Frederick County, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frederick County
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County
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The Old Frederick County Courthouse in Winchester
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Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
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 Virginia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Virginia |
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| Founded | 1743 | |
| Named for | Frederick, Prince of Wales | |
| Seat | Winchester | |
| Largest town | Winchester | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 416 sq mi (1,080 km2) | |
| • Land | 414 sq mi (1,070 km2) | |
| • Water | 2 sq mi (5 km2) 0.5% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 91,419 | |
| • Density | 219.76/sq mi (84.85/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional district | 10th | |
Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,419. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's northernmost county. Frederick County is included in the Winchester, VA-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History
The area that would become Frederick County, Virginia was inhabited and transited by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years before European colonization. The "Indian Road" refers to a historic pathway made by local tribes.
Frederick County was established in 1743 from parts of Orange County. (At that time, "Old Frederick County" encompassed all or part of four counties in present-day Virginia — Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, and Frederick — and five in present-day West Virginia — Hardy, Hampshire, Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan.) The Virginia Assembly named the new county for Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales (1707–1751), the eldest son of King George II of Great Britain.
Colonial Era
As Commander-in-Chief of the new Colonial Virginia regiment in 1754, Colonel George Washington's headquarters were located in Winchester before and during the French and Indian War. He resigned from military service in 1758; only to be appointed General by the Continental Congress sixteen years later. Meanwhile, Washington represented Frederick County in his first elective office, having been elected to the House of Burgesses in 1758 and 1761. Daniel Morgan was another famous General during the American Revolutionary War, from (present day Clarke County).
War of 1812
American Civil War
Winchester changed hands between the Confederate and Union Armies on average once every three weeks during the war. Many battles were fought in Frederick County. Some of those battles include:
- First Battle of Kernstown, March 1862
- First Battle of Winchester, May 1862
- Second Battle of Winchester, June 1863
- Second Battle of Kernstown, July 1864
- Third Battle of Winchester (Battle of Opequon), September 1864
- Battle of Cedar Creek, October 1864
The first constitution of West Virginia provided for Frederick County to be added to the new state if approved by a local election. Unlike those of neighboring Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Frederick County residents voted to remain in Virginia despite being occupied by the Union Army at the time.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 416 square miles (1,080 km2), of which 414 square miles (1,070 km2) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.5%) is water. This is the northernmost county in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Adjacent counties
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National protected areas
- Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park (part)
- George Washington National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 19,681 | — | |
| 1800 | 24,744 | 25.7% | |
| 1810 | 22,574 | −8.8% | |
| 1820 | 24,706 | 9.4% | |
| 1830 | 26,046 | 5.4% | |
| 1840 | 14,242 | −45.3% | |
| 1850 | 15,975 | 12.2% | |
| 1860 | 16,546 | 3.6% | |
| 1870 | 16,596 | 0.3% | |
| 1880 | 17,553 | 5.8% | |
| 1890 | 17,880 | 1.9% | |
| 1900 | 13,239 | −26.0% | |
| 1910 | 12,787 | −3.4% | |
| 1920 | 12,461 | −2.5% | |
| 1930 | 13,167 | 5.7% | |
| 1940 | 14,008 | 6.4% | |
| 1950 | 17,537 | 25.2% | |
| 1960 | 21,941 | 25.1% | |
| 1970 | 28,893 | 31.7% | |
| 1980 | 34,150 | 18.2% | |
| 1990 | 45,723 | 33.9% | |
| 2000 | 59,209 | 29.5% | |
| 2010 | 78,305 | 32.3% | |
| 2020 | 91,419 | 16.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 The drop from 1830 to 1840 was because Clarke and Warren counties were split off. |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 67,590 | 71,739 | 86.32% | 78.47% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,067 | 3,605 | 3.92% | 3.94% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 182 | 120 | 0.23% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 959 | 1,661 | 1.22% | 1.82% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 30 | 39 | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 103 | 402 | 0.13% | 0.44% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,206 | 3,863 | 1.54% | 4.23% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,168 | 9,990 | 6.60% | 10.93% |
| Total | 78,305 | 91,419 | 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.
Transportation
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- Winchester Transit provides weekday transit for the city of Winchester.
Major highways
I-66
I-81
US 11
US 17
US 48
US 50
US 340
US 522
SR 7
SR 37
SR 55
SR 127
SR 259
SR 277
Communities
Despite being the county seat, Winchester, like all cities under Virginia law, is an independent city—politically independent of any county.
Towns
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
- Albin
- Armel
- Bartonsville
- Brucetown
- Burnt Factory
- Canterburg
- Cedar Grove
- Cedar Hill
- Clear Brook
- Cross Junction
- De Haven
- Gainesboro
- Good
- Gore
- Gravel Springs
- Greenwood
- Green Spring
- Grimes
- Hayfield
- Indian Hollow
- Jordan Springs
- Kernstown
- Klines Mill
- Lake Frederick
- Leetown
- Lehew
- Marlboro
- McQuire
- Meadow Mills
- Mill Race Estates
- Mount Pleasant
- Mount Williams
- Mountain Falls
- Mountain Falls Park
- Nain
- Opequon
- Parkins Mills
- Rest
- Reynolds Store
- Ridings Mill
- Rock Enon Springs
- Round Hill
- Shockeysville
- Siler
- Star Tannery
- Stephenson
- Vaucluse
- Welltown
- Whitacre
- White Hall
- Wilde Acres
Education
Frederick County is served by Frederick County Public Schools, which includes several elementary, middle, and high schools. Frederick County is also part of the region served by the Mountain Vista Governor's School, which offers upper-level classes to intellectually gifted high school students.
Schools
Elementary schools
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Middle schools
- Admiral Richard E. Byrd Middle School
- Frederick County Middle School
- James Wood Middle School
- Robert E. Aylor Middle School
High schools
- James Wood High School
- Millbrook High School
- Sherando High School
Colleges
- Lord Fairfax Community College
Universities
- Shenandoah University
Libraries
- Handley Regional Library
Notable people
- William McGuire (judge) (1765-1820), lawyer, first chief justice of the Mississippi Territory
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Frederick (Virginia) para niños
