Grayson County
(pop. 17,917) to the west. Quiet hollows, pastured hills, and patches
of dense forest characterize the landscape. To the east, the land rises
to the scenic heights of the Blue Ridge Mountains. To the west are more
spectacular heights that are seen less often - Mount Rogers, Whitetop,
and the Iron Mountains. Beauty surrounds this flower of the high country.
 Major elements of the economy are manufacturing,
service industries, trade, and transfer payments (retirement pensions,
disability income, and welfare benefits). In 1995, the largest employers
in the city were Hanes Printables (knit underwear), Consolidated Glass
and Mirror, Webb Furniture, Vaughan Furniture, Vaughan Basset Furniture,
Twin-County Regional Hospital, and Dixon Lumber. The Galax workforce
includes about 8,500 people; almost 2,000 more people work in Galax
than live there.
Three outdoor recreation centers are within 30 miles of Galax - Grayson
Highlands State Park, New River Trail State Park, and the Mount Rogers
National Recreation Area. These parks have facilities for camping, picnicking,
hiking, biking, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, and horseback riding.
Mount Rogers is the highest peak in Virginia. Gourmands enjoy the cuisine
at Chateau Morrisette in Carroll County.
 Death rates from several common causes are higher in Galax than in Virginia : e.g., heart disease (+26%), cancer (+5%), stroke (+26%), chronic lower respiratory diseases (+49%), unintentional injury (+34%), pneumonia and influenza (+94%), suicide (+98%), and chronic liver disease (+66%). Death rates from other common causes are lower in Galax than in Virginia overall: diabetes mellitus (-35%), septicemia (-80%), nephritis and nephrosis (-25%) and Alzheimer's disease (-13%).
The total pregnancy rate for women aged 15-44 in Galax is 35% higher than in Virginia as a whole. The teen pregnancy rate is 112% higher in Galax than in Virginia . Women in Galax are 10% less likely than Virginia women to receive prenatal care in the first trimester and babies born to residents of Galax are 1% more likely to be low birth weight than babies born in Virginia as a whole. Still, the Galax infant mortality rate is 10% less than the Virginia infant mortality rate.
The population of Galax is considerably less prosperous than the population
of Virginia. The poverty rate in Galax is 94% higher than Virginia's
poverty rate. The per capita income in Galax is only 73% of the Virginia
per capita income. The proportion of Galaxers over the age of 25 without
a high school diploma is 114% higher than in Virginia. Given the relative
poverty and apparent poor health status of the population, it seems
that Galaxers could benefit from increased access to primary care.
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Population Health
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Galax |
Virginia |
| Disabled Population, Ages 5-20 (2000) |
10.0% |
8.1% |
| Disabled Population, Ages 21-64 (2000) |
29.9% |
17.5% |
| Disabled Population, Ages 65+ (2000) |
46.1% |
42.1% |
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|
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diseases of the Heart |
274.8 |
218.0 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Malignant Neoplasms |
199.1 |
190.0 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Cerebrovascular Diseases |
73.5 |
58.3 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - COPD |
58.4 |
39.2 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Unintentional Injury |
43.8 |
32.8 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Pneumonia and Influenza |
44.0 |
22.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diabetes Mellitus |
16.1 |
21.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Suicide |
22.0 |
11.1 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Septicemia |
3.1 |
15.4 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Nephritis and Nephrosis |
11.7 |
15.6 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis |
12.8 |
7.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Alzheimers Disease |
13.9 |
15.9 |
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| Total Pregnancy Terminations (Residents) Per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44 (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
111.6 |
82.6 |
| Teenage Pregnancies Per 1,000 Females Aged 10-19 (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
66.5 |
31.3 |
| Percent of Resident Live Births Beginning Prenatal Care in 1st Trimester (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
76.0% |
84.8% |
| Low Weight Live Births as a Percent of Total Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
8.0% |
7.9% |
| Resident Infant Deaths Per 1,000 Lives Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
6.5 |
7.2 |
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| Economic Indicators |
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| Population with Medicaid (2004) |
28.1% |
10.8% |
| Poverty Rate (2000) |
18.6% |
9.6% |
| Per Capita Income (2000) |
$17,447 |
$23,975 |
| Population Aged 16+ in Labor Force (2000) |
58.2% |
66.8% |
| Population Aged 25+ w/o High School Diploma (2000) |
39.6% |
18.5% |
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| Employment By Industry |
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| Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Fishing, Hunting |
0.7% |
1.3% |
| Construction |
4.6% |
7.3% |
| Manufacturing |
39.3% |
11.3% |
| Retail and Wholesale Trade |
17.3% |
14.1% |
| Transportation and Warehousing and Utilities |
3.6% |
4.6% |
| Information |
0.9% |
3.8% |
| Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing |
3.0% |
6.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, Management, Adminstrative, and Waste
Management Services |
3.7% |
11.6% |
| Education, Health, and Social Services |
15.6% |
18.3% |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services |
3.7% |
7.2% |
| Public Administration |
4.2% |
8.3% |
| Other Services |
3.5% |
5.4% |
Links
Galax - http://www.ingalax.net/
Galax - http://www.mrpdc.org/econ_stats.htm
Twin County Regional Health Care - http://www.tcrh.org/
Mount Rogers Health District - http://www.vdh.state.va.us/LHD/mtrogers/index.asp
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