King and Queen County, Virginia

King and Queen County, Virginia

Seal

Location in the state of Virginia

Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded 1691
Seat King and Queen Court House
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

326 sq mi (844 km²)
316 sq mi (818 km²)
10 sq mi (26 km²), 3.08%
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density

6,945
21/sq mi (8/km²)
Website www.kingandqueenco.net

King and Queen County is a county located in the Middle Peninsula in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 6,945.[1] Its county seat is King and Queen Court House.

Contents

History

King and Queen County was established in 1691 from New Kent County. The county is named for King William III and Queen Mary II of England. King and Queen County is notable as one of the few counties in the United States of America to have recorded a larger population in the 1790 census than in the 2000 one.

Among the earliest settlers of King and Queen County was Roger Shackelford, an emigrant from Old Alresford, Hampshire, England, for whom the village of Shacklefords, Virginia, in King and Queen County is named. Shackelford's descendants continued to live in the county, and by the nineteenth century had intermarried with the Taliaferro, Beverley, Thornton and Sears families, among others.[2]

On March 2, 1864, the Battle of Walkerton, an engagement of the American Civil War took place here, resulting in a Confederate victory.

For many years, county publications noted that the county lacked any traffic lights. This is now no longer the case, as a traffic light has been installed on U.S. Route 360 at St. Stephen's Church.

The county contains no incorporated towns and is among the more rustic of the counties of Virginia.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 326 square miles (844.3 km2), of which 316 square miles (818.4 km2) is land and 10 square miles (25.9 km2) (3.08%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1790 9,377
1800 9,879 5.4%
1810 10,988 11.2%
1820 11,798 7.4%
1830 11,644 −1.3%
1840 10,862 −6.7%
1850 10,319 −5.0%
1860 10,328 0.1%
1870 9,709 −6.0%
1880 10,502 8.2%
1890 9,669 −7.9%
1900 9,265 −4.2%
1910 9,576 3.4%
1920 9,161 −4.3%
1930 7,618 −16.8%
1940 6,954 −8.7%
1950 6,299 −9.4%
1960 5,889 −6.5%
1970 5,491 −6.8%
1980 5,968 8.7%
1990 6,289 5.4%
2000 6,630 5.4%
2010 6,945 4.8%

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 6,630 people, 2,673 households, and 1,897 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 3,010 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.22% White, 35.67% Black or African American, 1.42% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 0.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,673 households out of which 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were married couples living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 27.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,941, and the median income for a family was $40,563. Males had a median income of $33,217 versus $21,753 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,236. 10.90% of the population and 7.80% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 8.10% are under the age of 18 and 14.80% are 65 or older.

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. ^ [1]. Weldon Cooper Center 2010 Census Count Retrieved September 8, 2011
  2. ^ King and Queen County, Virginia, Alfred Bagby, The Neale Publishing Company, New York, Washington, D. C., 1908
  3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.