Albemarle County, Virginia
| Albemarle County, Virginia | ||
 The Albemarle County Office Building
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 Location in the state of Virginia |
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 Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1744 | |
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| Named for | Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle[1] | |
| Seat | Charlottesville | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
726 sq mi (1,880 km²) 723 sq mi (1,873 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.49% |
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| PopulationEst. - (2012) - Density |
101,575 137/sq mi (52.8/km²) |
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| Congressional district | 5th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www.albemarle.org | |
Albemarle County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2012, Albemarle County's population was 101,575.[2]
The county seat is Charlottesville, which is an Independent city enclave entirely surrounded by the county.[3] Albemarle County is part of the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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History[edit]
At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Albemarle County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Saponi.[4] In 1744, the Virginia General Assembly created Albemarle County by taking the northern portion of Goochland County.[5] The county was named in honor of Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle and titular Governor of Virginia at the time.[6] The large county was divided in 1761, forming Buckingham and Amherst counties, at which time the county seat was moved from the formerly-central Scottsville to a piece of newly central land, christened Charlottesville.[6]
Albemarle County is well known for its association with President and Founding Father Thomas Jefferson who was born in the county at Shadwell, though it was then part of Goochland County.[7] However, his home of Monticello is located in the county.[8]
Government[edit]
Albemarle is governed by an elected six-member Board of Supervisors. Management of the county is vested in a Board-appointed County Executive.[citation needed]
The 2012-2014 board comprises:
- Ann Huckle Mallek (Chair, White Hall district)
- Duane E. Snow (Vice-Chairman, Samuel Miller district)
- Ken Boyd (Rivanna district)
- Christopher J. Dumler (Scottsville district)
- Dennis S. Rooker (Jack Jouett district)
- Rodney S. Thomas (Rio district)
Towns[edit]
The only incorporated town in Albemarle County is Scottsville, the original county seat. Unincorporated communities includeBarboursville, Crozet, Earlysville, Free Union, Greenwood, Ivy, Keene, and Keswick, among many smaller hamlets.
In addition, the city of Charlottesville is enclaved within Albemarle County. Under Virginia law in effect since 1871, all municipalities in the state incorporated as cities are legally and politically independent of any county.[citation needed]
Emergency services[edit]
Albemarle County has two branches of law enforcement, the Albemarle County Police Department, which handles criminal matters and is directed by the appointed police chief, Colonel Steve Sellers. The second branch is the Albemarle County Sheriff's Office, which handles civil service in the county and they are directed by the elected Sheriff Chip Harding.
EMS services are provided by three volunteer rescue squads, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad, located in the City of Charlottesville, the Western Albemarle Rescue Squad, located in Crozet, and the Scottsville Volunteer Rescue Squad, located in the Town of Scottsville. The county government also provides EMS services managed by Albemarle County Fire Rescue, and they operate 2 Advance Life Support ambulances, one out the Monticello Fire/Rescue Station, and another out of the Hollymead Fire/Rescue Station.
Fire suppression services are provided by seven volunteer fire companies, two county career stations, and an automatic mutual aid contract with the Charlottesville Fire Department. The Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Airport also maintains an Airport Crash/Rescue department which is staffed by airport personnel and is assisted by county stations in the event of an aircraft emergency. Four of the seven volunteer county stations, East Rivanna Vol. Fire Dept, Earlysville Vol. Fire Company, Stony Point Vol. Fire Company, and Seminole Trail Vol. Fire Dept, are supplemented by county career firefighters during the daytime (6:00 am – 6:00 pm) to assist the volunteers. The county also operates two fire stations managed by Albemarle County Fire Rescue office, they are Monticello Fire/Rescue and Hollymead Fire/Rescue. These two stations are staffed 24/7 with county career firefighters and have supplemental volunteer staffing. The City of Charlottesville fire department maintains a contract with the county with automatic mutual aid for areas that border the city boundaries.
Albemarle County Fire Rescue also plans to build two more county career stations, one in the eastern portion of the county near Pantops Mountain, and another near the Ivy area in the western part of the county, however with economic downturn and the desire to study the needs for the two stations, construction and planning for these two stations have been halted indefinitely.
Fire Stations by Number
- Charlottesville Fire Department Headquarter (on Ridge Street)
- Station 1 - Charlottesville Fire Department (on 250-Bypass)
- Station 2 - East Rivanna Vol. Fire Department
- Station 3 - North Garden Vol. Fire Company
- Station 4 - Earlysville Vol. Fire Company
- Station 5 - Crozet Vol. Fire Department
- Station 6 - Stony Point Vol. Fire Company
- Station 7 - Scottsville Vol. Fire Department
- Station 8 - Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department
- Station 9 - Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Airport Crash/Rescue
- Station 10 - Charlottesville Fire Department (on Ivy Rd, to be relocated to Fontaine Ave)
- Station 11 - Monticello Fire/Rescue
- Station 12 - Hollymead Fire/Rescue
- Station 15 - Ivy Fire/Rescue (coming soon)
- Station 16 - Pantops Fire/Rescue (coming soon)
Rescue Squads by Number
- Rescue 1 - Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad
- Rescue 5 - Western Albemarle Rescue Squad
- Rescue 7 - Scottsville Rescue Squad
- Rescue 11 - Monticello Fire/Rescue
- Rescue 12 - Hollymead Fire/Rescue
- Rescue 15 - Ivy Fire/Rescue (coming soon)
- Rescue 16 - Pantops Fire/Rescue (Began operating out of Martha Jefferson Hospital @ Pantops on October 1, 2012)
Geography[edit]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 726 square miles (1,880 km2), of which 723 square miles (1,870 km2) is land and 4 square miles (10 km2) (0.49%) is water.[9]
Waterways[edit]
The Rivanna River rises in Albemarle County and was historically important for transportation.
Major highways[edit]
- Interstate 64
- U.S. Route 29
- U.S. Route 250
- Virginia State Route 6
- Virginia State Route 20
- Virginia State Route 22
- Virginia State Route 53
- Virginia State Route 240
Protected areas[edit]
Albemarle's western border with Augusta and Buckingham Counties is located within the Shenandoah National Park.
Adjacent counties[edit]
Albemarle County borders 8 other counties, more than any other county in Virginia.
- Greene County, Virginia (north)
- Orange County, Virginia (northeast)
- Louisa County, Virginia (east)
- Fluvanna County, Virginia (southeast)
- Buckingham County, Virginia (south)
- Nelson County, Virginia (southwest)
- Augusta County, Virginia (west)
- Rockingham County, Virginia (northwest)
Demographics[edit]
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 12,585 |
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| 1800 | 16,439 | 30.6% | |
| 1810 | 18,268 | 11.1% | |
| 1820 | 19,750 | 8.1% | |
| 1830 | 22,618 | 14.5% | |
| 1840 | 22,294 | −1.4% | |
| 1850 | 25,800 | 15.7% | |
| 1860 | 26,625 | 3.2% | |
| 1870 | 27,544 | 3.5% | |
| 1880 | 32,618 | 18.4% | |
| 1890 | 32,379 | −0.7% | |
| 1900 | 28,473 | −12.1% | |
| 1910 | 29,871 | 4.9% | |
| 1920 | 26,005 | −12.9% | |
| 1930 | 26,981 | 3.8% | |
| 1940 | 24,652 | −8.6% | |
| 1950 | 26,662 | 8.2% | |
| 1960 | 30,969 | 16.2% | |
| 1970 | 37,780 | 22.0% | |
| 1980 | 55,783 | 47.7% | |
| 1990 | 68,040 | 22.0% | |
| 2000 | 79,236 | 16.5% | |
| 2010 | 98,970 | 24.9% | |
| [10] | |||
As of the census[10] of 2010, there were 98,970 people, 38,157 households, and 24,578 families residing in the county. The population density was 137 people per square mile (52.8/km²). There were 42,122 housing units at an average density of 58 per square mile (22.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% White, 9.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. 5.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 38,157 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females there were 92.69 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.59 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $63,001, and the median income for a family was $98,934. Males had a median income of $55,530 versus $52,211 for females. The per capita income for the county was $36,718. About 3.8% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education[edit]
The Albemarle County Public School System operates public education in the county, including the Murray High School, a charter school, that is located in the city of Charlottesville. The School Board and the Superintendent, Dr. Pamela Moran, work closely together in operating the Albemarle County Public School System.
The School Board has 7 elected members by a Magisterial District.
- Pamela Moynihan (Rio district)
- Stephen Koleszar (Scottsville district) Chair
- Diantha McKeel (Jack Jouett district)
- Jason Buyaki (Rivanna district)
- Eric Strucko (Samuel Miller district)
- Pamela Moran (White Hall district)
Many private schools in Albemarle serve the county and students from surrounding areas. These include:
- The Covenant School (upper campus)
- Field School of Charlottesville
- The Miller School of Albemarle
- Montessori Community School
- North Branch School
- Peabody School
- St. Anne's-Belfield School
- Tandem Friends School
County children also attend several private schools in the city of Charlottesville.
Notable residents[edit]
- Chilton Allan (1786–1858), born in Albemarle County, United States Congressman from Kentucky[11]
- Mary Chapin Carpenter, singer-songwriter[citation needed]
- Dabney Smith Carr (1802–1854), born in Albemarle County, founder of newspaper Baltimore Republican and Commercial Advertiser, United States minister to Turkey[11]
- Christopher Henderson Clark (1767–1828), United States Congressman from Virginia[11]
- Edward Coles (1786–1868), born in Albemarle County, Governor of Illinois[11]
- Rita Dove (1952-), former United States Poet Laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, living in Albemarle County since 1989
- Greensville Dowell (1822–1876), born in Albemarle County, noted physician, professor, and author[11]
- James T. Farley (1829–1886), born in Albemarle County, United States Senator from California[11]
- James Walker Gons (1812–1870), born in Albemarle County, Baptist church clergyman, later converting to Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), editor and publisher of church's Christian Intelligencer, educator.[11]
- John Grisham, author
- Claude Hall, historian who wrote definitive biography of Abel Parker Upshur[12]
- John Harvie (1742–1807), born in Albemarle County, member of the Continental Congress and mayor of Richmond, Virginia from 1785 to 1786[11]
- Samuel Hopkins (1753–1819), born in Albemarle County, United States Army officer and United States Congressman from Kentucky[11]
- Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States and former Governor of Virginia
- Fiske Kimball (1888–1955), architectural historian, founder of the University of Virginia School of Architecture
- Jack Jouett (1754–1822), born in Albemarle County, known as the "Paul Revere of the South", influential in organizing Kentucky as a separate state, Virginia and Kentucky state legislator[11]
- Walter Leake (1769?-1825), born in Albemarle County, United States Senator from Mississippi and later governor of that state[11]
- Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), born in Albemarle County, explorer, governor of Louisiana, and one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition[11]
- Howie Long, former NFL player with the Oakland Raiders
- Joseph Martin (1740–1808), Revolutionary War general and explorer; namesake of Martinsville, Virginia
- Dave Matthews, of the Dave Matthews Band
- James Monroe, fifth President of the United States and former Governor of Virginia
- James Monroe (1799–1870), born in Albemarle County, United States Congressman from New York[11]
- Sissy Spacek, actress
- Bebe Williams, Xeric Award cartoonist/artist Art Comics Daily
- William Coleman, Olympic equestrian team member 2012
See also[edit]
- Albemarle Pippin
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Albemarle County, Virginia
- Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department
References[edit]
- ^ "County Overview". County of Albemarle. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
- ^ [1]. Weldon Cooper Center 2010 Census Count Retrieved September 8, 2011
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ Swanton, John R. (1952), The Indian Tribes of North America, Smithsonian Institution, p. 72, ISBN 0-8063-1730-2, OCLC 52230544
- ^ Pawlett, Nathaniel (1976). An Index to Roads Shown in the Albemarle County Surveyors Books 1744-1853. Charlottesville, Virginia: Virginia Highway & Transportation Research Council. Archived from the original on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ^ a b Atkins, Ace (2007-03-27). "A county by any other name?". C-Ville Weekly (Portico Publications). Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ^ Henry Stephens Randall, The Life of Thomas Jefferson
- ^ "Albemarle County". Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved 2008-10-11. "Albemarle County is widely recognized as rich in history and beauty. Among its historic attractions are Monticello, home to President Thomas Jefferson..."
- ^ "Albemarle County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
- ^ Obituary of Claude Hampton Hall (1922-2001), Bryan-College Station, Texas, Eagle, April 4, 2001
External links[edit]
- Albemarle County
- Architecture of Jefferson Country – images of historic buildings of Albemarle County (from UVA Libraries)
- Charlottesville Tomorrow - An organization that covers growth and development in Albemarle
- Albemarle County Fire Rescue
- Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad, Inc.
- Western Albemarle Rescue Squad
- Archibald Slaymaker Glass Plate Negative Collection at the University of South Florida
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Rockingham County | Greene County | Orange County | |
| Augusta County |  |
Louisa County | ||
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| Nelson County | Buckingham County | Fluvanna County |
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