Gordonsville, Virginia

Gordonsville, Virginia
Looking down S. Main St
Nickname: 
“Fried Chicken Capital of the Universe”
Location of Gordonsville, Virginia
Coordinates: 38°8′5″N 78°11′13″W / 38.13472°N 78.18694°W / 38.13472; -78.18694
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesOrange
Government
  MayorRonald Brooks III
Area
  Total
0.95 sq mi (2.46 km2)
  Land0.95 sq mi (2.46 km2)
  Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
499 ft (152 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
1,402
  Density1,478.9/sq mi (571.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
22942
Area code540
FIPS code51-31936
GNIS feature ID1467264
WebsiteOfficial website

Gordonsville is a town in Orange County in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Located about 19 miles northeast of Charlottesville and 65 miles northwest of Richmond, the population was 1,402 at the 2020 census.

The town celebrated its bicentennial in 2013, two hundred years after local innkeeper Nathaniel Gordon was appointed the area's first postmaster, thus officially creating the area known as Gordonsville. It was strategically important during the Civil War, due to its location on the Virginia Central Railroad.

Gordonsville claims to have influenced the popularity of fried chicken in the United States; it bills itself as the "Fried Chicken Capital of the World."