York County, Virginia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| York County, Virginia | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Virginia | |
| Statistics | |
| Formed | 1634 |
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| Seat | Yorktown |
| Area - Total - Land - Water | 216 sq mi (558 km²) 106 sq mi (274 km²) 110 sq mi (285 km²), 50.98% |
| Population - (2000) - Density | 56,298 533/sq mi (206/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern : UTC-5/-4 |
| Website: www.yorkcounty.gov | |
York County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 56,298. Its county seat is the unincorporated town of Yorktown6. It is located in the Hampton Roads region.
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[edit] History
The county was formed in 1634 as Charles River Shire for King Charles I, one of the eight original shires in the Colony and Dominion of Virginia. It was renamed in 1642-43 as York County. The river, county, and town are believed to have been named for York, a city in Northern England.
The first courthouse and jail were located near what is now Yorktown although the community, founded as a port for shipping tobacco to Europe, as variously called Port of York, Borough of York, York, Town of York, until Yorktown was established in 1691. Never incorporated as a town, Yorktown is the county seat of York County. The only town ever incorporated within the county's boundaries was Poquoson, which was incorporated in 1952 and became an independent city in 1975.
It is most famous as the site of the surrender of General Cornwallis to General George Washington in 1781, ending the American Revolutionary War. Yorktown also figured prominently in the American Civil War during the Peninsula Campaign in 1862.
The small unincorporated town of Lackey was taken over by the U.S. Navy during World War I in an area now part of the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. Many of the displaced African American landowners eventually relocated to Grove, located nearby along the York County-James City County border.
During World War II, the sites of three other small York County towns were absorbed into U.S. government reservations. Penniman was the site of a World War I munitions facility operated by the DuPont company, and was made a part of Cheatham Annex) in 1943. To the west of Penniman, which is reported to have had a peak population of 15,000, on land which is now part of Camp Peary, the smaller towns of Magruder, and Bigler's Mill were located. Much of Magruder's population and at least one church were relocated to Grove, adding to that small community's population once again.
In 1949, the county grew by 4 acres, as land in that amount was ceded to York County by neighboring Warwick County. At the time, the move was part of a successful attempt by Warwick County to block an annexation suit brought by the City of Newport News, with whom Warwick was eventually consolidated by mutual agreement in 1958. (The reduction in size allowed Warwick County to claim an exemption from the proposed annexation at the time).
In modern times, Yorktown is part of an important historical area of attractions known as the Historic Triangle of Yorktown, Jamestown and Williamsburg, and is the northern terminus of the scenic Colonial Parkway operated by the U.S. National Park Service which links the three.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 558 km² (216 mi²). 274 km² (106 mi²) of it is land and 285 km² (110 mi²) of it (50.98%) is water. It is near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
[edit] Adjacent counties and cities
- Gloucester County, Virginia (northeast, across the York River))
- Poquoson, Virginia (southeast)
- Hampton, Virginia (south)
- Newport News, Virginia (southwest)
- James City County, Virginia (west)
- Williamsburg, Virginia (west)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 56,297 people, 20,000 households, and 15,880 families residing in the county. The population density was 206/km² (533/mi²). There were 20,701 housing units at an average density of 76/km² (196/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.00% White, 13.38% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.25% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. 2.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 20,000 households out of which 42.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.30% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.60% were non-families. 16.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county, the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $57,956, and the median income for a family was $64,892. Males had a median income of $42,948 versus $28,713 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,560. About 2.70% of families and 3.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.90% of those under age 18 and 3.80% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Unincorporated towns and communities
[edit] Education
The county is served by the York County School Division.
[edit] Trivia
- The lost 17th century town and port of Yorke was also located along the York River, not far from present-day Yorktown.
- York County gained territory as a gift from neighboring Warwick County in 1949 as the latter needed to reduce its size slightly to successfully qualify for an exemption from an annexation suit by the City of Newport News. (Warwick eventually became a city itself in 1952, and then merged by mutual agreement with Newport News in 1958; however, York County kept the extra land.)
- York County lost substantial territory when the Town of Poquoson became an independent city in 1974. This was widely seen as a defensive move against potential annexation by either of the cities of Hampton or Newport News, with whom the town shared borders. In modern times, the ties between York and Poquoson remain close, including sharing a court system.
- York County contains some of the lost towns of Virginia including Yorke, the original Lackey (known locally as "the Reservation"), Halstead's Point, Penniman, Bigler's Mill, and Magruder. Many relocated residents and their descendents, many of whom were farmers and watermen, now live in such places as Yorktown, Gloucester, Lee Hall, Grove, and Lightfoot.
York county's sister city is Zweibrucken, Germany
[edit] Sources
[edit] Publications
- McCartney, Martha W. (1977) James City County: Keystone of the Commonwealth; James City County, Virginia; Donning and Company; ISBN 089865999
[edit] Websites
- "Cast Down Your Buckets Where You Are" An Ethnohistorical Study of the African-American Community on the Lands of the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station 1865-1918
[edit] External links
| Image:Hampton roads flag.gif | |
|---|---|
| Middle Peninsula: | |
| Virginia Peninsula: |
Hampton | James City County | Newport News | Poquoson | Williamsburg | York County |
| South Hampton Roads: |
Chesapeake | Isle of Wight County | Norfolk | Portsmouth | Suffolk | Surry County | Virginia Beach |
| Northeast North Carolina: |
