Chesterfield County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located just south of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
in the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. The county's borders are primarily defined by the
James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
to the north and the
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia, named for the ...
to the south. Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Chesterfield Court House.
Chesterfield County was formed in 1749 from parts of
Henrico County
Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico Coun ...
. It was named for
Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (22 September 169424 March 1773) was a British statesman, diplomat, man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time.
Early life
He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Chesterfie ...
, a prominent English statesman who had been the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...
.
As of the
2020 census, the population was 364,548 making it the fourth-most populous county in Virginia (behind
Fairfax,
Prince William
William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.
William was born during the reign of his p ...
, and
Loudoun
Loudoun () is a parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland and lies between five and ten miles east of Kilmarnock. The parish roughly encompasses the northern half of the Upper-Irvine Valley and borders Galston parish, Galston Parish (which encompasses ...
, respectively). Chesterfield County is part of the
Greater Richmond Region
The Greater Richmond Region, also known as the Richmond metropolitan area or Central Virginia, is a region and metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Virginia, centered on Richmond. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines the are ...
, and the county refers to much of the northern portion as "
North Chesterfield".
History
Part of Henrico Citie, Henrico Shire, Henrico County
During the early 17th century, shortly after the settlement of
Jamestown in 1607, English settlers and explorers began settling other areas. One of the more progressive developments in the colony was
Henricus
The "Citie of Henricus"—also known as Henricopolis, Henrico Town or Henrico—was a settlement in Virginia founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy and dangerous area around the original English settlement at James ...
, founded under the guidance of
Sir Thomas Dale. It was to include a college to help educate
Virginia Indians, as well as the children of settlers.
Dale was accompanied by men known as the "Hammours". These veterans of the
Low Country wars were heavily armed and better trained than settlers of Jamestown.
Dale wrote about the site: "Eighty miles up our river from Jamestown, I have surveyed a convenient, strong, healthie and sweete site to plant a new towne (according as I had instructions upon my departure) there to build whence might be removed the principal site."
Today known as Farrars Island, the site was on a neck of land with and a shoreline of on the James River. The English settlers soon built a
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymo ...
and moat-like ditch to protect entrance to the wide neck from the shore area.
Dale named the new settlement Henricus in honor of
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, (19 February 1594 – 6 November 1612), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King James VI and I and Anne of Denmark, Queen Anne. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; and Fr ...
, the elder son and heir apparent of King
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
* James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
* James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
* James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334� ...
. When finished in 1619, "Henricus Citie" contained three streets of well-framed houses, a church, storehouses, a hospital, and watchtowers. 1619 was a watershed year for the
Virginia Colony
The Colony of Virginia was a British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776.
The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colony lasted for t ...
. Henrico and three other large citties (sic) were formed, one of which included what is now Chesterfield County. That year
Falling Creek Ironworks
Falling Creek Ironworks was the first iron production facility in North America. It was established by the Virginia Company of London in Henrico City (Virginia Company), Henrico Cittie (sic) on Falling Creek (James River tributary), Falling Cre ...
, the first in what is now the United States, was established slightly west on the creek near its
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
with the
James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
. In the
Indian massacre of 1622
The Indian massacre of 1622 took place in the English Colony of Virginia on March 22, 1621/22 ( O.S./N.S.). The English explorer John Smith, though he was not an eyewitness, wrote in his ''History of Virginia'' that warriors of the Powhatan "cam ...
, Native Americans destroyed Henrico City and the ironworks to try to drive away the English. These were not rebuilt. The colony did not gain a college until 1693, when the
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...
was awarded a
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
in the capital.
In 1634, the
King of England
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...
directed the formation of eight
shire
Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...
s (or
counties
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
) in the colony of Virginia. One of these was
Henrico County
Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico Coun ...
, which incorporated a large area on both sides of the James River.
Chesterfield County formed
On May 25, 1749, the
Virginia House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...
separated Chesterfield from Henrico County and created the new county. The first county seat was established at
Chesterfield Court House. It has continued as county seat except for 1870–1876, during
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
, when the county government was located at
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. The latter community has been subsumed by South Richmond.
The legislature named the county for the former British
Secretary of State,
Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (22 September 169424 March 1773) was a British statesman, diplomat, man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time.
Early life
He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Chesterfie ...
. Lord Chesterfield was famous for his "good manners and writings". One of his most frequently used sayings implies avoiding rudeness; "An injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult." Many years later, Chesterfield Cigarettes were named after this county.
In 1939 during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, the
Virginia State Police
The Virginia State Police, officially the Virginia Department of State Police, conceived in 1919 and established in 1932, is the state police force for the U.S. state of Virginia. The agency originated out of the Virginia Department of Motor Ve ...
moved their offices from downtown
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
to a seven-room farmhouse located on of land 3½ miles west on route 60. This structure served as administrative headquarters and barracks. The State Police have since built a new administrative headquarters and an academy here.
Early ports, coal, roads, turnpikes and railroads
Prior to the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, a thriving port town named
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
was located at the northwestern confluence of Falling Creek and the James River. It was destroyed during that war, and not rebuilt. (Near the present-day
DuPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
facility at
Ampthill
Ampthill () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It lies between Bedford, Bedfordshire, Bedford and Luton. At the 2021 census it had a population of 8,825.
Histor ...
, the site is not open to the public.) Another early port town was
Port Walthall on the north shore of the
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia, named for the ...
, near the current Point-of-Rocks Park.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
mining in the
Midlothian
Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
area of Chesterfield County began in the 18th century. Around 1701, French
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
settlers to the area discovered coal. In a 1709 diary entry
William Byrd II
William Byrd II (March 28, 1674August 26, 1744) was an American planter, lawyer, surveyor and writer. Born in the English colony of Virginia, Byrd was educated in London, where he practiced law. Upon his father's death, Byrd returned to Virginia ...
, the wealthy planter who had purchased of land in the area, noted that "the coaler found the coal mine very good and sufficient to furnish several generations". Commercially mined beginning in the 1730s, the coal fueled the production of cannon at
Westham
Westham is a large village and civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is adjacent to Pevensey five miles (8 km) north-east of Eastbourne. The parish consists of three settlements: Westham ...
(near the present
Huguenot Memorial Bridge) during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. In 1831, the
Chesterfield Railroad was constructed to transport coal by gravity and mule power to
Manchester, Virginia on the south side of the
James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
across from
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
.
From the 1740s through the 1800s rivers above the
Fall Line
A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is noticeable especially the place rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the ...
were used for transportation to the West with
James River bateau, which could carry about a ton, and boats several times larger from
Eppington.
The
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia, named for the ...
on the Southern border was the lower end of the
Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System connecting to
Farmville, Virginia
Farmville is a town in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Prince Edward and Cumberland County, Virginia, Cumberland counties in the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County, Virginia, Prince Edward County. ...
.
The
James River and Kanawha Canal
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a partially built canal in Virginia intended to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast. Ultimately its towpath became the roadbed for ...
on the northern border of Chesterfield connected past the
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
.
Port Walthall connected ships that carried more than 200 tonnes to the East with Ports on the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. A canal was built in the Manchester section of Chesterfield to enable transporting coal around the James River falls. Portions are extant and may be seen near the south end of Richmond's
Mayo Bridge.
The
Manchester Turnpike in Chesterfield County, completed in 1807, was the first graveled roadway of any length in Virginia. The
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...
ran between the
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
mining area of Midlothian near the headwaters of
Falling Creek and the James River port of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. The current
Midlothian Turnpike (
U.S. Route 60) generally follows the earlier route.
Created in 1816, the
Virginia Board of Public Works
The Virginia Board of Public Works was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's transportation-related internal improvements during the 19th century. In that era, it was customary to invest public funds ...
was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's internal transportation improvements, including canals, during the 19th century. In that era, it was customary to invest public funds in private companies, which were the forerunners of the
public service and utility companies of modern times.
Claudius Crozet (1789–1864), a
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...
and
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
who helped found the
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...
(VMI), was Principal Engineer and later Chief Engineer for the Board of Public Works. He supervised the planning and construction of many of the
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
s,
turnpikes,
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
s and
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
s in Virginia, including the area which is now
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
.
The Board partially engineered and funded new turnpikes, which were operated by private companies to collect
tolls. The Manchester and Petersburg Turnpike, which preceded much of the current
Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Routes 1–301), was one of these.
To improve access to markets, in 1825, a group of mine owners, including
Nicholas Mills, Beverley Randolph and Abraham S. Wooldridge, resolved to build a
tramway. (The Wooldridge brothers hailed from
East Lothian
East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In ...
and
West Lothian
West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...
in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, and named their mining company Mid-Lothian, the source of the modern community name). In 1831, the
Chesterfield Railroad opened as the first
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
in Virginia; it carried coal from mines near Falling Creek to the docks at the fall line on the James River. By the early 1850s, railroad lines connecting these areas included the
Richmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) Company was a railroad that operated independently from 1847 until 1894, first in the U.S. state of Virginia, and later on of track in nine states.
Chartered on March 9, 1847, the railroad completed its ...
(R&D) (which put the Chesterfield Railroad out of business) and the
Richmond and Petersburg Railroad
The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad moved passengers and goods between Richmond and Petersburg from 1838 to 1898. It survived the American Civil War and eventually merged into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1900.
History
The Richmond and P ...
. They were both completed before the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, in which they provided important transportation for Southern supplies and men.
The
Clover Hill Railroad was built to haul coal, mined in Chesterfield at the
Clover Hill Pits to ports at Osborne's Landing. This railroad was replaced by the
Brighthope Railway, which was, in 1881, narrowed into a
narrow gauge railroad
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curv ...
and rerouted to the tiny village of
Bermuda Hundred
Bermuda Hundred was the first Hundred (county division), administrative division in the English overseas possessions, English colony of Virginia Colony, Virginia. It was founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1613, six years after Jamestown, Virginia, ...
, a port on the James River near the mouth of the
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia, named for the ...
. The Brighthope Railway was sold in foreclosure and restructured as the
Farmville and Powhatan Railroad
In 1886, Randolph Harrison, of the Virginia department of Agriculture, cited Cumberland Mining Company, stating that businessmen would soon open a hotel at Lithia Springs, Farmville, VA for people seeking the healing waters. The Brighthope railway ...
, later renamed the
Tidewater and Western Railroad, extended to
Farmville
''FarmVille'' is a series of agriculture-simulation social network games developed and published by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to '' Happy Farm'' and ''Farm Town''. Its gameplay involves various aspects of farmland management, such as plo ...
in
Prince Edward County.
Although long gone, portions of the old rail bed may be seen along Beach Road near the entrance to
Pocahontas State Park. A
water stop
A water stop or water station on a railroad is a place where steam trains stop to replenish water. The stopping of the train itself is also referred to as a "water stop". The term originates from the times of steam engines when large amounts ...
station in the Park remains and
Beach Station remains as a national historic landmark.
American Civil War
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
(1861–1865),
Drewry's Bluff became a key defensive point for
Confederate
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
forces to block the
Union's vastly superior Navy from taking Richmond by way of the James River. During the
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...
(1864–65), a long defensive works through the county was part of the Confederacy's
Richmond-Petersburg line of land defenses. Railroad lines passing through Petersburg finally proved the key to the fall of Richmond in 1865, effectively ending the War.
Reconstruction
A
normal school founded by the state after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
primarily to help educate
freed men eventually became
Virginia State University
Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...
, located in the
Ettrick area near
Petersburg and
Colonial Heights. The U.S. Government rebuilt damaged railroads.
After
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
, Chesterfield County used
Convict lease
Convict leasing was a system of forced penal labor in the United States, penal labor that was practiced historically in the Southern United States before it was formally Convict leasing#End of the system, abolished during the 20th century. Un ...
to build roads in 1878.
The Richmond and Danville Railroad became part of the
Southern Railway in 1894. It is now part of
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
. The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad became part of the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...
. In 1900, a mostly parallel line was built by the
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...
, with a branch line to
Hopewell. Through the restructuring of the railroad industry beginning in 1960, the
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...
system eventually absorbed parts of both these lines.
Former areas lost to new independent cities
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
(directly across the James River from the
City of Richmond
The City of Richmond was a local government area about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1855 until 1994.
History
Richmond was incorporated as a municipality on 24 A ...
) was the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Chesterfield County from 1870 until 1876, when it was moved to the present location at Chesterfield Court House. The City of Manchester had meanwhile left Chesterfield in 1874 to become an
independent city
An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province).
Historical precursors
In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...
and merged with the City of Richmond by mutual agreement in 1910. It is now known as a part of South Richmond.
Colonial Heights was formerly an
incorporated town
An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation.
Canada
Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.
United States
An incorporated town o ...
in Chesterfield County and became an
independent city
An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province).
Historical precursors
In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...
in 1948. Over half a century later, the two neighbors continued to share provision of some governmental services.
Annexation issues
Chesterfield County shares borders with three independent cities and was long exposed to annexation suits from any of them under Virginia law. The county lost territory to the City of Richmond through several annexations in the 20th century, including one in 1944. The city tried to annex more of the county in 1970, an action that created controversy.
While the annexation lawsuit filed by Richmond in 1965 was being heard, with the city seeking of the county, the leaders of the two jurisdictions, Irvin G. Horner, Chairman of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, and Phil J. Bagley, Jr., the Mayor of Richmond, met privately and agreed to a compromise. In May 1969, the city and Chesterfield County approved what was called the Horner-Bagley Compromise, incorporated in a court decree of July 12, 1969. This effectively shut out a number of third parties attempting to block the annexation, and they believed they had been excluded from the process. A small commuter bus company held operating rights in the county, but the expanded city granted the franchise to a competitor.
Richmond annexed of the county, including fire stations, parks, and other infrastructure, such as water and sewer lines. Under the agreement, the county school system also conveyed about a dozen
public schools, support buildings, and future school sites to the City of Richmond to be operated by
Richmond Public Schools. Residents of the annexed area were unhappy about this change, as Richmond Public Schools was already involved in a contentious racial
desegregation
Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws ...
lawsuit in the Federal courts because of its failure to integrate. The transferred schools included
Huguenot High School, Fred D. Thompson Middle School, Elkhardt Middle School, and eight elementary schools. In 1971, the federal court ordered these schools included in a citywide
desegregation busing
Desegregation busing (also known as integrated busing, forced busing, or simply busing) was an attempt to diversify the racial make-up of schools in the United States by transporting students to more distant schools with less diverse student pop ...
program. This ended in the 1990s.
Many of the 47,000 residents who lived in the annexed area had been opposed to the action. They fought unsuccessfully for more than 7 years in the courts to have the agreement reversed. Some called the annexed area "Occupied Chesterfield."
Many black residents of Richmond also opposed the annexation, claiming that it violated the
National Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of Federal government of the United States, federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President of the United States, P ...
. They said the city had deliberately diminished their voting power by adding the white voters of the annexed area, which diluted the black vote within the city. In 1970 the pre-annexation population of the city was 202,359, of which 104,207 or 52% were black citizens. The annexation added 47,262 people, of whom 45,705 were non-black and 1,557 were black. The total post-annexation population was 249,621 and 42% black.
The plaintiffs prevailed in federal court. The city created an electoral ward system to ensure blacks did not lose their voting power, changing what had been a system of electing all city council positions at large (by which the majority population would more easily prevail). Under the ward system, four wards had a predominantly white population, four wards had a predominantly black population, and one ward had a population that was 59% white and 41% black.
Soon after the ward system was established, the city elected its first black mayor.
Revisions in state annexation laws
Many political leaders have long believed that Virginia's annexation laws have created a barrier to regional cooperation among localities. The issues resulting from the 1970 Richmond-Chesterfield case were considered prime examples of obstacles to regional cooperation as the state legislators considered changes. In 1979, the
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...
adopted legislation that allowed any county meeting certain population and density standards to petition the local circuit court to declare the county permanently immune from annexation. In 1981, Chesterfield County and several other counties in the state sought and received such immunity from further annexation by Richmond.
Recognizing the controversy surrounding annexations in Virginia, in 1987, the General Assembly placed a moratorium on future annexations of any county by any city. When this moratorium expires, Chesterfield County remains immune from annexation by Richmond because of the 1981 state grant of immunity. Unless new revenue sharing or other agreements are reached, the county is at risk to annexation suits by any of the smaller independent cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg which adjoin it.
Highways, transportation, tolls
Beginning especially in the second half of the 20th century, Chesterfield grew exponentially, most of all as a
commuter town
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
of Richmond. The Richmond-Petersburg
Interurban Electric Railway, local
streetcar
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...
service, and commuter rail service of the Southern Railway to
Bon Air had all ended by 1957.
Although some bus routes extended into the county from both cities, the county did not fund
transit bus
A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-floo ...
service when the large systems in Richmond and Petersburg converted to governmentally subsidized operations in the 1970s. Privately owned suburban bus services, such as that operated by Virginia Overland Transportation could not operate profitably, even when funded with start-up money through state demonstration program grants. County leaders believed the Chesterfield residents were committed to individual auto use for most local, commuter, and through transportation of people. With the increases in population, traffic, and poor air quality, some residents have asked the county to fund commuter bus services. Further complicating the issue is the general lack of sidewalks along most roads, adding to residents' dependence on motor vehicles.
Although the
Virginia Department of Transportation
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the agency of the U.S. state, state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. VDOT is headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Buildin ...
(VDOT) built interstate, primary and secondary highways throughout the 20th century, they quickly filled with traffic as the population and use of autos increased. Customary funding sources were insufficient to raise the monies needed for highway construction. Opened in 1958 and funded through
toll revenue bonds, the
Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike was a toll
highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...
which paralleled
U.S. 1 and
U.S. Route 301 between the northern edge of Richmond and the southern limits of Petersburg. Its portion through Chesterfield County was the longest section of its mileage. Conceived prior to the creation of the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
, the roadway was made toll-free in 1992. The former Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike forms a vital portion of
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
in central Virginia, including the northernmost portion of
Interstate 85 near Petersburg.
The Powhite Parkway Extension of the
Powhite Parkway in
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
(a
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...
operated by the
Richmond Metropolitan Authority) was built and opened in 1988. The extension in Chesterfield County is operated by and the tolls are collected by VDOT. (The entire route in Richmond and Chesterfield is signed as Virginia State Route 76). The county extension begins at the exit for
State Route 150 (Chippenham Parkway) and includes major exits for
U.S. Route 60 west of Richmond, and
State Route 288 in the
Midlothian
Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
area. The southern terminus of State Route 76 is near the
Brandermill development. Today the Powhite Parkway features a new highspeed toll system that allows smart-tag and e-z pass holders to travel through at speeds of 45–50 mph.
The Pocahontas Parkway, an toll road known as
State Route 895, connects the junction of
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
and
State Route 150 in Chesterfield County with
Interstate 295 near
Richmond International Airport
Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community (in Henrico County). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Richmond, the capital of the ...
in
Henrico County
Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico Coun ...
, forming part of a southeastern bypass of Richmond. The roadway features the high-level
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge over the shipping channel of the James River downstream from the deep-water Port of Richmond, to allow ample clearance for ocean-going vessels.
Although Route 895 had been planned for many years, sufficient state and federal construction funds were not available at the time of construction, but the state encouraged innovative funding. In 1995, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Public-Private Transportation Act, to allow private entities to propose solutions for designing, constructing, financing and operating transportation improvements. A public-private partnership developed a proposal acceptable to the state. Since construction, the partnership has collected tolls to recover costs. The toll collection facility features one of the Richmond area's high-speed open lanes, enabling vehicles to travel through at highway speeds with a
Smart Tag or other compatible
electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection (ETC) is a wireless system to automatically collect the usage fee or Road pricing, toll charged to vehicles using toll roads, HOV lanes, toll bridges, and toll tunnels. It is a faster alternative which is replacing Tol ...
transponder.
The large, planned community of
Brandermill, which includes a conference center, was named in 1977 the "best planned community in America" by
Better Homes and Gardens magazine and the
National Association of Homebuilders.
The
Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC), metro Richmond's bus transit organization, unveiled the Route 111 bus line in March 2020. The route runs 7.6 miles, from north of the Chippenham Parkway interchange to
Brightpoint Community College in Chester.
The
Virginia Department of Transportation
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the agency of the U.S. state, state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. VDOT is headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Buildin ...
(VDOT) is planning two superstreets in Chesterfield County to address left turns at high traffic volume intersections. Anticipated completion is in 2022.
Planning
The Chesterfield County Planning Department oversees the parameters and scope of several economic development projects submitted in the county, including the development and implementation of the county's Master Plan that guides growth and commerce. The Planning Department introduced an online system in April 2020 to allow the submission and review of development plans via email.
The county launched the new Community Facilities and Infrastructure tool in June 2020, which allows the tracking of information related to the county's capital improvement plan including data regarding school enrollment.
Economy
The Chesterfield Economic Development Authority (CEDA), a seven-member board appointed by the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, works in conjunction with the Department of Economic Development to create new jobs, expand the tax base and diversify the economy of Chesterfield County. CEDA is chartered through a state law that allows cities and counties to create industrial or economic development authorities with wide-ranging powers not available to local governments in order to facilitate economic development opportunities within the community. CEDA has the power to buy, sell and develop land for business parks or other economic development purposes. It can also build facilities for sale or lease to private companies; issue taxable and tax-exempt Industrial Revenue Bonds to provide financing for facilities and machinery and provide incentives to attract new companies to Chesterfield County or to induce existing companies to expand.
In 2024,
Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is an American fusion power company founded in 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after a spin-out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Its stated goal is to build a small fusion power plant ba ...
, a
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
-based
nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction, reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nuclei, nuclei/neutrons, neutron by-products. The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the rele ...
startup, announced plans to build the world’s first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant at the James River Industrial Center in the county.
Top 25 Private Employers
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.1%) is water.
Chesterfield County is largely bordered by two rivers which define miles of its boundaries. The major adjoining cities each originated at the head of navigation of these rivers, called the
fall line
A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is noticeable especially the place rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the ...
. There, the hillier and rockier Piedmont region falls to the sandy and mostly flat eastern
coastal plain
A coastal plain (also coastal plains, coastal lowland, coastal lowlands) is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and an upland area.
Formation
Coastal plains can f ...
Tidewater region, a change which creates barriers for ships going upstream on the rivers. Chesterfield County includes areas of both regions.
Richmond and Manchester were formed at the
fall line
A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is noticeable especially the place rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the ...
of the James River. Most of the northern portion of Chesterfield County is part of what is called Richmond's
"South Side". As the James River flows east to Richmond and then turns almost due south below the fall line for about before turning east, Henrico County encompasses much of Richmond's
West End,
North Side, and
East End areas.
Chesterfield County borders on the
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia, named for the ...
to the south. Much of the southern and eastern portions of the county are considered part of the
Tri-Cities area, which includes Petersburg, located at the fall line.
Adjacent counties
National protected areas
*
Presquile National Wildlife Refuge
*
Richmond National Battlefield Park
The Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates 13 American Civil War sites around Richmond, Virginia, which served as the capital of the Confederate States of America for most of the war. The park connects certain features within the city wi ...
(part)
Major highways
Government
Board of Supervisors
*Bermuda District: Jim Ingle (R)
*Clover Hill District: Jessica Schneider (D)
*Dale District: James Holland (D)
*Matoaca District: Kevin P. Carroll (R)
*Midlothian District: Mark Miller (D)
Constitutional officers
*Clerk of the Circuit Court: Amanda L. Pohl (D)
*Commissioner of the Revenue: Jenefer Hughes (D)
*Commonwealth's Attorney: Erin Barr (I)
*Sheriff: Karl S. Leonard (R)
*Treasurer: Rebecca Longnaker (R)
Law enforcement

The county-level law enforcement services are Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) and Chesterfield County Police Department (CCPD). the sheriff is Karl S. Leonard and the Chief of Police is Jeffrey S. Katz. The CCSO has had 60 sheriffs since its formation in 1749, while the CCPD was founded in 1914 and has had eight chiefs. The CCSO and the CCPD are accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission.
In 1841 the original jail, which was commissioned in 1749, was destroyed in a fire. This resulted in a new jail, which was used until the 1940s when it was converted into an emergency communications (dispatch) office. From the 1940s to 1960 CCSO inmates were housed in other jails until a new, modern facility was built. In the 1970s an addition was built onto the jail. In 1994, a new building was constructed to hold those charged with misdemeanors. Those facing and/or convicted of felonies were still housed in the old 1960 building, which was torn down in 2002. A new building, along with the 1994 section, now constitute the men's jail. There is no longer a Chesterfield jail for female inmates. They all are held at Riverside Regional Jail. In 1917 the original courthouse was demolished to make room for the new one. The 1917 courthouse is now on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. It closed in 1989, when the current courthouse opened at the intersection of Courthouse and Iron Bridge roads.
In 2018, CCSO implemented a voluntary addiction recovery program in the county jail which utilizes peer-to-peer recovery support and professional counselors working to treat underlying conditions. The program is called the HARP program, an acronym for Helping Addicts Recover Permanently. Participants of the program are allowed to return to the jail and participate in group meetings after they have been discharged. The program also includes a recovery support network in the community.
In 2014, CCSO became the first county in Virginia to publicly state that it would not honor
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...
detainer requests unless accompanied by a warrant.
A CCSO deputy was one of 6 law enforcement officers in Virginia found to be a member of the
Oath Keepers
Oath Keepers is an American far-right anti-government militia whose leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the government of the United States, including the transfer of presidential power as prescribed by the United States co ...
organization when a list was leaked in 2022.
Government Complex

The Chesterfield County Government Complex is the headquarters for the Chesterfield Count local government. It is the meeting place of the
Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors. It also houses the offices of the Chesterfield County's bureaucratic agencies. The complex is bound by the historic
Chesterfield County Courthouse and Courthouse Square. Major facilities on the complex include the county's
Police Department
The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citize ...
headquarters and central police station, offices for the county's fire and EMS services, and social services.
State and federal
Chesterfield County is represented by Republican
Glen Sturtevant and Democrats
Lashrecse Aird and
Ghazala F. Hashmi in the
Virginia Senate
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...
, Republicans
Roxann L. Robinson,
Carrie Coyner,
R. Lee Ware, Jr.,
Kim Taylor and
Mike Cherry and Democrats
Dawn M. Adams,
Betsy B. Carr, and
Delores L. McQuinn in the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
, and Democrat
Jennifer McClellan and Republican
Rob Wittman
Robert Joseph Wittman (born February 3, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2007. The district contains portions of the Richmond suburbs and Hampton Roads area, as well as the Northern Neck and Middle ...
in the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
.
Like most of Richmond's suburbs, Chesterfield County historically tilted conservative. After voting for
Democratic incumbent
Harry Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
over the
Republican nominee
Thomas E. Dewey
Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in 1944 and ...
in
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
, it voted for GOP candidates in every election through
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
. It was one of the first areas of Virginia where the old-line
Byrd Democrats began splitting their tickets at the national level. However, conservative Democrats continued to hold most local offices, as well as most of its seats in the state legislature, well into the 1980s.
From
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
onward, however, the county began to be competitive; after 14 consecutive elections (including
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
and
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
) in which Chesterfield had delivered double-digit margins to Republicans,
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
won it in 2008 by just 7.4%, a margin which
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
expanded in
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
only marginally to 7.8%. In 2016,
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
became the first Republican in the county's post-1948 run of voting Republican to carry the county with only a plurality, as he received just 48.2% of the vote. In
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
became the first Democrat in 72 years to carry the county, winning it by 6.6% (and with an absolute majority of the vote) over Trump. In
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
, Democrats carried the county once again, with
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
receiving 53.6% of the county's vote, a greater share of the vote compared to Biden and making Chesterfield one of the few counties or county equivalents to shift left despite Harris's loss.
Demographics
2020 census
2010 Census
At the 2010
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
,
there were 316,236 people, 115,680 households and 86,237 families residing in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was .
There were 97,707 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.3%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 21.9%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 3.3%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 3.4% from
other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. 7.2% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race.
The largest ancestry groups in Chesterfield County include
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
(18%),
English (14.5%),
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
(12.5%),
Irish (11%),
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
(4%) and
Scots-Irish (3%).
There were 115,680 households, of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were
Husband-wife family living together, 4.4% had a male householder with no husband present, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.11.
Age distribution was 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 20 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 28.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 people there were 52 females.
In 2000, the
median household income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
was $58,537, and the median family income was $65,058. Males had a median income of $43,030 versus $30,518 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $25,286. About 3.30% of families and 4.50% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 5.60% of those under age 18 and 3.40% of those age 65 or over.
Town twinning
In 2005, Chesterfield County agreed to form a relationship with the Borough of
Gravesham
Gravesham ( ) is a local government district with borough status in north-west Kent, England. The council is based in its largest town of Gravesend. The borough is indirectly named after Gravesend, using the form of the town's name as it appear ...
in
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. The town of
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...
on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
is part of the borough. It was here that
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...
was buried after dying on a trip to England. ''Matoaca'' in Chesterfield County was traditionally believed to be her native village in North America. The "sister communities" were formed as part of Virginia's activities in 2007 to celebrate the founding of Jamestown.
Recognition
In May 2004, Chesterfield was named the "17th Best Place to Live in America" by the
American City Business Journals
American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...
.
Since 2009, the
National Association of Counties
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is an organization that represents County (United States), county governments in the United States. (NACo) has awarded Chesterfield County several National Achievement Awards. NACo's membership includes more than 2,000 counties nationwide, representing more than 80 percent of the nation's population. Awards won by Chesterfield County by year include:
* 2009: 10
* 2010: 5
* 2011: 12
* 2012: 11
* 2013: 10
* 2014: 15
* 2015: 11
* 2016: 18
* 2017: 17
* 2018: 17
* 2019: 7
* 2020: 14
In 2020, Chesterfield County earned 14 National Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties. Chesterfield County recipients of these awards included:
* Citizen Information and Resources:
** Access on Demand
** My Chesterfield Academy
* Parks and Recreation
** First Responders and Multicultural Community Cup
* Human Resources
** Position Description Questionnaire Collection Project
** Career Development Plan Program
* Libraries
** Museum Pass Bag
** American Creed Community Conversation
** Thinking Money for Kids
* Mental Health Support Services
** Coordinated Local Government Implementation of the Basics
* Planning
** Route 1 Residential Zoning Overlay
* Procurement
** Innovation and Efficiency Leader of the 21st Century Procurement
* Sheriff's Office
** Legacy Lane
* Utilities
** Call Center Training Program
** Enhancing Technology to Benefit Customer Service Experience
Education
Chesterfield County Public Schools is the local school system, and has received the U.S.
Department of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
's Blue Ribbon Award.
Chesterfield County is the home to more than sixty public schools. There are 40 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, 10 high schools, and 3 technical schools for high school aged students. Each high school in Chesterfield has one to two internal schools of a specific area of interest. For example, Clover Hill High School's internal school is focused on math and science. Programs at other schools include health science (Cosby High School), international baccalaureate (Midlothian and Meadowbrook High School), leadership and international relations (James River High School), and visual and performing arts (Thomas Dale High School), among many others. The Career and Technical Center allows high school students to attend vocational classes in various fields of interest. The goal of this school is to prepare students for future careers and post-secondary education. Some programs that the center offers include automotive, construction, and engineering courses, health and science course, personal service courses, and public safety courses. These programs are one-to-two years in duration and leave students with certifications and hands-on experience in the fields that they are interested in.
The Chesterfield Public Education Foundation, founded in 1989, is an additional funding source for Chesterfield County Public Schools. The Foundation funds programs such as scholastic, teacher recognition, and enrichment programs, as well as student scholarships.
The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors established a library system in 1964.
Chesterfield County Public Library currently has 10 branches located throughout the county.
Brightpoint Community College, a two-year institution of higher learning, has two campuses in Chesterfield County; one in
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
and one in
Midlothian
Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
.
Chesterfield County is home to
Virginia State University
Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...
, a
historically Black University located in
Ettrick.
Health
In March 2020, Chesterfield County leadership declared a local state of emergency in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
at a regional press conference alongside representatives from the
City of Richmond
The City of Richmond was a local government area about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1855 until 1994.
History
Richmond was incorporated as a municipality on 24 A ...
and
Henrico,
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and
Goochland counties. At that press conference, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced the activation of the Central Virginia All Hazards Incident Management Team (CVAHIMT), of which Chesterfield County is a member. The CVAHIMT "was established to support the needs of the Central Virginia Region for management of major incidents and planned events that require a public safety response."
The county launched a dedicated webpage, County Response to COVID-19, as a repository of information pertaining to the virus's impact on county operations, public health guidance from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...
(CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) as well as resources for citizens and businesses. In the following weeks, Chesterfield County took several actions to help safeguard residents, businesses and county employees against the public health risks posed by COVID-19, including closing many public offices and facilities to visitors and transitioning thousands county employees to work from home. On Thursday, March 19, 2020, Chesterfield County activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which centralized county communications and coordination between departments. Additionally, the EOC provided a call center for residents and employees with general questions about county operations and services throughout the COVID-19 response.
On April 29, 2020, the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce, on behalf of partners Chesterfield County and ChamberRVA, announced the joint initiative Relaunch Chesterfield which would focus "on issues for businesses and elected officials around the county to consider" as larger plans to reopen the commonwealth were made.
On May 13, 2020, the Chesterfield Health Department began hosting COVID-19 testing events, with tests being free for uninsured and underinsured individuals. These testing events continued into the month of June.
Chesterfield County began its phased reopening of government buildings on Monday, June 1, 2020.
Communities
There are no incorporated towns in Chesterfield County.
Census-designated places
*
Bellwood
*
Bensley
*
Bon Air
*
Brandermill
*
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
*
Enon
*
Ettrick
*
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
*
Matoaca
*
Meadowbrook
*
Midlothian
Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
*
Rockwood
*
Woodlake
Other unincorporated communities
*
Belmont
*
Bermuda Hundred
Bermuda Hundred was the first Hundred (county division), administrative division in the English overseas possessions, English colony of Virginia Colony, Virginia. It was founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1613, six years after Jamestown, Virginia, ...
*
Chesterfield Court House
*
Deer Run
*
Genito
*
Gordon
*
Hampton Park
* Harrowgate, Virginia, Harrowgate
* Hening, Virginia, Hening
* Bensley, Virginia, Jefferson Davis North
* Moseley, Virginia, Moseley
* Reams, Virginia, Reams
* Robious, Virginia, Robious
* Salisbury (Midlothian, Virginia), Salisbury
* Skinquarter, Virginia, Skinquarter
* South Rockwood, Virginia, South Rockwood
* Spring Run, Virginia, Spring Run
* Winterpock, Virginia, Winterpock
Many of these areas or communities used to have a Richmond or a Colonial Heights mailing address. Recently, they have been changed to a "North Chesterfield" or "South Chesterfield" address, respectively, due to the confusion of residents sending their personal property taxes to the above listed cities instead of Chesterfield County. However, most of Ettrick has a
Petersburg mailing address.
Notable people
* Denny Hamlin (b. 1980) – NASCAR driver
* Mark Parson (b. 1986) – former NFL cornerback for the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints
* Young M.A (b. 1992) – rapper
* Devin Robinson (b. 1995) – NBA player for Toronto Raptors
* Devin Druid (b. 1998) – actor best known for portraying Tyler Down in the TV show ''13 Reasons Why''
* Keldon Johnson (b. 1999) – NBA player for the San Antonio Spurs
See also
* USS Chesterfield County (LST-551), USS ''Chesterfield County'' (LST-551)
* Chesterfield County Police Department (Virginia), Chesterfield County Police Department
* Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office (Virginia), Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Chesterfield County, Virginia
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Chesterfield County, Virginia,
1749 establishments in the Colony of Virginia
Counties on the James River (Virginia)
Geography of Richmond, Virginia
Populated places established in 1749
Virginia counties
Virginia counties on the Chesapeake Bay