'Prince William County' is a
county located in the
Commonwealth of
Virginia, a
state of the
United States. As of the
2000 census, the population was 280,813. Its
county seat is the
independent city of
Manassas6.
This county is a part of the
Washington Metropolitan Area.
History
Prince William County was created by an act of the General Assembly of the colony of Virginia in
1731, largely from the western section of
Stafford County as well as a section of
King George County [1]. The area encompassed by the Act creating Prince William County originally included all of what later became
Arlington County, the
City of Alexandria,
Fairfax County, the
City of Fairfax,
Fauquier County,
Loudoun County, the
City of Manassas, and the
City of Manassas Park (and the various incorporated towns therein). The County was named for
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, a son of King
George II.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 902
km² (348
mi²). 875 km² (338 mi²) of it is land and 27 km² (11 mi²) of it (3.04%) is water. It is bounded on the north by
Loudoun and
Fairfax counties; on the south by
Stafford County; on the east by the
Potomac River, across the river is
Charles County, Maryland; and on the west by
Fauquier County.
Major Highways
★
Interstate 66
★
Interstate 95
★
U.S. Route 1
★
U.S. Route 29
★
U.S. Route 50
★
State Route 28
★
State Route 234
★
Prince William Parkway
Government and politics
The county is divided into seven magisterial districts: Brentsville, Coles, Dumfries, Gainesville, Neabsco, Occoquan, and Woodbridge.
The magisterial districts each elect one supervisor to the Board of Supervisors which governs Prince William County. There is also a Chairman elected by the county at-large, bringing total Board membership to 8; this may increase after the
2010 census when an eighth magisterial district is likely to be added. A Vice-Chairman is selected by the Board from amongst its membership. The current Chairman is
Corey A. Stewart, who previously served as the Occoquan District Supervisor. The current Vice-Chairman is
Martin E. Nohe, the Coles District Supervisor. The County operates under the county form of the
County Executive system of government, with an elected Board of Supervisors. The Board then appoints a professional, nonpartisan County Executive to manage government agencies.
Republicans hold six of the eight seats on the Board of Supervisors as well as the office of the County
Sheriff. Republicans hold all three Congressional seats that include parts of Prince William County and control the five
Virginia House of Delegates seats that include parts of the County. The county's
Virginia State Senate seats are split among Democrats and Republicans, with each party controlling two Senate seats. In 2005,
Democratic Governor
Timothy M. Kaine won the County with 49.95% of the vote. In 2006, Democratic U.S. Senator
Jim Webb won with 50.51% of the vote. The Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney is also a Democrat.
The County has had several special elections of late. In 2006, the then-Chairman of the Board of Supervisors,
Sean Connaughton, was appointed as head of the
U.S. Maritime Administration by President
George W. Bush. A special election to fill the vacancy was called for the same day as the
U.S. Senate election between Jim Webb and
George F. Allen. Occoquan District Supervisor Stewart won the election and a special election was called for January 2007 to fill the vacancy in the Occoquan District. Mr. Stewart's successor was a fellow Republican.
Public Schools
The
Prince William County Public School system consists of around 62 elementary, 15 middle, and 10 high public schools, as well as a virtual high school, two traditional schools, five special education schools, and two alternative schools.
The Superintendent of Prince William County Public Schools is Steven L. Walts. He is serving his 2nd year as Superintendent (2006–2007).
Prince William County public schools has a television station called PWCS-TV. It is programmed and operated by Prince William County Public Schools' Media Production Services Department and can be viewed by all Comcast subscribers on Comcast Cable Channel 18 in Prince William County.
Edulink Intouch Online is a parent-school communication system that allows secure access to student information such as school attendance and grades. It has been regarded as beneficial for parents and students in keeping track of grades and attendance.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
|---|
Census
year | Population |
|---|---|
|
| 1790 | 11,615 |
| 1800 | 12,733 |
| 1810 | 11,311 |
| 1820 | 9,419 |
| 1830 | 9,330 |
| 1840 | 8,144 |
| 1850 | 8,129 |
| 1860 | 8,565 |
| 1870 | 7,504 |
| 1880 | 9,180 |
| 1890 | 9,805 |
| 1900 | 11,112 |
| 1910 | 12,026 |
| 1920 | 13,660 |
| 1930 | 13,951 |
| 1940 | 17,738 |
| 1950 | 22,612 |
| 1960 | 50,164 |
| 1970 | 111,102 |
| 1980 | 144,636 |
| 1990 | 215,686 |
| 2000 | 280,813 |
| 2004 | 336,586 |
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 280,813 people, 94,570 households, and 72,724 families residing in the county. The
population density was 321/km² (831/mi²). There were 98,052 housing units at an average density of 112/km² (290/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.93%
White, 18.76%
Black or
African American, 0.39%
Native American, 3.81%
Asian, 0.13%
Pacific Islander, 4.35% from
other races, and 3.62% from two or more races. 9.74% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
By 2005 non-Hispanic whites were 54.2% of Prince William County's population. 19.4% of the population was African-American. 0.5% was Native American. 6.4% of the population was Asian. The growth of the Asian population was numerically and as a percentage of the total population in this subgroup dwarfed by the growth of the Latino population which was 18.0% of the county's total population by 2005.
There were 94,570 households out of which 44.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.30% were
married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.10% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the county, the population was spread out with 30.40% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 35.20% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 4.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $65,960, and the median income for a family was $71,622. Males had a median income of $45,595 versus $34,286 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $25,641. About 3.30% of families and 4.40% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 5.60% of those under age 18 and 4.70% of those age 65 or over.
Also See
★
Prince William County Public Schools
★
Prince William County Police Department
★
Prince William County Sheriff's Department
★
Prince William County Fire and Rescue
Towns and other localities
Incorporated towns
Four incorporated towns are located within Prince William County:
Unincorporated communities
Extinct towns/communities
Independent cities
The
independent cities of '
Manassas' and '
Manassas Park' are surrounded by Prince William County. Prince William, Manassas Park, and Manassas are combined for purposes of criminal, traffic, civil, and juvenile and domestic relations courts within Circuit 31. The Courthouse Complex itself is located in a Prince William County enclave surrounded by the City of Manassas. The County Government Administration Complex is located at 1 County Complex Court in the unincorporated community of
Woodbridge.
Other important features
★ '
Prince William Forest Park', the second largest
National Park Service property in the
Washington, D.C., region
★ '
Marine Corps Base Quantico', a large military installation
★ '
Manassas National Battlefield Park', an important
Civil War battlefield
★ '
Nissan Pavilion', a large concert venue
★ '
Potomac Mills shopping mall', the 10th most popular tourist destination in Virginia
External links
★
Official Website of Prince William County Government
★
Prince William County Police Department
★
Prince William County Department of Fire & Rescue
★
Prince William County Public Schools
★
Prince William County Department of Economic Development
★
Prince William County -- Current Demographic Estimates
★
Prince William County/Manassas Convention & Visitors Bureau
★
Prince William County Park Authority
★
Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission
★
Prince William County Fairgrounds
★
Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce
★
Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce
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