Henrico County, Virginia

Henrico County is a county located in the U.S. state — officially, "Commonwealth" — of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 262,300. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

The land within Henrico County encompasses much of Richmond's West End as well as its "North Side."

Richmond International Raceway is located in the central portion of Henrico County near Mechanicsville, just north of the City of Richmond corporate limits.

History

Site of Henricus, original shire

Henrico County is an original shire established in 1634 in the Virginia Colony. The county is named for Henricus (also known as Henricopolis and Henrico Town), founded in 1611 by Sir Thomas Dale, a settlement wiped out during the Indian Massacre of 1622. Henricus (and later the county) were named for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King James I of England.

Henrico County originally extended to both the north and south sides of the James River (named in 1607 for King James I). Henrico's first boundaries incorporated an area from which 10 Virginia counties were later formed in whole or in part, as well as the independent cities of Richmond, Charlottesville and Colonial Heights.

County seat

The original county seat was at Varina, at the Varina Farms plantation estate across the James River from Henricus where John Rolfe and Pocahontas had lived, and their son Thomas Rolfe was born. (In modern times, Varina Farm is still actively cultivated, and can be seen from Interstate 295 to the east just north of the Varina-Enon Bridge, not far from the WRVA transmitter site and dual radio towers). The Henrico-Glebe house at Varina was the location where Reverend Dr. James Blair, rector of Henrico Parish, is believed to have drawn up the plans for new school which became the College of William and Mary in 1693 after his mission to England at the request of the House of Burgesses.

Varina remained the county seat until 1752, when it was relocated to the new Henrico County Court House, located at 20th and Main Streets in what is now the City of Richmond, where it remained for over 200 years. In the 1970s, a new county court house complex was built in the western portion of the county. Currently, the county seat is at 4301 East Parham Road, which is inside Henrico County, although the 1752 courthouse was still standing in Richmond as of 2006.

Form of Government

Henrico County is managed by a professionally-trained appointed County Manager who answers directly to the Board of Supervisors. The current County Manager is Virgil Hazlett.

American Civil War battle sites

During the Civil War the battles of Seven Pines, Savage's Station, Oak Grove, Garnett's and Golding's Farms, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern Hill took place in this county in 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign.

Additional significant battles took place in 1864 during the Overland Campaign prior to and during the Siege of Petersburg which led to the fall of Richmond. Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart was killed in Henrico County at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 12, 1864.

Transportation

Henrico County is one of only two counties in Virginia which maintain their own roads, the other being Arlington County. This special status was due to the existence of county highway departments prior to the creation of the state agency which is now VDOT in 1927, and the assumption of local roads in most counties by that agency in 1932 (Henrico and Arlington were grandfathered and allowed to continue pre-existing arrangements). The control of the roads system is considered a powerful advantage for community urban planners, who can require developers to contribute to funding needed for road needs serving their projects.

Henrico County is the site of Richmond International Airport. It hosts an Amtrak rail passenger station, and purchases public bus route services from Greater Richmond Transit Company, a FTA-funded public service company which is owned equally by the City of Richmond and neighboring Chesterfield County.

Interstate highways include Interstate 64, Interstate 95, and Interstate 295. Other major highways include U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 33, U.S. Route 60, U.S. Route 250, U.S. Route 301, and U.S. Route 360, and Virginia state highways VA-5, VA-6, VA-33, VA-73, VA-150, VA-161, and VA-895.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 634 km² (245 mi²). 617 km² (238 mi²) of it is land and 17 km² (7 mi²) of it (2.67%) is water.

Census-designated places

No new municipalities can now be created within Henrico County. There are no existing incorporated towns. It has become the third Virginia county (after Arlington and Fairfax Counties) to be affected by a state law that prohibits the creation of any new towns or cities within the boundaries of a county with a population density of 1,000 or more per square mile.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 262,300 people, 108,121 households, and 69,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 425/km² (1,102/mi²). There were 112,570 housing units at an average density of 183/km² (473/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.91% White, 24.71% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 2.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 108,121 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.30% were married couples living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.40% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 32.90% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,185, and the median income for a family was $59,298. Males had a median income of $40,203 versus $29,795 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,410. About 4.50% of families and 6.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.10% of those under age 18 and 4.50% of those age 65 or over.

Board of Supervisors

Brookland District - Richard W. Glover
Fairfield District - Frank J. Thornton
Three Chopt District - David A. Kaechele
Tuckahoe District - Patricia S. O'Bannon
Varina District - James B. Donati Jr.

Education

The school division known as Henrico County Public Schools consists of 43 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, and 9 high schools subdivided into five school districts.
In the year 2001, HCPS began distributing Apple iBooks to every high school student. In 2003 they extended the program to middle schools.
In the year 2005, the HCPS School Board decided to replace the iBooks with Dell's Inspiron 600M at the High School level.
In the year 2006, the HCPS School Board decided to continue using Apple iBooks at the Middle School level, purchasing nearly 13,000 laptops in a contract worth $15.8 million.

Notable Facts

Henrico County was the location of the August 16th, 2005 "iRiot", where 1,000 of the public school system's iBooks were being sold for only $50 each at Richmond International Raceway. Seventeen people were hurt and/or trampled in the ensuing fracas, four of which had to be treated at a hospital for non-serious injuries. While the mayhem that was seen on the news worldwide seemed terrible, the actual distributing of the 1000 laptops was much smoother.

External links

Virginia counties | Henrico County, Virginia | Richmond, Virginia | Counties on the James River (Virginia) | Richmond National Battlefield Park

Henrico County | Condado de Henrico

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Henrico County, Virginia