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King William County, Virginia facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Prince William County, Virginia.
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King William County
U.S. county
King William County Courthouse, the oldest in continuous use in the United States
King William County Courthouse, the oldest in continuous use in the United States
Official seal of King William County
Seal
Map of Virginia highlighting King William County
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Virginia
Founded 1702
Named for William III
Seat King William
Largest town West Point
Area
 • Total 286 sq mi (740 km2)
 • Land 274 sq mi (710 km2)
 • Water 12 sq mi (30 km2)  4.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 17,810
 • Density 62.27/sq mi (24.04/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st

King William County is a county found in the state of Virginia, USA. In 2020, about 17,810 people lived there. The main town and county seat is King William.

King William County is part of the Middle Peninsula area. It is also included in the larger Greater Richmond Region.

History of King William County

For thousands of years, Native American people lived in the Virginia area. Before Europeans arrived, many tribes lived here. About 30 different tribes were part of the Powhatan Confederacy. This group had between 14,000 and 21,000 people.

Native American Tribes Today

The Mattaponi and Upper Mattaponi tribes live in King William County today. They speak the Algonquian language. These are two of the 11 tribes officially recognized by the state of Virginia.

The Mattaponi are special because they still live on reservation land. This land was first given to them by the English in the 1600s. They are one of only two Virginia tribes to still have their original reservation land.

Early European Settlers

During the time of Colonial Virginia, a well-known family was the William Aylett family. In 1730, a law called the Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730 was passed. It set up a tobacco storage building at Aylett's. William Aylett's daughters married into other important families in the area.

Founding the County

English colonists created King William County in 1702. It was formed from parts of King and Queen County. The county was named after William of Orange. He was the King of England at that time.

The county's courthouse was built in 1725. It is the oldest courthouse in the United States that has been used continuously. This means it has been used for court cases without stopping since it was built.

Geography of King William County

King William County covers about 286 square miles. Most of this area, about 274 square miles, is land. The remaining 12 square miles (about 4.1%) is water.

The county has two important rivers. The Mattaponi River forms its northern border. The Pamunkey River forms its southern border. These two rivers meet at West Point. West Point is the largest town in the county. When the two rivers join, they form the York River.

Neighboring Counties

King William County shares borders with several other counties:

Main Roads and Highways

Several major roads pass through King William County:

  • US 360
  • SR 30
  • SR 33
  • SR 296
  • SR 298

People of King William County

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 8,128 —
1800 9,055 11.4%
1810 9,285 2.5%
1820 9,697 4.4%
1830 9,812 1.2%
1840 9,258 −5.6%
1850 8,779 −5.2%
1860 8,530 −2.8%
1870 7,515 −11.9%
1880 8,751 16.4%
1890 9,605 9.8%
1900 8,380 −12.8%
1910 8,547 2.0%
1920 8,739 2.2%
1930 7,929 −9.3%
1940 7,855 −0.9%
1950 7,589 −3.4%
1960 7,563 −0.3%
1970 7,497 −0.9%
1980 9,334 24.5%
1990 10,913 16.9%
2000 13,146 20.5%
2010 15,935 21.2%
2020 17,810 11.8%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010 2020

Population Changes in 2020

In 2020, the county's population was 17,810 people. The table below shows the different racial and ethnic groups living in King William County. This information comes from the US Census.

King William County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition
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 may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 12,107 13,499 75.98% 75.79%
Black or African American alone (NH) 2,806 2,585 17.61% 14.51%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 223 277 1.40% 1.56%
Asian alone (NH) 118 129 0.74% 0.72%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 3 9 0.02% 0.05%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 12 76 0.08% 0.43%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 342 759 2.15% 4.26%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 324 476 2.03% 2.67%
Total 15,935 17,810 100.00% 100.00%

Population in 2010

In 2010, there were 15,935 people living in King William County. About 77.2% of the people were White. About 17.7% were Black or African American.

About 1.4% were Native American, and 0.7% were Asian. About 0.6% were of another race, and 2.3% were of two or more races. About 2.0% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Communities in King William County

King William County has one official town and several other communities.

Town

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated.

Other Communities

Two Indian reservations are located in King William County. These are the only two reservations in the entire state of Virginia.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de King William para niños

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