Shenandoah County, Virginia

Not to be confused with Shenandoah, Virginia.

Shenandoah County
County
Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock
Flag Seal Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°52′N78°34′W / 38.86°N 78.57°W / 38.86; -78.57
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	1772
Named for	Shenandoah River
Seat	Woodstock
Largest town	Strasburg
Area
• Total	512 sq mi (1,330 km2)
• Land	509 sq mi (1,320 km2)
• Water	3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	44,186
• Density	86/sq mi (33/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.shenandoahcountyva.us

Shenandoah County (formerly Dunmore County) is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 44,186. ^[1] Its county seat is Woodstock. ^[2] It is part of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia.

History

The Senedos, possibly an Iroquoian group, are thought to have occupied the area at one time, until they were said to have been slaughtered by the Catawba in the latter 17th century. The name of the Valley, and of the county, is most likely connected with this Native American group. It has also been attributed to General George Washington naming it in honor of John Skenandoa, an Oneida chief from New York who helped gain support of Oneida and Tuscarora warriors to aid the rebel colonists during the American Revolutionary War.

Colonial Governor Gooch formally purchased the entire Shenandoah Valley from the Six Nations of the Iroquois by the Treaty of Lancaster in 1744. The Iroquois had controlled the valley as a hunting ground, but European settlement had begun by that time. During Pontiac's War (1763–1766), Shawnee efforts to repel the white intruders reached as far east as the current county.

The county was established in 1772 as 'Dunmore County' for Virginia Colonial Governor John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore. Woodstock was designated the county seat. Dunmore was Virginia's last royal governor, and was forced from office during the American Revolution. During the war (1778), the rebels renamed the county 'Shenandoah.'

During the Civil War, the Battle of New Market took place in the county on May 15, 1864.

Geography

Rockingham

Hardy

Frederick

Page

Shenandoah

Warren

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Shenandoah and adjacent counties

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 512 square miles (1,330 km²), of which 509 square miles (1,320 km²) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) (0.7%) is water. ^[3] Fort Valley and the western slopes of the Massanutten Mountain are located within the county boundary.

Adjacent counties

• Hardy County, West Virginia – northwest
• Frederick County – northeast
• Warren County – east
• Page County – southeast
• Rockingham County – southwest

National protected areas

• Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park (part)
• George Washington National Forest (part)

Transportation

• Shenandoah Valley Commuter Bus Service offers weekday commuter bus service from the Northern Shenandoah Valley including Shenandoah County and Warren County to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Arlington County and Fairfax County. Origination points in Shenandoah County include Woodstock. Origination points in Warren County include Front Royal and Linden.

I-81 southbound in Shenandoah County

Major highways

• I-81
• US 11
• US 48
• US 211
• SR 42
• SR 55
• SR 211
• SR 263

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	10,510		—
1800	13,823		31.5%
1810	13,646		−1.3%
1820	18,926		38.7%
1830	19,750		4.4%
1840	11,618		−41.2%
1850	13,768		18.5%
1860	13,896		0.9%
1870	14,936		7.5%
1880	18,204		21.9%
1890	19,671		8.1%
1900	20,253		3.0%
1910	20,942		3.4%
1920	20,808		−0.6%
1930	20,655		−0.7%
1940	20,898		1.2%
1950	21,169		1.3%
1960	21,825		3.1%
1970	22,852		4.7%
1980	27,559		20.6%
1990	31,636		14.8%
2000	35,075		10.9%
2010	41,993		19.7%
2020	44,186		5.2%
US Decennial Census [4] 1790–1960 [5] 1900–1990 [6] 1990–2000 [7] 2010 [8] 2020 [9]

2020 census

Shenandoah County, Virginia - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010 [8]	Pop 2020 [9]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	37,886	37,304	90.22%	84.42%
Black or African American alone (NH)	699	1,031	1.66%	2.33%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	71	84	0.17%	0.19%
Asian alone (NH)	210	344	0.50%	0.78%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	6	8	0.01%	0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	28	149	0.07%	0.34%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	516	1,540	1.23%	3.49%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,577	3,726	6.14%	8.43%
Total	41,993	44,186	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 41,993 people in the county. 93.0% were White, 1.7% Black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 2.8% of some other race and 1.6% of two or more races. 6.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 26.4% were of American, 22.0% German, 10.3% English and 7.6% Irish ancestry. ^[10]

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census, ^[11] there were 35,075 people, 14,296 households, and 10,064 families in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile (26 people/km²). There were 16,709 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.60% White, 1.17% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.79% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 3.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,296 households, out of which 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.86.

The county population contained 22.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,173, and the median income for a family was $45,080. Males had a median income of $29,952 versus $22,312 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,755. About 5.80% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.10% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Private

Secondary institutions

• Shenandoah Valley Academy
• Massanutten Military Academy

Primary institutions

• Shenandoah Valley Adventist Elementary School
• Valley Baptist Christian School

Public

High schools

• Stonewall Jackson High School (Shenandoah County, Virginia)
• Strasburg High School
• Central High School (Woodstock)

Elementary and middle schools

• W.W. Robinson Elementary School (Woodstock)
• Peter Muhlenberg Middle School (Woodstock)
• Ashby-Lee Elementary School (Quicksburg)
• North Fork Middle School (Quicksburg)
• Sandy Hook Elementary School (Strasburg)
• Signal Knob Middle School (Strasburg)

Other

• Triplett Tech (Mount Jackson)
• Massanutten Regional Governor's School (High School level, in Mount Jackson)

Communities

Towns

• Edinburg (pop. 1,041)
• Mount Jackson (pop. 1,994)
• New Market (pop. 2,146)
• Strasburg (pop. 6,398)
• Toms Brook (pop. 258)
• Woodstock (pop. 5,097)

Census-designated places

• Basye (pop. 1,374)
• Bowmans Crossing
• Clary
• Columbia Furnace
• Conicville
• Fishers Hill
• Forestville
• Lebanon Church
• Locust Grove
• Hudson Crossroads
• Maurertown
• Mount Clifton
• Mount Olive
• Orkney Springs (pop. 58)
• Quicksburg
• Saumsville

Other unincorporated communities

• Alonzaville
• Bedford
• Borden
• Calvary
• Carmel
• Coleytown
• Detrick
• Hamburg
• Harrisville
• Hawkinstown
• Hepners
• Jadwyn
• Jerome
• Kings Crossing
• Lantz Mill
• Macanie
• Moore's Store
• Mount Hermon
• Oak Grove
• Oranda
• Saint Luke
• Silver City
• Swover Creek
• Valley View
• Walkers Chapel
• Wesley Chapel
• Wheatfield
• Williamsville
• Zepp

Law enforcement

Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office
Abbreviation	SCSO
Agency overview
Formed	May 26, 1772
Employees	100+
Jurisdictional structure
Constituting instrument	Yes
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Woodstock, Virginia
Agency executive	Timothy C. Carter, Sheriff
Website
Official Website

The Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency in Shenandoah County. The SCSO was created on May 26, 1772, when the position of High Sheriff position was created; its main duty was to collect taxes. ^[12]

The SCSO was accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission between 2006, when it first became accredited, and 2022, when it lost accreditation following an evaluation. ^[13]

Politics

Politically, Shenandoah County is one of the most consistently Republican counties in Virginia, a trend that predates the rest of western Virginia moving away from the Democratic Party. It was first won by a Republican presidential nominee in 1896, and has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1936, and in all but one election since 1920. Nearly solidly Democratic before 1900, the county began voting Republican in statewide elections around the beginning of the 20th century but was a swing county. In the 1920s it became solidly Republican at a statewide level, with the exception of Democratic local hero Harry F. Byrd and his son. This early swing to the GOP came from the county’s rural voters being overwhelmingly German American Republicans, which overpowered the conservative Southern Democrat vote in the county population centers of New Market, Woodstock, and Strasburg. Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1902 was vehemently opposed by the counties of western Virginia due to the impact on racial equality and perceived disenfranchisement of the many poor whites of the region. The once strong Democratic county turned Republican due to this convention, which, according to the Shenandoah Herald, was the “…death knell of the Democratic party in the Valley counties.” The Democrats of the county were of the Jacksonian, small government stock; leading them to vote Republican after the perceived injustice by the state convention in the creation of a new constitution, ^[14] which was not ratified by popular vote. The county briefly returned to its Southern Democrat roots at the state level during the civil rights movement. ^[15]

In 1856, Shenandoah County was the only county in Virginia to record votes in favor of the candidate of the newly formed Republican Party, John C. Frémont.

United States presidential election results for Shenandoah County, Virginia ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	16,463	69.51%	6,836	28.86%	385	1.63%
2016	14,094	68.72%	5,273	25.71%	1,141	5.56%
2012	12,538	64.72%	6,469	33.39%	366	1.89%
2008	12,005	62.45%	6,912	35.96%	306	1.59%
2004	11,820	68.94%	5,186	30.25%	140	0.82%
2000	9,636	66.68%	4,420	30.58%	396	2.74%
1996	7,440	56.02%	4,224	31.81%	1,616	12.17%
1992	7,746	55.74%	3,956	28.47%	2,194	15.79%
1988	8,612	71.74%	3,276	27.29%	116	0.97%
1984	9,048	76.03%	2,771	23.29%	81	0.68%
1980	7,517	67.10%	3,137	28.00%	549	4.90%
1976	6,296	64.05%	3,364	34.22%	170	1.73%
1972	7,128	82.46%	1,422	16.45%	94	1.09%
1968	5,461	62.91%	1,654	19.05%	1,566	18.04%
1964	3,981	55.54%	3,184	44.42%	3	0.04%
1960	4,144	66.85%	2,053	33.12%	2	0.03%
1956	4,164	69.18%	1,769	29.39%	86	1.43%
1952	4,284	71.12%	1,734	28.78%	6	0.10%
1948	3,349	64.65%	1,603	30.95%	228	4.40%
1944	3,517	64.12%	1,962	35.77%	6	0.11%
1940	3,527	58.87%	2,450	40.89%	14	0.23%
1936	3,152	52.29%	2,861	47.46%	15	0.25%
1932	2,514	48.19%	2,635	50.51%	68	1.30%
1928	3,420	68.28%	1,589	31.72%	0	0.00%
1924	2,214	48.80%	2,186	48.18%	137	3.02%
1920	2,683	56.05%	2,077	43.39%	27	0.56%
1916	1,425	48.70%	1,440	49.21%	61	2.08%
1912	706	27.61%	1,336	52.25%	515	20.14%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Shenandoah County, Virginia
• New Market Airport
• Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office
• Shenandoah Local History Collection at James Madison University's Special Collections
• Shenandoah Valley Miscellaneous Ledgers, Minute Books and Registers collection at James Madison University's Special Collections
• The Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation

References

1. "Shenandoah County, Virginia". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". US Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
5. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
6. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
7. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
8. "Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Shenandoah County VA". US Census Bureau.
9. "Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Shenandoah County VA". US Census Bureau.
10. "American FactFinder"
11. "2000 Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
12. Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office - History Archived July 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
13. Johnson, Colby (June 11, 2022). "Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office loses accreditation". WHSV. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
14. Humanities, National Endowment for the (November 8, 1901). "Shenandoah Herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974 (Image 2)". ISSN   2333-7788 . Retrieved December 13, 2021.
15. "Virginia Elections Database » Search Elections". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
16. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved December 8, 2020.

38°52′N78°34′W / 38.86°N 78.57°W / 38.86; -78.57