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Isle of Wight County, Virginia | |
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![Isle of Wight Courthouse and Confederate Monument (removed May 8, 2021).[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIsle_of_Wight_Courthouse%2c_Isle_of_Wight%2c_VA.jpg) Isle of Wight Courthouse and Confederate Monument (removed May 8, 2021).[1] | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°55′N76°43′W / 36.91°N 76.71°W /36.91; -76.71 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1637 |
| Named after | Isle of Wight, England |
| Seat | Isle of Wight |
| Largest town | Smithfield |
| Area | |
• Total | 363 sq mi (940 km2) |
| • Land | 316 sq mi (820 km2) |
| • Water | 47 sq mi (120 km2) 13.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 38,606 |
| • Density | 110/sq mi (42/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Isle of Wight County is acounty in theHampton Roads region of theU.S. state ofVirginia. It is named after theIsle of Wight, England, south of theSolent, from where many of its early colonists had come.[2] As of the2020 census, the population was 38,606.[3] Itscounty seat isIsle of Wight, an unincorporated community.[4] Isle of Wight County is in theVirginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NCMetropolitan Statistical Area. Its northeastern boundary is on the coast of Hampton Roads waterway.
Isle of Wight County features two incorporated towns, Smithfield and Windsor. The first courthouse for the county was built in Smithfield in 1750. Theoriginal courthouse and its associated tavern (The Smithfield Inn) are still standing.
As the county population developed, leaders thought they needed a county seat near the center of the area. They built a new courthouse near the center of the county in 1800. The 1800 brick courthouse and its associated tavern (Boykin's Tavern) are still standing, as are the 1822 clerk's offices nearby. Some additions have been made. The 1800 courthouse is used daily, serving as the government chambers for the Board of Supervisors, as well as the meeting hall for the school board. The chambers are sometimes used as a court for civil trials if the new courthouse is fully in use. The new courthouse opened in 2010; it is across the street from the sheriff's office and county offices complex.
In the 17th century, shortly after establishment of the settlement atJamestown in 1607, English settlers explored and began settling the areas adjacent to the largeHampton Roads waterway.Captain John Smith in 1608 crossed theJames River and obtained fourteen bushels of corn from theNative American inhabitants, the Warrosquyoack or Warraskoyak. They were a tribe of thePowhatan Confederacy, who had three villages in the area of modern Smithfield. English colonists drove the Warraskoyak from their villages in 1622 and 1627, as part of their reprisals for theGreat Massacre of 1622, in which the Native Americans had decimated English settlements, hoping to drive them out of their territory.
The first Englishplantations along the south shore within present-day Isle of Wight were established byPuritan colonists, beginning with that ofChristopher Lawne in May 1618, andEdward Bennett (colonist) in 1621. Several members of the Puritan Bennett family also settled there, including Edward's nephew,Richard Bennett. He led the Puritans to neighboring Nansemond in 1635, and later was appointed as governor of theVirginia Colony.
By 1634, the entire Colony consisted of eightshires orcounties with a total population of about 5,000 inhabitants.Warrosquyoake Shire was renamed in 1637 as Isle of Wight County, after theisland off the south coast of England. The original name had come derived from the Native Americans of the area; it went through transliteration and Anglicization, eventually becoming known as "Warwicke Squeake".
On October 20, 1673, the "Grand Assembly" at Jamestown authorized both Isle of Wight County and Lower Norfolk County to construct a fort.[5]
St. Luke's Church, built in the 17th century, is Virginia's oldest church building.[6] In the late 20th century, it was designated as aNational Historic Landmark in recognition of its significance. Many landmark and contributing structures on the National Register are in Smithfield including theWentworth-Grinnan House.
In 1732 a considerable portion of the northwestern part of the original shire was added toBrunswick County, and in 1748 the entire county ofSouthampton was carved out of it.
In theAmerican Civil War, Company F of the61st Virginia Infantry Regiment of theConfederate Army was called the "Isle of Wight Avengers."
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 363 square miles (940 km2), of which 316 square miles (820 km2) is land and 47 square miles (120 km2) (13.0%) is water.[7]
The county is bounded by the James River on the north and theBlackwater River to the south. The land is generally low-lying, with manyswamps andpocosins.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 9,028 | — | |
| 1800 | 9,342 | 3.5% | |
| 1810 | 9,186 | −1.7% | |
| 1820 | 10,139 | 10.4% | |
| 1830 | 10,517 | 3.7% | |
| 1840 | 9,972 | −5.2% | |
| 1850 | 9,353 | −6.2% | |
| 1860 | 9,977 | 6.7% | |
| 1870 | 8,320 | −16.6% | |
| 1880 | 10,572 | 27.1% | |
| 1890 | 11,313 | 7.0% | |
| 1900 | 13,102 | 15.8% | |
| 1910 | 14,929 | 13.9% | |
| 1920 | 14,433 | −3.3% | |
| 1930 | 13,409 | −7.1% | |
| 1940 | 13,381 | −0.2% | |
| 1950 | 14,906 | 11.4% | |
| 1960 | 17,164 | 15.1% | |
| 1970 | 18,285 | 6.5% | |
| 1980 | 21,603 | 18.1% | |
| 1990 | 25,503 | 18.1% | |
| 2000 | 29,728 | 16.6% | |
| 2010 | 35,270 | 18.6% | |
| 2020 | 38,606 | 9.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010–2020[12] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[12] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 24,969 | 26,410 | 70.79% | 68.41% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 8,656 | 8,579 | 24.54% | 22.22% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 104 | 139 | 0.29% | 0.36% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 275 | 391 | 0.78% | 1.01% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 13 | 31 | 0.04% | 0.08% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 54 | 202 | 0.15% | 0.52% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 541 | 1,655 | 1.53% | 4.29% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 658 | 1,199 | 1.87% | 3.11% |
| Total | 35,270 | 38,606 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[14] of 2024, there were 40,942 people, 15,426 households, residing in the county. The population density was 122.3 inhabitants per square mile (47.2/km2). There were 17,566 housing units at an average density of 38 units per square mile (15 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.2%White, 23%Black orAfrican American, 0.5%Native American,1.2%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 0.0% fromother races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 4.6% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 15,426 households, out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% weremarried couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.40% were non-families. 20.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Theaverage household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. Themedian age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,387, and the median income for a family was $52,597. Males had a median income of $37,853 versus $22,990 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $20,235. About 6.60% of families and 8.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 8.80% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.
House of Delegates:
Senate:
U.S. House of Representatives:
Isle of Wight County has supportedRepublican presidential candidates in every electionReagan's 1984 landslide. Prior to this, it leaned heavilyDemocratic, only voting Republican twice after 1910 (in 1928 and 1972, both of which were national landslides), although Republican candidateDwight Eisenhower only lost it by 26 votes in 1956.[17]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 75 | 8.48% | 708 | 80.09% | 101 | 11.43% |
| 1916 | 140 | 17.07% | 679 | 82.80% | 1 | 0.12% |
| 1920 | 245 | 24.38% | 759 | 75.52% | 1 | 0.10% |
| 1924 | 190 | 22.97% | 631 | 76.30% | 6 | 0.73% |
| 1928 | 555 | 51.10% | 531 | 48.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 284 | 22.27% | 982 | 77.02% | 9 | 0.71% |
| 1936 | 207 | 16.76% | 1,025 | 83.00% | 3 | 0.24% |
| 1940 | 208 | 15.45% | 1,138 | 84.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 430 | 26.74% | 1,178 | 73.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 442 | 27.78% | 1,064 | 66.88% | 85 | 5.34% |
| 1952 | 996 | 44.52% | 1,227 | 54.85% | 14 | 0.63% |
| 1956 | 1,298 | 47.08% | 1,324 | 48.02% | 135 | 4.90% |
| 1960 | 1,141 | 35.91% | 2,020 | 63.58% | 16 | 0.50% |
| 1964 | 1,737 | 39.49% | 2,656 | 60.38% | 6 | 0.14% |
| 1968 | 1,312 | 23.28% | 1,977 | 35.08% | 2,346 | 41.63% |
| 1972 | 3,555 | 59.27% | 2,305 | 38.43% | 138 | 2.30% |
| 1976 | 2,718 | 38.78% | 4,145 | 59.14% | 146 | 2.08% |
| 1980 | 3,526 | 45.30% | 3,951 | 50.76% | 307 | 3.94% |
| 1984 | 5,664 | 60.18% | 3,650 | 38.78% | 98 | 1.04% |
| 1988 | 5,779 | 60.07% | 3,747 | 38.95% | 95 | 0.99% |
| 1992 | 5,370 | 47.16% | 4,380 | 38.46% | 1,637 | 14.38% |
| 1996 | 5,416 | 47.64% | 4,952 | 43.56% | 1,001 | 8.80% |
| 2000 | 7,587 | 58.59% | 5,162 | 39.86% | 201 | 1.55% |
| 2004 | 9,929 | 62.56% | 5,871 | 36.99% | 71 | 0.45% |
| 2008 | 11,258 | 56.30% | 8,573 | 42.87% | 166 | 0.83% |
| 2012 | 11,802 | 56.67% | 8,761 | 42.07% | 264 | 1.27% |
| 2016 | 12,204 | 57.91% | 7,881 | 37.40% | 990 | 4.70% |
| 2020 | 13,707 | 58.44% | 9,399 | 40.07% | 350 | 1.49% |
| 2024 | 14,659 | 59.20% | 9,779 | 39.49% | 324 | 1.31% |
Blackwater Regional Library is the regional library system that provides services to the citizens of Isle of Wight.
Places adjacent to Isle of Wight County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofIsle of Wight County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Cities | |
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| Counties | |
| Towns | |
| Sub-regions | |
| Topics | |
| See Also | |
Note: Cities are independent, not being part of any county | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
