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Spotsylvania County, Virginia

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

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 residents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

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At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Spotsylvania County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Manahoac.<ref name=swanton>Template:Cite book</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="trail">"Trail of Freedom", Rappahannock River Heritage Trail, University of Mary Washington blog</ref>

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

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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

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National protected area

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Points of interest

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Communities

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

Census-designated places

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Other unincorporated communities

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File:Spotsylvania Towne Centre Main Entrance.jpg
Spotsylvania Towne Centre

Many areas of the county have Fredericksburg addresses.

Major highways

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File:2019-06-24 10 14 32 View north along Interstate 95 from the overpass for U.S. Route 17 (Mills Drive) in Fourmile Fork, Spotsylvania County, Virginia.jpg
I-95 northbound in Spotsylvania County

Governance

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County government

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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

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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.<ref name=test>Template:Cite web</ref>

The following is the current list of supervisors and districts which they represent:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Position Name Affiliation District
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Chair Chris Yakabouski Republican Battlefield
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Vice-Chair Lori Hayes Independent Lee Hill
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Member Kevin Marshall Independent Berkeley
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Member Gerald Childress Republican Chancellor
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Member Drew Mullins Republican Courtland
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Member Jacob Lane Republican Livingston
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Member Deborah H. Frazier Independent Salem

County wide offices

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Office Name Affiliation
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Commonwealth's Attorney Ryan Mehaffey Republican
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Commissioner of the Revenue Deborah F Williams Independent
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Sheriff Roger Harris Independent
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Treasurer Larry Keith Pritchett Independent
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |  Clerk of Circuit Court Christalyn Mitchell Jett Republican

State representation

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Virginia House of Delegates
Office Name Party District
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Delegate Phillip Scott Republican 63
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Delegate Joshua G. Cole Democratic 65
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Delegate Bobby Orrock Republican 66
Virginia State Senate
Office Name Party District
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Senator Richard Stuart Republican 25
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Senator Tara Durant Republican 27
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Senator Bryce Reeves Republican 28

Federal representation

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Spotsylvania residents are represented by Eugene Vindman (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).

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Demographics

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Template:US Census population

2020 census

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Spotsylvania County, Virginia - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 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

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As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 122,397 people, 31,308 households, and 24,639 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 33,329 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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 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.<ref>Census Bureau Median Income Figures Template:Webarchive, census.gov.</ref>

Infrastructure

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Emergency services

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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.<ref name="spotsylvania.va.us">Spotsylvania County Fire;Rescue and Emergency Services Volunteer Agencies Template:Webarchive</ref>

Education

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Public schools

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Private schools

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Colleges and universities

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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

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See also

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References

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