Caroline County, Virginia

Caroline County is a located in the  &mdash; officially, "" &mdash; of. As of the, the population was 22,121. Its is. Caroline County is also home to Stables, the birthplace of perhaps the greatest  of all time,, winner of the 1973  and.

History
Caroline County was established in 1728 from, , and counties. It was named for, the wife of King.

During the Colonial Period, Caroline County was the birthplace of Thoroughbred Racing in North America. Arabian horses were imported from England to provide the basis for American breeding stock.

Patriot Edmund Pendleton played a large role in the Virginia Resolution for Independence (1775) and Caroline native, John Penn, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence (www.foundersofamerica.org).

Explorers, William Clark and his slave, York, were members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803); both were born near what is now Ladysmith, Virginia in Caroline.

During the  troops under   fought  troops near Milford in 1864. Confederate General died at Guinea Station in  after being accidentally shot by his own troops at the. He survived the gun shot wound but died later from infection due to the unsterile conditions of medical treatments of that era. , the of , was shot by federal troops in Caroline County.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,396 (539 ). 1,379 km² (533 mi²) of it is land and 16 km² (6 mi²) of it (1.18%) is water. Caroline County is 30 miles (50 km) north of the capitol in and 32 miles (35 km) South of.

Caroline County is bounded on the north by and  counties; on the south by ; on the east by, , and  counties; and on the west by.

The county is also home to a quarry that has proved a rich source of pre-historic whale and shark skeletons. The whole county is located in what was in ancient times an ocean and is now known to as the middle Miocene  of Virginia. A whale skeleton discovered there in 1990 was later proved to be a new whale species (see ).

Caroline County is serviced by US Interstate 95 and has the second most profitable interchange in Virginia at Carmel Church, exit 104.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 22,121 people, 8,021 households, and 6,007 families residing in the county. The was 16/km² (42/mi²). There were 8,889 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (17/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.57%, 34.37% or , 0.78% , 0.36% , 0.03% , 0.52% from , and 1.37% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 8,021 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.10% were non-families. 20.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,845, and the median income for a family was $43,533. Males had a median income of $31,701 versus $22,455 for females. The for the county was $18,342. About 7.20% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the, including 12.00% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Economic growth in Caroline in the last five years have been rapid, mostly due to affordable housing and close proximity to Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. In 2005, Caroline was recognized as the 10th Fastest Growing County in America. Also in 2005, Caroline County won the Virginia Community Ecomomic Development Award (CEDA) for Business Recruitment and the CEDA Award for the entire south from the Southern Economic Development Council.

Among recent Economic Development successes in Caroline have been the recruitment of the State Fair of Virginia, to open in 2009 (previously in Richmond since 1854 when the first State Fair opened in Monroe Park), Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders, The Virginia Sports Complex, and the multi-national electronics firm, M.C. Dean.

Towns
There are two s in Caroline County. They are:



Bowling Green
The town of Bowling Green was earlier known as New Hope Village. One of the earliest stage roads in the colony ran through the area from Richmond to the, where a ferry crossing was operated to. One of the first stage lines in America to maintain a regular schedule operated along this road. New Hope Tavern was built along the road prior to 1700, and the area around it became known as New Hope Village.

The town was renamed for "Bowling Green" which was the estate of town founder, Colonel, who donated a considerable amount of land when the community became the in 1803. The Bowling Green estate took its name from the Hoomes family's ancestral seat back in, "Bolling Green". Such naming was a tradition in the Colony of Virginia. The Bowling Green Estate was the site of the first track built to race horses in America. The mansion of Major Thomas Hoomes, built in 1667, is now called the "Old Mansion". A prominent town landmark, it is the oldest continuously inhabited residence in Virginia. The Old Mansion is now on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the.

The present Caroline County Court House was built in 1835 and Bowling Green was incorporated as a town about 2 years later, in 1837. The town is best-known as the "cradle of American " and as the home of the second oldest.

The (chartered in 1834) was built through nearby  (just west of town) and reached  by 1837. This important rail link between several major northern s at and other major southern railroads at  was long partially-owned by the, and became part of  in the 1990s. It is a major freight railroad line for north-south traffic and the corridor also hosts many trains. Although the closest (VRE) commuter passenger rail service to  is currently accessed at Fredericksburg, future VRE extensions southward may include service at Milford which would be very convenient for Bowling Green and the surrounding area.

In modern times, Bowling Green is located along, one of the two earlier highways between and. In later years, was built through the area, connecting Richmond with  with what was effectively an eastern bypass of the  area for north-south traffic along the U.S. east coast. A new road, was established from Bowling Green west to, where it intersects Interstate 95 in Virginia|Interstate 95 and , major north-south highways.

In 1941, the United States government acquired 77,000 acres of Caroline County to the north and east of Bowling Green and established the A.P. Hill Military Reservation. Known in modern times as, it was named for a Virginia military hero  and later  General , who was killed just prior to the end of the War in 1865. At the massive complex, thousands of regular military and reserve troops undergo training each year. It has also been the site of national Jamboree gatherings of the.

Port Royal
Port Royal is one of the area's more historic towns. It was first established in 1652 as a port on a navigable portion of the during an era when waterways were the major method of transportation of people and property in the British. It was an important point for export of tobacco, Virginia's.

Local tradition holds that Port Royal was named after the Roy family. Dorothy Roy and her husband John owned a warehouse chartered by the crown, a service across the Rappahannock River to  and a tavern. In the 21st century, the chimneys of the Roy house are preserved landmarks in the town.

Port Royal was incorporated as a town in 1744. The "town green", upon which stands today the Town Hall and the firehouse, was forever reserved "for public and civic use".

Shipping of property from the port began to decline after completion of railroads which began in Virginia in the 1830s. The last scheduled passenger ship service ended in 1932, supplanted by highways. However, Port Royal was served by the new highways which became and, with their crossroads at Port Royal.

Notable people

 * , officer in the and.
 * and his slave York, members of the, were born in Caroline County and lived there until his family moved to when he was 15.
 * Henry Thompkins Anderson, (1812-1872), born in Caroline County, was a  who produced his own translations of the  and
 * , born in New Market, commander of during the