Rappahannock County, Virginia

Rappahannock County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, US. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,373.[2] Its county seat is Washington.[3] The name "Rappahannock" comes from the Algonquian word lappihanne (also noted as toppehannock), meaning "river of quick, rising water" or "where the tide ebbs and flows."

For the Rappahannock County that existed from 1656-1692, see Rappahannock County (1656), Virginia.
Rappahannock County
U.S. county
Rappahannock County Courthouse in Washington, Virginia
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°41′N 78°10′W
Country United States
State Virginia
Founded1833
Named forRappahannock River
SeatWashington
Largest townWashington
Area
 • Total267 sq mi (690 km2)
 • Land266 sq mi (690 km2)
 • Water0.8 sq mi (2 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total7,373
 • Estimate 
(2018)[1]
7,252
 • Density28/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district5th
Websiterappahannockcountyva.gov

Rappahannock County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Rappahannock County was founded by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1833, based on the growing population's need to have better access to a county seat. The county's land was carved from Culpeper County. Rappahannock county was named for the river that separates it from Fauquier County.

The land on which Rappahannock County is sited was owned in the early 1700s by Thomas Fairfax 6th Lord Fairfax. It was part of the Northern Neck Proprietary, which consisted of 5.3 million acres of land located between the Rappahannock River and the Potomac River, from their headwaters in the Blue Ridge mountains to the Chesapeake Bay. In 1649 King Charles II of England, then in exile in France after the execution of his father, Charles I, had given this unmapped and unsettled region to seven loyal supporters. By 1688 the proprietary was owned solely by Thomas Lord Culpeper whose only child married Thomas 5th Lord Fairfax in 1690. They acquired the proprietary on the death of Lord Culpeper, and the region became synonymous with the Fairfax name. In 1719, Thomas Fairfax 6th Lord Fairfax inherited the land.

Prior to 1745, the land was granted to individuals by the kings of England, primarily by King George II, because the headwaters of the Rappahannock River were believed to be in the Chester Gap area. Thomas Lord of Fairfax brought suit against the English crown in the mid-1730s and surveying parties determined that the headwaters were the Conway River, which leads into the Rapidan River and then into the Rappahannock River. Because Fairfax won his suit against the Crown, land grants subsequent to 1745 were made by Fairfax.

Land grants issued by the agents of the English kings and by agents of the Northern Neck (Fairfax) Proprietary are housed in the archives of the Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, and are available online at the Library of Virginia website.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 267.2 square miles (692.0 km2), of which 266.4 sq mi (690.0 km2) is land and 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.[4]

The Rappahannock River forms the northeastern boundary and separates Rappahannock County from Fauquier County. Rappahannock County is bounded on the southeast by Culpeper County and on the southwest by Madison County. The Blue Ridge Mountains occupy much of the western portion of the county.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Mountains

The summits of the following mountains are located within Rappahannock County:

  • Hamilton's knob (highest peak in Rappahannock County)
  • Pignut Mountain
  • Hogback Mountain
  • Castleton Mountain
  • Jenkins Mountain
  • Jefferson Mountain
  • Meetinghouse Mountain
  • Little Mulky Mountain
  • Little Jenkins Mountain
  • Googe Mountain
  • Round Mountain
  • Hickerson Mountain
  • Fork Mountain
  • Battle Mountain [5]
  • Little Battle Mountain
  • Piney Ridge
  • Pickerel Ridge
  • Poes Mountain
  • Turkey Mountain
  • Aaron Mountain
  • Red Oak Mountain
U.S. Route 211 as it passes through Rappahannock County; the Blue Ridge Mountains can be seen in the distance.

Major highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18409,257—
18509,7825.7%
18608,850−9.5%
18708,261−6.7%
18809,29112.5%
18908,678−6.6%
19008,8431.9%
19108,044−9.0%
19208,0700.3%
19307,717−4.4%
19407,208−6.6%
19506,112−15.2%
19605,368−12.2%
19705,199−3.1%
19806,09317.2%
19906,6228.7%
20006,9835.5%
20107,3735.6%
2018 (est.)7,252[1]−1.6%
Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9]

As of the census[10] of 2010, there were 7,373 people, 2,788 households, and 2,004 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km2). There were 3,303 housing units, at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.64% White, 5.44% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,788 households, out of which 27.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50, and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 31.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,943, and the median income for a family was $51,848. Males had a median income of $32,725 versus $22,950 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,863. About 5.20% of families and 7.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.80% of those under age 18 and 3.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Board Of Supervisors
  • Debbie Donehey (D) – Vice-Chair (Wakefield District)
  • Christine Smith (R) – Chair (Piedmont)
  • I. Christopher Parrish (R) – (Stonewall-Hawthorne District)
  • Keir Whitson (I) – (Hampton District)
  • Ron Frazier (R) – (Jackson District)

Politics
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[11]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 56.5% 2,812 42.1% 2,096 1.4% 70
2016 56.6% 2,539 39.0% 1,747 4.4% 197
2012 53.0% 2,311 45.4% 1,980 1.5% 66
2008 50.6% 2,227 47.8% 2,105 1.7% 73
2004 53.6% 2,172 45.4% 1,837 1.0% 41
2000 52.7% 1,850 41.6% 1,462 5.7% 201
1996 47.3% 1,505 44.2% 1,405 8.5% 271
1992 44.3% 1,410 40.0% 1,273 15.7% 498
1988 61.7% 1,657 37.3% 1,003 1.0% 26
1984 62.7% 1,696 36.9% 999 0.4% 12
1980 49.8% 1,179 44.6% 1,055 5.6% 133
1976 44.5% 881 54.1% 1,071 1.5% 29
1972 68.2% 1,055 30.5% 471 1.4% 21
1968 43.6% 594 28.9% 394 27.5% 375
1964 39.8% 449 59.9% 675 0.3% 3
1960 43.7% 426 55.8% 544 0.5% 5
1956 47.8% 514 48.7% 523 3.5% 38
1952 54.4% 619 45.5% 518 0.2% 2
1948 30.1% 311 59.7% 617 10.3% 106
1944 37.3% 297 62.4% 497 0.4% 3
1940 27.6% 225 72.1% 588 0.4% 3
1936 26.0% 241 73.9% 686 0.1% 1
1932 17.2% 124 81.9% 590 0.8% 6
1928 39.1% 329 60.9% 513
1924 17.6% 89 78.2% 395 4.2% 21
1920 33.3% 210 66.4% 418 0.3% 2
1916 17.1% 84 81.5% 401 1.4% 7
1912 19.8% 94 75.1% 356 5.1% 24

Education

The Rappahannock County Public Schools School District is located in Washington and includes two schools that serve 921 students county-wide in grades PK through 12.

Among the private schools in the county are two pre-K thru 12 schools, Hearthstone School and Wakefield Country Day School. There is one 6 thru 12 school, Belle Meade Farm School.

Communities

Town

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

See also

References
  1. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. Woolman, Thomas A. (2016-04-01). "A Gallium Anomaly Utilized in Palaeogeographic Reconstruction of Battle Mountain, Rappahannock County, Virginia". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. Kansas Academy of Science. 119 (2): 155–172. doi:10.1660/062.119.0206. S2CID 88195835. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  11. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 8 December 2020.

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