Spotsylvania County, Virginia

Spotsylvania County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a suburb approximately 60 miles (90km) south of D.C. It is a part of the Northern Virginia region and the D.C. area. As of 2024, Spotsylvania County is the 14th most populated county in Virginia with 149,588 residences.^[7] Its county seat is Spotsylvania.^[8]

Spotsylvania County
County
Historic home listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Spotsylvania County
Flag Seal Logo
Motto(s):  Patior Ut Potiar (Latin for 'I suffer to obtain')[1][2][3][4]
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°11′N 77°39′W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	1721
Named for	Alexander Spotswood
Seat	Spotsylvania
Largest community	Spotsylvania
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	140,092
• Estimate  (July 2023)[6]	149,588
• Density	340/sq mi (130/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	22407, 22408, 22551, 22553, 22534, 22508, 22580, 23024
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.spotsylvania.va.us

Located along the Rappahannock River bordering the City of Fredericksburg and Stafford County, Spotsylvania County is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Since 2010, the population has increased by 19.3%; for comparison, Virginia's population has only increased 7.7% in that time period. Spotsylvania County is currently the 74th highest-income county in America.^[9]

History

At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Spotsylvania County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Manahoac.^[10]

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 great-grandfather of Robert E. Lee.^[11]

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.^[12]

General Stonewall Jackson was shot and seriously 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.

Geography

Charles

Alexandria

Fauquier

Manassas

Manassas Park

Prince William

Spotsylvania

Stafford

Fredericksburg

Culpeper

Louisa

Orange

Caroline

Hanover

King George

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

National protected area

• Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park (part)

Points of interest

• Lake Anna State Park
• Spotsylvania County Public Schools
• Spotsylvania Courthouse
• Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
• Spotsylvania Towne Centre
• Central Rappahannock Regional Library
• Dominion Raceway

Communities

There are no incorporated towns or cities in Spotsylvania County. Unincorporated communities in the county include:

Census-designated places

• Lake Wilderness
• Spotsylvania Courthouse

Other unincorporated communities

• Alsop
• Arcadia
• Artillery Ridge
• Bells Crossroad
• Belmont
• Blades Corner
• Brandon
• Brockroad
• Brokenburg
• Carters Store
• Chancellor
• Chancellor Green, a local Hispanic enclave
• Chancellorsville
• Chewnings Corner
• Cookstown
• Cosner's Corner
• 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

Spotsylvania Towne Centre

Many areas of the county have Fredericksburg addresses.

Major highways

I-95 northbound in Spotsylvania County

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

Governance

County government

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.

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.^[13]

The following is the current list of supervisors and districts which they represent:^[14]

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	Chairman	Jacob Lane	Republican	Livingston
	Vice Chairman	Chris Yakabouski	Republican	Battlefield
	Member	Kevin Marshall	Independent	Berkeley
	Member	Gerald Childress	Republican	Chancellor
	Member	Drew Mullins	Republican	Courtland
	Member	Lori Hayes	Independent	Lee Hill
	Member	Deborah H. Frazier	Independent	Salem

County wide offices

Office		Name	Affiliation
	Commonwealth's Attorney	Ryan Mehaffey	Republican
	Commissioner of the Revenue	Deborah F Williams	Independent
	Sheriff	Roger Harris	Independent
	Treasurer	Larry Keith Pritchett	Independent
	Clerk of Circuit Court	Christalyn Mitchell Jett	Republican

State representation

Virginia House of Delegates

Office		Name	Party	District
	Delegate	Phillip Scott	Republican	63
	Delegate	Joshua G. Cole	Democratic	65
	Delegate	Bobby Orrock	Republican	66

Virginia State Senate

Office		Name	Party	District
	Senator	Richard Stuart	Republican	25
	Senator	Tara Durant	Republican	27
	Senator	Bryce Reeves	Republican	28

Federal representation

Spotsylvania residents are represented by Abigail Spanberger (D-7th District) in the House of Representatives. The current U.S. senators from the Commonwealth of Virginia are Mark Warner (D) and Tim Kaine (D).

United States presidential election results for Spotsylvania County, Virginia^[15][16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	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%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
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[17] 1790–1960[18] 1900–1990[19] 1990–2000[20] 2010[21] 2020[22]

2020 census

Spotsylvania County, Virginia - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010[21]	Pop 2020[22]	% 2010	% 2020
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.

2010 census

As of the census^[23] of 2010, there were 122,397 people, 31,308 households, and 24,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 226 inhabitants per square mile (87/km²). There were 33,329 housing units at an average density of 83 units per square mile (32 units/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 aged 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.

The 2021 median income for a household in the county was $98,973 compared to $69,021 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.^[24]

Infrastructure

Emergency services

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, and 8. The volunteer organizations include The Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department, and The Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad.^[25]

Education

Public schools

Main article: Spotsylvania County Public Schools

Private schools

• Fredericksburg Academy
• Fredericksburg Christian School
• The Summit Academy
• Odyssey Montessori School
• Saint Patrick School
• Saint Michael the Archangel High School
• Faith Baptist Christian School
• Mount Hope Academy

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 neighboring Fredericksburg, Virginia, is a four-year university and graduate school that also serves the area.

Notable people

• John Day Andrews (1795–1882), Mayor of Houston^[26]
• Thomas Dickens Arnold, United States Congressman from Virginia^[27]
• Francis Asbury (1745–1816), one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church^[28]
• Caressa Cameron, Miss Virginia 2009 and Miss America 2010^[29]
• Elijah Craig, Baptist minister arrested in Fredericksburg for preaching without a license from the Anglican Church before the American Revolution^[30]
• Evelyn Magruder DeJarnette (1842–1914), author^[31][32]
• Joe Gibbs, former Washington Redskins coach^[33]
• Rahman "Rock" Harper, chef, television personality, and restaurateur^[34]
• Alexander Holladay (1811–1877), U. S. Representative^{[citation needed]}
• Danny McBride, actor^[35]
• Phil Short, former member of the Louisiana State Senate and United States Marine Corps officer^[36]
• Matthew Fontaine Maury, father of modern oceanography^{[37]: 452 [38]: 2318}

See also

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

References

1. "Latin Lovers". The Washington Times. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
2. "motto". www.jsasoc.com.
3. "Clan Spottiswood - ScotClans - Scottish Clans".
4. "Surname Database: Spens Last Name Origin". The Internet Surname Database.
5. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
7. "Spotsylvania County, VA population by year, race, & more". USAFacts. June 22, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
8. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
9. hdpulse.nimhd.nih.gov https://hdpulse.nimhd.nih.gov/data-portal/social/table?socialtopic=030&socialtopic_options=social_6&demo=00011&demo_options=income_3&race=00&race_options=race_7&sex=0&sex_options=sexboth_1&age=001&age_options=ageall_1&statefips=51&statefips_options=area_states. Retrieved July 3, 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. Swanton, John R. (1952). The Indian Tribes of North America. Smithsonian Institution. pp. 61–62. ISBN 0-8063-1730-2. OCLC 52230544.
11. "Family relationship of General Robert e. Lee and Alexander Spotswood via Alexander Spotswood".
12. "Trail of Freedom", Rappahannock River Heritage Trail, University of Mary Washington blog
13. "Spotsylvania County Home : Departments: Board of Supervisors". Spotsylvania.va.us. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
14. "Members of the Board of Supervisors". Spotsylvania.ua.us. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
15. David Leip. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
16. "Élections présidentielles aux États-Unis 1788-2004" [United States presidential elections 1788-2004] (in French). Retrieved November 10, 2021.
17. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
18. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
19. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
20. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
21. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Spotsylvania County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
22. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Spotsylvania County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
23. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
24. Census Bureau Median Income Figures Archived February 10, 2020, at archive.today, census.gov.
25. Spotsylvania County Fire;Rescue and Emergency Services Volunteer Agencies Archived October 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
26. Benham, Priscilla Myers. "Andrews, John Day". Texas Handbook Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
27. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
28. now the United Methodist Church in the United States
29. Gross, Edie. "Covering Caressa Cameron". www.fredericksburg.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
30. "Fredericksburg Baptist Church" Archived February 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Nomination for National Register of Historic Places, State of Virginia; cf. "The First Hundred Years Were The Hardest". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. November 18, 1967. p. 8.
31. Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Moulton. pp. 237–.
32. Frost, May (Miller) (1954). De Jarnette and Allied Families in America (1699-1954). San Bernardino, Calif. [1954].
33. Couloumbis, Angela E. (March 2, 1996). "Fawn Lake: On The Water In Spotsylvania". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
34. Black, Jane (December 26, 2008). ""Hell's Kitchen" winner Rahman "Rock" Harper Readying Menu for New D.C. Eatery". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
35. "Movie, TV projects fall in line for local native". Fredericksburg.com. January 24, 2008. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
36. "A Virginian in Short". enlou.com. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
37. Birth: Stevens, J. A., DeCosta, B. F., Johnston, H. P., Lamb, M. J., & Pond, N. G. (1887). The Magazine of American History with Notes and Queries. A. S. Barnes.
38. Father of modern oceanography: Hager, W. H. (2015). Hydraulicians in the USA 1800-2000: A biographical dictionary of leaders in hydraulic engineering and fluid mechanics. CRC Press.

External links

• Spotsylvania County Official Website
• Spotsylvania County Department of Economic Development
• Fredericksburg.com, site of The Free Lance-Star
• Spotsylvania County Virginia Zip Codes
• Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office

38.18°N 77.65°W / 38.18; -77.65