Formed January 1, 1721 (24th county)
Spotsylvania County (140,094), Spotsylvania* (5,610)
The tan brick Colonial Revival facility was completed in 1900 and remodeled and enlarged in 1964. The courthouse is on Courthouse Road at Brock Road. Virginia State Highway 208 is five blocks to the west. Bartholomew F. Smith designed the courthouse. A Judicial Center was built in 2007 and an Administration Center has been added. The courthouse has columns and sits in a complex with supporting buildings. 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. Spotsylvania County was organized on January 1, 1721 from Essex, King and Queen, and King William counties as the 24th county. Spotsylvania (also called Spotsylvania Courthouse) has always been the county seat. The county and county seat are the Latin wording for Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood.
Spotsylvania County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors. Eight Circuit Court Judges and Fifteen District Court Judges serve Spotsylvania, Caroline, Essex, Hanover, King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, Stafford, and Westmoreland counties and Fredericksburg City and Sixty-two Magistrate Court Judges serve Spotsylvania, Caroline, Charles City, Essex, Gloucester, Hanover, Henrico, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Northumberland, Richmond, Stafford, Westmoreland, and York counties and Fredericksburg, Poquoson, Richmond, and Williamsburg cities. The county is located in the eastern part of the state. Alexandria, Virginia is north and Richmond, Virginia is south of the county. The county center is in Spotsylvania 1.2 miles Southwest of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg and Caroline, Hanover, Louisa, Orange, and Culpeper counties.
The area of the county is 401 square miles. It is 45 out of 133 in the state. It ranks 14 out of 133 in population in the state. It has a density of 349.4 persons per square mile making it 48 out of 133 in the state. Spotsylvania County has 0.0% of its population in its incorporated areas since there aren’t any incorporated cities. Interstate Highway 95 enters the county from Fredericksburg City, northeast, and exits to Caroline County, southeast. United States Highway 1 parallels Interstate Highway 95 from Fredericksburg City to Caroline County. United States Highway 17 is joined with Interstate Highway 95 from Fredericksburg City, splits and continues east into Caroline County. United States Highway 522 clips the western tip from Orange County, west, to Louisa County, southwest. The county is an overall diamond shape. The City of Spotsylvania is located in the northeast quarter of the county. Spotsylvania is the county seat and the largest populated area. It is 4.0% of the county population. The county and county seat are pronounced SPOT-SIL-VAEN-YA. This county is in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Spotsylvania (unincorporated)
