Buckingham

Formed May 1, 1761 (48^th county)

Buckingham County (16,830), Buckingham* (133), Dillwyn (438)

The Modern red brick structure was constructed in 2005 to replace the 1873 structure.  It is located on James Anderson Highway (United States Highway 60) at Courthouse Road.  The courthouse was designed by BCHW Architects.  A County Administration Building built in 2012 augments the courthouse.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds of the old courthouse.  The county was organized on May 1, 1761 from Albemarle County as the 48^th county with Buckingham as the only county seat.  Many of the Virginia counties have their county seat at a location named after the county followed by the words Court House.  Some counties maintain this in their official name.  Buckingham County and its county seat are named for the Duke of Buckingham.  Buckingham County is the birthplace to 1 Virginia Governor, Philip W. McKinney. 

Buckingham County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Six District Court Judges serve Buckingham, Appomattox, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, and Prince Edward counties and Forty-nine Magistrate Court Judges serve Buckingham, Amelia, Appomattox, Brunswick, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex counties and Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, and Petersburg cities.  The county is in the central part of the state.  The geographical center of Virginia is 5 miles southwest of Buckingham in the county.  Richmond, Virginia is east and Roanoke, Virginia is southwest of the county.  The county center is 1.3 miles South of Buckingham.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Albemarle, Fluvanna, Cumberland, Prince Edward, Appomattox, and Nelson counties. 

The area of the county is 581 square miles.  It is 12 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 89 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 29.0 persons per square mile making it 122 out of 133 in the state.  Buckingham County has 2.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 15 travels north to south from Fluvanna County to Prince Edward County.  United States Highway 60 passes east to west from Cumberland County to Appomattox County.  The county looks like a funnel.  Buckingham is located near the center of the county.  Dillwyn is in the eastern quarter of the county.  Buckingham is the county seat and Dillwyn, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city.  Buckingham is 0.8% of the county population although it is unincorporated.  Dillwyn is 2.6% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced DIL-WIN.