Spotsylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the July 2021 estimate, the population was 143,676.[5] Its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse.[6]
Spotsylvania County | |
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County | |
County of Spotsylvania | |
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Motto(s): | |
Coordinates: 38°11′N 77°39′W | |
Country | United States |
State | Virginia |
Founded | 1721 |
Named for | Alexander Spotswood |
Seat | Spotsylvania Courthouse |
Largest community | Spotsylvania Courthouse |
Area | |
• Total | 414 sq mi (1,070 km2) |
• Land | 401 sq mi (1,040 km2) |
• Water | 13 sq mi (30 km2) 3.1% |
Population (2020)[5] | |
• Total | 140,032 |
• Density | 340/sq mi (130/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Congressional districts | 1st, 7th |
Website | www |
At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Spotsylvania County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Manahoac.[7]
As the colonial population increased, Spotsylvania County was established in 1721 from parts of Essex, King and Queen, and King William counties. The county was named in Latin for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood who incidentally was also the second greatgrandfather of Robert E Lee.[8]
Many major 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. The war resulted in widespread disruption and opportunity: some 10,000 African-American slaves left area plantations and city households to cross the Rappahannock River, reaching the Union lines and gaining freedom. This exodus is commemorated by historical markers on both sides of the river.[9]
General Stonewall Jackson was shot and mortally wounded by friendly fire 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 them for a Federal patrol and fired on them, wounding Jackson in both arms. His left arm was amputated. General Jackson died a few days later from pneumonia at nearby Guinea Station. He and other Confederate wounded were being gathered there for evacuation to hospitals to the south and further away from enemy lines.
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.
There are no incorporated towns or cities in Spotsylvania County. Unincorporated communities in the county include:
Many areas of the county have Fredericksburg addresses.
Spotsylvania County's highest level of management is that of County Administrator. This post oversees all county departments and agencies and serves as the Spotsylvania County's Board of Supervisors' liaison to state and regional agencies.
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.[10]
The following is the current list of supervisors and districts which they represent:[11]
Position | Name | Affiliation | District | |
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Chairman | Timothy J. McLaughlin | Independent | Chancellor | |
Vice Chairman | David Ross | Republican | Courtland | |
Member | Chris Yakabouski | Republican | Battlefield | |
Member | Kevin Marshall | Independent | Berkely | |
Member | Lori Hayes | Independent | Lee Hill | |
Member | Jake Lane | Republican | Livingston | |
Member | Dr. Deborah H. Frazier | Independent | Salem |
Office | Name | Party | District | |
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Delegate | Robert D. "Bobby" Orrock | Republican Party | 54 | |
Delegate | Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler Jr. | Republican Party | 55 | |
Delegate | John McGuire | Republican Party | 56 | |
Delegate | Phillip Scott | Republican Party | 88 |
Office | Name | Party | District | |
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Senator | Ryan McDougle | Republican Party | 4 | |
Senator | Bryce Reeves | Republican Party | 17 | |
Senator | Richard Stuart | Republican Party | 28 |
Spotsylvania residents are represented by either Abigail Spanberger (D-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).
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
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No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 39,411 | 52.33% | 34,307 | 45.55% | 1,599 | 2.12% |
2016 | 34,623 | 55.35% | 24,207 | 38.70% | 3,719 | 5.95% |
2012 | 31,844 | 54.93% | 25,165 | 43.41% | 965 | 1.66% |
2008 | 28,610 | 52.91% | 24,897 | 46.05% | 562 | 1.04% |
2004 | 28,527 | 62.77% | 16,623 | 36.58% | 295 | 0.65% |
2000 | 20,739 | 59.22% | 13,455 | 38.42% | 827 | 2.36% |
1996 | 13,786 | 52.62% | 10,342 | 39.48% | 2,069 | 7.90% |
1992 | 11,829 | 49.26% | 8,133 | 33.87% | 4,052 | 16.87% |
1988 | 10,978 | 66.16% | 5,486 | 33.06% | 129 | 0.78% |
1984 | 8,207 | 66.74% | 4,012 | 32.63% | 78 | 0.63% |
1980 | 5,385 | 53.82% | 4,039 | 40.37% | 581 | 5.81% |
1976 | 3,210 | 42.46% | 4,210 | 55.69% | 140 | 1.85% |
1972 | 3,577 | 65.73% | 1,775 | 32.62% | 90 | 1.65% |
1968 | 1,675 | 34.00% | 1,647 | 33.43% | 1,604 | 32.56% |
1964 | 1,261 | 37.45% | 2,097 | 62.28% | 9 | 0.27% |
1960 | 1,288 | 46.02% | 1,482 | 52.95% | 29 | 1.04% |
1956 | 1,244 | 51.94% | 993 | 41.46% | 158 | 6.60% |
1952 | 1,174 | 48.98% | 1,194 | 49.81% | 29 | 1.21% |
1948 | 517 | 34.24% | 818 | 54.17% | 175 | 11.59% |
1944 | 504 | 40.29% | 744 | 59.47% | 3 | 0.24% |
1940 | 365 | 31.63% | 785 | 68.02% | 4 | 0.35% |
1936 | 453 | 35.01% | 836 | 64.61% | 5 | 0.39% |
1932 | 346 | 30.17% | 784 | 68.35% | 17 | 1.48% |
1928 | 654 | 59.84% | 439 | 40.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 255 | 34.65% | 448 | 60.87% | 33 | 4.48% |
1920 | 380 | 45.56% | 440 | 52.76% | 14 | 1.68% |
1916 | 249 | 38.37% | 398 | 61.33% | 2 | 0.31% |
1912 | 58 | 9.40% | 390 | 63.21% | 169 | 27.39% |
1908 | 282 | 43.93% | 346 | 53.89% | 14 | 2.18% |
1904 | 237 | 40.79% | 330 | 56.80% | 14 | 2.41% |
1900 | 817 | 51.19% | 774 | 48.50% | 5 | 0.31% |
1896 | 903 | 50.50% | 877 | 49.05% | 8 | 0.45% |
1892 | 679 | 42.62% | 849 | 53.30% | 65 | 4.08% |
1888 | 922 | 51.22% | 876 | 48.67% | 2 | 0.11% |
1884 | 820 | 49.28% | 844 | 50.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
1880 | 576 | 42.76% | 771 | 57.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1790 | 11,252 | — | |
1800 | 13,002 | 15.6% | |
1810 | 13,296 | 2.3% | |
1820 | 14,254 | 7.2% | |
1830 | 15,134 | 6.2% | |
1840 | 15,161 | 0.2% | |
1850 | 14,911 | −1.6% | |
1860 | 16,076 | 7.8% | |
1870 | 11,728 | −27.0% | |
1880 | 14,828 | 26.4% | |
1890 | 14,233 | −4.0% | |
1900 | 9,239 | −35.1% | |
1910 | 9,935 | 7.5% | |
1920 | 10,571 | 6.4% | |
1930 | 10,056 | −4.9% | |
1940 | 9,905 | −1.5% | |
1950 | 11,920 | 20.3% | |
1960 | 13,819 | 15.9% | |
1970 | 16,424 | 18.9% | |
1980 | 34,435 | 109.7% | |
1990 | 57,403 | 66.7% | |
2000 | 90,395 | 57.5% | |
2010 | 122,397 | 35.4% | |
2020 | 140,032 | 14.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[14] 1790–1960[15] 1900–1990[16] 1990–2000[17] 2010[18] 2020[19] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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White alone (NH) | 88,077 | 87,278 | 71.96% | 62.33% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 18,298 | 22,436 | 14.95% | 16.02% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 323 | 375 | 0.26% | 0.27% |
Asian alone (NH) | 2,768 | 3,933 | 2.26% | 2.81% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 135 | 122 | 0.11% | 0.09% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 272 | 845 | 0.22% | 0.60% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 3,246 | 8,389 | 2.65% | 5.99% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 9,278 | 16,654 | 7.58% | 11.89% |
Total | 122,397 | 140,032 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
As of the census[20] 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:
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 2019 median income for a household in the county was $90,913 compared to $64,994 for the United States; the median income for a family was $87,922. Males had a median income of $49,166 versus $38,076 for females. The per capita income for the county was $37,212. 6.6% of the population lives below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 5.20% of those age 65 or over.[21]
Fire and rescue services in Spotsylvania County are provided by a combination of career and volunteer organizations. The career staff of the Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management provide fire and rescue services 24/7/365 at all 11 stations, 1 (Courthouse), 2 (Brokenburg), 3 (Partlow), 4 (Four Mile Fork), 5 (Chancellor), 6 (Salem Church), 7 (Wilderness), 8 (Thornburg), 9 (Belmont), 10 (Salem Fields), 11 (Crossroads). Volunteers provide additional staffing nights and weekends at Stations 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8. The volunteer organizations include: Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue, The Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department, and The Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad.[22]
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 nearly 24,000 students.[23] 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.[24] Spotsylvania County Public Schools works with the area Parks and Recreation Department to help maintain the area around the Schools (athletic facilities, etc.).
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 neighboring Fredericksburg, Virginia, is a four-year university and graduate school that also serves the area.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Places adjacent to Spotsylvania County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, United States | ||
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County seat: Spotsylvania Courthouse | ||
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Unincorporated communities |
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Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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Principal cities (and city-like entities) |
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See Also |
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The District of Columbia itself, and Virginia's incorporated cities, are county equivalents. Virginia's incorporated cities are listed under their surrounding county. The incorporated cities bordering more than one county (Alexandria, Falls Church and Fredericksburg) are listed under the county they were part of before incorporation as a city. Some unincorporated areas and census-designated places like Silver Spring and Bethesda in Maryland, Reston in Virginia, as well as the County of Arlington in Virginia are also treated as city-like entities (or principal cities) even though they have not been legally incorporated as such. |
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