Frederick County is located 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 ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 91,419. 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 ...

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's northernmost county. Frederick County is included in the

, VA- WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Washington-

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

-Northern Virginia, DC- MD-VA-WV- PA Combined Statistical Area.

History

The area that would become Frederick County, Virginia, was inhabited and transited by various

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

for thousands of years before European

colonization 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...

. Colonization efforts began with the

Virginia Company of London The Virginia Company of London (sometimes called "London Company") was a Division (business), division of the Virginia Company with responsibility for British colonization of the Americas, colonizing the east coast of North America between 34th ...

, but European settlement did not flourish until after the company lost its charter and Virginia became a royal colony in 1624. In order to stimulate migration to the colony, the headright system was used. Under this system, those who funded an emigrant's transportation costs (not the actual colonizers) were compensated with land. In 1649 the exiled King Charles II granted several acres of colonial Virginia lands to "seven loyal supporters", including Lord Fairfax. The Fairfax lands passed to Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1657-1710), who married the daughter of Thomas Colepeper, who also owned several acres of land. After their son, Lord Thomas Fairfax, inherited the combined grants, he controlled over 5,000,000 acres of land in Virginia, including much of the land that became Frederick County. Frederick County was created from Orange County in 1738, and was officially organized in 1743. The Virginia Assembly named the new county for Frederick Louis,

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

(1707–1751), the eldest son of King

George II of Great Britain George II (George Augustus; ; 30 October / 9 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electorate of Hanover, Hanover) and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Em ...

. At that time, "Old Frederick County" encompassed all or part of four counties in present-day Virginia and five in present-day

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 ...

: *

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

(West Virginia), created 1754 * Dunmore, created 1772 and renamed Shenandoah in 1778 * Berkeley (West Virginia), created 1772 * Hardy (West Virginia), created 1786 * Jefferson (West Virginia), created 1801 * Morgan (West Virginia), created 1820 *

Page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

, created 1831 * Clarke, created 1836 * Warren, created 1836

Colonial era

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the new Colonial Virginia regiment in 1754,

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

located his headquarters in Winchester before and during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. He resigned from military service in 1758. He represented Frederick County in his first elective office, having been elected to the

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 ...

in 1758 and 1761. Seventeen years later, on June 15, 1775, the Continental Congress "elected" George Washington as commander-in-chief of the yet-to-be-created

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

. He accepted the appointment the next day. This preceded the Congress's declaration of independence and the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

War of 1812

American Civil War

Winchester was a site of volatile conditions during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

of 1861–1865, with control shifting between the Confederate and Union armies on average once every three weeks during the war. Many battles were fought in Frederick County. Some of those battles included: *

First Battle of Kernstown The First Battle of Kernstown was fought on March 23, 1862, in Frederick County and Winchester, Virginia, the opening battle of Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American ...

, March 1862 *

First Battle of Winchester The First Battle of Winchester, fought on May 25, 1862, in and around Frederick County, Virginia, and Winchester, Virginia, was a major victory in Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Campaign through the Shenandoah Vall ...

, May 1862 * Second Battle of Winchester, June 1863 * Second Battle of Kernstown, July 1864 * Third Battle of Winchester (Battle of Opequon), September 1864 * Battle of Cedar Creek, October 1864 The first constitution of

provided for Frederick County to be added to the new state if approved by a local election. Unlike neighboring Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Frederick County remained in Virginia; as it was occupied by the Confederate army, no vote was permitted to ascertain the residents' wishes.

Civilian history of the area

Four (alkaline, saline, chalybeate, and sulphured) types of mineral water springs naturally occur on the land that would later be named Rock Enon Springs. The area was once called Capper Springs, named for area settler John Capper. William Marker bought the in 1856 and built a hotel, the first building of the Rock Enon Springs Resort. It survived 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 ...

. On March 24, 1899, the Shenandoah Valley National Bank purchased the property for $3,500. During the summer of 1914 botanists found a variety of ferns on the property: ''polypodium vulgare,'' ''phegopteris hexagonoptera,'' ''adiantum pedatum,'' ''pteris aquilina,'' and ''cheilanthes lanosa.'' The idea that soaking in the natural spring water had medical value made this and other springs popular tourist destinations through the early 20th century. In 1944, people no longer had as much faith in the springs, and there was much more competition for tourists at other sites. Due to declining business, the Glaize family sold the property to the Shenandoah Area Council. They adapted the resort to operate as a Boy Scout site, Camp Rock Enon. In 1944 the Miller Lake was created by adding a earth dam across Laurel Run using equipment, owned by the Federal fish hatchery in Leestown. In 1958 "walnut, chestnut and persimmon trees" were planted on the property.

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 (0.5%) is water. This is the northernmost county in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

* Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park (part) *

George Washington National Forest The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. United States National Forest, National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover o ...

(part)

Demographics

2020 census

2000 Census

As of the

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 ...

of 2000, there were 59,209 people, 22,097 households, and 16,727 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 23,319 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.99%

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 ...

, 2.62%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.56% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. 1.70% 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. There were 22,097 households, out of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.30% were non-families. 19.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 96.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $46,941, and the median income for a family was $52,281. Males had a median income of $35,705 versus $25,046 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 $21,080. About 4.00% of families and 6.40% 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 7.30% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Board of Supervisors

* Chairman: Charles S. DeHaven, Jr. (R) * Back Creek District: Shawn Graber (R) * Gainesboro District: Douglas McCarthy (R) * Opequon District: Robert Wells (R) * Red Bud District: Blaine P. Dunn (R) * Shawnee District: David Stegmaier (R) * Stonewall District: Judith McCann-Slaughter (R)

Constitutional officers

* Clerk of the Circuit Court: Rebecca P. "Becky" Hogan (D) * Commissioner of the Revenue: Seth T. Thatcher (R) * Commonwealth's Attorney: Ross Spicer (R) * Sheriff: Lenny Millholland (I) * Treasurer: C. William Orndoff, Jr. (R) Frederick is represented by Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel (R), in the Virginia Senate, Wendy Gooditis (D), Chris Collins (R), and Dave LaRock (R), in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Ben Cline (R) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Transportation

* Winchester Transit provides weekday transit for the city of

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Education

Frederick County is served by Frederick County Public Schools, which includes several elementary, middle, and high schools. Frederick County is also part of the region served by the Mountain Vista Governor's School, which offers upper-level classes to intellectually gifted high school students.

Schools

Elementary schools

Middle schools

* Admiral Richard E. Byrd Middle School * Frederick County Middle School * James Wood Middle School * Robert E. Aylor Middle School

High schools

* James Wood High School * Millbrook High School * Sherando High School

Colleges

* Laurel Ridge Community College

Universities

Shenandoah University Shenandoah University is a private university in Winchester, Virginia, United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students across more than 200 areas of study in six schools and colleges. Shenandoah University is one of five Unit ...

Libraries

* Handley Regional Library

Communities

Although designated as the county seat, Winchester, like all cities under Virginia law, is 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 ...

, politically independent of any county.

Towns

* Middletown * Stephens City

Census-designated places

* Lake Holiday * Shawneeland

Other unincorporated communities

Notable people

* William McGuire (judge) (1765-1820), lawyer, first chief justice of the

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...

References

External links

Official Website for the County of Frederick

Frederick County Public Schools

Winchester-Frederick County Chamber of Commerce

Winchester Frederick County Convention and Visitor Bureau

Winchester Frederick County Circuit Court Clerks
{{authority control Virginia counties Northern Virginia counties Northwestern Turnpike Winchester, VA–WV MSA 1743 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies