Formed January 1, 1833 (85th county)
Rappahannock County (7,373), Washington (135)
The pleasant red brick Greek Revival facility was constructed in 1834 and sits on Gay Street at Porter Street. United States Highway 211 passes one block to the west of the courthouse. Malcolm F. Crawford is the architect. It features a tower and faux columns. Veteran memorials are on the grounds. The county was formed on January 1, 1833 from Culpeper County as the 85th county with Washington as the only county seat. Rappahannock County is named for the Rappahannock River which is Native American for “river of quick rising water.” The county seat was named for future United States President George Washington. He is also the namesake for Washington County.
Rappahannock County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors. Three Circuit Court Judges and Five District Court Judges serve Rappahannock, Fauquier, and Loudoun counties and Forty-two Magistrate Court Judges serve Rappahannock, Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Frederick, Goochland, Greene, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Winchester cities. 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 3.1 miles South of Washington. The county is surrounded clockwise by Fauquier, Culpeper, Madison, Page, and Warren counties.
The area of the county is 267 square miles. It is 81 out of 133 in the state. It ranks 120 out of 133 in population in the state. It has a density of 27.61 persons per square mile making it 123 out of 133 in the state. Rappahannock County has 1.8% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 211 crosses the county from east to west from Culpeper County to Page County. United States Highway 522 enters from the north, Warren County, and exits to the southeast, Culpeper County. The county is an overall diamond shape. Washington is located near the center of the county. Washington is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. The county is pronounced RAP-PA-HAN-NOK.
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