Prince George County, Virginia

Infobox U.S. County
county = Prince George County
state = Virginia




map size = 200
founded = 1703
seat = Prince George | area_total_sq_mi =282
area_water_sq_mi =16
area percentage = 5.76%
census yr = 2000
pop = 33047
metro = 1,194,000
density_km2 =48
web = www.princegeorgeva.org
|

Prince George County is a county located in the U.S. state — officially, "Commonwealth" — of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 33,047. Its county seat is Prince GeorgeGR|6. It is in Tri-Cities area of the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond, VA MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 282 square miles (730 km²), of which, 266 square miles (688 km²) of it is land and 16 square miles (42 km²) of it (5.76%) is water.

Adjacent counties / independent cities

*Petersburg, Virginia - northwest
*Chesterfield County, Virginia - northwest
*Hopewell, Virginia - northwest
*Charles City County, Virginia - north
*Surry County, Virginia - east
*Sussex County, Virginia - south
*Dinwiddie County, Virginia - westThe county also comes extremely close to Colonial Heights, Virginia, but does not actually border it.

National protected areas

* James River National Wildlife Refuge
* Petersburg National Battlefield Park (part)

History

Prince George County was formed in 1703 in the Virginia Colony from a portion of Charles City County. It was named in honor of Prince George of Denmark, husband of England's reigning monarch, Queen Anne.

In 1619, "Charles Cittie" ["sic"] was one of four "boroughs" or "incorporations" created by the Virginia Company. The first Charles City County courthouses were located along the James River at Westover and City Point. The Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624, and Virginia became a royal colony.

Charles City Shire was formed in 1634 in the Virginia Colony by order of Charles I, King of England. It became Charles City County in 1643, and is considered one the five shires in Virginia still extant in essentially the same political entity (county) as they were originally formed in 1634.

Charles Cittie, Charles City Shire, and Charles City County all extended to both sides of the James River, which was the major transportation throughfare if the Virginia Colony throughout the 17th century. The original central city of Charles City County was Charles City Point, which was in an area south of the James River at the confluence of the Appomattox River. The name was later shortened to City Point.

In 1703, all of the original area of Charles City County south of the James River was severed to form Prince George County and eventually, several other counties. City Point later became an incorporated town in Prince George County, but was annexed by the independent city of Hopewell in 1923, and is no longer in the county.

Local government

In modern times, there are no centralized cities or towns in the county. Prince George Court House, which uses the postal address Prince George, Virginia, is the focal point of government. The County Administrator answers to the elected Board of Supervisors.

Law Enforcement

The county is serviced by the Virginia State Police and the Prince George County Sheriff's Office (PGSO). The current sheriff is michael jackson. The PGSO is a relatively small agency with its primary mission as the enforcement arm of the county court and provides general law enforcement services. [ [http://www.princegeorgeva.org/index.aspx?page=188 Prince George County : Sheriff's Office ] ]

Towns, communities, region

There are currently no incorporated towns within Prince George County. Unincorporated towns or communities in the county include:

*Burrowsville
*Disputanta
*Fort Lee (a military base)
*Garysville
*Jordan Point
*New Bohemia
*Newville
*Prince George Prince George County adjoins the independent cities of Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights and is considered part of the Tri-Cities area of the Richmond-Petersburg (or Greater Richmond) region. It also borders 5 other counties: Charles City (County), Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Sussex, and Surry.

Transportation

Interstate Highways 95 and 295 pass through the county, as does north-south U.S. Route 301 and east-west U.S. Route 460. State Route 10 runs along the northern shore of the James River near several of the James River plantations located in the county.

Freight railroad service for the county is provided by CSX Transportation, which interchanges with Norfolk Southern at Petersburg. The famous 52-mile long tangent rail line between Petersburg and Suffolk of the former Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad was built by William Mahone in the 1850s, and now forms a vital link of the Norfolk Southern system. A Norfolk Southern Railway automobile transloading facility is located nearby. There are future plans underway for a large Intermodal freight transport railroad-trucking transfer facility in Prince George County as well.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 33,047 people, 10,159 households, and 8,096 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile (48/km²). There were 10,726 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.93% White, 32.54% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 2.19% from other races, and 2.03% from two or more races. 4.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,159 households out of which 41.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.50% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.30% were non-families. 17.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 13.60% from 18 to 24, 33.30% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 7.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 117.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,877, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $37,363 versus $26,347 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,196. About 6.50% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.

Trivia

*The small community of Disputanta is said to have been named by railroad builder (and later Confederate General) William Mahone and his cultured wife, Otelia Butler Mahone, originally of Smithfield, each long considered among the Tri-Cities area's more notable and colorful characters. William "Little Billy" Mahone, who became known as the hero of the Battle of the Crater in Prince George County during the American Civil War, later became a mayor of Petersburg, a U.S. Senator, and helped found Virginia State University nearby.

*Due to the wording of the Hopewell city charter, the portion of the Appomattox River adjacent to the shoreline of that city is located in Prince George County. The modern twin Charles Hardaway Marks Bridges on State Route 10 from Chesterfield County to Hopewell pass through a water-only portion of Prince George County, duly noted by signage.

*Nearby the current bridges, this same water-only section of the county at the Appomattox River was the site of a fatal bus accident at an open drawbridge on December 22, 1935 which killed 13 persons. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~cannf/dailynews_1935.htm]

References

External links

* [http://www.princegeorgeva.org/ Prince George County, Virginia official website]
* [http://www.yesprincegeorge.com/ Prince George County, Virginia Economic Development official website]