Prince William County, Virginia

Prince William County is a county located in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The estimated population in 2007 of the county was 383,644, a 36.6% increase since 2000. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas. It is part of Northern Virginia and is one of the highest-income counties in the United States.

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. 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, the City of Falls Church, 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.

The County was a rural community for years and the population was centered in two areas, one at Manassas (home to a major railroad junction), the other near Occoquan and Woodbridge along the Potomac River. Beginning in the late 1930s, a larger suburban population grew up near the existing population centers, particularly in Manassas. The town's post-World War II growth led it to become an independent city in 1975. Beginning in the late 1960s, the County began transitioning into a bedroom community of Washington, DC and its population expanded dramatically to the point where, by the end of the 20th century, it was the third most populous local jurisdiction in Virginia. Much of this growth has taken place in the last twenty years.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (902 km²), of which 338 square miles (875 km²) is land and 11 square miles (27 km²) (3.04%) is water. It is bounded on the north by Loudoun and Fairfax counties; on the west by Fauquier County; on the south by Stafford County; and on the east by the Potomac River (Charles County, Maryland lies across the river).

Adjacent counties

Loudoun County, Virginia - north
Fairfax County, Virginia - northeast
Charles County, Maryland - southeast
Stafford County, Virginia - south
Fauquier County, Virginia - west
Manassas, Virginia - center (enclave)
Manassas Park, Virginia - center (enclave)

National protected areas

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 John T. Stirrup, Jr., the Gainesville 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 offices of County Sheriff and Clerk of the Court. No Democrat has chaired the Board of County Supervisors since Kathleen Seefeldt left office in January 2000. 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, one of which is held by Democratic Sen. Charles Colgan, the President pro tempore of the Senate. 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, Paul Ebert, 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 for the Occoquan District was a fellow Republican.

	Name	Affiliation	First Election	District
Chairman	Corey A. Stewart	Republican	2003	At-Large
Supervisor	Wally Covington	Republican	2003	Brentsville
Supervisor	Martin E. Nohe	Republican	2003	Coles
Supervisor	Maureen S. Caddigan	Republican	1995	Dumfries
Supervisor	John T. Stirrup, Jr.	Republican	2003	Gainesville
Supervisor	John D. Jenkins	Democrat	1982	Neabsco
Supervisor	Michael C. May	Republican	2007	Occoquan
Supervisor	Frank Principi	Democrat	2007	Woodbridge

Education

Public schools

The Prince William County Public Schools is the second largest in Virginia, recently overtaking Virginia Beach). The 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.

The system has a television station called PWCS-TV It is programmed and operated by Prince William County Public Schools' Media Production Services Department and is accessible to all Prince William County Comcast subscribers.

Edulink Intouch Online is a parent-school communication system that allows secure access to student information such as school attendance and grades.

Prince William County's illegal immigration crackdown, according to the Prince William County School System, has led to the enrollment in the English as a Second Language class to drop by 759 students from September 2007 to March 2008. Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart says the county expects to save $6 million in education costs because of the transfers.

Private/Religious schools

Colleges

Northern Virginia Community College – Woodbridge Campus and Manassas Campus

Universities

George Mason University – Prince William Campus
Strayer University – Woodbridge Campus and Manassas Campus
University of Northern Virginia – Manassas Campus

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
2006	356,671

As of the census of 2000, there were 280,813 people, 94,570 households, and 72,724 families residing in the county. The population density was 831 people per square mile (321/km²). There were 98,052 housing units at an average density of 290 per square mile (112/km²). 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 American. 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 made up 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 distribution included 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% 65 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, compared to $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.

Sports

The Potomac Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Nationals play in the high-A Carolina League and are an affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Northern Virginia Royals are an American minor league soccer team, also located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Royals have minor league affiliation with D.C. United, Washington, DC Major League Soccer franchise.

Located in Manassas is the historic Old Dominion Speedway. Opened in 1948, it was the location of the first commercial drag race held on the East Coast. It was also a stop on the NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) schedule in the late 50's and early 60's. It still holds weekly drag races and NASCAR-sanctioned races.

Museums

The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the new historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. It is located in Triangle, Virginia and is free to the public.

National Parks

Prince William Forest Park

Prince William Forest Park was established as Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area in 1936 and is located in eastern Prince William County, Virginia. The park is the largest protected natural area in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region at over 15,000 acres (61 km²).

Manassas National Battlefield Park

Manassas National Battlefield Park, located north of Manassas in Prince William County, Virginia, preserves the site of two major American Civil War battles: the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861, and the Second Battle of Manassas which was fought between August 28 and August 30, 1862. These battles are commonly referred to as the first and second battles of Bull Run outside the South.

Transportation

Airports

Public Bus Service

Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) is the public transportation system in Prince William County, Virginia. Services provided by PRTC include OmniRide, OmniLink, and OmniMatch.

Commuter Rail Service

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects the Northern Virginia area with Washington, DC.

Major highways

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 in the unincorporated community of Woodbridge. Its mailing address is 1 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, Virginia 22192.

Other important features

Prince William Forest Park, the second largest National Park Service property in the Washington, D.C., region
Leesylvania State Park, the ancestral home of the Lee family. The park offers a range of recreational activities and beautiful views of the river.
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, the 10th most popular tourist destination in Virginia and largest outlet mall in the region.
Old Dominion Speedway, A race track in Manassas, VA featuring a 1/8th mile drag strip, and a NASCAR sanctioned 3/8 mile high banked oval track

References

External links

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Last updated on Friday September 19, 2008 at 21:52:19 PDT (GMT -0700)
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Batestown, Prince William County, VA