King and Queen County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Old King and Queen County Courthouse | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°43′N76°54′W / 37.72°N 76.9°W /37.72; -76.9 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1691 |
| Named after | William III andMary II |
| Seat | King and Queen Court House |
| Area | |
• Total | 326 sq mi (840 km2) |
| • Land | 315 sq mi (820 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2) 3.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,608 |
• Estimate (2021) | 6,662 |
| • Density | 21.0/sq mi (8.10/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
King and Queen County is acounty in theU.S. state ofVirginia, located in the state'sMiddle Peninsula on the eastern edge of theRichmond, VA,metropolitan area. As of the2020 census, the population was 6,608.[1] Itscounty seat isKing and Queen Court House.[2]
King and Queen County was established in 1691 fromNew Kent County, and was named forKing William III andQueen Mary II of England.[3] King and Queen County is notable as one of the few counties in the United States to have recorded a larger population in the 1790 census than in 2020, this has been the case since 1920.
Among the earliest settlers of King and Queen County was Roger Shackelford, an English emigrant fromOld Alresford, Hampshire, after whom the county's village ofShacklefords is named. Shackelford's descendants continued to live in the county, and by the nineteenth century had intermarried with several local families, including Taliaferro, Beverley, Thornton, and Sears.[4]
In 1762 when he was 11, future presidentJames Madison was sent to a boarding school run by Donald Robertson at the Innes plantation in King and Queen County. Robertson was a Scottish teacher who tutored numerous prominent plantation families in the South. From Robertson, Madison learned mathematics, geography, and modern and classical languages, becoming especially proficient in Latin. He attributed his instinct for learning "largely to that man (Robertson)."[5][6] At age 16, Madison returned to his father'sMontpelier estate inOrange County.
On March 2, 1864, theBattle of Walkerton, an engagement of theAmerican Civil War, took place here, resulting in aConfederate victory.
Virginia Longest, national director of the Nursing Service for theU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in the late 1970s, was a county native.
Richard and Mildred Loving lived in a remote part of the county in the 1960s, hoping to avoid arrest by the authorities while their legal challenge to Virginia'santi-miscegenation laws moved through the courts.
For many years, county publications noted that the county lacked any traffic lights. This is now no longer the case, as a traffic light has been installed onU.S. Route 360 andVirginia State Route 14 at St. Stephen's Church.
Even in the 21st century, King and Queen County contains no incorporated towns or cities, and remains one of Virginia's most sparsely populated counties. For example, as of 2024 it does not have a grocery store[citation needed].
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 326 square miles (840 km2), of which 315 square miles (820 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (3.4%) is water.[7]
Measuring 63 miles (101 km) in length, it is one of the longest counties in the state of Virginia, as well as one of the narrowest, measuring less than 10 miles (16 km) across at its widest point.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 9,377 | — | |
| 1800 | 9,879 | 5.4% | |
| 1810 | 10,988 | 11.2% | |
| 1820 | 11,798 | 7.4% | |
| 1830 | 11,644 | −1.3% | |
| 1840 | 10,862 | −6.7% | |
| 1850 | 10,319 | −5.0% | |
| 1860 | 10,328 | 0.1% | |
| 1870 | 9,709 | −6.0% | |
| 1880 | 10,502 | 8.2% | |
| 1890 | 9,669 | −7.9% | |
| 1900 | 9,265 | −4.2% | |
| 1910 | 9,576 | 3.4% | |
| 1920 | 9,161 | −4.3% | |
| 1930 | 7,618 | −16.8% | |
| 1940 | 6,954 | −8.7% | |
| 1950 | 6,299 | −9.4% | |
| 1960 | 5,889 | −6.5% | |
| 1970 | 5,491 | −6.8% | |
| 1980 | 5,968 | 8.7% | |
| 1990 | 6,289 | 5.4% | |
| 2000 | 6,630 | 5.4% | |
| 2010 | 6,945 | 4.8% | |
| 2020 | 6,608 | −4.9% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 6,662 | [8] | 0.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010[13] 2020[14] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 4,547 | 4,460 | 65.47% | 67.49% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,970 | 1,561 | 28.37% | 23.62% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 109 | 82 | 1.57% | 1.24% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 17 | 23 | 0.24% | 0.35% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 3 | 0.00% | 0.05% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 7 | 19 | 0.10% | 0.29% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 111 | 278 | 1.60% | 4.21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 184 | 182 | 2.65% | 2.75% |
| Total | 6,945 | 6,608 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 6,630 people residing in the county; these included 2,673 households and 1,897 families. Thepopulation density was 21 people per square mile (8.1 people/km2). There were 3,010 housing units, at an average density of 10 units per square mile (3.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 61.22%White, 35.67%Black orAfrican American, 1.42%Native American, 0.27%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.15% fromother races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 0.87% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
Of the 2,673 households, 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% weremarried couples living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.94.
Themedian age in the county was 41 years, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 27.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
Themedian household income was $35,941, and the median family income was $40,563. Males had a median income of $33,217, versus $21,753 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,236. 10.90% of the population and 7.80% of families were below thepoverty line. Of the total people living in poverty, 8.10% were under the age of 18 and 14.80% were 65 or older.
King and Queen County is represented by Republican Richard H. Stuart and Ryan T. McDougle in theVirginia Senate, Republican M. Keith Hodges in theVirginia House of Delegates, and Republican Robert J. "Rob" Wittman in theU.S. House of Representatives.
Presidentially, King and Queen County is abellwether county of sorts. It correctly predicted the winner of all but four presidential elections between 1928 and 2024, voting for losing candidates only in1968,1980,2012, and2020.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 68 | 18.78% | 246 | 67.96% | 48 | 13.26% |
| 1916 | 127 | 31.91% | 271 | 68.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 181 | 34.28% | 347 | 65.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 134 | 29.65% | 314 | 69.47% | 4 | 0.88% |
| 1928 | 319 | 53.26% | 280 | 46.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 154 | 28.79% | 368 | 68.79% | 13 | 2.43% |
| 1936 | 124 | 24.95% | 372 | 74.85% | 1 | 0.20% |
| 1940 | 124 | 25.31% | 365 | 74.49% | 1 | 0.20% |
| 1944 | 166 | 31.38% | 363 | 68.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 171 | 31.26% | 293 | 53.56% | 83 | 15.17% |
| 1952 | 415 | 51.23% | 387 | 47.78% | 8 | 0.99% |
| 1956 | 495 | 54.64% | 289 | 31.90% | 122 | 13.47% |
| 1960 | 432 | 43.95% | 536 | 54.53% | 15 | 1.53% |
| 1964 | 699 | 46.94% | 786 | 52.79% | 4 | 0.27% |
| 1968 | 568 | 27.40% | 882 | 42.55% | 623 | 30.05% |
| 1972 | 1,033 | 58.30% | 708 | 39.95% | 31 | 1.75% |
| 1976 | 778 | 39.06% | 1,111 | 55.77% | 103 | 5.17% |
| 1980 | 949 | 44.14% | 1,128 | 52.47% | 73 | 3.40% |
| 1984 | 1,449 | 54.39% | 1,201 | 45.08% | 14 | 0.53% |
| 1988 | 1,376 | 50.46% | 1,309 | 48.00% | 42 | 1.54% |
| 1992 | 1,206 | 41.34% | 1,363 | 46.73% | 348 | 11.93% |
| 1996 | 1,073 | 38.93% | 1,393 | 50.54% | 290 | 10.52% |
| 2000 | 1,423 | 49.77% | 1,387 | 48.51% | 49 | 1.71% |
| 2004 | 1,737 | 52.86% | 1,506 | 45.83% | 43 | 1.31% |
| 2008 | 1,763 | 47.58% | 1,918 | 51.77% | 24 | 0.65% |
| 2012 | 1,865 | 51.03% | 1,745 | 47.74% | 45 | 1.23% |
| 2016 | 2,099 | 56.88% | 1,468 | 39.78% | 123 | 3.33% |
| 2020 | 2,450 | 59.54% | 1,590 | 38.64% | 75 | 1.82% |
| 2024 | 2,608 | 62.27% | 1,536 | 36.68% | 44 | 1.05% |
Census-designated Place
Unincorporated Communities
Places adjacent to King and Queen County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofKing and Queen County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| CDP |  | |
| Unincorporated communities |
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
37°43′N76°54′W / 37.72°N 76.90°W /37.72; -76.90
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