Appomattox County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 The Appomattox County Courthouse in October 2007 | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°21′32″N78°49′35″W / 37.358973°N 78.826438°W /37.358973; -78.826438 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1845 |
| Named after | Appomattox River |
| Seat | Appomattox |
| Largest town | Appomattox |
| Area | |
• Total | 335 sq mi (870 km2) |
| • Land | 333 sq mi (860 km2) |
| • Water | 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 16,119 |
| • Density | 48.4/sq mi (18.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | www |
Appomattox County (/ˌæpəˈmætəks/A-pə-MA-təks)[1] is aUnited States county located in thePiedmont region and near the center of theCommonwealth ofVirginia. The county is part of theLynchburg metropolitan area, and itscounty seat is the town ofAppomattox.[2]
Appomattox County was created in 1845 from parts of four other Virginia counties. The name of the county comes from theAppamatuck Indians, who lived in the area. As of the2020 census, the population was 16,119.[3]
Appomattox County was formed in 1845 fromBuckingham,Prince Edward,Campbell, andCharlotte counties. In 1848, another part from Campbell County was added. It was named for theAppomattox River, which in turn was named for theAppamatuck, a historicNative American tribes in Virginia of the Algonquian-speaking Powhatan Confederacy.[4]
Appomattox came to national attention on April 9, 1865, whenConfederateGeneralRobert E. Lee met withUnion GeneralUlysses S. Grant at thevillage of Appomattox Court House to accept Lee's surrender. The surrender of Lee, which effectively ended theAmerican Civil War, took place at theMcLean House, home ofWilmer McLean.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 335 square miles (870 km2), of which 333 square miles (860 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (0.4%) is water.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 9,193 | — | |
| 1860 | 8,889 | −3.3% | |
| 1870 | 8,950 | 0.7% | |
| 1880 | 10,080 | 12.6% | |
| 1890 | 9,589 | −4.9% | |
| 1900 | 9,662 | 0.8% | |
| 1910 | 8,904 | −7.8% | |
| 1920 | 9,255 | 3.9% | |
| 1930 | 8,402 | −9.2% | |
| 1940 | 9,020 | 7.4% | |
| 1950 | 8,764 | −2.8% | |
| 1960 | 9,148 | 4.4% | |
| 1970 | 9,784 | 7.0% | |
| 1980 | 11,971 | 22.4% | |
| 1990 | 12,298 | 2.7% | |
| 2000 | 13,705 | 11.4% | |
| 2010 | 14,973 | 9.3% | |
| 2020 | 16,119 | 7.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010[10] 2020[11] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[12] | Pop 2020[11] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 11,483 | 12,155 | 76.69% | 75.41% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 2,998 | 2,877 | 20.02% | 17.85% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 28 | 50 | 0.19% | 0.31% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 35 | 42 | 0.23% | 0.26% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 3 | 0.03% | 0.02% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 23 | 84 | 0.15% | 0.52% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 235 | 564 | 1.57% | 3.50% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 167 | 344 | 1.12% | 2.13% |
| Total | 14,973 | 16,119 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[13] of 2000, there were 13,705 people, 5,322 households, and 4,012 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 41 people per square mile (16 people/km2). There were 5,828 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 75.94%White, 22.91%Black orAfrican American, 0.13%Native American, 0.17%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.26% fromother races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 5,322 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.70% weremarried couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,507, and the median income for a family was $41,563. Males had a median income of $31,428 versus $21,367 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,086. 11.40% of the population and 8.70% of families were below thepoverty line. Out of the total population, 14.10% of those under the age of 18 and 21.50% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Appomattox County was historically strongly Democratic, as part of theSolid South. It has been consistently won by Republicans since 1964.
Appomattox County is represented by RepublicanLuther Cifers in theVirginia Senate, RepublicanLee Ware in theVirginia House of Delegates, and RepublicanJohn McGuire in theU.S. House of Representatives.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 28 | 3.81% | 654 | 89.10% | 52 | 7.08% |
| 1916 | 133 | 15.91% | 700 | 83.73% | 3 | 0.36% |
| 1920 | 190 | 18.41% | 837 | 81.10% | 5 | 0.48% |
| 1924 | 101 | 9.41% | 952 | 88.72% | 20 | 1.86% |
| 1928 | 446 | 33.51% | 885 | 66.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 204 | 15.26% | 1,123 | 83.99% | 10 | 0.75% |
| 1936 | 204 | 12.85% | 1,375 | 86.64% | 8 | 0.50% |
| 1940 | 215 | 15.77% | 1,144 | 83.93% | 4 | 0.29% |
| 1944 | 270 | 19.49% | 1,109 | 80.07% | 6 | 0.43% |
| 1948 | 238 | 14.29% | 1,182 | 70.95% | 246 | 14.77% |
| 1952 | 929 | 49.13% | 957 | 50.61% | 5 | 0.26% |
| 1956 | 853 | 40.89% | 1,079 | 51.73% | 154 | 7.38% |
| 1960 | 951 | 43.07% | 1,240 | 56.16% | 17 | 0.77% |
| 1964 | 2,444 | 64.47% | 1,339 | 35.32% | 8 | 0.21% |
| 1968 | 1,753 | 43.42% | 756 | 18.73% | 1,528 | 37.85% |
| 1972 | 2,788 | 78.20% | 684 | 19.19% | 93 | 2.61% |
| 1976 | 1,964 | 50.84% | 1,702 | 44.06% | 197 | 5.10% |
| 1980 | 2,548 | 60.42% | 1,492 | 35.38% | 177 | 4.20% |
| 1984 | 3,386 | 68.65% | 1,498 | 30.37% | 48 | 0.97% |
| 1988 | 3,205 | 63.59% | 1,740 | 34.52% | 95 | 1.88% |
| 1992 | 2,830 | 50.36% | 1,919 | 34.15% | 871 | 15.50% |
| 1996 | 2,625 | 47.93% | 2,239 | 40.88% | 613 | 11.19% |
| 2000 | 3,654 | 61.65% | 2,132 | 35.97% | 141 | 2.38% |
| 2004 | 4,366 | 65.60% | 2,191 | 32.92% | 98 | 1.47% |
| 2008 | 4,903 | 64.26% | 2,641 | 34.61% | 86 | 1.13% |
| 2012 | 5,340 | 67.30% | 2,453 | 30.91% | 142 | 1.79% |
| 2016 | 5,715 | 71.46% | 2,023 | 25.30% | 259 | 3.24% |
| 2020 | 6,702 | 72.31% | 2,418 | 26.09% | 148 | 1.60% |
| 2024 | 7,243 | 74.79% | 2,324 | 24.00% | 118 | 1.22% |
37°21′32″N78°49′35″W / 37.358973°N 78.826438°W /37.358973; -78.826438
Places adjacent to Appomattox County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofAppomattox County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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