Cumberland

Formed May 25, 1749 (38^th county)

Cumberland County (9,677), Cumberland* (365)

The red brick Federalist courthouse was built in 1818.  The facility is at Foster Road on Anderson Highway.  Anderson Highway is United States Highway 60.  William A. Howard is the building architect.  The building was renovated and enlarged in 1960.  A Clerk’s Office and Administration Building supports the courthouse.  The building features columns and many supporting structures are in the complex.  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.  Cumberland County was established on May 25, 1749 from Goochland County as the 38^th county and Cumberland has always been the county seat.  The county and its county seat are named for the Duke of Cumberland.  Cumberland County is the birthplace to 1 Virginia Governor, William H. Cabell. 

Cumberland County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Six District Court Judges serve Cumberland, Appomattox, Buckingham, Charlotte, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, and Prince Edward counties and Forty-nine Magistrate Court Judges serve Cumberland, Appomattox, Amelia, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex counties and Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, and Petersburg cities.  Cumberland County is in the southern part of Virginia.  Richmond, Virginia is east and Roanoke, Virginia is southwest of the county.  The county center is 1.1 miles North-Northwest of Cumberland.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Goochland, Powhatan, Amelia, Prince Edward, Buckingham, and Fluvanna counties. 

The area of the county is 298 square miles.  It is 68 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 116 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 32.5 persons per square mile making it 119 out of 133 in the state.  Cumberland County has 5.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 60 crosses through the county from east to west from Powhatan County to Buckingham County.  The county looks like a diagonal.  Cumberland is located near the center of the county.  Cumberland is the county seat and the largest populated area.  It is 3.8% of the county population although it is unincorporated.  This county is in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area.