Culpeper County, Virginia

Culpeper County Education, Geography, and History

Culpeper County is a county located in the central region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 46,689. Its county seat and only incorporated community is Culpeper.

Home to many of Virginia's antebellum plantation homes and thousands of acres of farmland, the rolling hills of the Piedmont region and the westernmost flats of the Northern Neck collide in rural Culpeper County.

Culpeper County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Culpeper County Name

Culpeper is named for either Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper of Thoresway, who was a colonial governor of Virginia or for his first wife Margaretta van Hesse, called Margaret, Lady Colepeper, or for their daughter, Thomas's heir and only surviving issue, Catherine Colepeper. The family had significant land holdings on the Northern Neck and in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as family ties with Thomas Fairfax, 6th Baron Fairfax of Cameron.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Culpeper County History

Culpeper County, Virginia formed from Orange County. Legislative enactment in 1748. Organized in 1749. Later changes occurred in 1832-1833. [Virginia Counties: Those Resulting from Virginia Legislation, by Morgan Poitiaux Robinson, originally published as Bulletin of the Virginia State Library, Volume 9, January, April, July 1916, reprinted 1992 by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD.]

Culpeper County probably was name for Catherine Culpeper, or for her mother, Margaret Lady Culpeper, or for Thomas Culpeper, second baron Culpeper of Thoresway, governor of Virginia from 1677 to 1683, or for their family, which long held proprietary right in the Northern Neck. It was formed from Orange County in 1749. Its area is 389 square miles, and the county seat is Culpeper.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 383 square miles (990 km²), of which 379 square miles (980 km²) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²) (0.9%) is water

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Stafford County, Virginia - East
• Orange County, Virginia - South
• Madison County, Virginia - Southwest
• Rappahannock County, Virginia - Northwest
• Spotsylvania County, Virginia - Southeast
• Fauquier County, Virginia - Northeast

Education

Culpeper County High School
Eastern View High School

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