Stafford, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stafford Courthouse
|
|
|---|---|
|
Census-designated place (CDP)
|
|
Aerial view of Stafford
|
|
Location in Stafford County and the state of Virginia.
|
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| County | Stafford |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.27 sq mi (11.07 km2) |
| Population
(2010)
|
|
| • Total | 128,984 |
| • Density | 30,178/sq mi (11,652/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
22554, 22556
|
| Area code(s) | 540, 703, 571 |
Stafford is a census-designated place (listed as Stafford Courthouse) in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population of Stafford County as of the 2010 United States Census was 128,984. It lies 10 miles (16 km) north of Fredericksburg, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of Washington, D.C., and about 60 miles (97 km) north of Richmond, the state capital. Marine Corps Base Quantico is located north of the community. Stafford Courthouse is located at the intersections of U.S. Route 1 and Courthouse Road.
History
English sea captain Samuel Argall abducted the Pamunkey princess Pocahontas near this area on April 13, 1613 while she was residing with her Patawomeck husband, Kocoum in an attempt to secure some English prisoners for release and ammunition held by her father. It occurred in the northeastern part of this county, from where the colonists took her to a secondary English settlement, known as Henricus (or Henrico Town). The vicar, Alexander Whitaker converted Pocahontas to Christianity during her captivity. He renamed her "Rebecca" at her baptism. Rebecca married English colonist John Rolfe on April 5, 1614 in Jamestown.
Accokeek Furnace Archeological Site, Public Quarry at Government Island, Redoubt No. 2, and Stafford Training School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Notable people
- Erin Cahill, actress
- Traci Hunter Abramson, novelist
- Pocahontas, Powhatan princess
- Palmer Hayden, American Painter
- George Washington, first president of the United States
- Gary Jennings Jr., NFL Wide Receiver
