Frederick

Formed January 1, 1743 (33^rd county)

Frederick County (78,305), Winchester (26,203), Stephens City (1,829)

The Modern red brick building was built in 1984.  There was an 1840 courthouse earlier.  It is at Kent Street and Boscawen Street.  United States Highway 11 passes one block to the west of the facility.  Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum are the architects.  The county was taken from Orange County on January 1, 1743 as the 33^rd county and Winchester has always been the county seat.  It is named for Frederick Lewis, the Prince of Wales.  He is also the namesake of the City of Fredericksburg.  Winchester is named for Winchester, England. 

The area of the county is 416 square miles.  It is 45 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 23 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 188.23 persons per square mile making it 51 out of 133 in the state.  Frederick County has 4.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 81 crosses northeast to southwest in the county from West Virginia to Warren County.  United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highway 81 from West Virginia to Warren County.  United States Highway 17 comes in from Clarke County, east, and terminates.  United States Highway 50 is joined with United States Highway 17 from Clarke County, splits and continues west into West Virginia.  United States Highway 340 originates and goes south into Warren County.  United States Highway 522 comes in from West Virginia, north, and joins United States Highway 340 into Warren County.  The county looks like a dog’s head facing southwest.  Winchester is located in the southeast quarter of the county although technically not in the county.  Stephens City is in the southern quarter of the county.  Winchester is the county seat and Stephens City is the largest city.  Stephens City is 2.3% of the county population. 

Frederick County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors.  Six Circuit Court Judges and Eleven District Court Judges serve Frederick, Clarke, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and Harrisonburg and Winchester cities and Forty-two Magistrate Court Judges serve Frederick, Clarke, Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Winchester cities.  The county is on the northern border with West Virginia.  Alexandria, Virginia is east and Richmond, Virginia is southeast of the county.  The county center is 5.1 miles West of Winchester nearer Round Hill.  The county is surrounded clockwise by West Virginia and Clarke, Warren, and Shenandoah counties and surrounds the City of Winchester.  This county is in the Winchester Metropolitan Statistical Area.