Augusta County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 The Augusta County Courthouse in March 2005 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°12′N79°06′W / 38.2°N 79.1°W /38.2; -79.1 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1738 |
| Named after | Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha |
| Seat | Staunton |
| Largest community | Staunton |
| Area | |
• Total | 971 sq mi (2,510 km2) |
| • Land | 967 sq mi (2,500 km2) |
| • Water | 3.9 sq mi (10 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 77,487 |
| • Density | 80.1/sq mi (30.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 6th |
| Website | www |
Augusta County is acounty in theShenandoah Valley on the western edge of theCommonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities ofStaunton andWaynesboro. Itscounty seat is Staunton,[1] but most of the administrative services have offices in neighboringVerona.
The county was created in 1738 from part ofOrange County and was named afterPrincess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. It was originally a huge area, but many of its parts were carved out to form other counties and several states until the current borders were finalized in 1790.
As of the2020 census, the county's population was 77,487.[2] Along with Staunton and Waynesboro, it forms the Staunton–Waynesboro, VAMetropolitan Statistical Area.
Augusta County was formed in 1738 fromOrange County, although, because few people lived there, the county government was not organized until 1745.[3] It was named forAugusta of Saxe-Gotha,Princess of Wales and mother of the future KingGeorge III of the United Kingdom.[4]
Originally, Augusta County was a vast territory with an indefinite western boundary. Most of what is now West Virginia as well as the whole of Kentucky were within its early bounds. Additionally, the territory north and west of those areas, theoretically all the way to the Pacific Ocean, were as well.[4]
Reductions in its extent began in 1770, when its southern part becameBotetourt County. In 1776 part of western Augusta County, an area also known as the District of West Augusta, becameMonongalia County,Ohio County, andYohogania County (abolished in 1786). In 1778 the portion of Augusta County north and west of theOhio River becameIllinois County (abolished in 1784); the northeastern part of what was remained becameRockingham County, and the southwestern part was combined with part of Botetourt County to formRockbridge County. In 1788 the northern part of the county was combined with part ofHardy County to becomePendleton County. Augusta County assumed its present dimensions in 1790, when its western part was combined with parts of Botetourt County andGreenbrier County to formBath County.
During the Civil War, Augusta County served as an important agricultural center as part of the "Breadbasket of the Confederacy."[5] The Virginia Central Railroad ran through the county, linking the Shenandoah Valley to the Confederate capital at Richmond. One of the bloodiest engagements fought in the Shenandoah Valley took place on June 5, 1864, at theBattle of Piedmont, a Union victory that allowed the Union Army to occupy Staunton and destroy many of the facilities that supported the Confederate war effort. Augusta County suffered again duringGeneral Philip H. Sheridan's "Burning," which destroyed many farms and killed virtually all of the farm animals.
Staunton, the county seat for many years, was incorporated as a city in 1871 and separated from Augusta County in 1902. However, it remained the county seat.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 971 square miles (2,510 km2), of which 967 square miles (2,500 km2) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km2) (0.4%) is water.[6] It is the third-largest county in Virginia by land area and second-largest by total area.
The county is divided into seven magisterial districts: Beverley Manor, Middle River, North River, Pastures, Riverheads, South River, and Wayne.
The county is serviced byAugusta County Public Schools.
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 10,886 | — | |
| 1800 | 11,712 | 7.6% | |
| 1810 | 14,308 | 22.2% | |
| 1820 | 16,742 | 17.0% | |
| 1830 | 19,926 | 19.0% | |
| 1840 | 19,628 | −1.5% | |
| 1850 | 24,610 | 25.4% | |
| 1860 | 27,749 | 12.8% | |
| 1870 | 28,763 | 3.7% | |
| 1880 | 35,710 | 24.2% | |
| 1890 | 37,005 | 3.6% | |
| 1900 | 32,370 | −12.5% | |
| 1910 | 32,445 | 0.2% | |
| 1920 | 34,671 | 6.9% | |
| 1930 | 38,163 | 10.1% | |
| 1940 | 42,772 | 12.1% | |
| 1950 | 34,154 | −20.1% | |
| 1960 | 37,363 | 9.4% | |
| 1970 | 44,220 | 18.4% | |
| 1980 | 53,732 | 21.5% | |
| 1990 | 54,677 | 1.8% | |
| 2000 | 65,615 | 20.0% | |
| 2010 | 73,750 | 12.4% | |
| 2020 | 77,487 | 5.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010[11] 2020[12] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[11] | Pop 2020[12] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 68,011 | 68,375 | 92.22% | 88.24% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 2,881 | 3,072 | 3.91% | 3.96% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 141 | 130 | 0.19% | 0.17% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 365 | 461 | 0.49% | 0.59% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 13 | 27 | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 40 | 198 | 0.05% | 0.26% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 774 | 2,496 | 1.05% | 3.22% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,525 | 2,728 | 2.07% | 3.52% |
| Total | 73,750 | 77,487 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of theCensus[13] of 2000, there were 65,615 people, 24,818 households, and 18,911 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 68 people per square mile (26 people/km2). There were 26,738 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.02%White, 3.60%Black orAfrican American, 0.15%Native American, 0.28%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.32% fromother races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 24,818 households, of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.70% weremarried couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.80% were non-families. 20.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,045, and the median income for a family was $48,579. Males had a median income of $31,577 versus $24,233 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,744. About 4.20% of families and 5.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.40% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2010 US Census data, below are the populations of the two towns and select unincorporated communities within Augusta County:
| # | Town | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grottoes | 2,668 |
| 2 | Craigsville | 923 |
The majority of Grottoes is located inRockingham County. Only seven of the town's 2,668 residents reside in Augusta County.[14]
| # | Unincorporated Community | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stuarts Draft | 9,235 |
| 2 | Fishersville | 7,462 |
| 3 | Verona | 4,239 |
| 4 | Weyers Cave | 2,473 |
| 5 | Crimora | 2,209 |
| 6 | Lyndhurst | 1,490 |
| 7 | Dooms | 1,327 |
| 8 | Swoope | 1,323 |
| 9 | Jolivue | 1,129 |
| 10 | Greenville | 832 |
| 11 | Fort Defiance | 780 |
| 12 | Sherando | 688 |
| 13 | Mount Sidney | 663 |
| 14 | Churchville | 194 |
Augusta County is represented by Republican Mark Obenshain and Chris Head in the Virginia Senate, Republican Ellen Campbell and Republican Chris Runion in the Virginia House of Delegates, and RepublicanBen Cline in the U.S. House of Representatives.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 568 | 22.90% | 1,556 | 62.74% | 356 | 14.35% |
| 1916 | 845 | 31.96% | 1,751 | 66.23% | 48 | 1.82% |
| 1920 | 1,707 | 44.01% | 2,106 | 54.29% | 66 | 1.70% |
| 1924 | 1,265 | 38.74% | 1,920 | 58.81% | 80 | 2.45% |
| 1928 | 2,679 | 64.00% | 1,507 | 36.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 1,541 | 36.37% | 2,606 | 61.51% | 90 | 2.12% |
| 1936 | 1,668 | 36.49% | 2,872 | 62.83% | 31 | 0.68% |
| 1940 | 1,768 | 38.74% | 2,774 | 60.78% | 22 | 0.48% |
| 1944 | 2,319 | 44.20% | 2,913 | 55.52% | 15 | 0.29% |
| 1948 | 1,690 | 48.93% | 1,355 | 39.23% | 409 | 11.84% |
| 1952 | 3,414 | 69.97% | 1,453 | 29.78% | 12 | 0.25% |
| 1956 | 3,466 | 68.07% | 1,484 | 29.14% | 142 | 2.79% |
| 1960 | 4,034 | 67.36% | 1,914 | 31.96% | 41 | 0.68% |
| 1964 | 4,327 | 51.68% | 4,039 | 48.24% | 6 | 0.07% |
| 1968 | 6,313 | 57.92% | 2,028 | 18.61% | 2,559 | 23.48% |
| 1972 | 9,106 | 81.44% | 1,766 | 15.79% | 309 | 2.76% |
| 1976 | 8,452 | 57.53% | 5,626 | 38.29% | 614 | 4.18% |
| 1980 | 11,011 | 64.32% | 5,202 | 30.39% | 907 | 5.30% |
| 1984 | 15,308 | 79.22% | 3,899 | 20.18% | 116 | 0.60% |
| 1988 | 13,251 | 75.14% | 4,170 | 23.65% | 213 | 1.21% |
| 1992 | 12,896 | 58.98% | 5,190 | 23.74% | 3,780 | 17.29% |
| 1996 | 13,458 | 60.89% | 5,965 | 26.99% | 2,679 | 12.12% |
| 2000 | 17,744 | 70.21% | 6,643 | 26.29% | 884 | 3.50% |
| 2004 | 22,100 | 74.40% | 7,019 | 23.63% | 585 | 1.97% |
| 2008 | 23,120 | 69.35% | 9,825 | 29.47% | 393 | 1.18% |
| 2012 | 23,624 | 70.16% | 9,451 | 28.07% | 597 | 1.77% |
| 2016 | 26,163 | 71.99% | 8,177 | 22.50% | 2,003 | 5.51% |
| 2020 | 30,714 | 72.65% | 10,840 | 25.64% | 724 | 1.71% |
| 2024 | 32,429 | 73.01% | 11,403 | 25.67% | 585 | 1.32% |
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency in Augusta County. The ACSO was created in 1745 whenJames Patton was elected as the first sheriff.[16] The ACSO was accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Accreditation Coalition.[17] The agency is currently headed by Sheriff Donald Smith. The ACSO currently has 72 sworn deputies and 6 dispatchers.[as of?][citation needed]
In 2021, the sheriff's department arrested eight individuals for protesting outside the Sheriff's Office. In response to the shooting of two men by deputies earlier that year, the protestors wanted deputies to usebody cameras.[18] Most of the charges were thrown out by a judge in 2022.[19] Body cameras were not included in the 2022 budget: initially the county board of supervisors instead created a fund for body cameras that the community could donate to, but they shortly rescinded that decision over a desire to avoid contributions to the fund by the protesting group.[20]
According to the county's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[21] the top employers in the county are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Augusta County Public Schools | 1,000+ |
| 2 | Augusta Medical Center | 1,000+ |
| 3 | Hershey | 1,000+ |
| 4 | Target | 500-999 |
| 5 | McKee Foods | 1,000+ |
| 6 | AAF-McQuay | 500-999 |
| 7 | Hollister Co. | 500-999 |
| 8 | County of Augusta | 500-999 |
| 9 | NIBCO of Virginia | 250-499 |
| 10 | University Instructors Inc | 250-499 |
Theindependent cities ofStaunton andWaynesboro (incorporated as such in 1902 and 1948 respectively) are located within the boundaries of Augusta County, but are not a part of the county, despite Staunton's status as the county seat. Most county administrative offices, however, are located in Verona, rather than in Staunton.
Places adjacent to Augusta County, Virginia | |
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Municipalities and communities ofAugusta County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
38°12′N79°7′W / 38.200°N 79.117°W /38.200; -79.117
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