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Shenandoah County, Virginia

Coordinates: 38°52′N 78°34′W / 38.86°N 78.57°W / 38.86; -78.57
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Not to be confused with Shenandoah, Virginia.

Shenandoah County
County
Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock
Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock
Flag of Shenandoah County
Flag
Official logo of Shenandoah County
Logo
Map of Virginia highlighting Shenandoah County
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°52′N 78°34′W / 38.86°N 78.57°W / 38.86; -78.57
Country United States
State Virginia
Founded1772
Named forShenandoah River
SeatWoodstock
Largest townStrasburg
Area
 • Total512 sq mi (1,330 km2)
 • Land509 sq mi (1,320 km2)
 • Water3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  0.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total44,186
 • Density86/sq mi (33/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district6th
Websitewww.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

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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

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class=notpageimage|
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

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National protected areas

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Transportation

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I-81 southbound in Shenandoah County

Major highways

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
179010,510—
180013,82331.5%
181013,646−1.3%
182018,92638.7%
183019,7504.4%
184011,618−41.2%
185013,76818.5%
186013,8960.9%
187014,9367.5%
188018,20421.9%
189019,6718.1%
190020,2533.0%
191020,9423.4%
192020,808−0.6%
193020,655−0.7%
194020,8981.2%
195021,1691.3%
196021,8253.1%
197022,8524.7%
198027,55920.6%
199031,63614.8%
200035,07510.9%
201041,99319.7%
202044,1865.2%
US Decennial Census[4]
1790–1960[5] 1900–1990[6]
1990–2000[7] 2010[8] 2020[9]

2020 census

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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

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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

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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

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Private

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Secondary institutions

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Primary institutions

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  • Shenandoah Valley Adventist Elementary School
  • Valley Baptist Christian School

Public

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High schools

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Elementary and middle schools

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  • 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

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

Communities

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Other unincorporated communities

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Law enforcement

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Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office
AbbreviationSCSO
Agency overview
FormedMay 26, 1772
Employees100+
Jurisdictional structure
Constituting instrument
  • Yes
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersWoodstock, Virginia
Agency executive
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

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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

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References

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  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. ^ a b "Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Shenandoah County VA". US Census Bureau.
  9. ^ a b "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.
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38°52′N 78°34′W / 38.86°N 78.57°W / 38.86; -78.57

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