Frederick County, Virginia

Frederick County
	Frederick County, Virginia
	Frederick County Courthouse in Winchester, Virginia
	; Seal
	; Seal
	; Location in the state of Virginia
	; Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1743
Named for	Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales and eldest son of King George II of Great Britain
Seat	Winchester
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 416 sq mi (1,076 km²); 415 sq mi (1,074 km²); 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.24%
Population; - (2010); - Density	; 78,305; 188.7/sq mi (72.9/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.co.frederick.va.us

Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is included in the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. For ten years it was the home of George Washington. As of 2012, the population was 80,118.¹ Its county seat is Winchester.² The northernmost point in Virginia is located in Frederick County.

History

The area that would become Frederick County, Virginia was inhabited and transited by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years before European colonization. The "Indian Road" refers to a historic pathway made by local tribes.

European Americans established Frederick County in 1743 from Orange County. Anglo-American settlers named the county for Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales (1707–1751), the eldest son of King George II of Great Britain.

American Revolutionary War

Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial forces, General George Washington's headquarters were located in Winchester. Washington represented Frederick County in his first elective offices, having been elected to the House of Burgesses in 1758 and 1761. Daniel Morgan was another famous General during the American Revolutionary War, from (present day Clarke County).

War of 1812

American Civil War

Winchester changed hands between the Confederate and Union Armies on average once every three weeks during the war. Many battles were fought in Frederick County. Some of those battles include:

First Battle of Kernstown, March 1862
First Battle of Winchester, May 1862
Second Battle of Winchester, June 1863
Second Battle of Kernstown, July 1864
Third Battle of Winchester (Battle of Opequon), September 1864
Battle of Cedar Creek, October 1864

The first constitution of West Virginia provided for Frederick County to be added to the new state if approved by a local election.³ Unlike those of neighboring Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Frederick County residents voted to remain in Virginia despite being occupied by the Union Army at the time.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 416 square miles (1,077.4 km²), of which 415 square miles (1,074.8 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.24%) is water. This is the northernmost county in the state of Virginia.

Major Highways

Adjacent counties

Clarke County, Virginia - east
Warren County, Virginia - south
Shenandoah County, Virginia - southwest
Hardy County, West Virginia - southwest
Hampshire County, West Virginia - west
Morgan County, West Virginia - north
Berkeley County, West Virginia - northeast
Winchester, Virginia - center (enclave)

National protected areas

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park (part)
George Washington National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	19,681	—
1800	24,744	25.7%
1810	22,574	−8.8%
1820	24,706	9.4%
1830	26,046	5.4%
1840	14,242	−45.3%
1850	15,975	12.2%
1860	16,546	3.6%
1870	16,596	0.3%
1880	17,553	5.8%
1890	17,880	1.9%
1900	13,239	−26.0%
1910	12,787	−3.4%
1920	12,461	−2.5%
1930	13,167	5.7%
1940	14,008	6.4%
1950	17,537	25.2%
1960	21,941	25.1%
1970	28,893	31.7%
1980	34,150	18.2%
1990	45,723	33.9%
2000	59,209	29.5%
2010	78,305	32.3%
Est. 2012	80,118	2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 2012 Estimate

As of the census⁴ of 2000, there were 59,209 people, 22,097 households, and 16,727 families residing in the county. The population density was 143 people per square mile (55/km²). There were 23,319 housing units at an average density of 56/square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.99% White, 2.62% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 22,097 households out of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.50% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.30% were non-families. 19.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.40% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,941, and the median income for a family was $52,281. Males had a median income of $35,705 versus $25,046 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,080. About 4.00% of families and 6.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.30% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Winchester Transit provides weekday transit for the city of Winchester.

Towns

Map of Frederick County, Virginia with Municipal and Magisterial District Labels

Incorporated Towns

Middletown
Stephens City

Unincorporated Communities

Education

Frederick County is served by Frederick County Public Schools, which includes several middle, elementary, and high schools. Frederick County is also part of the region served by the Mountain Vista Governor's School that offers upper level classes to intellectually gifted high school students.