Prince William County, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Prince William County
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| County of Prince William | |||
The Prince William County Courthouse in 2011
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Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Virginia |
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| Founded | 1731 | ||
| Named for | Prince William, Duke of Cumberland | ||
| County seat | Manassas | ||
| Largest city | Woodbridge | ||
| Government | |||
| • Body | Board of Supervisors | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 348 sq mi (900 km2) | ||
| • Land | 336 sq mi (870 km2) | ||
| • Water | 12 sq mi (30 km2) 3.5% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 482,204 | ||
| • Density | 1,385.6/sq mi (535.0/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Area code | 703/571 | ||
| FIPS code | 51153 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1480161 | ||
| U.S. House | R, R, R | ||
| Virginia Senate | 13th, 28th, 29th, 36th, 39th | ||
| Virginia House | 2nd, 13th, 31st, 40th, 51st, 87th | ||
| Website | http://www.pwcgov.org/ | ||
Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas.
A part of Northern Virginia, Prince William County is part of the Washington metropolitan area. In 2019 it had the 20th-highest income of any county in the United States.
Contents
History
At the time of European encounter, the main inhabitants of the area that would become Prince William County were the Doeg, an Algonquian-speaking sub-group of the Powhatan tribal confederation. When John Smith and other English explorers ventured to the upper Potomac River beginning in 1608, they recorded the name of a village the Doeg inhabited as Pemacocack (meaning "plenty of fish"). It was located on the west bank of the Potomac River about 30 miles south of present-day Alexandria. Unable to deal with European diseases and firepower, the Doeg had abandoned their villages in the area by 1700.
Prince William County was created by an act of the General Assembly of the colony of Virginia in 1731; it was organized 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 the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, and Loudoun; and the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park. These later became independent jurisdictions. The county was named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, the third son of King George II.
In 1790 the population of the county was 58% white; most of the remainder was black and enslaved. The county had been an area of tobacco plantations, where crops were being changed to mixed crops due to soil exhaustion and changes in the market. In the first two decades after the Revolution, the number and percentage of free blacks increased in Virginia as some whites freed their slaves, based on revolutionary ideals. Most free people of color in the state were descended from colonial unions between white women and African-American men, slave, indentured servant or free. Under colonial law since 1662, children took the status of their mother, so children born to white women were free, even if of mixed race.
The county was rural and agricultural for decades. The population into the early 20th century 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 was attracted to new housing that was developed near the existing population centers, particularly in Manassas.
In 1960 the population was 50,164, but suburbanization caused that to increase rapidly in the following decades, supported by expansion of federal, military and commercial activities in Northern Virginia in the late 20th century. By 2000, this was the third-most populous local jurisdiction in Virginia. From 2000 to 2010, the population increased by 43.2%. This was the first county in Virginia to be minority-majority: the new majority is composed of Hispanic (of any race, largely of Central and South American ancestry), African American, and Asian. In 2012 it was the seventh-wealthiest county in the country. The estimated population of 2014 is more than 437,000.
The Marine Corps Heritage Museum and the Hylton Performing Arts Center opened in the 21st century. The American Wartime Museum is also to be located in this county. During the commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, re-enactment of the famous First and Second Battles of Manassas was planned.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (900 km2), of which 336 square miles (870 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (3.5%) 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 jurisdictions
- 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
- Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge
- Manassas National Battlefield Park
- Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge
- Prince William Forest Park
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 11,615 | — | |
| 1800 | 12,733 | 9.6% | |
| 1810 | 11,311 | −11.2% | |
| 1820 | 9,419 | −16.7% | |
| 1830 | 9,330 | −0.9% | |
| 1840 | 8,144 | −12.7% | |
| 1850 | 8,129 | −0.2% | |
| 1860 | 8,565 | 5.4% | |
| 1870 | 7,504 | −12.4% | |
| 1880 | 9,180 | 22.3% | |
| 1890 | 9,805 | 6.8% | |
| 1900 | 11,112 | 13.3% | |
| 1910 | 12,026 | 8.2% | |
| 1920 | 13,660 | 13.6% | |
| 1930 | 13,951 | 2.1% | |
| 1940 | 17,738 | 27.1% | |
| 1950 | 22,612 | 27.5% | |
| 1960 | 50,164 | 121.8% | |
| 1970 | 111,102 | 121.5% | |
| 1980 | 144,636 | 30.2% | |
| 1990 | 215,686 | 49.1% | |
| 2000 | 280,813 | 30.2% | |
| 2010 | 402,002 | 43.2% | |
| 2020 | 482,204 | 20.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 195,656 | 185,048 | 48.67% | 38.38% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 78,492 | 94,939 | 19.53% | 19.69% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 984 | 745 | 0.24% | 0.15% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 29,986 | 49,836 | 7.46% | 10.34% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 414 | 507 | 0.10% | 0.11% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 1,227 | 3,384 | 0.31% | 0.70% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 13,783 | 26,221 | 3.43% | 5.44% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 81,460 | 121,524 | 20.26% | 25.20% |
| Total | 402,002 | 482,204 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
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 can be of any race.
2010 Census
As of the census of 2010, there were 402,002 people, 137,115 housing units, and 130,785 households residing in the county. The population density was 1,186 people per square mile (458/km2). There were 137,115 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile (156/km2). The racial makeup of the county (reporting as only one race) was:
- 57.8% White
- 20.2% Black or African American
- 0.6% Native American
- 7.5% Asian (1.5% Indian, 1.2% Filipino, 1.2% Korean, 0.8% Vietnamese 0.6% Chinese, 0.1% Japanese, 2.1% Other Asian)
- 0.1% Pacific Islander
- 9.1% from other races
- and 5.1% from two or more races
- 20.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race (6.8% Salvadoran, 3.7% Mexican, 1.8% Puerto Rican, 1.1% Guatemalan, 1.0% Peruvian, 0.9% Honduran, 0.7% Bolivian, 0.4% Colombian, 0.3% Nicaraguan, 0.3% Dominican)
Also according to census figures, there were 130,785 households in Prince William County as of April 1, 2010. According to the Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey, 76.1% of the county's households are occupied by families, (compared to 66.5% in the United States). This represents a decrease of 4.6 percentage points since 1990, when 80.7% of households in the county were families. Approximately 42.2% of Prince William County's households are family households occupied by parents with their own children under 18 years of age.
According to the Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey, 29.3% of the total County population is under 18 years of age; approximately 6.5% is aged 65 and over. The median age of the population is 33.2 years. The 2009 American Community Survey also indicated that 50.0% of the county's population is male and 50.0% is female.
According to the 2009 American Community Survey, the 2009 median household income in Prince William County was $89,785. The per capita income for the county was $35,890. The 2009 American Community Survey reported that in 2009, 6.0% of Prince William County's population was living below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
It is a majority-minority county, with "White, not Hispanic or Latino" at 44.8%, "Hispanic or Latino" at 22.3%, and "Black or African American" at 21.8% the chief groups.
Museums
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is located in Triangle, Virginia and is free to the public. The Historic Preservation Division of Prince William County also operates five museums: Rippon Lodge Historic Site, Brentsville Historic Centre, Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park, Lucasville Historic Site, and Ben Lomond Historic Site.
Libraries
The Prince William Public Library System is a regional public library system that serves Prince William County, the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park. The system consists of 6 full-service branches and 5 neighborhood branches that covers the entire Prince William area.
Parks
Two National Parks lie within the county. Prince William Forest Park was established as Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area in 1936 and is located in eastern Prince William County. This is the largest protected natural area in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region at over 15,000 acres (6,070 ha). Manassas National Battlefield Park, located north of Manassas in Prince William County, 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. Outside the South, these battles are commonly referred to as the first and second battles of Bull Run.
The Prince William County Department of Parks & Recreation operates fifty parks, two water parks, two recreation centers (Birchdale Rec. Center and Sharron Baucom Dale City Rec. Center), two community centers, six sports complexes, and an ice skating rink.
- Prince William Forest Park, the largest National Park Service property in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
- Leesylvania State Park, the ancestral home of the Lee family, with a range of recreational activities and views of the river
- Manassas National Battlefield Park, a Civil War battlefield
Transportation
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The county is traversed by many major highways and roads, including the following:
Interstate 66
Interstate 95
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 15
U.S. Route 29
State Route 28
State Route 123
State Route 234
Prince William Parkway
Manassas Regional Airport lies near its namesake city; for commercial passengers, both Dulles Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are located nearby.
Public busing in the county is provided by the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission. Services provided by PRTC include OmniRide, OmniLink, and OmniMatch.
The county is served by both Virginia Railway Express (VRE) lines. The Manassas line has the Manassas Park, Manassas, and Broad Run / Airport stations. The Fredericksburg line has the Woodbridge, Rippon, and Quantico stations. The Manassas, Quantico and Woodbridge stations are also served by Amtrak.
Communities
Towns
Census-designated places
- Buckhall
- Bull Run
- Bull Run Mountain Estates
- Cherry Hill
- County Center
- Dale City
- Gainesville
- Independent Hill
- Lake Ridge
- Linton Hall
- Loch Lomond
- Quantico Base
- Marumsco
- Montclair
- Neabsco
- Nokesville
- Potomac Mills
- Sudley
- Triangle
- Woodbridge
- Yorkshire
Other unincorporated communities
- Aden
- Antioch
- Bethel
- Brentsville
- Bristow
- Buckland
- Canova
- Catharpin
- Cornwell
- Featherstone
- Greenwich
- Hoadly
- Quantico Station
- Rixlew
- Southbridge
- Sudley Springs
- Thoroughfare
- Waterfall
- Wellington
- West Gate
Former communities
- Agnewville
- Batestown
- Groveton
- Hickory Grove
- Hickory Ridge
- Joplin
- Kopp
- Minnieville
- Pamacocack
- Woolsey
Independent cities
The independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park are surrounded by Prince William County. Before becoming independent cities in 1975, as are all cities in Virginia, both were towns and officially part of the county. The Prince William County Circuit, District, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts, Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney's Office, Prince William County Adult Detention Center, Prince William County Sheriff's Office, and other county agencies are located at Prince William County Courthouse complex. The courthouse complex itself is located in a Prince William County enclave surrounded by the city of Manassas.
Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park share a single judicial system (courts) and Constitutional offices (Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, Circuit Court Clerk).
Other important features
- Marine Corps Base Quantico, a large military installation
- Hylton Performing Arts Center
- Jiffy Lube Live, a large concert venue
- Potomac Mills, the 10th most popular tourist destination in Virginia and largest outlet mall in the region
- FBI Academy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's training and research facility.
Economy
Top employers
According to the county's 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prince William County Public Schools | 1,000 and over |
| 2 | U.S. Department of Defense | 1,000 and over |
| 3 | Prince William County Government | 1,000 and over |
| 4 | Walmart | 1,000 and over |
| 5 | Morale, Welfare and Recreation | 1,000 and over |
| 6 | Sentara Healthcare | 1,000 and over |
| 7 | Wegmans Food Markets | 500 to 999 |
| 8 | Minnieland Private Day School | 500 to 999 |
| 9 | Northern Virginia Community College | 500 to 999 |
| 10 | Target Corporation | 500 to 999 |
Sports
Northern Virginia FC is an American minor league soccer team, also located in Woodbridge, Virginia. NoVa FC has minor league affiliation with D.C. United, Washington, D.C. Major League Soccer franchise.
The historic Old Dominion Speedway was located in Manassas. Opened in 1948, it was the location of the first commercial drag race held on the East Coast, and was a stop on the NASCAR Grand National schedule in the late 50s and early 60s. Old Dominion Speedway closed in the Fall of 2012 because of noise complaints.
Education
Secondary
Prince William County Public Schools is the second largest school system in Virginia (having recently overtaken Virginia Beach City Public Schools). The system consists of 57 elementary, 16 middle, and 13 high schools, as well as a virtual high school, two traditional schools, three special education schools, and two alternative schools. The Superintendent of Prince William County Public Schools is Dr. LaTanya McDade. 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 Comcast and Verizon subscribers in Prince William County.
There is also a Department of Defense Education Activity high school, Quantico Middle High School.
Higher
- George Mason University
- National University
- Northern Virginia Community College
- Stratford University
- Strayer University
Notable person
- Austin Steward, abolitionist
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Prince William para niños
