Shenandoah County | |
|---|---|
 Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock | |
 Flag  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°52′N78°34′W / 38.86°N 78.57°W /38.86; -78.57 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1772 |
| Named after | Shenandoah River |
| Seat | Woodstock |
| Largest town | Strasburg |
| Area | |
• Total | 512 sq mi (1,330 km2) |
| • Land | 509 sq mi (1,320 km2) |
| • Water | 3.4 sq mi (8.8 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 44,186 |
| • Density | 86.8/sq mi (33.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 6th |
| Website | www |
Shenandoah County (formerlyDunmore County) is acounty located in theCommonwealth ofVirginia. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 44,186.[1] Itscounty seat isWoodstock.[2] It is part of theShenandoah Valley region of Virginia.
George Washington named the river, valley and county Shenandoah in honor of JohnSkenandoa, a ChristianOneida chief from New York who helped gain the support of Oneida and Tuscarora warriors to aid the Americans during theAmerican Revolutionary War. This included helping the Americans survive at Valley Forge.
Colonial Governor Gooch formally purchased the entire Shenandoah Valley from theSix Nations of the Iroquois by theTreaty of Lancaster in 1744. The Iroquois had controlled the valley as a hunting ground, but European settlement had begun by that time. DuringPontiac's War (1763–1766),Shawnee efforts to repel the Europeans reached as far east as the current county.
The county was established in 1772 as 'Dunmore County' forVirginia Colonial GovernorJohn Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore.Woodstock was designated thecounty seat. Dunmore was Virginia's last royal governor, and was forced from office during theAmerican Revolution. During the war (1778), the county was renamed 'Shenandoah.'
George Washington was a member of theVirginia House of Burgesses representingFrederick County, Virginia from 1758 to 1765 which included the Woodstock area until 1772. The new village of Woodstock was established by law in 1761. Washington sponsored the act, and named the town Woodstock at that time. George Washington also named Shenandoah Valley, the Shenandoah River, and Shenandoah County. He named these places after the Christian Oneida chief JohnSkenandoa who helped Americans survive during the American Revolution including at Valley Forge.[3]
The Town of Woodstock's website notes that it was established by charter in March 1761 as a part of what was then Frederick County. The town was originally formed by a land grant from Lord Fairfax, and named after its founder, Jacob Miller as Muellerstadt (Miller Town) in 1752. It was renamed Woodstock when the town's charter was sponsored by George Washington in Virginia's House of Burgesses. The Town of Woodstock has been the County Seat of Shenandoah County since the county's formation in 1772.
During theCivil War, theBattle of New Market took place in the county on May 15, 1864.
According to theUS Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 512 square miles (1,330 km2), of which 509 square miles (1,320 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.7%) is water.[4]Fort Valley and the western slopes of theMassanutten Mountain are located within the county boundary.
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 10,510 | — | |
| 1800 | 13,823 | 31.5% | |
| 1810 | 13,646 | −1.3% | |
| 1820 | 18,926 | 38.7% | |
| 1830 | 19,750 | 4.4% | |
| 1840 | 11,618 | −41.2% | |
| 1850 | 13,768 | 18.5% | |
| 1860 | 13,896 | 0.9% | |
| 1870 | 14,936 | 7.5% | |
| 1880 | 18,204 | 21.9% | |
| 1890 | 19,671 | 8.1% | |
| 1900 | 20,253 | 3.0% | |
| 1910 | 20,942 | 3.4% | |
| 1920 | 20,808 | −0.6% | |
| 1930 | 20,655 | −0.7% | |
| 1940 | 20,898 | 1.2% | |
| 1950 | 21,169 | 1.3% | |
| 1960 | 21,825 | 3.1% | |
| 1970 | 22,852 | 4.7% | |
| 1980 | 27,559 | 20.6% | |
| 1990 | 31,636 | 14.8% | |
| 2000 | 35,075 | 10.9% | |
| 2010 | 41,993 | 19.7% | |
| 2020 | 44,186 | 5.2% | |
| US Decennial Census[5] 1790–1960[6] 1900–1990[7] 1990–2000[8] 2010[9] 2020[10] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[9] | Pop 2020[10] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 37,886 | 37,304 | 90.22% | 84.42% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 699 | 1,031 | 1.66% | 2.33% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 71 | 84 | 0.17% | 0.19% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 210 | 344 | 0.50% | 0.78% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 6 | 8 | 0.01% | 0.02% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 28 | 149 | 0.07% | 0.34% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 516 | 1,540 | 1.23% | 3.49% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,577 | 3,726 | 6.14% | 8.43% |
| Total | 41,993 | 44,186 | 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 the2010 United States census, there were 41,993 people in the county. 93.0% wereWhite, 1.7%Black or African American, 0.5%Asian, 0.2%Native American, 2.8% of some other race and 1.6%of two or more races. 6.1% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race). 26.4% were ofAmerican, 22.0%German, 10.3%English and 7.6%Irish ancestry.[11]
As of the2000 United States census,[12] there were 35,075 people, 14,296 households, and 10,064 families in the county. Thepopulation density was 68 people per square mile (26 people/km2). There were 16,709 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.60%White, 1.17%Black orAfrican American, 0.18%Native American, 0.35%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 1.79% fromother races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 3.40% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 14,296 households, out of which 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% weremarried couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.86.
The county population contained 22.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,173, and the median income for a family was $45,080. Males had a median income of $29,952 versus $22,312 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,755. About 5.80% of families and 8.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.10% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
| Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | SCSO |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | May 26, 1772 |
| Employees | 100+ |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Constituting instrument |
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| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Woodstock, Virginia |
| Agency executive |
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| Website | |
| Official Website | |
The Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency in Shenandoah County. The SCSO was created on May 26, 1772, when the position of High Sheriff position was created; its main duty was to collect taxes.[13]
The SCSO was accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission between 2006, when it first became accredited, and 2022, when it lost accreditation following an evaluation.[14]
Politically, Shenandoah County is one of the most consistentlyRepublican counties in Virginia, a trend that predates the rest of western Virginia moving away from theDemocratic Party. It was first won by a Republican presidential nominee in1896, and has voted Republican in every presidential election since1936, and in all but one election since1920. It has also voted Republican in every gubernatorial election since1961, and has not given a Democratic gubernatorial nominee a majority since1949. Nearly solidly Democratic before 1900, the county began voting Republican in statewide elections around the beginning of the 20th century but was a swing county. In the 1920s it became solidly Republican at a statewide level, with the exception of Democratic local heroesHarry F. Byrd andhis son. This early swing to the GOP came from the county’s rural voters being overwhelminglyScots-Irish Americans,German American Republicans, which overpowered the conservativeSouthern Democrat vote in the county population centers ofNew Market,Woodstock, andStrasburg. TheVirginia Constitutional Convention of 1902 was vehemently opposed by the counties of western Virginia due to the impact on racial equality and perceived disenfranchisement of the many poor whites of the region. The once strong Democratic county turned Republican due to this convention, which, according to the Shenandoah Herald, was the “…death knell of the Democratic party inthe Valley counties.” The Democrats of the county were of theJacksonian, small government stock; leading them to vote Republican after the perceived injustice by the state convention in the creation of a new constitution,[15] which was not ratified by popular vote. The county briefly returned to its Southern Democrat roots at the state level during thecivil rights movement.[16]
In 1856, Shenandoah was the only county in Virginia to record votes in favor of the candidate of the newly formed Republican Party,John C. Frémont.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1880 | 350 | 11.23% | 2,768 | 88.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1884 | 1,872 | 48.65% | 1,976 | 51.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1888 | 2,063 | 48.44% | 2,164 | 50.81% | 32 | 0.75% |
| 1892 | 1,705 | 40.26% | 2,315 | 54.66% | 215 | 5.08% |
| 1896 | 2,102 | 49.44% | 2,052 | 48.26% | 98 | 2.30% |
| 1900 | 1,862 | 48.09% | 1,965 | 50.75% | 45 | 1.16% |
| 1904 | 1,189 | 51.32% | 1,098 | 47.39% | 30 | 1.29% |
| 1908 | 1,449 | 52.31% | 1,294 | 46.71% | 27 | 0.97% |
| 1912 | 706 | 27.61% | 1,336 | 52.25% | 515 | 20.14% |
| 1916 | 1,425 | 48.70% | 1,440 | 49.21% | 61 | 2.08% |
| 1920 | 2,683 | 56.05% | 2,077 | 43.39% | 27 | 0.56% |
| 1924 | 2,214 | 48.80% | 2,186 | 48.18% | 137 | 3.02% |
| 1928 | 3,420 | 68.28% | 1,589 | 31.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 2,514 | 48.19% | 2,635 | 50.51% | 68 | 1.30% |
| 1936 | 3,152 | 52.29% | 2,861 | 47.46% | 15 | 0.25% |
| 1940 | 3,527 | 58.87% | 2,450 | 40.89% | 14 | 0.23% |
| 1944 | 3,517 | 64.12% | 1,962 | 35.77% | 6 | 0.11% |
| 1948 | 3,349 | 64.65% | 1,603 | 30.95% | 228 | 4.40% |
| 1952 | 4,284 | 71.12% | 1,734 | 28.78% | 6 | 0.10% |
| 1956 | 4,164 | 69.18% | 1,769 | 29.39% | 86 | 1.43% |
| 1960 | 4,144 | 66.85% | 2,053 | 33.12% | 2 | 0.03% |
| 1964 | 3,981 | 55.54% | 3,184 | 44.42% | 3 | 0.04% |
| 1968 | 5,461 | 62.91% | 1,654 | 19.05% | 1,566 | 18.04% |
| 1972 | 7,128 | 82.46% | 1,422 | 16.45% | 94 | 1.09% |
| 1976 | 6,296 | 64.05% | 3,364 | 34.22% | 170 | 1.73% |
| 1980 | 7,517 | 67.10% | 3,137 | 28.00% | 549 | 4.90% |
| 1984 | 9,048 | 76.03% | 2,771 | 23.29% | 81 | 0.68% |
| 1988 | 8,612 | 71.74% | 3,276 | 27.29% | 116 | 0.97% |
| 1992 | 7,746 | 55.74% | 3,956 | 28.47% | 2,194 | 15.79% |
| 1996 | 7,440 | 56.02% | 4,224 | 31.81% | 1,616 | 12.17% |
| 2000 | 9,636 | 66.68% | 4,420 | 30.58% | 396 | 2.74% |
| 2004 | 11,820 | 68.94% | 5,186 | 30.25% | 140 | 0.82% |
| 2008 | 12,005 | 62.45% | 6,912 | 35.96% | 306 | 1.59% |
| 2012 | 12,538 | 64.72% | 6,469 | 33.39% | 366 | 1.89% |
| 2016 | 14,094 | 68.72% | 5,273 | 25.71% | 1,141 | 5.56% |
| 2020 | 16,463 | 69.51% | 6,836 | 28.86% | 385 | 1.63% |
| 2024 | 17,215 | 70.30% | 6,914 | 28.23% | 360 | 1.47% |
Places adjacent to Shenandoah County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofShenandoah County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||
38°52′N78°34′W / 38.86°N 78.57°W /38.86; -78.57
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