Albemarle County, Virginia

Albemarle County, Virginia
Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,395.
Albemarle County was created in 1744 from the western portion of Goochland County, though portions of Albemarle were later carved out to create other counties. Albemarle County was named in honor of Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle. Its most famous inhabitant was Thomas Jefferson, who built his estate home, Monticello, in the county.
History
At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Albemarle County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Saponi.
In 1744, the Virginia General Assembly created Albemarle County from the western portion of Goochland County. The county was named in honor of Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle and titular Governor of Virginia at the time. The large county was partitioned 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. In 1777, Albemarle County was divided and Fluvanna County established, finalizing the boundaries of modern Albemarle County.
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. However, his home of Monticello is located in the county. When the American Revolutionary War started in 1775, Jefferson was made colonel of the Albemarle Militia.
During the Civil War, the Battle of Rio Hill was a skirmish in which Union cavalry raided a Confederate camp in Albemarle County, Virginia.
Until the Civil War, the majority of Albemarle County's population consisted of enslaved African Americans.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.
Waterways
The Rivanna River's south fork forms in Albemarle County and was historically important for transportation. The south fork flows in-between Darden Towe Park and Pen Park. Boat ramp access is available at Darden Towe Park. The James River acts as a natural border between Albemarle and Buckingham Counties.
Major highways
Protected areas
Albemarle's western border with Augusta and Rockingham Counties is located within the Shenandoah National Park.
Adjacent counties
Albemarle County borders 8 other counties, more than any other county in Virginia.
Charlottesville, Virginia (surrounded by Albemarle County)
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)
Parks and recreation
Beaver Creek Lake
Brook Hill Park
Chris Greene Lake Park
Darden Towe Park
Dorrier Park
Charlotte Y. Humphris Park
Ivy Creek Natural Area
Mint Springs Valley Park
Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve Park
Preddy Creek Park
Simpson Park
Totier Creek Park
Walnut Creek Park
Western Park
Demographics
2020 census
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 can be of any race.
2010 Census
The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Albemarle County are English 16.3%, German 16.0%, Irish 12.7%, "American" 11.4% and Italian 5.2%.
As of the census of 2010, there were 98,970 people, 38,157 households, and 24,578 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 42,122 housing units at an average density of . 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.
22% of Albemarle residents have a graduate or professional degree, compared with 10% nationwide.
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.
Economy
35% of people working in Albemarle live in the county, while 65% commute in. 19% of those commuting in live in Charlottesville, while the remainder live in the surrounding counties. 26,800 people commute out of Albemarle for work. 48% of those commute to Charlottesville, making up 51% of Charlottesville's in-commuters. In 2022, Albemarle had a 2.7% unemployment rate, compared with a national rate of 3.6%.
The top 10 employers as of Q4 2022 were:
University of Virginia
Sentara Healthcare
U.S. Department of Defense
County of Albemarle
Crutchfield Corporation
Walmart
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Boar's Head Inn
Atlantic Coast Athletic Club
Government
Albemarle is governed by an elected six-member Board of Supervisors. Management of the county is vested in a Board-appointed County Executive.
There are also several elected Constitutional Officers:
Clerk of the Circuit Court: John Zug (D)
Commonwealth's Attorney: James M. Hingeley (D)
Sheriff: Chan Bryant (D)
The nonpartisan School Board is also elected. Its members are:
Kate Acuff (Jack Jouett Magisterial District)
Katrina Callsen (chair, Rio Magisterial District)
Judy Le (Rivanna Magisterial District)
Graham Paige (Samuel Miller Magisterial District)
Ellen Osborne (Scottsville Magisterial District)
David Oberg (White Hall Magisterial District)
Jonno Alcaro (at-large)
Emergency services
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 Sean Reeves. 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 Chan Bryant.
Albemarle County Fire Rescue (ACFR) provides essential emergency services to the residents and visitors of Albemarle County including, fire suppression, emergency medical treatment, and transport, technical rescue, water rescue, and hazardous materials mitigation. In addition, the department provides a wide array of non-emergency services such as investigations, business inspections, burn permits, child safety seat inspections, smoke detector installations, public education, and emergency management
Services are provided through a combination of career staff, eight volunteer fire and rescue agencies, and regional partners. Fire and rescue stations are placed strategically throughout the county to ensure proper coverage:
Fire stations
Crozet Volunteer Fire Department – Station 5 – (combination career/volunteer)
Earlysville Volunteer Fire Company – Station 4 – (combination career/volunteer)
East Rivanna Volunteer Fire Company – Station 2 – (combination career/volunteer)
Hollymead Fire Rescue – Station 12 – (career)
Ivy Fire Rescue – Station 15 – (career)
Monticello Fire Rescue – Station 11 – (career)
North Garden Volunteer Fire Company – Station 3 – (combination career/volunteer)
Pantops Fire Rescue – Station 16 – (career)
Scottsville Volunteer Fire Department – Station 7 – (volunteer)
Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department – Station 8 – (combination career/volunteer)
Stony Point Volunteer Fire Company – Station 6 – (combination career/volunteer)
Rescue squads
Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad – Rescue 1 – (volunteer)
Berkmar Rescue – Rescue 8 – (career
Scottsville Rescue – Rescue 17 – (career)
Western Albemarle Rescue Squad – Rescue 5 – (volunteer)
Combination career/volunteer – stations supplemented by career staff Monday - Friday, 6 AM - 6 PM. Volunteers operate these stations weeknights from 6 PM - 6 AM as well as weekends and holidays
Volunteer – stations that operate with an all-volunteer, 24/7 team.
Career – stations that operate with an all-career, 24/7 shift that work three distinct schedules
Law enforcement
The Albemarle County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) and the Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) provide law enforcement services in the county.
The ACSO was created in 1745 when Joseph Thompson was appointed as the first sheriff. Then in 1895, citizens started electing sheriffs for 4-year terms. Lucian Watts was the first elected sheriff. the sheriff is Chan Bryant, the county's first woman sheriff.
The ACPD was created in 1983. Prior to 1983, local county governments could create a police force by a simple vote held by their respective board of supervisors. In February 1983 the Virginia General Assembly restricted the authority of county governments to create police forces without a voter referendum. The law did not go into effect until July 1983: On May 11, 1983, before the law took effect, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance creating the Albemarle County Police Department. That original ordinance provided for a police chief and five full time officers. George W. Bailey was the first chief of police. the chief of police is Sean Reeves. The ACPD currently has 140 sworn officers, 23 civilian employees, and 3 animal control officers.
Representation & elections
Albemarle is represented by Republican Bryce Reeves and Democrat Creigh Deeds in the Virginia State Senate; Republicans Chris Runion, Rob Bell, and Matt Fariss and Democrat Sally L. Hudson represent the county in the Virginia House of Delegates. Republican Bob Good represents most of the county in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrat Abigail Spanberger represents a small sliver in the most Northwest portion of Albemarle County.
For much of the second half of the 20th century, Albemarle County was heavily Republican, like most of this part of Virginia. However, the Republican edge narrowed significantly in the 1990s, in part due to the influence of the University of Virginia. In 2004, John Kerry carried it by two points, becoming the first Democrat to win the county since 1948. It swung hard to Barack Obama in 2008, and since then has become one of the few Democratic bastions in central Virginia, though it is not as overwhelmingly Democratic as Charlottesville.
Education
The Albemarle County Public School System operates public education in the county. It provides education to nearly 14,000 students including preschool through high school. The Albemarle County Public School System's mission is to "establish a community of learners and learning, through relationships, relevance and rigor, one student at a time." ACPS provides 25 school facilities which include Community Lab School, a charter school that is located in the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle High School, Western Albemarle High School, and Monticello High School. The School Board and the Superintendent, Matthew Haas, work closely together in operating the Albemarle County Public School System.
Many private schools in Albemarle serve the county and students from surrounding areas. These include:
The Covenant School (upper campus)
Field School of Charlottesville
Free Union Country School
The Miller School of Albemarle
Montessori Community School
North Branch School
Peabody School
Charlottesville Catholic School
St. Anne's-Belfield School
Tandem Friends School
Some students attend several private schools in the City of Charlottesville.
Jefferson-Madison Regional Library is the regional library system that provides services to the citizens of Albemarle.
Communities
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.
(Population according to the 2020 United States Census)
Many of these unincorporated areas have Charlottesville addresses.
Notable people
Samuel Addison Bishop, born in Albemarle County, was a settler of the Owens Valley and is the namesake of Bishop Creek in Inyo County, California.
Notable residents
Chilton Allan (1786–1858), born in Albemarle County, United States Congressman from Kentucky
Rev Samuel Black, Albemarle County's first Presbyterian minister. Built Sam Black's Tavern
Dabney Smith Carr (1802–1854), born in Albemarle County, founder of newspaper Baltimore Republican and Commercial Advertiser, United States minister to Turkey
Christopher Henderson Clark (1767–1828), United States Congressman from Virginia
George Rogers Clark (1752–1818), surveyor, soldier, and Revolutionary War hero and older brother of William Clark born in Albemarle County
William Coleman, Olympic equestrian team member 2012
Edward Coles (1786–1868), born in Albemarle County, Governor of Illinois
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
Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award-winning novelist
James T. Farley (1829–1886), born in Albemarle County, United States Senator from California
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.
John Grisham, author of The Whistler and A Time to Kill
Claude Hall, historian who wrote definitive biography of Abel Parker Upshur
John Harvie (1742–1807), born in Albemarle County, member of the Continental Congress and mayor of Richmond, Virginia from 1785 to 1786
Samuel Hopkins (1753–1819), born in Albemarle County, United States Army officer and United States Congressman from Kentucky
Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States and former Governor of Virginia
Sarah Garland Boyd Jones (1866–1905), physician
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
Fiske Kimball (1888–1955), architectural historian, founder of the University of Virginia School of Architecture
Ben King (cyclist), professional cyclist
Walter Leake (1769?-1825), born in Albemarle County, United States Senator from Mississippi and later governor of that state
Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), born in Albemarle County, explorer, governor of Louisiana, and one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
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
David Meriwether, born in Albemarle County, Continental Army officer, member United States Congress, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, Major General - Georgia Militia
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
Lottie Moon (1840–1912), Southern Baptist missionary to China; Southern Baptists worldwide take up a Christmas offering every year for international missions in her name
John Milbank, English Philosopher and Theologian
Sissy Spacek, actress
Peter Threewits (1725-1770), born in Sussex County, Virginia state legislator
Bebe Williams, Xeric Award cartoonist/artist Art Comics Daily
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Albemarle County, Virginia
References
Further reading
External links
Architecture of Jefferson Country – images of historic buildings of Albemarle County (from UVA Libraries)
Virginia counties
1744 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies
Counties on the James River (Virginia)
Community Remembrance Project