Henrico County

History

In 1611, Thomas Dale founded the Citie of Henricus on a peninsula in the James River that is now called Farrar's Island. Henricus was named for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, but it was destroyed during the Indian massacre of 1622, during which local Native American warriors of the Powhatan confederacy attacked the English settlers to drive them from the area.In 1634, Henrico Shire was one of the eight original Shires of Virginia established in the Virginia Colony. Since then, 10 counties and three independent cities have been formed from the original territory of Henrico Shire.

In 1776, Richard Adams and Nathaniel Wilkenson participated in the Fifth Virginia Convention, which voted to send delegates to the Continental Congress to propose separation from the British. That proposal led to the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, when Benedict Arnold's invading army occupied Richmond in January 1781, the Henrico militia was called to active duty. During the brief British occupation of Richmond, many Henrico court records were destroyed. Three months later when Arnold's men, now part of British forces led by General William Phillips, approached Richmond for a second time, the British were stopped by the sight of local militiamen and American Continental troops led by a young Frenchman, the Marquis de Lafayette. Outnumbered, Lafayette abandoned Richmond when General Charles Cornwallis occupied the town in June 1781. Cornwallis then retired to Williamsburg and later to Yorktown. After being surrounded there by General George Washington and his French allies, Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the American Revolution.

Since becoming independent in 1842, the City of Richmond has successfully annexed portions of Henrico five times. Chesterfield County annexed the site of Henricus in 1922.

Henrico was badly hurt in the Civil War. During the Reconstruction era, Virginia Estelle Randolph was a pioneer educator and humanitarian who lived from 1874 to 1958. She opened the old Mountain Road School in 1892 and was named the first Jeanes Supervisor Industrial Teacher in Henrico County Schools in 1908. She conducted the first Arbor Day program in Virginia.

The USS Henrico was a Bayfield-class attack transport involved in World War II and subsequent conflicts.

American Civil War battle sites

During the Civil War in 1862, Henrico County was the site of numerous battles during the Peninsula Campaign, including:

Battle of Seven Pines

Battle of Savage's Station

Battle of Oak Grove

Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm

Battle of White Oak Swamp

Battle of Glendale

Battle of Malvern Hill

Additional significant battles took place in 1864 during the Overland Campaign prior to and during the Siege of Petersburg, which led to the fall of Richmond. Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart was mortally wounded in Henrico County at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 12, 1864.

Transportation

Henrico County is one of only two counties in Virginia that maintain their own roads, with the other being Arlington County. This special status was due to the existence of county highway departments prior to the creation in 1927 of the state agency that is now Virginia Department of Transportation and the assumption by that agency in 1932 of local roads in most counties. (Henrico and Arlington were grandfathered and allowed to continue pre-existing arrangements.) The control of the roads system is considered a powerful advantage for community urban planners, who can require developers to contribute to funding needed for road needs serving the planners' and developers' projects.

Henrico County is the site of Richmond International Airport. It hosts an Amtrak rail passenger station, Richmond Staples Mill Road station. It purchases public bus route services from Greater Richmond Transit Company, an FTA-funded public service company that is owned equally by the City of Richmond and neighboring Chesterfield County.

After Reconstruction, Henrico County used convict leasing to build roads in 1878.

Some old roads continue to be in use today, such as Horsepen Road, Three Chopt Road, and Quiocassin Road.

Major highways

I-64

I-95

I-195

I-295

US 1

US 33

US 60

US 250

US 301

US 360

SR 2

SR 5

SR 6

SR 33

SR 73

SR 76

SR 147

SR 150

SR 156

SR 157

SR 161

SR 197

SR 271

SR 356

SR 895

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 245 square miles (630 km2), of which 11 sq mi (28 km2) (4.6%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

Charles City County (southeast)

Chesterfield County (south)

Goochland County (west)

Hanover County (north)

New Kent County (northeast)

Richmond (south)

Powhatan County (southwest at James River)

National protected area

Richmond National Battlefield Park (part)

Climate

Henrico County is located within the humid subtropical climate zone and has hot and humid summers with moderately cold winters. Henrico County on average has 8 snow days and 88 days when the low falls below freezing, 50 days when the high exceeds 90 °F, and 8 days when the high does not exceed freezing.

Source: Climate-data.org

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 334,389. The median age was 39.1 years; 22.6% of residents were under 18 and 16.6% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 85.0 males 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 51.0% White, 29.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 9.7% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.3% from some other race, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.6% of the population.

About 96.3% of the residents lived in urban areas, while 3.7% lived in rural areas.

Of the 134,234 households in the county, 31.6% had children under 18 living with them, and 32.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

The county had 140,739 housing units, of which 4.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.7% were owner-occupied and 37.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%.

2010 Census

As of the 2010 census, 306,935 people, 127,111 households, and 69,846 families were residing in the county. The population density was 1,252 people per square mile (483 people/km2). As of 2019, the 139,274 housing units had an average density of 568 units per square mile (219 units/km2). In 2018, the racial makeup of the county was 57% White, 29.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. About 5.5% (17,959) of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest ancestry groups in Henrico County are: Black or African American (25%), English American (14%), German (11%), Irish (10%) and Italian (4%)

In 2000, of the 108,121 households, 31.9% had children under 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were not families. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the age distribution was 25.1% under 19, 7.80% from 19 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females. there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.

In 2019, the median income in the county for a household was $68,024 and for a family was $91,956. The per capita income for the county was $40,222, with 9% of the population below the poverty line.

Government and politics

Henrico County is managed by an appointed county manager who answers directly to the board of supervisors. The current county manager is John A. Vithoulkas.

The Board of Supervisors are:

Brookland District – Dan Schmitt (R)

Fairfield District – Roscoe Cooper III (D)

Three Chopt District – Misty Whitehead (D)

Tuckahoe District – Jody Rogish (D)

Varina District – Tyrone E. Nelson (D)

In 2014, Henrico County won Best in Government from Richmond Magazine.

The elected constitutional officers include:

Clerk of the Circuit Court – Heidi S. Barshinger (R)

Commonwealth's Attorney – Shannon Taylor (D)

Sheriff – Alisa Gregory (D)

The county also has several legislative representatives.

In the U.S. House of Representatives:

Republican Rob Wittman

Democrat Jennifer McClellan

In the Virginia Senate:

Democrat Lamont Bagby

Republican John McGuire

National politics

From the 1950s until the early 2000s, Henrico County was solidly Republican in presidential elections and was considered a classic bastion of suburban conservatism. However, Barack Obama won the county in 2008, becoming the first Democrat to do so since Harry Truman in 1948, and it has voted for the Democratic nominee in every subsequent presidential election. Mirroring the shift towards Democrats seen in many affluent suburban counties across the country, Joe Biden won Henrico County by nearly 30 points in 2020.

Law enforcement

The Henrico County Sheriff's Office and Henrico County Police are Henrico County's county-level law enforcement agencies. Thomas Dale led the county militia and was the first law enforcement officer in the county: the sheriff's department considers him the first sheriff of Henrico County. The county police were founded in 1915. In 1938, the board of supervisors put the police under the direct control of the county manager, rather than under the sheriff.

The elected Sheriff's primary duties are managing the jail, court security, and the service of civil process. In 1880, the first courthouse and jail was constructed and housed the Sheriff's Office and Jail until 1980. In 1980, in the need for a more technological advanced and more spacious area, the Jail West at the Henrico County Government Complex was constructed. In 1996, Henrico's Sheriff's Office opened Jail East in New Kent County.

The Henrico County Police Division is fully accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies and Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission.

Fire and EMS

The Division of Fire is responsible for fire suppression, emergency medical services, hazardous materials response, technical rescue, water rescue, fire prevention, fire investigation, public education, disaster preparedness and emergency management. The Henrico County Fire Department includes 548 members, of whom 526 are sworn firefighters. The division operates 68 fire apparatus at 20 community fire stations. The division is rated ISO class 1.

Additionally, the department encompasses several specialized units, including a Water Rescue Team, Technical Rescue Team, Hazardous Incident Team, and special events resources. In 2014, the Division of Fire responded to 41,759 emergency incidents.

The department was awarded the 2024 Governor's Fire Service Award by Glenn Youngkin, who, in a press release, praised it for its work in training and regional partnerships, particularly in supporting statewide training events.

Henrico County residents are served by the Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services, which has a CARF three-year accreditation.

Economy

Altria Group (formerly Philip Morris) had its corporate headquarters in an unincorporated area in Henrico County. In 2003, Philip Morris announced that it would move its headquarters from New York City to Virginia. The company said that it planned to keep around 750 employees in its former headquarters. Brendan McCormick, a spokesperson for Philip Morris, said that the company estimated that the move would save the company over $60 million each year. This relocation was made with the help of the Henrico County Economic Development Authority and the Greater Richmond Partnership, regional economic development organizations who also helped locate Aditya Birla Minacs, Alfa Laval, Genworth Financial, and Blue Bell Creameries to the county. It is also a major hub for data centers in Virginia.

Top employers

According to the county's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are:

For many years, the United States Postal Service considered most of Henrico County to be unincorporated Richmond, and the majority of locations in the county had a Richmond address. However, in 2008 county residents won the right to recognize Henrico County as the locality to which they pay the majority of their taxes. As of October 1, 2008, the primary mailing address for the majority of the county was officially changed to Henrico. It was estimated that the county would recover $5 million in misdirected tax dollars due to the address change.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden was founded in 1984 and has 80 acres (320,000 m2). It is one of only two independent public botanical gardens in Virginia, and designated a state botanical garden.

Henrico County is the location of Richmond Raceway, which is home to NASCAR Cup Series races once a year.

Education

The school division known as Henrico County Public Schools consists of 45 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, 10 high schools and two technical centers within one school division. In 2001, HCPS began distributing Apple iBooks to every high school student. In 2003, they extended the program to middle schools. In 2005, the HCPS School Board decided to replace the iBooks with Dell's Inspiron 600M at the high school level. In 2006, the HCPS School Board decided to continue using Apple iBooks at the middle school level, purchasing nearly 13,000 laptops in a contract worth $15.8 million. In 2010, HCPS School Board opened a new middle school, Holman Middle School, and opened a new high school, Glen Allen High School.

Communities

There are no existing incorporated towns, and no new municipalities can be created within the county. Henrico was the third Virginia county (after Arlington and Fairfax counties) to be affected by a state law that prohibits the creation of any new towns or cities within the boundaries of a county with a population density of 1,000 or more per square mile.

Other communities

Fair Oaks

Varina

Former towns

Prior to 1870, the Town and later City of Richmond was located within Henrico County. Under a new Virginia state constitution in 1870, and as further clarified by the rewritten one in 1902, Richmond became an independent city.

At the end of the 19th century and in the early 20th century, several small incorporated towns were chartered by Acts of Assembly, primarily in areas of the county near to, but outside of, the city limits. As listed by the secretary of the Commonwealth, these included:

Barton Heights, incorporated 1896, annexed by the City of Richmond in 1914

Fairmount, incorporated 1902, annexed by the City of Richmond in 1914

Ginter Park, annexed by the City of Richmond

Highland Park, annexed by the City of Richmond in 1914

North Richmond, annexed by the City of Richmond

Notable people

Van T. Barfoot, Medal of Honor recipient

Carter Family, folk and country music group

Georgia May Jobson, social reformer

Daniel Lynch IV, baseball player

Debbie Matenopoulos, television personality

Gabriel Prosser, Revolutionary

Schuyler VanValkenburg, State Senator

Constance Wu, actress