Spotsylvania

 

(spŏt'sĭlvā'nyə) , rural county (1990 pop. 57,403), NE Va., formerly part of the estate of Alexander Spotswood, colonial governor of Virginia. It was the scene of several major engagements of the Civil War, including the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville and the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse in the Wilderness campaign.

Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Map
Location in the state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the USA
Statistics
Founded	1721
Seat	Spotsylvania
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,068 km² (412 mi²)  sq mi ( km²) 30 km² (11 mi²), 2.77%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	90,395 87/km²
Website: www.spotsylvania.va.us

Spotsylvania County is a county in the U.S. state — officially, "Commonwealth" — of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 90,395. The Census Bureau predicts it to be at 119,529 in 2006, a 32.2% increase, making it the fourth fastest growing in the nation. Its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse⁶. The independent city of Fredericksburg is located in the northeast corner of the county but is politically separate.

This county is a part of the Washington Metropolitan Area because of its vast numbers of commuters that travel north on Interstate 95 or Virginia Railway Express (VRE) for work.

History

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

Many battles were fought in this county during the Civil War, including the Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Fredericksburg, and Spotsylvania Court House. Stonewall Jackson was shot and wounded in Spotsylvania County during the Battle of Chancellorsville. A group of Confederate soldiers from North Carolina were in the woods when they heard the footsteps of General Jackson's party returning from a reconnaissance of Union lines. They mistook him for a Federal patrol and shot him in the arm. His arm was amputated, but he was unable to recover and died a few days later from pneumonia at nearby Guinea Station, where Confederate wounded were being gathered for evacuation to hospitals further south.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,068 km² (412 mi²). 1,038 km² (401 mi²) of it is land and 30 km² (11 mi²) of it (2.77%) is water.

It is bounded on the north by the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers and the independent city of Fredericksburg 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.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census year	Population
1900	9,239
1910	9,935
1920	10,571
1930	10,056
1940	9,905
1950	11,920
1960	13,819
1970	16,424
1980	34,435
1990	57,403
2000	90,395
2005	116,549
2006	119,529
2007	124,368

As of the census² of 2000, there were 90,395 people, 31,308 households, and 24,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 87/km² (226/mi²). There were 33,329 housing units at an average density of 32/km² (83/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.89% White, 12.45% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. 2.81% 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 median income for a household in the county was $57,525, and the median income for a family was $62,422. Males had a median income of $40,909 versus $27,910 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,536. About 3.40% of families and 4.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.20% of those under age 18 and 4.80% of those age 65 or over.

Localities

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 Spotsylvania Courthouse Stubbs Thornburg Todds Tavern

Points of interest

• Spotsylvania Towne Centre
• Spotsylvania County Public Schools
• Spotsylvania Courthouse

Notable residents

• Thomas Dickens Arnold, United States Congressman from Virginia^[1]

References

• ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 

External links

• Spotsylvania County Department of Economic Development
• Official Site of Spotsylvania County
• Spotsylvania County Public Schools
• Lake Anna Wire - News from Lake Anna, Orange, Spotsylvania, and Louisa
• Local Area and Surrounding Area News

Municipalities and communities of Spotsylvania County, Virginia
County seat: 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 | Spotsylvania Courthouse | Stubbs | Thornburg | Todds Tavern

	Commonwealth of Virginia Richmond (capital)
Topics	Rivers | Governors | Colony | Rights | Homes | Colleges and universities | Counties | People
Regions	Allegheny Mountains | Atlantic Coastal Plain | Blue Ridge | Chesapeake Bay | Delmarva Peninsula | Eastern Shore | Hampton Roads | Middle Peninsula | Northern Neck | Northern Virginia | Piedmont | Ridge‑and‑valley Appalachians | Shenandoah Valley | South Hampton Roads | Southside | Southwest Virginia | Tennessee Valley | Tidewater | Tri-Cities | Virginia Peninsula
Metro areas	Alexandria | Arlington | Blacksburg | Bluefield | Bristol | Christiansburg | Charlottesville | Culpeper | Danville | Harrisonburg | Lynchburg | Martinsville | Newport News | Norfolk | Radford | Richmond | Roanoke | Staunton | Virginia Beach | Warrenton | Waynesboro | Winchester |
Counties	Accomack | Albemarle | Alleghany | Amelia | Amherst | Appomattox | Arlington | Augusta | Bath | Bedford | Bland | Botetourt | Brunswick | Buchanan | Buckingham | Campbell | Caroline | Carroll | Charles City | Charlotte | Chesterfield | Clarke | Craig | Culpeper | Cumberland | Dickenson | Dinwiddie | Essex | Fairfax | Fauquier | Floyd | Fluvanna | Franklin | Frederick | Giles | Gloucester | Goochland | Grayson | Greene | Greensville | Halifax | Hanover | Henrico | Henry | Highland | Isle of Wight | James City | King and Queen | King George | King William | Lancaster | Lee | Loudoun | Louisa | Lunenburg | Madison | Mathews | Mecklenburg | Middlesex | Montgomery | Nelson | New Kent | Northampton | Northumberland | Nottoway | Orange | Page | Patrick | Pittsylvania | Powhatan | Prince Edward | Prince George | Prince William | Pulaski | Rappahannock | Richmond | Roanoke | Rockbridge | Rockingham | Russell | Scott | Shenandoah | Smyth | Southampton | Spotsylvania | Stafford | Surry | Sussex | Tazewell | Warren | Washington | Westmoreland | Wise | Wythe | York
Independent cities	Alexandria | Bedford | Bristol | Buena Vista | Charlottesville | Chesapeake | Colonial Heights | Covington | Danville | Emporia | Fairfax | Falls Church | Franklin | Fredericksburg | Galax | Hampton | Harrisonburg | Hopewell | Lexington | Lynchburg | Manassas | Manassas Park | Martinsville | Newport News | Norfolk | Norton | Petersburg | Poquoson | Portsmouth | Radford | Richmond | Roanoke | Salem | Staunton | Suffolk | Virginia Beach | Waynesboro | Williamsburg | Winchester
Towns	Abingdon | Blacksburg | Bluefield | Christiansburg | Culpeper | Front Royal | Herndon | Leesburg | Marion | Pulaski | Richlands | Warrenton | Wise | Wytheville | Vienna

Coordinates: 38°′N 77°′W / 38.18, -77.65

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