King and Queen County, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
King and Queen County
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Old King and Queen County Courthouse
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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 | 1691 | ||
| Named for | William III and Mary II of England | ||
| Seat | King and Queen Court House | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 326 sq mi (840 km2) | ||
| • Land | 315 sq mi (820 km2) | ||
| • Water | 11 sq mi (30 km2) 3.4% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 6,608 | ||
| • Density | 20.27/sq mi (7.826/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 1st | ||
King and Queen County is a county in the U.S. state of Virginia, located in the state's Middle Peninsula on the eastern edge of the Richmond, VA, metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,608. Its county seat is King and Queen Court House.
Contents
History
King and Queen County was established in 1691 from New Kent County, and was named for King William III and Queen Mary II of England. King and Queen County is notable as one of the few counties in the United States to have recorded a larger population in the 1790 census than in the 2010 one.
Among the earliest settlers of King and Queen County was Roger Shackelford, an English emigrant from Old Alresford, Hampshire, after whom the county's village of Shacklefords is named. Shackelford's descendants continued to live in the county, and by the nineteenth century had intermarried with several local families, including Taliaferro, Beverley, Thornton, and Sears.
In 1762 when he was 11, future president James Madison was sent to a boarding school run by Donald Robertson at the Innes plantation in King and Queen County. Robertson was a Scottish teacher who tutored numerous prominent plantation families in the South. From Robertson, Madison learned mathematics, geography, and modern and classical languages, becoming especially proficient in Latin. He attributed his instinct for learning "largely to that man (Robertson)." At age 16, Madison returned to his father's Montpelier estate in Orange County.
On March 2, 1864, the Battle of Walkerton, an engagement of the American Civil War, took place here, resulting in a Confederate victory.
Virginia Longest, national director of the Nursing Service for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in the late 1970s, was a county native.
Richard and Mildred Loving lived in a remote part of the county in the 1960s, hoping to avoid arrest by the authorities while their legal challenge to Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws moved through the courts.
For many years, county publications noted that the county lacked any traffic lights. This is now no longer the case, as a traffic light has been installed on U.S. Route 360 at St. Stephen's Church.
Even in the 21st century, King and Queen County contains no incorporated towns or cities, and remains one of Virginia's most sparsely populated counties.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 326 square miles (840 km2), of which 315 square miles (820 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (3.4%) is water.
Measuring 45 miles (72 km) in length, it is one of the longest counties in the state of Virginia, as well as one of the narrowest, measuring less than 10 miles (16 km) across at its widest point.
Adjacent Counties
- Caroline County – north
- Essex County – northeast
- Middlesex County – east
- Gloucester County – southeast
- James City County – south
- New Kent County – southwest
- King William County – west
Major highways
US 360
SR 14
SR 33
SR 40
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 9,377 | — | |
| 1800 | 9,879 | 5.4% | |
| 1810 | 10,988 | 11.2% | |
| 1820 | 11,798 | 7.4% | |
| 1830 | 11,644 | −1.3% | |
| 1840 | 10,862 | −6.7% | |
| 1850 | 10,319 | −5.0% | |
| 1860 | 10,328 | 0.1% | |
| 1870 | 9,709 | −6.0% | |
| 1880 | 10,502 | 8.2% | |
| 1890 | 9,669 | −7.9% | |
| 1900 | 9,265 | −4.2% | |
| 1910 | 9,576 | 3.4% | |
| 1920 | 9,161 | −4.3% | |
| 1930 | 7,618 | −16.8% | |
| 1940 | 6,954 | −8.7% | |
| 1950 | 6,299 | −9.4% | |
| 1960 | 5,889 | −6.5% | |
| 1970 | 5,491 | −6.8% | |
| 1980 | 5,968 | 8.7% | |
| 1990 | 6,289 | 5.4% | |
| 2000 | 6,630 | 5.4% | |
| 2010 | 6,945 | 4.8% | |
| 2020 | 6,608 | −4.9% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 6,662 | −4.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 4,547 | 4,460 | 65.47% | 67.49% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,970 | 1,561 | 28.37% | 23.62% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 109 | 82 | 1.57% | 1.24% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 17 | 23 | 0.24% | 0.35% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 3 | 0.00% | 0.05% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 7 | 19 | 0.10% | 0.29% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 111 | 278 | 1.60% | 4.21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 184 | 182 | 2.65% | 2.75% |
| Total | 6,945 | 6,608 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Communities
- King and Queen Court House (a census-designated place)
- Newtown
- St. Stephen's Church
- Shacklefords
See also
In Spanish: Condado de King and Queen para niños
