Prince George County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 The Prince George County Courthouse in 2007 | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Motto: "Semper Libertas" | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°11′N77°13′W / 37.19°N 77.22°W /37.19; -77.22 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1703 |
| Named after | Prince George of Denmark |
| Seat | Prince George |
| Largest community | Fort Gregg-Adams |
| Area | |
• Total | 282 sq mi (730 km2) |
| • Land | 265 sq mi (690 km2) |
| • Water | 17 sq mi (44 km2) 5.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 43,010 |
| • Density | 162/sq mi (62.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
Prince George County is acounty located in theCommonwealth ofVirginia. As of the2020 census, the population was 43,010.[1] Itscounty seat isPrince George.[2]
Prince George County is located within theGreater Richmond Region of theU.S. state ofVirginia.
Prince George County was formed in 1703 in theVirginia Colony from the portion ofCharles City County that was south of theJames River. It was named in honor of PrinceGeorge of Denmark, husband ofAnne, Queen of Great Britain.
In 1619, "Charles Cittie" [sic] was one of four "boroughs" or "incorporations" created by theVirginia Company. The first Charles City County courthouses were located along theJames River atWestover Plantation on the north side andCity Point on the south side. 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 ofCharles I, King of England. It was named as Charles City County in 1643.
Charles Cittie, Charles City Shire, and Charles City County all extended to both sides of theJames River, which was the major transportation thoroughfare of 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 theAppomattox River. The name was later shortened toCity Point.
In 1703, all of the original area of Charles City County south of the James River was severed to form Prince George County. As population increased, portions were divided and organized as several additional counties. City Point became anincorporated town in Prince George County.
Annexed by theindependent city ofHopewell in 1923, City Point is no longer in the county.
Nearby the current bridges, this water-only section of the county at theAppomattox River was the site of a fatalbus accident at an opendrawbridge on December 22, 1935; thirteen people died.[3]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 282 square miles (730 km2), of which 265 square miles (690 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44 km2) (5.9%) is water.[4] The northwestern corner of the county near the cities ofHopewell andPetersburg, and the location ofFort Gregg-Adams is exurban, but the rest of the county is rural with most land devoted to agriculture and timber production.
According to the County'sAnnual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2023,[5] the top employers in the county were:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States Department of Defense | 1,000+ |
| 2 | Prince George County Public Schools | 500-999 |
| 3 | Perdue Products /Perdue Farms Inc. | 500–999 |
| 4 | Delhaize America Distribution, LLC / Food Lion Distribution Center | 250-499 |
| 5 | U.S. Department of Justice / National Finance Center | 250–499 |
| 6 | Cunningham Food Services LLC | 250–499 |
| 7 | Standard Motor Products Inc. | 250–499 |
| 8 | County of Prince George | 250–499 |
| 9 | Service Center Metals | 250–499 |
| 10 | U.S. Army Non-Appropriated Funds Division / Fort A.P. Hill | 250-499 |
Goya Foods has its Virginia offices south of thePrince George CDP.[6][7]
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, who are elected fromsingle-member districts.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 42 | 14.24% | 204 | 69.15% | 49 | 16.61% |
| 1916 | 72 | 21.75% | 258 | 77.95% | 1 | 0.30% |
| 1920 | 127 | 25.10% | 375 | 74.11% | 4 | 0.79% |
| 1924 | 90 | 23.62% | 279 | 73.23% | 12 | 3.15% |
| 1928 | 235 | 35.44% | 428 | 64.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 115 | 15.99% | 597 | 83.03% | 7 | 0.97% |
| 1936 | 128 | 15.17% | 713 | 84.48% | 3 | 0.36% |
| 1940 | 156 | 16.86% | 766 | 82.81% | 3 | 0.32% |
| 1944 | 301 | 27.41% | 796 | 72.50% | 1 | 0.09% |
| 1948 | 317 | 26.20% | 745 | 61.57% | 148 | 12.23% |
| 1952 | 541 | 46.40% | 612 | 52.49% | 13 | 1.11% |
| 1956 | 689 | 46.24% | 642 | 43.09% | 159 | 10.67% |
| 1960 | 727 | 42.14% | 983 | 56.99% | 15 | 0.87% |
| 1964 | 1,790 | 54.32% | 1,502 | 45.58% | 3 | 0.09% |
| 1968 | 1,559 | 32.75% | 1,272 | 26.72% | 1,930 | 40.54% |
| 1972 | 2,405 | 67.71% | 1,084 | 30.52% | 63 | 1.77% |
| 1976 | 2,254 | 45.44% | 2,630 | 53.02% | 76 | 1.53% |
| 1980 | 3,389 | 57.56% | 2,310 | 39.23% | 189 | 3.21% |
| 1984 | 4,999 | 69.64% | 2,136 | 29.76% | 43 | 0.60% |
| 1988 | 4,982 | 66.29% | 2,469 | 32.85% | 64 | 0.85% |
| 1992 | 4,799 | 50.99% | 3,087 | 32.80% | 1,526 | 16.21% |
| 1996 | 5,216 | 54.86% | 3,498 | 36.79% | 793 | 8.34% |
| 2000 | 6,579 | 60.36% | 4,182 | 38.37% | 139 | 1.28% |
| 2004 | 8,131 | 61.35% | 5,066 | 38.22% | 57 | 0.43% |
| 2008 | 8,752 | 54.68% | 7,130 | 44.55% | 124 | 0.77% |
| 2012 | 8,879 | 55.33% | 6,991 | 43.57% | 176 | 1.10% |
| 2016 | 9,157 | 56.58% | 6,419 | 39.66% | 608 | 3.76% |
| 2020 | 10,103 | 57.96% | 7,103 | 40.75% | 226 | 1.30% |
| 2024 | 10,590 | 60.06% | 6,842 | 38.80% | 201 | 1.14% |
Prince George County is served primarily by the Prince George County Police Department and the Prince George County Sheriff's Office. The police department's responsibility is the enforcement of the laws of the Commonwealth and local ordinances.[9] The primary responsibility of the Sheriff's Office is the security of the courts and service of court (criminal and civil) papers. The Sheriff's Office also assists the police department in the enforcement of the laws of the Commonwealth as a secondary responsibility.[10]
Riverside Regional Jail is located west of 295 and south of the Appomattox River in the county. It serves seven member localities. It is overseen by the Riverside Regional Jail Authority Board.[11]
In addition, theFederal Correctional Institution, Petersburg is located west of the regional jail, closer to the Appomattox River as it curves south. This complex for male inmates, located west of the independent city ofHopewell, Virginia, consists of both a low-security facility, with 1,111 inmates; 293 at the adjacent minimum-security satellite camp; and 1,595 at the associated medium-security facility. All are managed by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).[12]
There are currently noincorporated towns within Prince George County.Unincorporated towns or communities in the county include:
Interstate Highways95 and295 pass through the county, as does north-southU.S. Route 301 and east-westU.S. Route 460.State Route 10 runs along the southern shore of the James River near several of theJames River plantations located in the county.State Route 106 runs throughPrince George, thecounty seat.
Freightrailroad service for the county is provided byCSX Transportation, which interchanges withNorfolk Southern at Petersburg. The famous 52-mile long tangent rail line between Petersburg andSuffolk of the formerNorfolk and Petersburg Railroad was built byWilliam Mahone in the 1850s, and now forms a vital link of the Norfolk Southern system. ANorfolk Southern Railway automobiletransloading facility is located nearby. There are future plans underway for a largeIntermodal freight transport railroad-trucking transfer facility in Prince George County as well.
I-95, the major north-southhighway on theEastern Seaboard, enters Prince George County fromSussex County. Access to the county is available at Exits 37, 41, 45, and 46 before the road enters theCity of Petersburg.
I-295 is the north-southbypass around Petersburg andRichmond, further north. Besides its southern terminus at Exit 46 on I-95, access to the county is available at Exits 3A and 3B before the road enters theCity of Hopewell.
US 301, the principal south-north route Sussex County until it was supplanted by I-95. A spur ofUS Route 1, it enters Prince George County from Sussex County and serves as a frontage road along I-95, until reaching Carson, where it moves further away from the interstate. However, it does cross over I-95 at exit 41 along with an overlap of VA 35 (see below), and again at Exit 45 eventually entering Petersburg.
US 460, a major west-to-east corridor that runs southeasterly in the south-central of Prince George County, as a connecting route between the Central Appalachian Mountains and the Hampton Roads area. A spur ofUS 60, it enters the county fromPetersburg enteringNew Bohemia, then later runs throughDisputanta before leaving the county at the Sussex County line northwest of Waverly.
SR 10, is a state route that runs west to east along the south side of the James River. Named James River Drive throughout the county, it enters the county from Hopewell at the bridges over the Bailey Creek, and briefly takes an overlap of VA 106/156 between Ruffin Road and Jordan Point Road. From there it passes south of the privately owned Henshaw Airport[14] near Garysville, then passes through Burrowsville, and after the intersection with Chippokes Road (VSR 610), crosses the Prince George-Surry County Line.
SR 35, a south-north state road that enters the county from rural areas north of Disputanta. The route runs mainly southeast to northwest along Courtland Street from the Sussex-Prince George County Line and terminates at a pair of Virginia Secondary Routes northwest of the US 301/VA 35 overlap in Templeton. Both VA 35 and US 301 were part of the historic Jerusalem Plank Road, which was the site of aCivil War Battle in Petersburg.
SR 106 runs northeast from Petersburg as Courthouse Road, throughPrince George, where it runs under I-295 with no interchange. It then encounters VA 156 (see below) which joins VA 106 in an overlap towards theBenjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge.
SR 156 runs northeast from Templeton at the southeast end of the US 301/VA 35 overlap. It passes through Disputanta, then joins VA 106 in an overlap east of Prince George where it too heads towards theBenjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge.| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 8,173 | — | |
| 1800 | 7,425 | −9.2% | |
| 1810 | 8,050 | 8.4% | |
| 1820 | 8,030 | −0.2% | |
| 1830 | 8,367 | 4.2% | |
| 1840 | 7,175 | −14.2% | |
| 1850 | 7,596 | 5.9% | |
| 1860 | 8,411 | 10.7% | |
| 1870 | 7,820 | −7.0% | |
| 1880 | 10,054 | 28.6% | |
| 1890 | 7,872 | −21.7% | |
| 1900 | 7,752 | −1.5% | |
| 1910 | 7,848 | 1.2% | |
| 1920 | 12,915 | 64.6% | |
| 1930 | 10,311 | −20.2% | |
| 1940 | 12,226 | 18.6% | |
| 1950 | 19,679 | 61.0% | |
| 1960 | 20,270 | 3.0% | |
| 1970 | 29,092 | 43.5% | |
| 1980 | 25,733 | −11.5% | |
| 1990 | 27,394 | 6.5% | |
| 2000 | 33,047 | 20.6% | |
| 2010 | 35,725 | 8.1% | |
| 2020 | 43,010 | 20.4% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 42,880 | [15] | −0.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[16] 1790–1960[17] 1900–1990[18] 1990–2000[19] 2010–2020[20] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[21] | Pop 2020[20] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 20,822 | 22,662 | 58.28% | 52.69% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11,150 | 12,694 | 31.21% | 29.51% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 184 | 221 | 0.52% | 0.51% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 520 | 822 | 1.46% | 1.91% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 100 | 141 | 0.28% | 0.33% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 61 | 191 | 0.17% | 0.44% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 830 | 1,935 | 2.32% | 4.50% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,058 | 4,344 | 5.76% | 10.10% |
| Total | 35,725 | 43,010 | 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.
As of thecensus[22] of 2010, there were 35,725 people, 10,159 households, and 8,096 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 124 people per square mile (48 people/km2). There were 10,726 housing units at an average density of 40 units per square mile (15 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 60.93%White, 32.54%Black orAfrican American, 0.42%Native American, 1.73%Asian, 0.15%Pacific Islander, 2.19% fromother races, and 2.03% from two or more races. 4.92% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, on July 1, 2019, it is estimated that there is a population of 38,353 people living in Prince George County.
There were 10,159 households, out of which 41.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.50% weremarried 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. Theper capita income for the county was $20,196. About 6.50% of families and 8.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.
The school division is thePrince George County Public Schools school district.[23]
19."Quick Facts Prince George County, Virginia" Retrieved July 1, 2019
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Municipalities and communities ofPrince George County, Virginia,United States | ||
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37°11′N77°13′W / 37.19°N 77.22°W /37.19; -77.22
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