Spotsylvania County, Virginia

Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Spotsylvania County Courthouse
Seal
Location in the state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1721
Named for	Alexander Spotswood
Seat	Spotsylvania Courthouse
Largest community	Spotsylvania Courthouse
Area
• Total	414 sq mi (1,072 km2)
• Land	401 sq mi (1,039 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (34 km2), 3.1%
Population
• Total	129,188
• Density	301/sq mi (116.4/km²)
Congressional districts	1st, 7th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.spotsylvania.va.us

Spotsylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2014 estimate, the population was 129,188.^[1] Its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse.^[2]

Spotsylvania County is considered to be a part of Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Spotsylvania County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Manahoac.^[3]

Spotsylvania County was established in 1721 from Essex, King and Queen, and King William counties. The county was named in Latin for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood.

Many battles were fought in this county during the Civil War, including the Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of the Wilderness, Battle of Fredericksburg, and Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.

Stonewall Jackson was shot and mortally wounded in Spotsylvania County during the Battle of Chancellorsville. A group of Confederate soldiers from North Carolina were in the woods and heard General Jackson's party returning from reconnoitering the Union lines. They mistook him for a Federal patrol and fired their weapons, wounding him in both arms. His left arm was amputated. General Jackson died a few days later from pneumonia at nearby Guinea Station. Confederate wounded were being gathered there for evacuation to hospitals further to the south and away from enemy lines.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 414 square miles (1,070 km²), of which 401 square miles (1,040 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (3.1%) is water.^[4]

It is bounded on the north by the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers, the independent city of Fredericksburg (all of which were part of the area's early history), and the counties of Stafford and Culpeper; on the south by the North Anna River and its impoundment, Lake Anna, and by the counties of Hanover and Louisa; on the west by Orange County and Culpeper County; and on the east by Caroline County.

Adjacent counties and independent city

• Culpeper County, Virginia - north
• Stafford County, Virginia - northeast
• City of Fredericksburg, Virginia - northeast
• Caroline County, Virginia - southeast
• Hanover County, Virginia - south
• Louisa County, Virginia - southwest
• Orange County, Virginia - west and northwest

Major highways

• I‑95
• US 1
• US 17
• US 522
• SR 2
• SR 3
• SR 208

National protected area

• Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park (part)

Demographics

As of the census^[9] of 2010, there were 122,397 people, 31,308 households, and 24,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 226 people per square mile (87/km²). There were 33,329 housing units at an average density of 83 per square mile (32/km²). The racial makeup of the county was:

• 78.4% White
• 15.8% Black or African American
• 0.4% Native American
• 2.4% Asian
• 0.05% Pacific Islander
• 2.8% from other races, and
• 1.88% from two or more races.

7.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 31,308 households out of which 42.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.80% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.30% were non-families. 16.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the county, the population was spread out with 30.00% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 32.20% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 8.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.

The 2006 median income for a household in the county was $72,453, and the median income for a family was $75,507. Males had a median income of $49,166 versus $38,076 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,458. About 3.90% of families and 5.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 5.20% of those age 65 or over.^[10]

Law and government

County government

Spotsylvania County's highest level of management is that of County Administrator. C. Douglas Barnes is the County Administrator. He oversees all county departments and agencies and serves as the Spotsylvania County's Board of Supervisors' liaison to state and regional agencies.

Board of Supervisors

Spotsylvania is governed by a Board of Supervisors. The board consists of seven members (one from each district within the county). The Board of Supervisors sets county policies, adopts ordinances, appropriates funds, approves land rezoning and special exceptions to the zoning ordinance, and carries out other responsibilities set forth by the county code.^[11]

The following is the current list of supervisors and districts which they represent:

State representation

Federal representation

Spotsylvania residents are represented by either Dave Brat (R-7th District) or Rob Wittman (R-1st District) in the House of Representatives. The current U.S. Senators from the Commonwealth of Virginia are Mark Warner (D) and Tim Kaine (D).

Education

Public schools

Spotsylvania County Public Schools is a public school district serving Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It consists of 17 Elementary, 7 Middle, and 5 High Schools and has a total enrollment of over 24,000 students.^[12] The Spotsylvania County School division also has a Career and Technical Center and participates with other local school systems to offer the Commonwealth Governor's School. The district partners with area businesses to develop learning opportunities for the students.^[13] Spotsylvania County Public Schools works with the area Parks and Recreation Department to help maintain the area around the Schools (athletic facilities, etc.).

Private schools

Fredericksburg Academy, Fredericksburg Christian School, Odyssey Montessori School, Saint Patrick School, Saint Michael the Archangel High School, and Faith Baptist Christian School are private schools that serve the area.

Colleges and universities

Germanna Community College is part of the Virginia Community College System and serves the City of Fredericksburg, and the counties of Stafford, Spotsylvania, Orange, Culpeper, and King George.

The University of Mary Washington located in nearby Fredericksburg, Virginia, is a four-year university and graduate school that also serves the area.

Emergency services

Fire and rescue services in Spotsylvania County are provided by a combination of career and volunteer organizations. These organizations work together to provide quality service to the citizens of Spotsylvania County. The career staff of the Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management provide fire and rescue services from 04:40 AM until 6:00 PM Monday through Friday at stations 1(Courthouse), 4(Four Mile Fork), 5(Five Mile Fork), and 8(Thornburg). Medic 2(Brokenburg) and Medic 10(Salem Fields) also utilize that schedule. Stations 3(Partlow), 6(Salem Church), 7(Wilderness), 9(Belmont), and the Engine Companies at 2(Brokenburg) and 10(Salem Fields), are all staffed 24/7 by career staff. The volunteer organizations include: Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue, The Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department, and The Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad.^[14] In 2013, Harris Corporation was awarded a $19 million contract to upgrade the county's public safety radio system to P25 Phase II standards.

Communities

There are no incorporated towns or cities in Spotsylvania County. The following is a list of census-designated places within the county.

Many areas of the county have Fredericksburg addresses.

Points of interest

• Lake Anna State Park
• Spotsylvania County Public Schools
• Spotsylvania Courthouse
• Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
• Spotsylvania Towne Centre
• Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office

Notable people

• Thomas Dickens Arnold, United States Congressman from Virginia^[15]
• Francis Asbury (1745–1816), one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now the United Methodist Church in the United States. Asbury died near the Partlow Road, south of Blades Corner.
• Caressa Cameron, Miss Virginia, Miss America for the year of 2010
• Elijah Craig, Baptist minister, he and his brother Lewis Craig were arrested in Fredericksburg for preaching without a license from the Anglican Church, giving rise to freed of religious cases before the American Revolution
• Joe Gibbs, former Washington Redskins coach
• Rahman "Rock" Harper, chef, television personality, and restaurateur
• Alexander Holladay (1811–1877), a U. S. Representative, grew up at Prospect Hill, now the Littlepage Inn, in Mineral
• Kunta Kinte, a.k.a. Toby Waller (1750-1822), the central character of the novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, and of the television miniseries Roots, based on the book. Kinte, a Muslim of the Mandinka people, was captured and brought as a slave to Annapolis, Maryland, and later sold to a plantation owner in Spotsylvania County near the present-day rural community of Partlow.
• John Maine, pitcher for the New York Mets
• Danny McBride, actor
• Phil Short, former member of the Louisiana State Senate and United States Marine Corps officer^[16]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Spotsylvania County, Virginia

References

External links

• Spotsylvania County official website
• Spotsylvania County Department of Economic Development
• Spotsylvania County Public Schools
• Fredericksburg.com, site of The Free Lance-Star
• Spotsylvania County Virginia Zip Codes

	Orange County	Culpeper County	Stafford County and City of Fredericksburg
	Orange County
	Spotsylvania County, Virginia
	Louisa County	Hanover County	Caroline County

Municipalities and communities of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, United States County seat: Spotsylvania Courthouse CDPs Lake Wilderness Spotsylvania Courthouse Unincorporated communities Alsop Arcadia Artillery Ridge Bells Crossroad Belmont Blades Corner Brockroad Brokenburg Carters Store Chancellor Chancellorsville Chewnings Corner Cookstown Dunavant Five Mile Fork Four Mile Fork Granite Springs Lanes Corner Leavells Lewiston Margo Marye Massaponax McHenry Old Trap Olivers Corner Partlow Paytes Post Oak Shady Grove Corner Snell Stubbs Thornburg Todds Tavern

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Coordinates: 38°11′N 77°39′W / 38.18°N 77.65°W / 38.18; -77.65