A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Prince William County | |
|---|---|
| County of Prince William | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Interactive map of Prince William County | |
 Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1731 |
| Named for | Prince William, Duke of Cumberland |
| County seat | Manassas |
| Largest community | Dale City |
| Government | |
| • Body | Board of Supervisors |
| • Chair | Deshundra Jefferson (D) |
| • County Executive | Christopher Shorter |
| Area | |
| • Total | 348 sq mi (900 km2) |
| • Land | 336 sq mi (870 km2) |
| • Water | 12 sq mi (30 km2) 3.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 482,204 |
| • Density | 1,400/sq mi (540/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Area code | 703/571 |
| FIPS code | 51153 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1480161 |
| U.S. House | 7th, 10th |
| Virginia Senate | 13th, 28th, 29th, 36th, 39th |
| Virginia House | 2nd, 13th, 31st, 40th, 51st, 87th |
| Website | http://www.pwcgov.org/ |
38°42′N 77°29′W / 38.70°N 77.48°WPrince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204,[1] making it Virginia's second most populous county. The county seat is the independent city of Manassas.[2]
A part of Northern Virginia, Prince William County is part of the Washington metropolitan area. In 2020, it had the 24th highest income of any county in the United States.[3]
History
At the time of European colonization, the native tribes of the area that would become Prince William County were the Doeg, an Algonquian-speaking sub-group of the Powhatan tribal confederation. When John Smith and other English explorers ventured to the upper Potomac River, beginning in 1608, they recorded the name of a village that the Doeg inhabited as Pemacocack (meaning "plenty of fish" in their language). It was on the west bank of the Potomac River, about 30 miles south of present-day Alexandria.[4] Unable to deal with European diseases and firepower, the Doeg abandoned their villages in the area by 1700.[5]
Creation and divisions in colonial and early statehood era
As population increased in the area, the General Assembly of the colony of Virginia split Stafford County, Virginia in 1731, and added a section which had previously been part of King George County in order to create Prince William County.[6] The county was named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, the third son of King George II.[7] The area encompassed by the 1731 act creating Prince William County originally included all of what later became the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, and Loudoun; and the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Fairfax County was split from Prince William County in 1742, and first Loudoun (in 1757) and then the incorporated town of Alexandria (in 1779, part of which later became Arlington County) would later be split from Fairfax County. Fauquier County was created from western Prince William County in 1759.
In 1790 Prince William County's population was 58% white; most of the remainder were enslaved African Americans. The county had been an area of tobacco plantations, but planters were changing to cultivate mixed crops due to soil exhaustion and changes in the market. In the first two decades after the Revolution, the number and percentage of free blacks increased in Virginia as some whites freed their slaves, based on revolutionary ideals.
Post-Reconstruction era to present
On March 19, 1892, two men, Lee Heflin and Joseph Dye, were lynched in Haymarket. They had been convicted of the murder of a girl and sentenced to death, but the mob did not want to wait for the legal system. The men were hanged from trees at the edge of woods; then the mob shot into their bodies. The Washington Post said, "mob law...is a dangerous thing to encourage. There is too much of it already throughout the country, and it spreads like a contagion so long as public sentiment tacitly approves it."[8] It was unusual that white men were lynched; in Virginia and the rest of the South, black men were overwhelmingly the victims of lynching, the violence by which whites maintained dominance.[9][10][11]
The county was rural and agricultural for decades. Into the early 20th century, the population was concentrated in two areas, one at Manassas (site of a major railroad junction), and the other near Occoquan and Woodbridge along the Potomac River, which was an important transportation route. Beginning in the late 1930s, suburban residential development began, and new housing was developed near the existing population centers, particularly in Manassas.
In 1960 the population was 50,164. Continued suburbanization and growth of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area caused that to increase rapidly in the following decades. There was expansion of federal, military and commercial activities in Northern Virginia in the late 20th century. By 2000, this was the third-most populous local jurisdiction in Virginia. From 2000 to 2010, the population increased by 43.2%. This was the first county in Virginia to be minority-majority: the new majority is composed of Hispanic (of any race, largely of Central and South American ancestry), African American, and Asian.[12] In 2012 it was the seventh-wealthiest county in the country.[13] The estimated population of 2014 is more than 437,000.
In 1994 The Walt Disney Company bought extensive amounts of land in Haymarket for a proposed Disney's America theme park.[14] Local resistance to the resort, because of its perceived adverse effects on the historic Manassas Battlefield, led to its end as a viable idea.[15] William B. Snyder, a local business man convinced Disney to sell the property to him.[16] Snyder, in turn, sold off most of the land to developers, except for the 405 acres (1.64 km2) donated to the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts, who used the land to create Camp Snyder for Cub Scouts.[17]
The Marine Corps Heritage Museum and the Hylton Performing Arts Center opened in the 21st century. The American Wartime Museum is also to be located in this county. During the commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, re-enactment of the famous First and Second Battles of Manassas was planned.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (900 km2), of which 336 square miles (870 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (3.5%) is water.[18] It is bounded on the north by Loudoun and Fairfax Counties; on the west by Fauquier County; on the south by Stafford County; and on the east by the Potomac River (Charles County, Maryland lies across the river). The western half of the county is occupied by a green belt known as the rural crescent.[19]
The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park with Prince William County (within which the two cities are enclaves) for statistical purposes:
| Name | Area (km2) | Population 2000 Census |
Population 2010 Census |
Population 2020 Census |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manassas (city) | 25.59 | 35,135 | 37,821 | 42,772 |
| Manassas Park (city) | 6.55 | 10,290 | 14,273 | 17,219 |
| Prince William County | 871.27 | 280,813 | 402,002 | 482,204 |
| Totals | 903.41 | 326,238 | 454,096 | 542,195 |
Adjacent jurisdictions
- Loudoun County – north
- Fairfax County – northeast
- Charles County, Maryland – southeast
- Stafford County – south
- Fauquier County – west
- Manassas – center (enclave)
- Manassas Park – center (enclave)
National protected areas
- Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge
- Manassas National Battlefield Park
- Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge
- Prince William Forest Park
Government
County elected offices
The county is divided into seven magisterial districts: Brentsville, Coles, Potomac, Gainesville, Neabsco, Occoquan, and Woodbridge. The magisterial districts each elect one supervisor to the Board of Supervisors which governs Prince William County. There is also a chairman elected by the county at-large, bringing total board membership to 8. A vice-chairman is selected by the board from among its membership. The county operates under the county form of the county executive system of government, with an elected Board of Supervisors. The board appoints a professional, nonpartisan county executive to manage operations of government agencies.
Christopher Shorter was named County Executive for Prince William County, Virginia, by the Board of County Supervisors in October 2022. Prior to serving as the County Executive in Prince William County, he served as the first City Administrator in the City of Baltimore, Assistant City Manager in Austin, Texas, and served for more than 10 years in various leadership roles for the District of Columbia government, including Director of the DC Department of Public Works.
In other elected County offices, the Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney, Amy Ashworth, and the Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court, Jacqueline Smith are Democrats. The Prince William County Sheriff, Glen Hill, is a Republican.
| Name | Party | First Election | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deshundra L. Jefferson, Chairman | Dem | 2023 | At-Large | |
| Tom Gordy | Rep | 2023 | Brentsville | |
| Yesli Vega | Rep | 2019 | Coles | |
| Robert B. Weir | Rep | 2023 | Gainesville | |
| Victor Angry | Dem | 2019 | Neabsco | |
| Kenny A. Boddye | Dem | 2019 | Occoquan | |
| Andrea O. Bailey | Dem | 2019 | Potomac | |
| Margaret Angela Franklin | Dem | 2019 | Woodbridge | |
| Position | Name | Party | First Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheriff | Glendell Hill | Rep | 2003 | |
| Commonwealth's Attorney | Amy Ashworth | Dem | 2019 | |
| Clerk of Circuit Court | Jacqueline Smith | Dem | 2017 | |
State elected offices
Republicans formerly held six of the eight Virginia House of Delegates seats that include parts of the county, with that delegation having consisted of Robert G. Marshall, Scott Lingamfelter, Tim Hugo, Jackson Miller, Rich Anderson, and Mark Dudenhefer. In the 2017 legislative election, which saw the Democrats cut a Republican majority in the House of Delegates from 66 to 51, Prince William County saw its number of Republican Delegates be reduced from six to one, with Tim Hugo being the sole Republican to represent the county. Marshall, Lingamfelter, Miller, and Anderson all ran for reelection and were defeated by Democratic challengers Danica Roem, Elizabeth Guzmán, Lee Carter, and Hala Ayala respectively. Dudenhefer opted to retire and instead successfully ran for a seat on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, and he was replaced by Democrat Jennifer Carroll Foy. Democrats Luke Torian and John Bell were already representing the county in the House at the time of the 2017 elections, and with the addition of the five newcomers, Democrats held seven of the eight House seats that include parts of Prince William County. Hugo was then defeated in the 2019 election by Democrat Dan Helmer and Democrats now hold all eight House seats.
Four of the five Virginia State Senate seats that include parts of the county are held by Democrats, including Democratic Sen. Jeremy Mc Pike, the President pro tempore of the Senate, Toddy Puller, George Barker and John Bell. Republican Richard Stuart also represents portions of the county.
In 2005, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine won the county with 49.95% of the vote.
| Name | Party | First Election | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candi Mundon King | Dem | 2021 | 2 | |
| Danica Roem | Dem | 2017 | 13 | |
| Elizabeth Guzman | Dem | 2017 | 31 | |
| Dan Helmer | Dem | 2019 | 40 | |
| Michelle Maldonado | Dem | 2021 | 50 | |
| Briana Sewell | Dem | 2021 | 51 | |
| Luke Torian | Dem | 2009 | 52 | |
| John Bell | Dem | 2015 | 87 | |
| Name | Party | First Election | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Bell | Dem | 2019 | 13 | |
| Richard Stuart | Rep | 2007 | 28 | |
| Jeremy McPike | Dem | 2015 | 29 | |
| Scott Surovell | Dem | 2015 | 36 | |
| George Barker | Dem | 2007 | 39 | |
National politics
Democrats hold both of the U.S. Congressional seats that include parts of Prince William County. In 2006, Democratic U.S. Senator candidate Jim Webb carried the county with 50.51% of the vote.
In the 2008 United States presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama carried Prince William with 57.51% of the vote, compared to Republican John McCain who received 41.62%. Obama's final rally the night before the election was held at the Prince William County Fairgrounds, just outside the city of Manassas.[20] He was the first Democrat to carry the county since 1964.
Continuing demographic changes in the county, such as an increasingly diverse and urbanized population, were cited by The New York Times as contributing to Obama's success in the 2012 United States presidential election and suggesting the future appeal of the Democratic Party in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, county population had increased by 121,189 persons (43.2%).[12] It had changed from a primarily white, rural county. Prince William by 2012 had an educated professional population with the seventh-highest income in the country; it is the first county in Virginia to be composed of a majority of minorities: Hispanic, African American, and Asian. Obama and the Democrats attracted their votes.[13] Time identified Prince William as one of five critical counties in Virginia for the election. Obama defeated Romney soundly by 16 percentage points with a margin of 57%–41%,[21] narrowly beating his 2008 margin.
The county continued its trend toward Democratic candidates in the 2016 United States presidential election, Prince William County voted 57.6% for Hillary Clinton to Trump's 36.5%. Clinton's victory represented the largest margin of victory for any presidential candidate in the county since 1988. In 2020, Prince William County voted for Joe Biden with 62.6% of the vote, the largest share of the vote for a Democratic candidate since 1944.
The county has been a focal point for concerns about illegitimate votes during the 2020 presidential election.[22] Virginia conservatives cited the prosecution of Prince William County's former top election official, Michele White, for alleged vote count fraud in 2020 as evidence of election fraud concerns. However, the case was dropped,[23] and it was revealed that the errors in vote tabulation actually favored Trump, with no evidence of intentional fraud or significant impact on election outcomes.[24]