Formed November 26, 1719 (21st county)
Hanover County (109,980), Hanover* (252), Ashland (7,572)
The Modern red brick courthouse was built in 1976. It is on Liberty Drive northeast of Hanover Courthouse Road. United States Highway 301 is Hanover Courthouse Road. LBC & W Associates are the architects. It features columns in a complex area of government buildings. A District Courthouse was built at the same time and a Government Complex was added in 2000 to augment the county courthouse. A Justice Center is under construction in 2016. There was a 1735 courthouse earlier. 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 created on November 26, 1719 from New Kent County as the 21st county with Hanover as the only county seat. The county and county seat are named for the Electorate of Hanover who became King George I. Hanover County is the birthplace to 1 Virginia Governor, Patrick Henry.
Hanover County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors. Eight Circuit Court Judges and Sixteen District Court Judges serve Hanover, Caroline, Essex, King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Westmoreland counties and Fredericksburg City and Sixty-two Magistrate Court Judges serve Hanover, Caroline, Charles City, Essex, Gloucester, Henrico, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Westmoreland, and York counties and Fredericksburg, Poquoson, Richmond, and Williamsburg cities. The county is located in eastern Virginia. Richmond, Virginia is directly south and Alexandria, Virginia is north of the county. The county center is 7.5 miles West of Hanover in Ashland. The county is surrounded clockwise by Caroline, King William, New Kent, Henrico, Goochland, Louisa, and Spotsylvania counties.
The area of the county is 473 square miles. It is 32 out of 133 in the state. It ranks 17 out of 133 in population in the state. It has a density of 232.5 persons per square mile making it 51 out of 133 in the state. Hanover County has 6.9% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 95 passes north to south through the county from Caroline County to Henrico County. United States Highway 1 parallels Interstate Highway 95 from Caroline to Henrico counties. United States Highway 33 enters from Louisa County, northwest, and exits into Henrico County, south. United States Highway 301 comes from Caroline County and goes to Henrico County. United States Highway 360 travels from King William County, northeast, to Henrico County, south. The county resembles the State of Vermont lying on its side. The City of Hanover is located in the eastern third of the county. Ashland is near the center of the county. Hanover is the county seat and Ashland is the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. Hanover is 0.2% of the county population although it is unincorporated. Ashland is 6.9% of the county population. This county is in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ashland
Hanover (unincorporated)
