
Virginia bond forfeiture runs on a number that most families never hear until they need it: 150 days. That figure is the window the Commonwealth gives to return a defendant who missed court before the bond is finally lost. Everything a bondsman does after a failure to appear is shaped by that clock. For anyone dealing with bail bonds Danville VA courts oversee, understanding how the 150-day window works turns a frightening situation into one with a clear deadline and a clear path.
The window comes from Virginia Code Section 19.2-143, the statute that governs default on a recognizance. When a defendant fails to appear, the court records the default and issues a notice of default within five days. The 150-day clock then runs from the finding of default. Inside that period, the bond can be saved. Outside it, the loss becomes final and a separate set of consequences begins. The entire recovery effort exists to beat that deadline.
The rule itself is direct. If the defendant is brought before the court within 150 days of the finding of default, the court dismisses the default upon a motion filed by the party in default. In plain terms, getting the defendant back into a Danville courtroom inside 150 days undoes the forfeiture. The bond is not lost, the co-signer's exposure closes, and the case returns to its normal track, now carrying the added failure to appear charge but without the financial catastrophe of a forfeited bond.
This is why the 150-day window is the most hopeful fact in any failure to appear situation. The loss that families fear most, the forfeiture of the full bond amount and any collateral, is preventable for those five months. A bondsman working bail bonds Danville VA residents rely on spends that period doing one thing above all: locating the defendant and arranging a return to court before the window closes. The math is unforgiving but fair, and it gives everyone involved a shared goal.
Virginia Code Section 19.2-143 runs the 150-day window from the finding of default, and the court issues a notice of default within five days of the missed appearance, so families have a clear date from which to count.
If a forfeited bond is unpaid by the end of the 150-day period, the bondsman's license faces suspension under Virginia Code Section 9.1-185.8, which is why returning a client to court inside the window is a bondsman's top priority.
Even after the window closes, Virginia Code Section 19.2-143 lets the court remit a forfeited bond if the defendant appears within 24 months of the default, or within 48 months if incarcerated in another state, less costs.
A surety bondsman is not left to hope the defendant wanders back. Virginia law gives the surety specific authority to act. Under Virginia Code Section 19.2-149, a surety on a bond may surrender the defendant and be discharged from further liability. That means the bondsman can locate the client, take the person into custody, and deliver them to the Danville Adult Detention Center on South Boston Road, which returns the defendant to the court's control and stops the forfeiture. The surrender right is the legal engine behind the recovery, and it is one of the practical differences between a surety bond and a cash bond a family posts with no one to help retrieve a missing defendant.
The work inside the window is usually a mix of persuasion and, when needed, recovery. Most returns are voluntary. A defendant contacted early, reminded of the 150-day rule and the growing risk, often agrees to come back rather than let the situation worsen. When a defendant hides or flees, the surety's authority to surrender becomes the tool that brings the case back into the window. A bondsman handling bail bonds Danville VA courts oversee will pursue the cooperative path first, because a voluntary return tends to serve the defendant better at the next hearing.
When the window closes without the defendant returning and without payment, the consequences shift to the bondsman's license. Under Virginia Code Section 19.2-143, if the forfeited recognizance is not paid by the end of the 150-day period, the license of any bondsman on the bond faces suspension under Virginia Code Section 9.1-185.8. A notice to pay within ten business days can follow, with more license consequences if it goes unpaid. These stakes explain why a bondsman treats the window as an absolute priority. A suspended license ends the ability to work, so the incentive to return a client to court before day 150 is as strong as it gets.

Missing the 150-day window does not always mean the bond is gone forever, though the later paths are narrower and costlier. Virginia Code Section 19.2-143 allows the court to remit a forfeited bond if the defendant appears before or is delivered to the court within 24 months of the finding of default, less any costs the court directs. If the defendant is shown to be incarcerated in another state within 48 months, the court also remits. These provisions recognize that circumstances change, that a fled defendant can be found later, and that a bond paid should be returned when the defendant is ultimately brought to justice.
Still, the clean outcome is the 150-day dismissal, and every later option carries added cost, effort, and uncertainty. A family that treats the window as the real deadline, and works with a bondsman from the first day, keeps the widest set of options and the lowest cost. One that lets the window pass may still recover something through remission, but only after a harder and more expensive road. A bondsman handling bail bonds Danville VA residents trust can explain exactly where a case sits on this timeline and what each remaining path would take.
The 150-day window has a quiet virtue: it puts the defendant, the family, the co-signer, and the bondsman on the same side. The defendant wants to avoid a hardened FTA and a lost bond. The co-signer wants to protect the collateral. The bondsman wants to avoid forfeiture and a license suspension. All four goals are met by the same act, returning the defendant to court inside the window. That alignment is why the recovery process, handled well, feels less like a pursuit and more like a coordinated effort to fix a mistake before it becomes permanent.
Inside the 150-day window, a bondsman has two broad routes to return a defendant to court, and the choice shapes the outcome. The first is a voluntary return. A defendant contacted early, reminded of the growing risk and the 150-day rule, often agrees to come back and face the case. This route reads best to a Danville judge, because a defendant who chose to return shows responsibility that a captured one does not. It also gives the family time to prepare the co-signer and collateral for the second bond.
The second route is surrender under Virginia Code Section 19.2-149, used when a defendant hides or refuses to cooperate. The bondsman locates the person, takes them into custody, and delivers them to the Danville Adult Detention Center on South Boston Road, which returns the case to the court and stops the forfeiture. A bondsman handling bail bonds Danville VA courts oversee pursues the voluntary path first and turns to surrender when cooperation fails, because the voluntary return serves the defendant better while still meeting the same deadline.

The 150-day window applies to more than surety bonds, but the help available differs greatly. A family that posted a cash bond directly with the court has the same window to return the defendant, but no surety with the authority or incentive to locate a missing person. If the defendant disappears, the family is on its own to find and return them before the window closes, or lose the cash. A surety bond written by a bondsman comes with the recovery apparatus built in, the surrender authority, and a bondsman whose license depends on returning the client.
This contrast is one of the quiet advantages of a surety bond for bail bonds Danville VA families arrange. The premium buys more than the release; it buys a partner with a direct stake in getting the defendant back to court if something goes wrong. For a family that fears a defendant might waver, that built-in recovery capability is worth understanding when choosing how to post a bond in the first place.
During the 150-day window, the co-signer is not a bystander. The person who backed the bond has the clearest financial stake in the defendant's return, since the collateral pledged and the full bond amount ride on it. That stake makes the co-signer one of the most useful partners a bondsman has in locating a missing defendant, because a co-signer usually knows the person's family, habits, and likely whereabouts better than anyone. Cooperation between the co-signer and the bondsman inside the window is often what brings a defendant back in time.
The alignment is worth naming plainly. The bondsman wants to avoid forfeiture and a license consequence. The co-signer wants to protect the collateral. The defendant wants to avoid a hardened failure to appear charge and a lost bond. All three goals are met by the same act, returning the defendant to a Danville court inside 150 days. A bondsman handling bail bonds Danville VA courts oversee works with the co-signer as an ally in that effort, which tends to make the recovery faster and less adversarial than families expect. The shared deadline turns what could be a pursuit into a coordinated push toward the same result.
A family tempted to post a cash bond directly, skipping a bondsman to save the premium, should understand the risk if a defendant then misses court. Under Virginia Code Section 19.2-143, a cash bond posted by a defendant who fails to appear is forfeited quickly, and while a judge may remit part of it if the defendant appears within 60 days, that relief is discretionary and far from certain. There is no surety with the authority or incentive to find the person. For bail bonds Danville VA families arrange, the premium paid to a bondsman buys a recovery partner whose own license depends on returning the client, which is protection a self-posted cash bond simply does not carry.
The 150-day window is the single most useful thing a family can understand after a missed date. It sets a clear deadline, it aligns everyone toward the same result, and it makes a frightening situation into a solvable one. A family that treats it as the real clock, and works from day one with a bondsman on bail bonds Danville VA courts oversee, keeps the widest set of options and the lowest cost the circumstances allow.
Apex Bail Bonds works the 150-day window from a Danville office at 509 Loyal Street, posting bonds across Danville City and Pittsylvania County at any hour. Owner Fred Shanks IV holds a Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services bondsman license, number 99-529833, and North Carolina licensing that matters when a Danville defendant crosses the nearby state line during the window. Apex charges the 10 percent Virginia floor and structures payments as interest-free installments, since Virginia bars a bondsman from lending money at interest for bail. A family racing the forfeiture clock can reach Apex Bail Bonds of Danville at (434) 548-2739 at any hour to start the return before the window narrows.
|
Danville, Virginia
|
|
|---|---|
Worsham Street overlook, Main & Ridge St. intersection, Masonic building (River City Towers), Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge, municipal building from Union Street, repurposed Dan River Fabrics "Home" sign.(Clockwise from the top)
|
|
| Nicknames:
River City,
City of Churches, DanVegas, D'ville |
|
| Motto:
Reimagine That
|
|
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
|
|
|
Location of Danville in Virginia
|
Coordinates:
36°35′14″N 79°24′16″W / 36.58722°N 79.40444°WCountry
United StatesState
VirginiaCountyNone (Independent city)Named afterDan RiverGovernment
• TypeCouncil–manager • MayorAlonzo Jones • Vice MayorGary P. Miller • CouncilDanville City CouncilArea
43.70 sq mi (113.19 km2) • Land42.80 sq mi (110.84 km2) • Water0.90 sq mi (2.34 km2)Elevation
531 ft (162 m)Population
42,590
41,647
• Density995.2/sq mi (384.2/km2)DemonymDanvillianTime zoneUTC−5 (EST) • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)ZIP Code
Area code434FIPS code51-21344[2]GNIS feature ID1492837[3]Websitewww
Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The city is located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River.
The city was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity during the American Civil War,[4] due to its strategic location on the Richmond and Danville Railroad. In April 1865, Danville briefly served as the third and final capital of the Confederacy before its surrender later that year.
Danville has maintained a black majority population since the Reconstruction era. During this time, the city was represented politically by black members of the Readjuster Party. However, this changed following the Danville Massacre of 1883, after which Democrats regained control both locally and statewide.[5][6] Decades later, during the civil rights era, Danville again became a flashpoint for racial violence and resistance to desegregation efforts.
Danville is the principal city of the Danville, Virginia Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with surrounding Pittsylvania County for statistical purposes. The population was 42,590 at the 2020 census.[7] It is bounded by Pittsylvania County to the north and Caswell County, North Carolina to the south. It hosts the Danville Otterbots baseball club of the Appalachian League.
Numerous Native American tribes had lived in this part of the Piedmont region since prehistoric times. During the colonial period, the area was inhabited by Siouan language-speaking tribes.
In 1728, English colonist William Byrd headed an expedition sent to determine the true boundary between Virginia and North Carolina. Late that summer, the party camped upstream from what is now Danville. Byrd was so taken with the beauty of the land, that he prophesied a future settlement in the vicinity, where people would live "with much comfort and gaiety of Heart." He named the river along which they camped as the "Dan", for Byrd felt he had wandered "From Dan to Beersheba."[8]
After the American Revolutionary War, the first settlement developed in 1792 downstream from Byrd's campsite, at a spot along the river shallow enough to allow fording. It was named "Wynne's Falls", after the first settler. The village developed from the meetings of pioneering Revolutionary War veterans, who gathered annually here to fish and talk over old times.
In 1793, the state General Assembly authorized construction of a tobacco warehouse at Wynne's Falls. This marks the start of the town as "The World's Best Tobacco Market", Virginia's largest market for brightleaf tobacco. The village was renamed "Danville" by an act of November 23, 1793.
A charter for the town was drawn up on February 17, 1830, but by the time of its issue, the population had exceeded the pre-arranged boundaries. This necessitated a new charter, which was issued in 1833. In that year, James Lanier was elected the first mayor, assisted by a council of "twelve fit and able men."
By the mid-19th century, William T. Sutherlin, a planter and entrepreneur, was the first to apply water power to run a tobacco press. He became a major industrialist in the region.
In the mid to late 1800s, several railroads reached Danville, including the Richmond and Danville Railroad (completed 1856), and the Atlantic and Danville Railway (completed 1890). These enabled the export of Danville's manufacturing and agricultural products. The major growth in industry came in the late 19th century, after the war. The Southern Railway, successor to the Richmond and Danville, built a grand passenger station in Danville in 1899, which is still in use by Amtrak and is a satellite facility of the Virginia Museum.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Danville had a population of approximately 5,000 people. During the war years, the town was transformed into a strategic center of Confederate activity. William Sutherlin was named quartermaster of its depot. The rail center was critical for supplying Confederate forces, and a hospital station was established for Confederate wounded. A network of batteries, breastworks, redoubts and rifle pits defended the town.[4]
A prison camp was set up, with the conversion of six tobacco warehouses, including one owned by Sutherlin, for use as prisons. At one time they held more than 5,000 captured Union soldiers. Malnutrition and dysentery, plus a smallpox epidemic in 1864, caused the death of 1,314 of these prisoners. Their remains have been interred in the Danville National Cemetery.
The Richmond and Danville Railroad was the main supply route into Petersburg, where Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was holding the defensive line to protect Richmond. The Danville supply train ran until General Stoneman's Union cavalry troops tore up the tracks. This event was immortalized in the song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
In 1865, Danville hosted the Confederate government. Confederate President Jefferson Davis stayed at Sutherlin's mansion from April 3 to 10, 1865, and the house became known as the "Last Capitol of the Confederacy."[9] Here he wrote and issued his last Presidential Proclamation. The final Confederate Cabinet meeting was held at the Benedict House (since destroyed) in Danville. Davis and members of his cabinet left the city when they learned of Lee's surrender at Appomattox, and moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, making their way south. On the day they left, Governor William Smith arrived from Lynchburg to establish his headquarters here.
In 1882, the biracial Readjuster Party had gained control of the city council, causing resentment and even alarm among some white residents; even though the council was still dominated by white members, the city had a majority African-American population. The Readjuster Party had been in power at the state level since 1879. Violence broke out on November 3, 1883, a few days before the election, when a racially motivated street fight turned to shooting after a large crowd gathered; five men were killed, four of them black. A local Danville commission found African Americans at fault for the violence on November 3, but a US Senate investigation decided that white residents were to blame. No prosecution resulted from either inquiry.[10][11]
In the late 19th and continuing into the early 20th centuries, tobacco processing was a major source of wealth for business owners in the city, in addition to the textile mills. Wealthy planters and owners built fine houses, some of which have been preserved.
Given the falls on the river, the area was prime for industrial development based on water power. On July 22, 1882, six of Danville's residents (Thomas Benton Fitzgerald, Dr. H.W. Cole, Benjamin F. Jefferson and three brothers: Robert A., John H., and James E. Schoolfield) founded the Riverside Cotton Mills, making use of cotton produced throughout the South. Both the Riverside Cotton Mills and Danville itself grew tremendously during Fitzgerald's leadership of the company as President. In its day it was known nationally as Dan River Inc., the largest single-unit textile mill in the world.
As the industrial town grew rapidly, it attracted many single workers, and associated gambling, drinking, and prostitution establishments. By the early 20th century, the city passed laws against gambling, but it continued in small, private places.[9] On September 9, 1882, Danville Mayor John H. Johnston shot and killed John E. Hatcher, his chief of police. Hatcher had demanded an apology for a statement Johnston had made regarding unaccounted fine money. Johnston was charged with murder, but he was acquitted at trial. The Southern "culture of honor" was still strong and jurors apparently believed the killing was justified.[12]
The Southern Railway constructed a railroad line to the city in the late 19th century and had facilities here, which contributed to the growing economy. In 1899, the company completed a grand passenger station, designed by its noted architect Frank Pierce Milburn. For many years, passenger traffic was strong on the railroad; it also operated freight trains.
A serious train wreck occurred in Danville on September 27, 1903. "Old 97", the Southern Railway's crack express mail train, was running behind schedule. Its engineer "gave her full throttle", but the speed of the train caused it to jump the tracks while on a high trestle crossing the valley of the Dan River. The engine and five cars plunged into the ravine below, killing nine and injuring seven. The locomotive and its engineer, Joseph A. ("Steve") Broadey, were memorialized in song. A historic marker at the train crash site is located on U.S. 58 between Locust Lane and North Main Street. A mural of the Wreck of the Old 97 has been painted on a downtown Danville building to commemorate the incident.
Afterward Democrats forced African Americans out of office and suppressed their voting rights. In November 1883 Democrats regained control of the state legislature by a large majority, and pushed out the Readjuster Party.
White Democratic legislators interpreted the Danville events as more reason to push blacks out of politics. In 1902, the state legislature passed a new constitution that raised barriers to voter registration, effectively disenfranchising most blacks and many poor whites, who had been part of the Readjuster Party. They excluded them from the political system, causing them to be underrepresented and their segregated facilities to be underfinanced.[13]
On July 15, 1904, the Danville police successfully broke up a lynching party by firing warning shots above a crowd. About 75 white men had gathered at the jail to take Roy Seals, an African American man arrested as a suspect in the murder of a white railroad worker. The police saved Seals and the city quickly indicted some of the lynch mob; several men were convicted, fined and served 30 days in jail. The killer was found to have been another white man, who was prosecuted.[9]
On March 2, 1911, Danville police chief R. E. Morris, who had been elected to three two-year terms and was running for a fourth term, was arrested as an escaped convicted murderer. He admitted that he was really Edgar Stribling of Harris County, Georgia. He had been on the run for thirteen years.[14]
On October 13, 1917, Walter Clark was lynched. He was an African American man who had fatally shot a policeman while resisting arrest for the killing of his common-law wife. Clark held off the police for two hours, but a mob gathered and set his house on fire. He was shot multiple times and killed as he left the house. His was the last lynching in Danville.[9]
Heightened activism in the civil rights movement in Virginia occurred in Danville during the summer of 1963. Since the early 20th century, most blacks had been excluded from voting by the state constitution, which had created barriers to voter registration. White Democrats had imposed legal segregation after regaining control of the state legislature following the Reconstruction era, and Jim Crow laws maintained white supremacy. On May 31, representatives of the black community organized as the Danville Christian Progressive Association (DCPA), demanding an end to segregation and job discrimination in the city. They declared a boycott of white merchants who refused to hire blacks and marched to City Hall in protest of conditions.
Most of the marchers were high school students. Police and city workers, armed with clubs, beat the young protesters and sprayed them with fire hoses. Around forty protesters needed medical attention, but the marches and other protests continued for several weeks.[15] Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), came to Danville and spoke at High Street Baptist Church about the police brutality. He said it was the worst he had seen in the South. The date of one protest on June 10, 1963, later came to be referred to as "Bloody Monday."[16]
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) sent organizers to Danville to support the local movement. They helped lead protests, including demonstrations at the Howard Johnson Hotel and restaurant on Lee Highway. The hotel was known for discriminating locally against blacks as customers and excluding them as workers. A special grand jury indicted 13 DCPA, SCLC, and SNCC activists for violating the "John Brown" law. This law, passed in 1830 after a slave uprising, made it a serious felony to "...incite the colored population to acts of violence or war against the white population." It became known as the "John Brown" law in 1860 because it was used to convict and hang abolitionist John Brown after his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.[15]
By the end of August, more than 600 protesters had been arrested in Danville on charges of inciting to violence, contempt, trespassing, disorderly conduct, assault, parading without a permit, and resisting arrest. Because of the large number of arrests on these charges, often the jails were overcrowded, and protesters were housed in detention facilities in other nearby jurisdictions. The demonstrations failed to achieve desegregation in Danville at that time. Town facilities remained segregated until after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. African American residents were mostly unable to register and vote until after the federal government enforced their constitutional rights under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[15]
Since the late 20th century, the textile industry has moved to offshore, cheaper labor markets. The Dan River mill has closed and many of its buildings have been torn down, with the bricks sold for other uses. "The White Mill" of the Dan Mill complex, considered historically and architecturally significant, is being renovated in the early 21st century as an apartment complex.[17]
In the late 20th century, the restructuring of the tobacco, textile, and railroad industries all had an adverse effect, resulting in the loss of many jobs in Danville. The decline in passenger traffic caused the Danville railroad station to fall into disuse. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, and has been renovated by a combination of public and private funding. Today part of the station is devoted to the first satellite facility of the Science Museum of Virginia.
The station renovations were completed in 1996. This project spurred investment in other warehouse properties, "which have been redeveloped into offices, commercial spaces, apartments, lofts, and restaurants. The approximately $4 million of federal grant money initiated the redevelopment and leveraged additional funds from public and private sources."[18]
Related spaces were developed for a park with amphitheater, a community meeting and recreation facility, and the Danville Farmer's Market. The city used ISTEA funds in association with the Virginia Department of Transportation, and partnered also with Amtrak, Pepsi-Cola, and other private sources.
The city and region continue to work to develop new bases for the economy. At the beginning of the century, in the 2000s, the economic losses made it challenging to preserve the city's many architecturally and historically significant properties dating from its more prosperous years.[19]
In 2007, Preservation Virginia President William B. Kerkam, III, and its Executive Director Elizabeth S. Kostelny announced at a press conference held in Danville at Main Street Methodist Church that the entire city of Danville had been named as one of the Most Endangered Historic Sites in Virginia.[19] This designation highlighted the importance of preserving Danville's architectural and historical heritage and drew attention to the challenges of maintaining these properties amid economic struggles.
Danville has been actively working to redevelop its River District as a hub for community life and economic activity. This effort includes revitalizing historic buildings, fostering local businesses, and promoting heritage tourism to attract visitors and stimulate economic growth.[20]
In 2020, the city approved a referendum to open a casino at the site of the old mill. On December 17, 2024, Caesars Virginia opened to the public. It is expected to generate significant revenue and create jobs for the community.[needs update][21][22][23][24]
Danville is located along the southern border of Virginia, 70 miles (110 km) south of Lynchburg[25] and 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Greensboro, North Carolina, via U.S. Route 29.[26] U.S. Route 58 leads east 78 miles (126 km) to South Hill[27] and west 30 miles (48 km) to Martinsville.[28]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.9 square miles (113.7 km2), of which 43.1 square miles (111.6 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (2.3%) is water.[29]
Danville has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Winter nights usually average below freezing, with air frosts being abundant during that season. During summer, it is influenced by the strong sun and convective air masses, providing both hot temperatures and frequent thunderstorms.[30]
| Climate data for Danville Regional Airport, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1916–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) |
85 (29) |
91 (33) |
95 (35) |
101 (38) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
107 (42) |
105 (41) |
100 (38) |
86 (30) |
81 (27) |
107 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 69.5 (20.8) |
72.4 (22.4) |
80.8 (27.1) |
86.7 (30.4) |
90.5 (32.5) |
94.9 (34.9) |
96.9 (36.1) |
95.5 (35.3) |
92.0 (33.3) |
85.8 (29.9) |
76.9 (24.9) |
70.6 (21.4) |
97.9 (36.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 48.9 (9.4) |
52.7 (11.5) |
61.1 (16.2) |
71.1 (21.7) |
78.0 (25.6) |
85.2 (29.6) |
88.8 (31.6) |
87.2 (30.7) |
80.9 (27.2) |
71.3 (21.8) |
60.7 (15.9) |
51.7 (10.9) |
69.8 (21.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 38.5 (3.6) |
41.5 (5.3) |
49.0 (9.4) |
58.1 (14.5) |
66.0 (18.9) |
73.9 (23.3) |
77.9 (25.5) |
76.5 (24.7) |
70.0 (21.1) |
58.8 (14.9) |
48.1 (8.9) |
41.0 (5.0) |
58.3 (14.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 28.1 (−2.2) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
36.8 (2.7) |
45.0 (7.2) |
54.0 (12.2) |
62.7 (17.1) |
67.0 (19.4) |
65.8 (18.8) |
59.0 (15.0) |
46.2 (7.9) |
35.5 (1.9) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
46.7 (8.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 10.9 (−11.7) |
16.5 (−8.6) |
21.1 (−6.1) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
39.8 (4.3) |
51.5 (10.8) |
58.8 (14.9) |
57.1 (13.9) |
46.4 (8.0) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
22.2 (−5.4) |
17.8 (−7.9) |
9.2 (−12.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −5 (−21) |
2 (−17) |
9 (−13) |
20 (−7) |
29 (−2) |
40 (4) |
50 (10) |
46 (8) |
35 (2) |
22 (−6) |
11 (−12) |
−1 (−18) |
−5 (−21) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.41 (87) |
2.73 (69) |
3.53 (90) |
3.53 (90) |
4.13 (105) |
3.98 (101) |
4.88 (124) |
3.47 (88) |
4.25 (108) |
3.30 (84) |
3.46 (88) |
3.06 (78) |
43.73 (1,111) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.5 (6.4) |
2.5 (6.4) |
1.5 (3.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.1 (2.8) |
7.6 (19) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.2 | 9.7 | 11.1 | 10.2 | 12.0 | 11.0 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 121.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 3.5 |
| Source: NOAA[31][32] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,514 | — | |
| 1870 | 3,463 | — | |
| 1880 | 7,426 | 114.4% | |
| 1890 | 10,305 | 38.8% | |
| 1900 | 16,520 | 60.3% | |
| 1910 | 19,020 | 15.1% | |
| 1920 | 21,539 | 13.2% | |
| 1930 | 22,247 | 3.3% | |
| 1940 | 32,749 | 47.2% | |
| 1950 | 35,066 | 7.1% | |
| 1960 | 46,577 | 32.8% | |
| 1970 | 46,391 | −0.4% | |
| 1980 | 45,642 | −1.6% | |
| 1990 | 53,056 | 16.2% | |
| 2000 | 48,411 | −8.8% | |
| 2010 | 43,055 | −11.1% | |
| 2020 | 42,590 | −1.1% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 41,647 | [33] |
−2.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[34] 1790–1960[35] 1900–1990[36] 1990–2000[37] 2010–2013< [38] |
|||
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[39] | Pop 1990[40] | Pop 2000[41] | Pop 2010[42] | Pop 2020[43] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 31,694 | 33,106 | 25,813 | 20,107 | 16,884 | 69.44% | 62.40% | 53.32% | 46.70% | 39.64% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 13,444 | 19,345 | 21,267 | 20,725 | 21,733 | 29.46% | 36.46% | 43.93% | 48.14% | 51.03% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 37 | 66 | 75 | 66 | 88 | 0.08% | 0.12% | 0.15% | 0.15% | 0.21% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 132 | 251 | 290 | 394 | 503 | 0.29% | 0.47% | 0.60% | 0.92% | 1.18% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [44] | x [45] | 13 | 11 | 1 | x | x | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 30 | 12 | 33 | 33 | 143 | 0.07% | 0.02% | 0.07% | 0.08% | 0.34% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [46] | x [47] | 308 | 474 | 1,164 | x | x | 0.64% | 1.10% | 2.73% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 305 | 276 | 612 | 1,245 | 2,074 | 0.67% | 0.52% | 1.26% | 2.89% | 4.87% |
| Total | 45,642 | 53,056 | 48,411 | 43,055 | 42,590 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 census, Danville had a population of 42,590. The median age was 43.0 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.0 males age 18 and over.[48][49]
96.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.2% lived in rural areas.[50]
There were 19,015 households in Danville, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 28.1% were married-couple households, 22.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 43.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[48]
There were 22,259 housing units, of which 14.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.7%.[48]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 17,262 | 40.5% |
| Black or African American | 21,879 | 51.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 186 | 0.4% |
| Asian | 514 | 1.2% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 1,124 | 2.6% |
| Two or more races | 1,624 | 3.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 2,074 | 4.9% |
As of the census[51] of 2010, Danville had a population of 43,055. The racial makeup of the city was White Non-Hispanic 46.7%, African American 48.3%, Hispanic 2.9%, Asian 0.9%, Native American or Alaska Native 0.2%, and two or more races 1.3%.
25.4% of the population never married, 46.6% were married, 5.4% were separated. 11.6% were widowed and 11.0% were divorced.[52]
Prior to the recession of 2008, the City of Danville and its partners began a major project focused on the revitalization of the Historic Downtown and Tobacco Warehouse districts, now coined "The River District." The project continues with a new momentum as the public sector has joined the movement. See Danville River District.[59][60][61]
Millionaire's Row has many homes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by successful tobacco planters, who gained their wealth in this commodity crop. The mansions are in an area of many street trees and often have their own well-developed landscaping.[62][63]
The entire area of Penn's Bottom, the nickname for the part of Main Street that was developed as the first suburb of Danville during the tobacco boom of the late 19th century, has been designated as a historic district. Other recognized historic districts include The Old West End, Tobacco Warehouse, Downtown Danville, Holbrook–Ross Street, and North Main.
Also located in this district is the "Sutherlin Mansion", now used as the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. This Italianate mansion was the plantation home of Major William T. Sutherlin, a major tobacco processing industrialist, banker, politician, and Confederate quartermaster.[64][65]
In April 1865, Sutherlin offered his mansion to President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet as the site of the last "Capitol of the Confederacy" after the fall of Richmond. The museum and its grounds occupy a block in this district.[65] In the late 19th century, Sutherlin's surrounding plantation was subdivided and developed to create the surrounding residential neighborhood.
Danville is known as "the city of churches" because it has more churches per square mile than any other city in the Commonwealth of Virginia.[66][67]
Danville Mall, formerly Piedmont Mall, opened in 1984.[68]
From 1948 until 2004, Danville was a consistent Republican stronghold in presidential elections. However, John Kerry won the city by 37 votes in 2004, and since then it has swung heavily into the Democratic column by margins of usually over 20 percentage points.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | % | |
| 1880 | 575 | 43.43% | 749 | 56.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1884 | 888 | 47.11% | 997 | 52.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1888 | 812 | 43.08% | 1,070 | 56.76% | 3 | 0.16% |
| 1892 | 710 | 36.30% | 1,234 | 63.09% | 12 | 0.61% |
| 1896 | 1,078 | 37.53% | 1,702 | 59.26% | 92 | 3.20% |
| 1900 | 310 | 15.71% | 1,575 | 79.83% | 88 | 4.46% |
| 1904 | 101 | 10.32% | 836 | 85.39% | 42 | 4.29% |
| 1908 | 206 | 17.33% | 963 | 80.99% | 20 | 1.68% |
| 1912 | 93 | 7.38% | 1,066 | 84.60% | 101 | 8.02% |
| 1916 | 229 | 15.32% | 1,151 | 76.99% | 115 | 7.69% |
| 1920 | 551 | 22.25% | 1,888 | 76.25% | 37 | 1.49% |
| 1924 | 473 | 21.11% | 1,577 | 70.37% | 191 | 8.52% |
| 1928 | 2,360 | 66.37% | 1,196 | 33.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 740 | 23.99% | 2,264 | 73.41% | 80 | 2.59% |
| 1936 | 549 | 14.28% | 3,266 | 84.94% | 30 | 0.78% |
| 1940 | 787 | 19.01% | 3,324 | 80.27% | 30 | 0.72% |
| 1944 | 1,231 | 28.20% | 3,121 | 71.48% | 14 | 0.32% |
| 1948 | 1,579 | 28.98% | 2,334 | 42.84% | 1,535 | 28.18% |
| 1952 | 4,765 | 58.49% | 3,323 | 40.79% | 58 | 0.71% |
| 1956 | 4,561 | 59.03% | 2,409 | 31.18% | 756 | 9.79% |
| 1960 | 4,966 | 63.72% | 2,611 | 33.50% | 217 | 2.78% |
| 1964 | 7,900 | 62.09% | 4,539 | 35.67% | 285 | 2.24% |
| 1968 | 6,796 | 40.27% | 4,495 | 26.64% | 5,583 | 33.09% |
| 1972 | 12,463 | 73.68% | 4,148 | 24.52% | 305 | 1.80% |
| 1976 | 10,235 | 59.46% | 6,425 | 37.33% | 552 | 3.21% |
| 1980 | 10,665 | 61.43% | 6,138 | 35.35% | 559 | 3.22% |
| 1984 | 12,141 | 66.85% | 5,846 | 32.19% | 174 | 0.96% |
| 1988 | 12,221 | 61.49% | 7,353 | 37.00% | 300 | 1.51% |
| 1992 | 9,584 | 48.75% | 8,134 | 41.37% | 1,943 | 9.88% |
| 1996 | 9,254 | 49.97% | 8,168 | 44.11% | 1,097 | 5.92% |
| 2000 | 9,427 | 51.49% | 8,221 | 44.91% | 659 | 3.60% |
| 2004 | 9,399 | 49.18% | 9,436 | 49.37% | 277 | 1.45% |
| 2008 | 8,361 | 40.02% | 12,352 | 59.13% | 177 | 0.85% |
| 2012 | 7,763 | 38.42% | 12,218 | 60.47% | 223 | 1.10% |
| 2016 | 7,303 | 38.53% | 11,059 | 58.35% | 590 | 3.11% |
| 2020 | 7,428 | 38.31% | 11,710 | 60.40% | 251 | 1.29% |
| 2024 | 6,894 | 38.92% | 10,615 | 59.93% | 203 | 1.15% |
Danville has a council–manager government in which a city manager is hired by council to supervise the city government and ensure that the ordinances and policies made by the city council are carried out in an effective manner.[71]
The city council consists of nine members elected from single-member districts representing residents. The city council selects the mayor and vice mayor from among its members to serve two-year terms.[71]
The city council has the power "to adopt and enforce legislative and budgetary ordinances, policies, and rules and regulations necessary to conduct the public's business and to provide for the protection of the general health, safety and welfare of the public."[71]
In 2025, City Councilman Lee Vogler was set on fire by a man who knew Vogler personally and alleged that his wife had cheated with Vogler. After the attack, Vogler was airlifted to the burn unit at UNC-Chapel Hill. The man was diagnosed with multiple conditions that led to a disassociative episode during his time at Central State Hospital, where he spent two weeks in custody after the attack. The man was convicted of aggravated malicious wounding, for which the man received a life sentence suspended to 35 years, and attempted first-degree murder, for which the man received a 10-year sentence suspended to 5 years.[72]
The Danville Braves were a minor league baseball team in Danville from 1993 to 2020.[73] They competed in the Appalachian League as a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves played their home games at American Legion Field.
In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Braves were replaced by the Danville Otterbots in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.[74][75]
Danville is served by television stations in the Roanoke/Lynchburg television market.
Danville was once the home of WDRL-TV 24, a station that was an affiliate of the WB and United Paramount Network before changing ownership from 2007 to 2014. Today, it is known as WZBJ, a sister channel of WDBJ and is owned by Gray Television.[104]
Amtrak's Crescent train connects Danville with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans. The Danville station, built in 1899 by Southern Railways, is situated at 677 Craghead Street.[105]
U.S. Route 58 (Riverside Dr/River St) parallels the north bank of the Dan River traveling east–west through Danville's main commercial district while the US 58 Bypass route bypasses the city's center to the south via the Danville Expressway.
U.S. Route 29 splits into a business route and a bypass at the North Carolina/Virginia border. The business route enters the heart of Danville via West Main Street and Memorial Drive and exits via Central Boulevard and Piney Forest Road; US 29 Business travels relatively north–south. The bypass (future Interstate 785) takes the eastern segment of the Danville Expressway and rejoins the business route north of the city near Chatham, Virginia.
U.S. Route 360, which connects Danville with Richmond, enters the city from the east concurrent with U.S. Route 58 (South Boston Road), continuing along U.S. Route 58 Business at the Danville Expressway interchange, and terminating at the North Main Street intersection just north of downtown.[106]
U.S. Route 311 in 2013 was expanded from North Carolina to terminate just outside Danville's western limits at U.S. Route 58.[107]
North Carolina Highway 86 becomes State Route 86 once it crosses the state line into Danville as South Main Street. It continues north to its terminus at US 29 Business/Central Boulevard.
State Route 293 was created in 1998 to mark the route of old US 29 Business, which was rerouted to the west. SR 293 enters Danville's downtown historic district as West Main Street, then Main Street, and then crosses the Dan River to meet US 29 Business as North Main Street.
State Route 51 parallels US 58 Business as Westover Drive from its western terminus at US 58 Business at the Danville's corporate limits to its eastern terminus at US 58 Business near the Dan River.
The city is also served by Danville Regional Airport.[108]
"It's a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville" are lyrics in "Wreck of the Old 97" a song memorializing the September 27, 1903, event that became arguably the most famous train wreck in U.S. history.[140]
The Richmond and Danville Railroad, referenced as "the Danville train", is also mentioned in the popular folk-style song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."[141][142]
Redirect to: