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Shenandoah County, Virginia facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Shenandoah, Virginia.
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Shenandoah County
U.S. county
Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock
Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock
Flag of Shenandoah County
Flag
 Official logo of Shenandoah County
Logo
Map of Virginia highlighting Shenandoah 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 1772
Named for Shenandoah River
Seat Woodstock
Largest town Strasburg
Area
 • Total 512 sq mi (1,330 km2)
 • Land 509 sq mi (1,320 km2)
 • Water 3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  0.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 44,186
 • Density 86.30/sq mi (33.32/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 6th

Shenandoah County is a county in the state of Virginia. It was once called Dunmore County. In 2020, about 44,186 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Woodstock. Shenandoah County is part of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia.

History of Shenandoah County

George Washington gave the name Shenandoah to the river, valley, and county. He did this to honor John Skenandoa. Skenandoa was a Christian chief from the Oneida people. He helped the Americans during the American Revolutionary War. His people, the Oneida and Tuscarora warriors, supported the Americans. They even helped the soldiers survive the harsh winter at Valley Forge.

In 1744, Colonial Governor Gooch bought the entire Shenandoah Valley. He bought it from the Six Nations of the Iroquois. The Iroquois used the valley for hunting. But European settlers had already started to move in. During Pontiac's War (1763–1766), the Shawnee people tried to push Europeans away. Their efforts reached as far east as the current county.

Shenandoah County was first created in 1772. It was named 'Dunmore County' after John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore. He was Virginia's last royal governor. Woodstock was chosen as the county seat. Governor Dunmore was forced out of office during the American Revolution. Because of this, the county's name was changed to 'Shenandoah' in 1778.

George Washington was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. He represented Frederick County from 1758 to 1765. This area included Woodstock until 1772. The new village of Woodstock was officially started in 1761. Washington supported the law that created it. He also named the town Woodstock at that time.

The town of Woodstock's website says it was started in March 1761. It was part of Frederick County back then. The town began with a land grant from Lord Fairfax. It was first named Muellerstadt (Miller Town) in 1752 by its founder, Jacob Miller. It was renamed Woodstock when George Washington helped get its charter approved. Woodstock has been the county seat of Shenandoah County since 1772.

During the American Civil War, a big battle happened here. The Battle of New Market took place in the county on May 15, 1864.

Geography and Nature

Shenandoah County covers about 512 square miles. Most of this is land (509 square miles). Only a small part (3.4 square miles) is water. Fort Valley is located here. Also, the western side of the Massanutten Mountain is within the county.

Neighboring Counties

Protected Natural Areas

Getting Around: Transportation

The Shenandoah Valley Commuter Bus Service helps people travel. It offers bus service on weekdays. You can go from the Northern Shenandoah Valley, including Shenandoah County, to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.. This includes places like Arlington County and Fairfax County. Buses start in Woodstock in Shenandoah County. They also start in Front Royal and Linden in Warren County.

2019-07-09 09 19 32 View south along Interstate 81 from the overpass for Virginia State Route 767 (Quicksburg Road) in Quicksburg, Shenandoah County, Virginia
I-81 going south in Shenandoah County

Main Roads

  • I-81
  • US 11
  • US 48
  • US 211
  • SR 42
  • SR 55
  • SR 211
  • SR 263

Population Information

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 10,510 —
1800 13,823 31.5%
1810 13,646 −1.3%
1820 18,926 38.7%
1830 19,750 4.4%
1840 11,618 −41.2%
1850 13,768 18.5%
1860 13,896 0.9%
1870 14,936 7.5%
1880 18,204 21.9%
1890 19,671 8.1%
1900 20,253 3.0%
1910 20,942 3.4%
1920 20,808 −0.6%
1930 20,655 −0.7%
1940 20,898 1.2%
1950 21,169 1.3%
1960 21,825 3.1%
1970 22,852 4.7%
1980 27,559 20.6%
1990 31,636 14.8%
2000 35,075 10.9%
2010 41,993 19.7%
2020 44,186 5.2%
US Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 Population Details

Shenandoah County, Virginia - Population Overview
Group Number in 2010 Number in 2020 Percent in 2010 Percent in 2020
White (not Hispanic) 37,886 37,304 90.22% 84.42%
Black or African American (not Hispanic) 699 1,031 1.66% 2.33%
Native American or Alaska Native (not Hispanic) 71 84 0.17% 0.19%
Asian (not Hispanic) 210 344 0.50% 0.78%
Pacific Islander (not Hispanic) 6 8 0.01% 0.02%
Other Race (not Hispanic) 28 149 0.07% 0.34%
Mixed Race (not Hispanic) 516 1,540 1.23% 3.49%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2,577 3,726 6.14% 8.43%
Total Population 41,993 44,186 100.00% 100.00%

Note: The US Census counts Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic group. This means people of Hispanic/Latino background can be of any race.

Education in the County

Private Schools

High Schools

Elementary Schools

  • Shenandoah Valley Adventist Elementary School
  • Valley Baptist Christian School

Public Schools

High Schools

Elementary and Middle Schools

  • W.W. Robinson Elementary School (Woodstock)
  • Peter Muhlenberg Middle School (Woodstock)
  • Ashby-Lee Elementary School (Quicksburg)
  • North Fork Middle School (Quicksburg)
  • Sandy Hook Elementary School (Strasburg)
  • Signal Knob Middle School (Strasburg)

Other Schools

  • Triplett Tech (Mount Jackson)
  • Massanutten Regional Governor's School (for high school students, in Mount Jackson)

Communities in Shenandoah County

Towns

Census-Designated Places

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

Other Small Communities

Law Enforcement

Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office
Abbreviation SCSO
Agency overview
Formed May 26, 1772
Employees 100+
Jurisdictional structure
Constituting instrument
  • Yes
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Woodstock, Virginia
Agency executive
Website
Official Website: http://www.shencosheriff.com/

The Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) is the main police agency in the county. It started on May 26, 1772. Back then, the main job of the High Sheriff was to collect taxes.

The SCSO was recognized for its professional standards from 2006 to 2022.

Politics and Voting

Shenandoah County is known for usually voting for the Republican Party. This trend started even before other parts of western Virginia began to move away from the Democratic Party. The county first voted for a Republican president in 1896. Since 1936, it has voted Republican in every presidential election. It has voted Republican in all but one election since 1920.

Before 1900, the county was mostly Democratic. But it started voting Republican in state elections around the early 1900s. By the 1920s, it became strongly Republican at the state level. This was partly because many rural voters were German American Republicans. This was a stronger group than the conservative Southern Democrats in towns like New Market, Woodstock, and Strasburg.

In 1856, Shenandoah was the only county in Virginia to vote for John C. Frémont. He was the candidate for the new Republican Party.

United States presidential election results for Shenandoah County, Virginia
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 17,215 70.30% 6,914 28.23% 360 1.47%
2020 16,463 69.51% 6,836 28.86% 385 1.63%
2016 14,094 68.72% 5,273 25.71% 1,141 5.56%
2012 12,538 64.72% 6,469 33.39% 366 1.89%
2008 12,005 62.45% 6,912 35.96% 306 1.59%
2004 11,820 68.94% 5,186 30.25% 140 0.82%
2000 9,636 66.68% 4,420 30.58% 396 2.74%
1996 7,440 56.02% 4,224 31.81% 1,616 12.17%
1992 7,746 55.74% 3,956 28.47% 2,194 15.79%
1988 8,612 71.74% 3,276 27.29% 116 0.97%
1984 9,048 76.03% 2,771 23.29% 81 0.68%
1980 7,517 67.10% 3,137 28.00% 549 4.90%
1976 6,296 64.05% 3,364 34.22% 170 1.73%
1972 7,128 82.46% 1,422 16.45% 94 1.09%
1968 5,461 62.91% 1,654 19.05% 1,566 18.04%
1964 3,981 55.54% 3,184 44.42% 3 0.04%
1960 4,144 66.85% 2,053 33.12% 2 0.03%
1956 4,164 69.18% 1,769 29.39% 86 1.43%
1952 4,284 71.12% 1,734 28.78% 6 0.10%
1948 3,349 64.65% 1,603 30.95% 228 4.40%
1944 3,517 64.12% 1,962 35.77% 6 0.11%
1940 3,527 58.87% 2,450 40.89% 14 0.23%
1936 3,152 52.29% 2,861 47.46% 15 0.25%
1932 2,514 48.19% 2,635 50.51% 68 1.30%
1928 3,420 68.28% 1,589 31.72% 0 0.00%
1924 2,214 48.80% 2,186 48.18% 137 3.02%
1920 2,683 56.05% 2,077 43.39% 27 0.56%
1916 1,425 48.70% 1,440 49.21% 61 2.08%
1912 706 27.61% 1,336 52.25% 515 20.14%
1908 1,449 52.31% 1,294 46.71% 27 0.97%
1904 1,189 51.32% 1,098 47.39% 30 1.29%
1900 1,862 48.09% 1,965 50.75% 45 1.16%
1896 2,102 49.44% 2,052 48.26% 98 2.30%
1892 1,705 40.26% 2,315 54.66% 215 5.08%
1888 2,063 48.44% 2,164 50.81% 32 0.75%
1884 1,872 48.65% 1,976 51.35% 0 0.00%
1880 350 11.23% 2,768 88.77% 0 0.00%


More to Explore

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Shenandoah para niños

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