Bedford
Bed·ford
B0149200 (bĕd′fərd)Bedford
, Duke ofBedford
(ˈbɛdfəd)Bedford
(ˈbɛdfəd)Bed•ford•shire
(ˈbɛd fərdˌʃɪər, -ʃər)n.
n.
Bedford
Bedford.
1 City (1990 pop. 13,817), seat of Lawrence co., S Ind.; inc. 1889. Bedford limestone, quarried there and shipped all over the world, was used in the construction of the Empire State Building and the Pentagon. The city also has several small industrial plants and a foundry. Carvings and the many old stone buildings and houses are notable. 2 Town (1990 pop. 12,996), Middlesex co., E Mass., a residential suburb of Boston; settled c.1637, inc. 1729. Several pre-Revolutionary houses remain. 3 City (1990 pop. 14,822), Cuyahoga co., NE Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland; settled c.1813 on the site of a Moravian settlement (1786), inc. as a city 1931. Although chiefly residential, it has plants that manufacture office furniture, china, rubber goods, auto parts, processed foods, and tools. 4 City (1990 pop. 43,762), Tarrant co., N Tex., a suburb of Fort Worth; settled c.1843, inc. 1954. Manufactures include plastic molds and telecommunications equipment.Bedford,
town and borough (1991 pop. 75,632), central England, on the Ouse River. It is an important industrial center; diesel engines, pumps, turbines, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, and transistors are the chief manufactures. Bedford is also a fluid dynamics research center. A battlefield for Britons and Saxons in the 6th cent., Bedford was the scene of an important Saxon defeat in 571. St. Peter's Church contains examples of Saxon stone carvings. John BunyanBunyan, John, 1628–88, English author, b. Elstow, Bedfordshire. After a brief period at the village free school, Bunyan learned the tinker's trade, which he followed intermittently throughout his life. Joining the parliamentary army in 1644, he served until 1647.
..... Click the link for more information. is commemorated by a chapel on the site of a building where he preached in the 17th cent. Bedford School, in existence since the 12th cent., is one of the largest public schools in England. Bedford formerly was the county seat of Bedfordshire, which was abolished as an administrative county in 2009.
Bedford (Independent City), Virginia
Bedford, VA 24523
Phone: (540) 587-6001
Fax: (540) 586-7134
www.ci.bedford.va.us
In south-central VA, between Roanoke and Lynchburg. Serves as county seat for Bedford County. Annexed part of Bedford County effective July 1, 1993. Name Origin: Incorporated as the town of Liberty in 1839; name changed to Bedford City in 1890 for John Russell (1710-71), the fourth Duke of Bedford; shortened to Bedford in 1912. Incorporated as a city in 1969
Area (sq mi):: 6.90 (land 6.89; water 0.01) Population per square mile: 901.50
Population 2005: 6,211 State rank: 128 Population change: 2000-20005 -1.40%; 1990-2000 3.70% Population 2000: 6,299 (White 74.70%; Black or African American 22.40%; Hispanic or Latino 0.90%; Asian 0.60%; Other 1.70%). Foreign born: 1.60%. Median age: 40.90
Income 2000: per capita $15,423; median household $28,792; Population below poverty level: 19.70% Personal per capita income (2000-2003): $27,904-$30,051
Unemployment (2004): 4.60% Unemployment change (from 2000): 1.10% Median travel time to work: 20.00 minutes Working outside county of residence: 44.40%
See other counties in Virginia.