Formed May 25, 1749 (37th county)
Culpeper County (52,554), Culpeper (20,066)
The outstanding red brick Classical Revival structure was constructed in 1874. The courthouse is on Cameron Street between Main and West streets. United States Highway 15 is Main Street in the town. Samuel Proctor provided the designs. The building was enlarged in 1974. The courthouse features a tower with a working clock and columns. A rot iron fence surrounds the grounds where veteran memorials are displayed. There was a 1750 courthouse previously in Culpeper, the only county seat, originally named Fairfax. 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. The county was founded on May 25, 1749 from Orange County as the 37th county. Culpeper County and its county seat are named for Lord Thomas Culpeper.
The area of the county is 381 square miles. It is 51 out of 133 in the state. It ranks 35 out of 133 in population in the state. It has a density of 137.9 persons per square mile making it 58 out of 133 in the state. Culpeper County has 38.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 15 enters the county from the northeast, Fauquier County, and exits to the southwest, Madison County. United States Highway 29 is joined with United States Highway 15 from Fauquier County, splits, and continues southwest into Madison County. United States Highway 211 clips the northern tip east to west from Fauquier County to Rappahannock County. United States Highway 522 comes from Rappahannock County, northwest, and goes into Orange County, south. The county is a star shape.
Culpeper County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors. Three Circuit Court Judges and Nine District Court Judges serve Culpeper, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, and Orange counties and Charlottesville City and Forty-two Magistrate Court Judges serve Culpeper, Albemarle, Clarke, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Frederick, Goochland, Greene, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Winchester cities. Culpeper is located in the western third of the county. Culpeper is the county seat and the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. It is 38.2% of the county population. The county is in the northern part of the state. Alexandria, Virginia is east and Richmond, Virginia is southeast of the county. The county center is 2.2 miles Northeast of Culpeper. The county is surrounded clockwise by Fauquier, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Orange, Madison, and Rappahannock counties. The county and county seat are pronounced KUL-PE-PER. This county is in the Culpeper Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Culpeper
