York County | |
|---|---|
 York County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°13′N76°26′W / 37.22°N 76.44°W /37.22; -76.44 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1643 |
| Named after | York |
| Seat | Yorktown |
| Largest community | Grafton |
| Area | |
• Total | 215 sq mi (560 km2) |
| • Land | 105 sq mi (270 km2) |
| • Water | 110 sq mi (280 km2) 51.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 70,045 |
| • Density | 667/sq mi (258/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
York County (formerlyCharles River County) is acounty in the eastern part of theCommonwealth ofVirginia, located in theTidewater. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 70,045.[1] Thecounty seat is the unincorporated town ofYorktown.[2]
Located on the north side of theVirginia Peninsula, with theYork River as its northern border, York County is included in theVirginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA–NCMetropolitan Statistical Area.
York County contains many tributaries of the York River. It shares land borders with the independent cities ofWilliamsburg,Newport News,Hampton, andPoquoson, as well asJames City County, and shares a border along the York River withGloucester County.
Formed in 1634 asCharles River Shire, one of the eight originalshires (counties) of the Virginia Colony,[3] and renamed York County in 1643,[4] York County is one of the oldest counties in the United States. Yorktown is one of the three points of theHistoric Triangle of Colonial Virginia. It is the site of the last battle and surrender of British forces in 1781 at the conclusion of theAmerican Revolutionary War, when the patriots gained independence fromGreat Britain.
In modern times, several important U.S. military installations have been developed in the county. It also has miles of waterfront residential and recreational areas. York County adjoins theBusch Gardens Williamsburgtheme park and includes within its borders the affiliatedWater Country USAwater park, the Yorktown Riverfront area,Yorktown Battlefield and Visitor Center and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Yorktown is linked by theNational Park Service's bucolicColonial Parkway withColonial Williamsburg and historic attractions atJamestown, Virginia. Heritage tourism to the Historic Triangle draws international visitors and is a major economic activity for the county.
The area which is now York County was long inhabited by succeeding cultures ofNative Americans. These werehunter-gatherer groups during the lateWoodland Period (1000BCE to 1000 CE) and earlier.
By the late 16th century, much of thecoastal plain draining to theChesapeake Bay of the current Commonwealth of Virginia was calledTenakomakah inAlgonquian, meaning "densely inhabited land".[5] The historic tribes of the Tidewater area spoke related Algonquian languages. Other Algonquian-speaking peoples occupied coastal areas north and into present-day Canada, as well as to the south.
In the Virginia region, aweroance (or chief) namedWahunsunacock (1547–1618) of thePowhatan people created a powerful empire of eastern-Algonquian language-speaking peoples known as thePowhatan Confederacy; he conquered or allied by agreement with approximately 30 tribes. Known as the Powhatan, meaning the paramount chief, he was from a village also known as "Powhatan", near thefall line of theJames River. (The Powhatan Hill neighborhood of the current city ofRichmond was developed near this former site.) Chief Powhatan later established a second capital village, known asWerowocomoco, in a centrally located position in Tenakomakah. Rediscovered in the early 21st century by archeological work, it was located along the north bank of theYork River in present-dayGloucester County.[6]
TheChiskiack tribe of the Powhatan Confederacy lived in York County along the York River until the 1630s. Escalating conflicts with the expanding English colony based atJamestown caused them to move to the west. The English developed a village settlement near the village of Chiskiack and adopted its name. (It is sometimes spelled "Kiskiack"). This became part of the developments included within the present-dayNaval Weapons Station Yorktown near Yorktown and are included in the military base. Cheesecake Road and Cheesecake Cemetery are also within the base; their names are thought to derive from the early Chiskiack people.
After the Powhatan moved his capital from this area in 1609, the site believed to have been Werowocomoco nearPurtan Bay was lost to history. It was rediscovered in the early 21st century and has been under continuingarchaeological study projects. The discoveries and ongoing research led by theCollege of William and Mary hold great promise in expanding understanding of the lives of the Native Americans in the area during that era of York County's history.
In 1570, SpanishJesuit priests founded theAjacán Mission in this area. They were guided by interpreterDon Luis, a Native American from this area who had been taken captive by an earlier expedition. He was taken to Spain and later to Mexico, where he was baptized as Don Luis and educated in the Jesuit system. Ten years later after returning to Virginia, he soon abandoned the Spanish group. In February 1571 he led an attack on the Jesuits; all of the party except a young boy were killed. The following year, a Spanish force returned to the region for punishment and reclaimed the youth Alonso. The Spanish did not attempt another mission in this part of North America.
About 30 years later, English colonists arrived and establishedJamestown in 1607 on the southern shore of theVirginia Peninsula in theColony of Virginia. In 1619, the area which is now York County was included in two of the four incorporations (or "citties") of the proprietaryVirginia Company of London which were known asElizabeth Cittie andJames Cittie.
In 1634, what is now York County was formed asCharles River Shire, one of the eight originalshires of Virginia[3] and named forKing Charles I. Charles River Shire took its name from the younger son of KingJames I. In the 21st century, it was one of the five original shires considered extant in essentially its same political form, making it one of the oldest counties in the United States.
In 1643 Charles River County and the Charles River (also named for the king) were changed to York County[4] andYork River, respectively. The river, county, and town ofYorktown are believed by some to have been named forYork, a city inYorkshire, but Charles was formerlyDuke of York and his own son James II followed him as Duke of York.
The first courthouse and jail were located near what is nowYorktown although the community, founded as a port for shippingtobacco to Europe, as variously called Port of York, Borough of York, York, Town of York, until Yorktown was established in 1691, when theHouse of Burgesses required each county to designate a port of entry and build warehousing. Although never formally incorporated as a town, Yorktown is thecounty seat of York County. The only town ever incorporated within the county's boundaries wasPoquoson, which was incorporated in 1952 and became anindependent city in 1975.
Porto Bello, the hunting lodge ofLord Dunmore, last royal governor of Virginia, still stands on the grounds of Camp Peary. It is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
It is most famous as the site of the surrender of GeneralCornwallis to GeneralGeorge Washington in 1781, ending theAmerican Revolutionary War. Yorktown also figured prominently in theAmerican Civil War during thePeninsula Campaign in 1862.
The small unincorporated town ofLackey and a nearby area known as "the Reservation" were taken over by theU.S. Navy duringWorld War I. This is now part of theNaval Weapons Station Yorktown. Many of the displacedAfrican American landowners were eventually relocated toGrove, along the border between York and James counties.
DuringWorld War II, the sites of three other small York County towns were absorbed into U.S. government reservations.Penniman was the site of aWorld War I munitions facility operated by theDuPont company and was made a part ofCheatham Annex) in 1943. To the west of Penniman, which is reported to have had a peak population of 15,000, on land which is now part ofCamp Peary, the smaller towns ofMagruder andBigler's Mill were located. Much of Magruder's population and at least one church was relocated to Grove, increasing its population.
In 1949, the county grew by 4 square miles (10 km2), as land in that amount was ceded to York County by neighboringWarwick County. At the time, the move was part of a successful attempt by Warwick County to block an annexation suit brought by theCity of Newport News. Warwick eventually consolidated with the city in 1958 by mutual agreement. (The reduction in size allowed Warwick County to claim an exemption from the proposed annexation at the time).
In 1975, the county lost 15.5 square miles (40.1 km2) of land as theincorporated town ofPoquoson, which had been within York County, became anindependent city, although ties between the county and the new city remained close. Over 40 years later, they continue to share courts, sheriff's office, a jail, and some constitutional services.
York County also adjoins another small independent city, Williamsburg, which was long located within James City County. In the 20th century, some areas of York County adjacent to Williamsburg were lost to the growing small city through annexation.
From the 1980s to modern times, York County experienced a rapid transition from a rural county to a bedroom community for the neighboring core cities ofHampton andNewport News.
In modern times, York County and Yorktown in particular are part of an important historical area of attractions known as theHistoric Triangle of Colonial Virginia, which includes Yorktown,Jamestown andWilliamsburg. Yorktown is the northern terminus of the scenicColonial Parkway operated by the U.S.National Park Service which links the three. In 2005, the county completed Riverwalk Landing, a successful pseudo-colonial waterfront development at Yorktown to revitalize the previously deteriorating beach and town district and complement the 2007 celebration of Jamestown.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 215 square miles (560 km2), of which 105 square miles (270 km2) is land and 110 square miles (280 km2) (51.3%) is water.[7] It is the third-smallest county in Virginia by land area. It is near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Also, in terms of population clusters, the county is divided by a vast expanse of federal land in the midsection of the county, much of which is densely wooded park land, and military training areas. The southern portion of the county is dense with suburban developments and contains the majority of the county's population. There is little room for additional growth in the southern portion of York County because it is a relatively small area and was essentially fully developed by the early 2000s. A small industrial area along the York River just east of Yorktown contains a power plant owned by Dominion Virginia Power, and a petroleum terminal on the former site of an oil refinery that ceased operation in 2010.
The northern portion is more connected with the Williamsburg community than Yorktown and, although less populous than the south, is also fairly dense. Having not seen a significant amount of growth until recently, the northern portion is now seeing the development of new residential communities and shopping areas.
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 5,233 | — | |
| 1800 | 3,231 | −38.3% | |
| 1810 | 5,187 | 60.5% | |
| 1820 | 4,384 | −15.5% | |
| 1830 | 5,354 | 22.1% | |
| 1840 | 4,720 | −11.8% | |
| 1850 | 4,460 | −5.5% | |
| 1860 | 4,949 | 11.0% | |
| 1870 | 7,198 | 45.4% | |
| 1880 | 7,349 | 2.1% | |
| 1890 | 7,596 | 3.4% | |
| 1900 | 7,482 | −1.5% | |
| 1910 | 7,757 | 3.7% | |
| 1920 | 8,046 | 3.7% | |
| 1930 | 7,615 | −5.4% | |
| 1940 | 8,857 | 16.3% | |
| 1950 | 11,750 | 32.7% | |
| 1960 | 21,583 | 83.7% | |
| 1970 | 33,203 | 53.8% | |
| 1980 | 35,463 | 6.8% | |
| 1990 | 42,422 | 19.6% | |
| 2000 | 56,297 | 32.7% | |
| 2010 | 65,464 | 16.3% | |
| 2020 | 70,045 | 7.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010–2020[13] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[13] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 48,470 | 46,932 | 74.04% | 67.00% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 8,599 | 8,633 | 13.14% | 12.32% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 225 | 168 | 0.34% | 0.24% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 3,169 | 4,251 | 4.84% | 6.07% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 92 | 127 | 0.14% | 0.18% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 136 | 416 | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,881 | 4,382 | 2.87% | 6.26% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,892 | 5,136 | 4.42% | 7.33% |
| Total | 65,464 | 70,045 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 56,297 people, 20,000 households, and 15,880 families residing in the county. The population density was 533 inhabitants per square mile (206/km2). There were 20,701 housing units at an average density of 196 units per square mile (76 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 76.4%White, 13.4%Black orAfrican American, 0.4%Native American, 4.9%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 1.4% fromother races, and 3.4% from two or more races. 4.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 20,000 households, out of which 42.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.30% weremarried couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.60% were non-families. 16.70% 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 2.78 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.10% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.
As of the 2010 Census, the population had grown to 65,464[16] and the median household income was $84,167,[17] the highest in the Hampton Roads region. Males had a median income of $42,948 versus $28,713 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $36,755. About 2.70% of families and 3.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.90% of those under age 18 and 3.80% of those age 65 or over.
York County is served byWilliamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA) as well asHampton Roads Transit (HRT). WATA's buses stop at different communities in the northwestern part of the county adjacent to Williamsburg, while HRT operates several routes that run close to the county's populated southeast (but not entering the county). In addition, Yorktown offers a complimentary sightseeing trolley bus around the town on a daily basis.
There is no train station in York County. The closest Amtrak stations are inWilliamsburg andNewport News, respectively. Greyhound also has services in these two cities.
A section ofNewport News/Williamsburg International Airport, the only regional airport on the southern tip of the peninsula, is located in York County. Other major airports in the region areNorfolk International Airport andRichmond International Airport.
The only interstate highway in the county isInterstate 64.U.S. Route 17 crosses the York River fromGloucester Point via theColeman Memorial Bridge.State Route 199, which circumvents Williamsburg, joins Interstate 64 close to theWater Country USA in the county. Two sections of U.S. Routes 60 passes York County to the north of Williamsburg and west of Water Country USA.Virginia State Route 134 connects York County toLangley Air Force Base andHampton, Virginia, bypassing the more developed portion of US-17 between Tabb and I-64.Victory Boulevard connects Newport News and York County toPoquoson.
The county is traditionally organized per Virginia Law. It is governed by aBoard of Supervisors, who are elected for four-year terms by voters from each of the county's five districts. The Board appoints a County Administrator to act as the administrative head of the county. The current county administrator is Neil Morgan.[18][19]
York County consistently votes for Republican candidates in statewide elections, though the county has recently become less strongly Republican. Since1968, only three Democratic candidates have won more than 45% of the vote:Jimmy Carter in1976,Joe Biden in2020, andKamala Harris in2024.Mark Warner is the last Democrat to win York in any statewide election, during hiselection to the U.S. Senate in 2008.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 34 | 12.27% | 211 | 76.17% | 32 | 11.55% |
| 1916 | 51 | 17.11% | 247 | 82.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 92 | 24.40% | 281 | 74.54% | 4 | 1.06% |
| 1924 | 75 | 18.99% | 305 | 77.22% | 15 | 3.80% |
| 1928 | 642 | 76.79% | 194 | 23.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 309 | 38.43% | 457 | 56.84% | 38 | 4.73% |
| 1936 | 228 | 23.08% | 729 | 73.79% | 31 | 3.14% |
| 1940 | 177 | 18.06% | 787 | 80.31% | 16 | 1.63% |
| 1944 | 318 | 29.01% | 760 | 69.34% | 18 | 1.64% |
| 1948 | 418 | 30.38% | 826 | 60.03% | 132 | 9.59% |
| 1952 | 1,335 | 50.53% | 1,287 | 48.71% | 20 | 0.76% |
| 1956 | 1,759 | 60.10% | 1,064 | 36.35% | 104 | 3.55% |
| 1960 | 2,085 | 54.94% | 1,691 | 44.56% | 19 | 0.50% |
| 1964 | 2,992 | 46.83% | 3,385 | 52.98% | 12 | 0.19% |
| 1968 | 3,356 | 36.93% | 2,370 | 26.08% | 3,362 | 36.99% |
| 1972 | 7,745 | 74.90% | 2,302 | 22.26% | 294 | 2.84% |
| 1976 | 5,603 | 53.61% | 4,736 | 45.32% | 112 | 1.07% |
| 1980 | 6,744 | 55.58% | 4,532 | 37.35% | 857 | 7.06% |
| 1984 | 10,214 | 71.24% | 4,063 | 28.34% | 60 | 0.42% |
| 1988 | 11,103 | 69.96% | 4,639 | 29.23% | 129 | 0.81% |
| 1992 | 10,197 | 51.07% | 6,218 | 31.14% | 3,551 | 17.79% |
| 1996 | 11,396 | 54.95% | 7,731 | 37.28% | 1,611 | 7.77% |
| 2000 | 15,312 | 62.29% | 8,622 | 35.07% | 649 | 2.64% |
| 2004 | 19,396 | 64.91% | 10,276 | 34.39% | 208 | 0.70% |
| 2008 | 19,833 | 58.51% | 13,700 | 40.42% | 364 | 1.07% |
| 2012 | 20,204 | 59.51% | 13,183 | 38.83% | 566 | 1.67% |
| 2016 | 18,837 | 55.22% | 12,999 | 38.11% | 2,277 | 6.67% |
| 2020 | 20,241 | 52.19% | 17,683 | 45.59% | 863 | 2.22% |
| 2024 | 20,722 | 52.13% | 18,296 | 46.03% | 731 | 1.84% |
York County Public Schools is the sole school district in the county.[28]
York County is home to several large and important military facilities of the United States. Located along the York River, small portions of each base extend into adjacent James City County as well.
TheCoast Guard Training Center Yorktown is there.
TheNaval Weapons Station Yorktown was originally established duringWorld War I by order of PresidentWoodrow Wilson, and now includes the formerly separate Cheatham Annex Supply Complex.Camp Peary was established duringWorld War II as aSeabee Training Base. As the war progressed, it became valuable to the Allied Forces to house sensitive prisoners-of-war from captured German naval vessels; it was important for Nazi authorities to be unaware of their capture, since that also meant secret code books thought lost-at sea may also have been compromised. Many of these POWs made Virginia and the United States their new homeland after the War. Separating these two large military reservations isQueen's Creek, which originates in the western reaches of the county and drains to the York River.
York County contains someformer towns including Yorke, and a large number when the military reservations were created in the first half of the 20th century. These include the originalLackey (known locally as "the Reservation"),Halstead's Point,Penniman,Bigler's Mill, andMagruder. Many relocated residents and their descendants, many of whom were farmers and watermen, now live in such places as Yorktown, Gloucester,Lee Hall,Grove, andLightfoot.
Places adjacent to York County, Virginia | |
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Municipalities and communities ofYork County, Virginia,United States | ||
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Note: Cities are independent, not being part of any county | |
37°13′N76°26′W / 37.22°N 76.44°W /37.22; -76.44
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