King George County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 King George County Courthouse | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°16′N77°09′W / 38.26°N 77.15°W /38.26; -77.15 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1720 |
| Named after | George I |
| Seat | King George |
| Largest CDP | King George |
| Area | |
• Total | 188 sq mi (490 km2) |
| • Land | 180 sq mi (470 km2) |
| • Water | 21 sq mi (54 km2) 4.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 26,723 |
• Estimate (2021) | 27,489 |
| • Density | 150/sq mi (57/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 7th |
| Website | www |
King George County is acounty located in theCommonwealth of Virginia. As of the2020 census, the population sits at 26,723.[1] Itscounty seat is the census designated place ofKing George.[2] The county's largest employer is the U.S.Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. It is adjacent to the newly built, four-lane, 2-mile-long (3.2 km)Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge carryingU.S. Highway 301 over thePotomac River.It contains theZIP codes 22448 (Dahlgren) and 22485 (all other areas within King George). It is within thearea code 540 and contains the exchanges: 775, 644, 663, and 653.
King George County was established in 1720 when land was split fromRichmond County, Virginia. The county is named forKing George I ofGreat Britain.[3] It was substantially reorganized in 1776 and 1777, with land swapped with bothStafford andWestmoreland counties to form the modern boundaries.
In the early decades,planters cultivatedtobacco, a labor-intensive commodity crop, depending on the labor of both indentured servants from Britain and enslaved Africans. Gradually slaves became the primary laborers, as fewer indentured servants arrived. Later mixed crops were introduced, as the land had gotten exhausted from tobacco cultivation. The county and state were dominated by slavery.
On March 16, 1751,James Madison, the fourthPresident of the United States, was born atBelle Grove plantation, the childhood home of his mother,Eleanor Rose "Nellie" Conway. Like other women, she returned home to her mother for assistance when bearing her child. The plantation is located inPort Conway in southern King George County. Nellie Conway was the daughter of its owner, Francis Conway, for whom the town of Port Conway was named.William "Extra Billy" Smith, twice elected governor of Virginia, was born atMarengo, Virginia in 1797.
On May 1, 1861, during theAmerican Civil War,Confederates installedartillery at Mathias Point in order to blockade thePotomac River. On June 27, the steamerThomas Freeborn bombarded Mathias Point in an effort to drive away the soldiers who were manning the weapons. Confederate soldiers fired back from Mathias Point, striking and mortally wounding CommanderJames H. Ward of theFreeborn. He was the firstUnionnaval officer to die in the Civil War.
After assassinating PresidentAbraham Lincoln,John Wilkes Booth andDavid Herold tried to eludeUnioncavalry and crossed into the Virginia county by boat fromMaryland on April 21, 1865. Booth and Herold landed at the mouth of Gambo Creek, before meeting withConfederate agents, who guided their passage toPort Conway. From there they crossed intoPort Royal, inCaroline County.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 188 square miles (490 km2), of which 180 square miles (470 km2) is land and 8 square miles (21 km2) (4.3%) is water.[4]
King George County is located on theNorthern Neck and is bounded on the north by the Potomac River, which lies inCharles County, Maryland. It is bounded on the south by theRappahannock River, across which lieCaroline andEssex counties; on the east byWestmoreland County and on the west byStafford County, all in Virginia.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 7,366 | — | |
| 1800 | 6,749 | −8.4% | |
| 1810 | 6,454 | −4.4% | |
| 1820 | 6,116 | −5.2% | |
| 1830 | 6,397 | 4.6% | |
| 1840 | 5,927 | −7.3% | |
| 1850 | 5,971 | 0.7% | |
| 1860 | 6,571 | 10.0% | |
| 1870 | 5,742 | −12.6% | |
| 1880 | 6,397 | 11.4% | |
| 1890 | 6,641 | 3.8% | |
| 1900 | 6,918 | 4.2% | |
| 1910 | 6,378 | −7.8% | |
| 1920 | 5,762 | −9.7% | |
| 1930 | 5,297 | −8.1% | |
| 1940 | 5,431 | 2.5% | |
| 1950 | 6,710 | 23.5% | |
| 1960 | 7,243 | 7.9% | |
| 1970 | 8,039 | 11.0% | |
| 1980 | 10,543 | 31.1% | |
| 1990 | 13,527 | 28.3% | |
| 2000 | 16,803 | 24.2% | |
| 2010 | 23,584 | 40.4% | |
| 2020 | 26,723 | 13.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 27,489 | [5] | 2.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 2010[7] 2020[8] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[7] | Pop 2020[8] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 17,603 | 18,709 | 74.64% | 70.01% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4,177 | 3,919 | 17.71% | 14.67% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 101 | 153 | 0.43% | 0.57% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 268 | 401 | 1.14% | 1.50% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 10 | 13 | 0.04% | 0.05% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 41 | 147 | 0.17% | 0.55% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 594 | 1,799 | 2.52% | 6.73% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 790 | 1,582 | 3.35% | 5.92% |
| Total | 23,584 | 26,723 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[9] of 2010, there were 23,584 people, 9,411 households, and 4,525 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 93 people per square mile (36 people/km2). There were 6,820 housing units at an average density of 38 units per square mile (15 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 76.7%White, 17.9%Black orAfrican American, 0.5%Native American, 1.2%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 0.8% fromother races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 3.3% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 6,091 households, out of which 38.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% weremarried couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 20.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.80% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,882, and the median income for a family was $55,160. Males had a median income of $38,600 versus $26,350 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $21,562. About 4.40% of families and 5.60% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.10% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over.
King George is represented by RepublicanRichard Stuart in theVirginia Senate, RepublicanHillary Pugh Kent in theVirginia House of Delegates, and DemocratEugene Vindman in theU.S. House of Representatives.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 48 | 11.79% | 256 | 62.90% | 103 | 25.31% |
| 1916 | 217 | 48.98% | 223 | 50.34% | 3 | 0.68% |
| 1920 | 253 | 50.30% | 249 | 49.50% | 1 | 0.20% |
| 1924 | 206 | 40.95% | 280 | 55.67% | 17 | 3.38% |
| 1928 | 413 | 57.20% | 309 | 42.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 203 | 29.77% | 475 | 69.65% | 4 | 0.59% |
| 1936 | 295 | 38.51% | 469 | 61.23% | 2 | 0.26% |
| 1940 | 167 | 24.45% | 515 | 75.40% | 1 | 0.15% |
| 1944 | 340 | 49.28% | 348 | 50.43% | 2 | 0.29% |
| 1948 | 316 | 43.89% | 248 | 34.44% | 156 | 21.67% |
| 1952 | 577 | 52.94% | 503 | 46.15% | 10 | 0.92% |
| 1956 | 655 | 51.70% | 563 | 44.44% | 49 | 3.87% |
| 1960 | 685 | 48.58% | 717 | 50.85% | 8 | 0.57% |
| 1964 | 644 | 37.25% | 1,085 | 62.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 829 | 37.77% | 730 | 33.26% | 636 | 28.97% |
| 1972 | 1,675 | 70.05% | 658 | 27.52% | 58 | 2.43% |
| 1976 | 1,383 | 46.75% | 1,513 | 51.15% | 62 | 2.10% |
| 1980 | 1,784 | 53.54% | 1,318 | 39.56% | 230 | 6.90% |
| 1984 | 2,356 | 61.34% | 1,450 | 37.75% | 35 | 0.91% |
| 1988 | 2,587 | 62.40% | 1,519 | 36.64% | 40 | 0.96% |
| 1992 | 2,570 | 48.27% | 1,811 | 34.02% | 943 | 17.71% |
| 1996 | 2,597 | 53.62% | 1,875 | 38.72% | 371 | 7.66% |
| 2000 | 3,590 | 61.35% | 2,070 | 35.37% | 192 | 3.28% |
| 2004 | 5,124 | 64.69% | 2,739 | 34.58% | 58 | 0.73% |
| 2008 | 5,888 | 56.22% | 4,473 | 42.71% | 113 | 1.08% |
| 2012 | 6,604 | 58.31% | 4,477 | 39.53% | 244 | 2.15% |
| 2016 | 7,341 | 60.92% | 4,007 | 33.25% | 702 | 5.83% |
| 2020 | 8,446 | 59.38% | 5,404 | 37.99% | 374 | 2.63% |
| 2024 | 9,500 | 61.54% | 5,657 | 36.65% | 280 | 1.81% |
The King George Fall Festival is held the second weekend of October in King George. All proceeds from this event go to support the Volunteer King George Fire & Rescue.
The Fall Festival also includes a parade through town, a carnival, a craft fair, a car show, a dance, a 5-K run, and the Fall Festival Queens Pageant. The King George Fall Festival began in October 1959.[11]
King George County Schools serves all parts of the county for grades PK-12, except for those withinNaval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, which are served by theDepartment of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).[12] The DoDEA property has a singlePreK-8 school, Dahlgren Elementary Middle School.[13]
Places adjacent to King George County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofKing George County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
38°16′N77°09′W / 38.26°N 77.15°W /38.26; -77.15
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