Short Pump

History

Short Pump began as a local tavern stop situated at a strategic crossroads in the early nineteenth century. Purchased around 1814 by Col. Saunders, the tavern profited from the local coal industry, westward movement in the state, and the extension of roads in the period after the Revolutionary War. Along with the food, drink, and lodgings that taverns typically provided for visitors, this tavern served as a post-office, voting precinct, and local market during its roughly 35 years in business. It also briefly housed a school for young white men and a resident doctor. While a gathering spot for white locals and travelers, the tavern relied on enslaved labor and hosted occasional slave auctions. By the 1990s and 2000s, Short Pump transformed from a rural crossroads to an edge-city, a concentration of development on the outskirts of traditional urban areas. The Short Pump Town Center, a mega-mall, proved key to this transformation.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.33%, is water. Short Pump is bordered to the west by Goochland County, to the north by the Wyndham CDP, to the east by the Innsbrook CDP, and to the south by non-CDP land and by Tuckahoe. | 46.6| 50.7| 59.3| 70| 77.2| 84.9| 88.3| 86.9| 80.6| 70.3| 60.3| 49.5 | 24.8| 26.9| 33.1| 42.3| 51.2| 60.7| 65.1| 63.9| 56.2| 44.5| 35.4| 27.6 | 3.1|2.9|3.8|3.3|3.9|3.5|4.4|4.0|3.7|3.3|3.7|3.3 }}

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  33,176
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  27,403
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  25,643
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  22,171
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  21,663
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,846
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,725
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  20,402

Most recent

• M 2.96 — 2025-05-06
  8 km S of Dillwyn, Virginia
• M 2.77 — 2025-01-14
  1 km NNE of Wyndham, Virginia
• M 2.66 — 2020-02-03
  10 km S of Louisa, Virginia
• M 2.51 — 2019-09-23
  3 km WNW of Wyndham, Virginia
• M 2.6 — 2017-03-13
  6 km ENE of Goochland, Virginia
• M 2.67 — 2015-11-04
  3 km NE of Dillwyn, Virginia