# Mecklenburg County, Virginia

Mecklenburg County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,319. Its county seat is Boydton.

## History

Mecklenburg County was organized on March 1, 1765, having split from Lunenburg County in 1764 as the result of the passage of an act by the Virginia General Assembly. Due to new settlement and population increases in the area, the legislature divided Lunenburg into three counties: Lunenburg, Charlotte, and Mecklenburg. It was named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a British queen of German origin.
The first county government consisted of 13 members: Robert Munford, Richard Witton, John Speed, Henry Delony, Edmund Taylor, Benjamin Baird, John Camp, Thomas Erskine, John Potter, John Cox, Thomas Anderson, John Speed, Jr., and Samuel Hopkins, with Benjamin Baird acting as the first mayor.

## Government

Mecklenburg County is governed by a nine-member Board of Supervisors, each elected from a single-member district. They serve as the county's legislative and policy body, enacting laws, ordinances, and taxes. They appoint a county administrator to conduct day-to-day operations. H. Wayne Carter, III is the current county administrator and Judy P. Sheffield is the current assistant county administrator.
The board members are:
* District 1 - Andy R. Hargrove
* District 2 - Glanzy M. Spain, Jr.―Vice Chairman
* District 3 - Tom Tanner
* District 4 - Claudia H. Lundy
* District 5 - Glenn E. Barbour—Chairman
* District 6 - Sterling Wilkinson
* District 7 - James D. Jennings
* District 8 - David A. Brankley
* District 9 - Charles Jones

### Constitutional officers

Mecklenburg County operates under what is commonly referred as the "traditional form" of county government under the Virginia Constitution, under which voters elect five countywide "constitutional officers":
* Clerk of Circuit Court - Michelle Gordon
* Commonwealth's Attorney - Allen Nash
* Commissioner of Revenue - Lisa Carlton Wagstaff
* Treasurer - Marsha Coleman Seamans
* Sheriff - Robert (Bobby) Hawkins

### County departments and department heads

Listed below are the County facilities, the department housed in that facility and its head.
* Goode Bank Building
** Board of Supervisors (See Supervisor's List Above)
** County Administrator's Office- H. Wayne Carter, III (Administrator)
** Economic Development Director's Office- Angela D. Kellett (Director)
** Tourism Office- Jacob P. Bower (Coordinator)
** Building Inspector's Office- Eddie Harris (Chief Inspector)
** Zoning Administrator's Office- Robert L. Hendrick (Zoning Administrator)
** Animal Warden's Office- Doug Blanton (Animal Warden)
** Information Technology Department (IT) - Alex Wells (IT Specialist)
* Courthouse
** Circuit Court-Leslie M. Osborn (Judge)
** Circuit Court Clerk's Office- Michelle Gordon (Clerk)
** Commonwealth Attorney's Office- J. Miller (Commonwealth's Attorney)
* Mark I. Burnett Building
** Commissioner of Revenue's Office- Lisa Carlton Wagstaff (Commissioner)
*** Real Estate Department- Jo Harrell McLellan (Chief Deputy Commissioner/Real Estate Assessor)
*** Personal Property Department- Violet Puryear(Chief Deputy Commissioner)
** Treasurer's Office- Marsha Coleman Seamans(Treasurer)
** VPI Extension Office- C. Taylor Clarke (Unit Coordinator/ANR Extension Agent)
* Hudgins Court Facility
** Social Services- Sandra S. Gregory (Director)
** General District Court- Charles Warren (Judge)
*** General District Clerk's Office- Tammy T. Taylor (Clerk)
** Juvenile & Domestic Court- M. Rand (Judge), S. Anderson Nelson (Judge)
*** J&D Court Clerk's Office- Rebecca D. Inge (Clerk)
*** J&D Court Service Unit
** Sheriff's Office- R.W. (Bobby) Hawkins (Sheriff)
* 911 Center
** 911 Emergency Communications Office and Dispatch- Ben Duncan (Director)
* Jail
** Jail Division of the Sheriff's Office- Roosevelt Terry (Jail Captain)
* Post Office Building
** Piedmont Court Services- Jackie T. Boxley (Director)
* White Building
** Voter Registrar- Jason Corwin (General Registrar)

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Mecklenburg County, Virginia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 9,791 | 60.05% | 6,404 | 39.28% | 109 | 0.67% |
| 2020 | 9,266 | 57.18% | 6,803 | 41.98% | 135 | 0.83% |
| 2016 | 8,288 | 55.46% | 6,285 | 42.05% | 372 | 2.49% |
| 2012 | 7,973 | 52.88% | 6,921 | 45.90% | 183 | 1.21% |
| 2008 | 7,817 | 51.83% | 7,127 | 47.26% | 138 | 0.91% |
| 2004 | 7,319 | 57.27% | 5,293 | 41.42% | 168 | 1.31% |
| 2000 | 6,600 | 56.63% | 4,797 | 41.16% | 257 | 2.21% |
| 1996 | 4,933 | 48.00% | 4,408 | 42.89% | 937 | 9.12% |
| 1992 | 5,401 | 49.23% | 4,273 | 38.95% | 1,296 | 11.81% |
| 1988 | 5,887 | 63.45% | 3,275 | 35.30% | 116 | 1.25% |
| 1984 | 6,777 | 65.69% | 3,438 | 33.33% | 101 | 0.98% |
| 1980 | 4,853 | 54.45% | 3,790 | 42.52% | 270 | 3.03% |
| 1976 | 4,423 | 50.44% | 4,076 | 46.48% | 270 | 3.08% |
| 1972 | 6,381 | 68.55% | 2,804 | 30.12% | 124 | 1.33% |
| 1968 | 2,750 | 29.01% | 2,667 | 28.14% | 4,061 | 42.85% |
| 1964 | 4,976 | 60.48% | 3,238 | 39.36% | 13 | 0.16% |
| 1960 | 1,936 | 42.70% | 2,533 | 55.87% | 65 | 1.43% |
| 1956 | 1,498 | 33.78% | 2,004 | 45.20% | 932 | 21.02% |
| 1952 | 1,891 | 42.46% | 2,525 | 56.69% | 38 | 0.85% |
| 1948 | 513 | 16.80% | 2,117 | 69.34% | 423 | 13.86% |
| 1944 | 430 | 14.38% | 2,561 | 85.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 308 | 11.35% | 2,402 | 88.54% | 3 | 0.11% |
| 1936 | 202 | 6.88% | 2,730 | 93.05% | 2 | 0.07% |
| 1932 | 275 | 11.10% | 2,188 | 88.30% | 15 | 0.61% |
| 1928 | 784 | 30.91% | 1,752 | 69.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 286 | 14.62% | 1,649 | 84.30% | 21 | 1.07% |
| 1920 | 264 | 13.97% | 1,619 | 85.66% | 7 | 0.37% |
| 1916 | 222 | 14.38% | 1,317 | 85.30% | 5 | 0.32% |
| 1912 | 191 | 14.39% | 1,039 | 78.30% | 97 | 7.31% |

## Education

The county's education department is the Mecklenburg County Public Schools. It is managed by the Board of Education. Scott Worner is the County Schools Superintendent.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 679 square miles (1,760 km$^2$), of which 625 square miles (1,620 km$^2$) is land and 54 square miles (140 km$^2$) (7.9%) is water.

### Adjacent counties

* Lunenburg County - north
* Brunswick County - east
* Warren County, North Carolina - southeast
* Vance County, North Carolina - south
* Granville County, North Carolina - southwest
* Halifax County - west
* Charlotte County - northwest

### Major highways

* I-85
* US 1
* US 15
* US 58
* SR 4 (U.S. Bicycle Route 1)
* SR 47
* SR 49
* SR 92
* SR 138

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Mecklenburg County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 19,215 | 17,864 | 58.71% | 58.92% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11,958 | 10,364 | 36.54% | 34.18% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 73 | 73 | 0.22% | 0.24% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 213 | 205 | 0.65% | 0.68% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 10 | 0 | 0.03% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 22 | 110 | 0.07% | 0.36% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 430 | 882 | 1.31% | 2.91% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 806 | 821 | 2.46% | 2.71% |
| Total | 32,727 | 30,319 | 100.00% | 100.00% |

### 2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 32,727 people, 12,951 households, and 8,962 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20 people/km$^2$). There were 17,403 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 59.24% White, 39.08% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 12,951 households, out of which 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.60% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,380, and the median income for a family was $37,752. Males had a median income of $26,852 versus $19,609 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,171. About 11.60% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.60% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities
### Towns

* Boydton (county seat)
* Brodnax (partial)
* Chase City
* Clarksville
* La Crosse
* South Hill

### Census-designated places

* Baskerville
* Bracey
* Fairview
* Thynedale
* Union Level

### Other unincorporated communities

* Buffalo Junction
* Nelson
* Palmer Springs
* Shiny Rock
* Skipwith