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 Norton
Land Area: 7 square miles
Population (1990): 4,247
Norton lies in a long hollow shadowed by the northern face of spectacular
Stone Mountain. The city is surrounded by land forever altered by surface
(coal) mining, and its boundaries extend to those of the neighboring
Town of Wise. The two municipalities share a population of around 8,000.
 The economy is based on personal services,
retail trade, manufacturing, communications, and transfer income (retirement
pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits). In 1995, major employers
included St. Mary's Hospital, Wal-Mart, Norton Community Hospital, the
school board, and a Pepsi-Cola bottling plant.
Norton has two parks with well-equipped playgrounds in the downtown area.
On Stone Mountain, high above the city streets, are the Flag Rock and
High Knob recreation areas with facilities for hiking, biking, swimming,
picnicking, and fishing. From a fire tower on High Knob, visitors can
enjoy an awesome 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. Just
on the other side of Stone Mountain are Bark Camp Lake and High Knob
Lake, both built to store municipal water supplies and prevent flash
flooding. The Virginia/Kentucky "Opry" in downtown Norton
showcases bluegrass, gospel, jazz, and country music on weekends.
Death rates from several common causes are higher in Norton than in Virginia - e.g., heart disease (+59%), cancer (+36%), chronic lower respiratory diseases (+45%), unintentional injury (+69%), pneumonia and influenza (+81%), diabetes mellitus (+80%), suicide (+37%), chronic liver disease (+190%), and septicemia (+78%). Death rates from stroke (-9%), nephritis and nephrosis (-73%), and Alzheimer's disease (-28%) are lower in Norton than in Virginia as a whole.
The total pregnancy rate among women aged 15-44 in Norton is 27% lower than among women of the same age in Virginia . The teen pregnancy rate is 16% higher in Norton than in Virginia . Women in Norton are 4% less likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester. Babies born to residents of Norton are 25% more likely to be low birth weight and are 82% more likely to die in the first year of life than babies born in Virginia overall.
 The population of Norton is considerably
less prosperous than the population of Virginia. Norton's poverty rate
is 137% higher than Virginia's poverty rate. Proportionately fewer people
in Norton are in the labor force. The proportion of the Norton population
over the age of 25 without a high school diploma is 81% higher than
in Virginia as a whole. The relative poverty and poor health status
of the population indicate the need for improved access to primary care
in Norton.
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Population Health
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Norton |
Virginia |
| Disabled Population, Ages 5-20 (2000) |
13.5% |
8.1% |
| Disabled Population, Ages 21-64 (2000) |
33.7% |
17.5% |
| Disabled Population, Ages 65+ (2000) |
69.2% |
42.1% |
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| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diseases of the Heart |
346.1 |
218.0 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Malignant Neoplasms |
257.8 |
190.0 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Cerebrovascular Diseases |
53.1 |
58.3 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - COPD |
56.9 |
39.2 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Unintentional Injury |
55.5 |
32.8 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Pneumonia and Influenza |
41.2 |
22.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diabetes Mellitus |
39.1 |
21.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Suicide |
15.2 |
11.1 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Septicemia |
27.4 |
15.4 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Nephritis and Nephrosis |
4.2 |
15.6 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis |
22.4 |
7.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Alzheimers Disease |
14.0 |
15.9 |
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| Total Pregnancy Terminations (Residents) Per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44 (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
60.6 |
82.6 |
| Teenage Pregnancies Per 1,000 Females Aged 10-19 (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
36.4 |
31.3 |
| Percent of Resident Live Births Beginning Prenatal Care in 1st Trimester (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
81.1% |
84.8% |
| Low Weight Live Births as a Percent of Total Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
9.9% |
7.9% |
| Resident Infant Deaths Per 1,000 Lives Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
13.1 |
7.2 |
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| Economic Indicators |
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| Population with Medicaid (2004) |
29.8% |
10.8% |
| Poverty Rate (2000) |
22.8% |
9.6% |
| Per Capita Income (2000) |
$16,024 |
$23,975 |
| Population Aged 16+ in Labor Force (2000) |
49.6% |
66.8% |
| Population Aged 25+ w/o High School Diploma (2000) |
33.5% |
18.5% |
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| Employment By Industry |
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| Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Fishing, Hunting |
5.7% |
1.3% |
| Construction |
6.5% |
7.3% |
| Manufacturing |
7.3% |
11.3% |
| Retail and Wholesale Trade |
15.3% |
14.1% |
| Transportation and Warehousing and Utilities |
4.4% |
4.6% |
| Information |
2.5% |
3.8% |
| Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing |
2.6% |
6.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, Management, Adminstrative, and Waste
Management Services |
8.5% |
11.6% |
| Education, Health, and Social Services |
24.5% |
18.3% |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services |
12.4% |
7.2% |
| Public Administration |
4.7% |
8.3% |
| Other Services |
5.7% |
5.4% |
Links
Norton - http://www.nortonva.org/
Norton - http://www.city-data.com/city/Norton-Virginia.html
Norton - http://www.lenowisco.org/
Norton - http://www.vaswpromise.com/
Norton Community Hospital - http://www.nchosp.org/
Mountain View Regional Medical Center - http://www.smhnorton.org/
Lenowisco Health Distict - http://www.vdh.state.va.us/lhd/lenowisco/index.htm
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