We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in Virginia.
The city in Virginia with the most number of Klaverns was Richmond with 3 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Melfa with 0.0024 Klaverns. There were historically 41 Klaverns in Virginia, across 37 places in Virginia with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in Virginia based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in Virginia
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in Virginia
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Virginia’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Virginia’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Old Dominion
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In Virginia
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melfa | 411 | 1 | 243 |
| 2 | Parrott | 508 | 1 | 197 |
| 3 | Pocahontas | 626 | 1 | 160 |
| 4 | Occoquan | 861 | 1 | 116 |
| 5 | Cape Charles | 926 | 1 | 108 |
| 6 | Warsaw | 1,229 | 1 | 81 |
| 7 | Gretna | 1,315 | 1 | 76 |
| 8 | Lawrenceville | 1,404 | 1 | 71 |
| 9 | Appalachia | 1,732 | 1 | 58 |
| 10 | Elkton | 2,770 | 1 | 36 |
| 11 | Crewe | 2,875 | 1 | 35 |
| 12 | Tazewell | 4,568 | 1 | 22 |
| 13 | King George | 4,971 | 1 | 20 |
| 14 | Bluefield | 5,375 | 1 | 19 |
| 15 | Covington | 5,853 | 1 | 17 |
| 16 | Purcellville | 8,350 | 1 | 12 |
| 17 | Warrenton | 9,774 | 1 | 10 |
| 18 | Culpeper | 16,968 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Bristol | 17,595 | 1 | 6 |
| 20 | Christiansburg | 21,427 | 1 | 5 |
| 21 | Hopewell | 22,375 | 1 | 4 |
| 22 | Staunton | 24,132 | 1 | 4 |
| 23 | Fredericksburg | 26,632 | 1 | 4 |
| 24 | Winchester | 27,031 | 1 | 4 |
| 25 | Petersburg | 32,439 | 1 | 3 |
| 26 | Danville | 42,704 | 1 | 2 |
| 27 | Harrisonburg | 50,821 | 1 | 2 |
| 28 | Richmond | 211,063 | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | Lynchburg | 77,626 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Suffolk | 85,477 | 1 | 1 |
| 31 | Portsmouth | 96,007 | 1 | 1 |
| 32 | Roanoke | 97,949 | 1 | 1 |
| 33 | Arlington | 220,173 | 2 | 1 |
| 34 | Norfolk | 244,745 | 2 | 1 |
| 35 | Alexandria | 146,422 | 1 | 1 |
| 36 | Newport News | 181,362 | 1 | 1 |
| 37 | Virginia Beach | 445,623 | 1 | 0 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 37 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In Virginia
When you’re looking at the places in Virginia with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in Virginia with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Melfa, Parrott, Pocahontas, Occoquan, Cape Charles, Warsaw, Gretna, Lawrenceville, Appalachia, and Elkton. Not sold on Virginia? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Historic KKK Presence In Virginia FAQs
What is the most historically racist city in Virginia?
Melfa had the most KKK Klaverns per capita of any Virginia city between 1915 and 1940, which puts it at the top of this historical ranking. The measure is historic Klan chapters, not anything about residents today.
Which Virginia city had the most Klaverns overall?
Richmond had the most Klaverns in Virginia outright, with 3. Our ranking uses Klaverns per capita instead, so smaller towns with heavy Klan presence rank ahead of big cities on raw counts.
How many Klaverns did Virginia have?
Virginia had 41 documented Klaverns across 37 cities during the 1915-1940 period. Those are the cities that appear in this ranking.
Does this mean Melfa is racist today?
No. This ranking maps where the KKK organized a century ago, and says nothing about the people who live in Melfa now. Treat it as history, not a review of the current community.
Where does this data come from?
The numbers come from a historical archive of Klan chapters, called Klaverns, documented between 1915 and 1940. We divided each city’s Klavern count by its population to get the per-capita ranking.
