James City County, Virginia



James City County (formally, the County of James City) is a located on the  in the  region of the  of, a  of the. Its population is 48,102 (as of 2000), and it is often associated with, an which borders James City County, and  which is within the county. As of 2007, the population is estimated at 60,867 and as of 2004, the median household income is $66,180.

First settled by the English colonists in 1607 at in the, the County was formally created in 1634 as  by order of King. James City County is considered one of only five original to still be extant today in essentially the same political form.

Beginning in 2006, and extending into 2008, the county is hosting the celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown Settlement. Jamestown, along with and other area attractions, combine to make worldwide tourism to the  a major economic activity for the county.

History

 * This section incorporates text from the, which is in the .

Proprietary colony
The was granted a proprietorship (charter) by the King  to attempt to establish a colony in the area we now know as Virginia. England had been at war with Spain and was seeking both capital funds and income in the form of royalties. In December, 1606, 3 ships set sail from England, led by Captain. Upon reaching the New World at, they selected a site to settle about 40 miles inland from the coast along a river to be better protected from attacks by sea from other Europeans. Soon after the establishment of the in 1607 in the new,  settlers first explored and then began settling more of the areas adjacent to  and along the.

The first five years were very difficult, and the majority of the colonists perished. In 1612, imported strains of cultivated in Virginia bu colonist  were successfully exported and a  had been identified.

In 1619, the Virginia Company of London instituted a number of changes, to help stimulate more investment and attract settlers from England. In the long view, foremost among these was the establishment of what became the, the first representative legislative body in the European settlement of North America, predecessor of today's. Also in 1619, the s and developed portions of the Colony were divided into four "incorporations" or "citties" (sic), as they were then called. These were (east to west) (initially known as Kecoughtan),, , and. Each "cittie" covered a very large area. Elizabeth Cittie not only included land on both side of the James River, but most of what we now know as and also included Virginia's.

The Virginia Company's "James Cittie" stretched across the to the, and included the seat of government for the entire colony at. Each of the four "citiies" (sic) extended across the, the major thoroughfare of commerce for the settlers, and included land on both the north and south shores. With the incentives of 1619, many new developments, known as "" were established.

Wolstenholme Towne, Carter's Grove Plantation
About this same time, downriver from Jamestown, in the southeastern end of what is now James City County near present-day, a fortified settlement known as was established near the river and just east of the confluence of Grove Creek on a land grant known as. However, the population of the town, named for Sir, a principal of the Martin's Hundred Society investors back in England, was severely decimated during the , and many men, women and children were killed or abducted. While it was rebuilt, Wolstenholme Towne was eventually abandoned about 1643, and soon even the location was forgotten as it became one of the.

Over 100 years later, the property had become part of, itself built around 1753 by the grandson of , who had become one of the wealthiest planters and served for a period as Virginia's acting governor. Another 200 years later, the long-lost the site of Wolstenholme Towne was rediscovered in 1976 during an archaeological dig overseen by after the Carter's Grove Plantation property came under the ownership of.

Royal colony, creation of shires (counties)
The privately owned lost its charter in 1624, and Virginia became a royal colony. In 1634, the English Crown created eight s (i.e., ) in the colony of Virginia, with a total population of approximately 5,000 inhabitants. , as well as the James River and Jamestown which had been named earlier, took its name from King, the father of the then-king,. About 1642-43, the name of the James City Shire was changed to James City County.

Middle Plantation, Williamsburg, Green Spring
On high ground midway across the Virginia Peninsula, was established in 1632 as a fortress in the ongoing conflicts with s. By 1634, a palisade or fortification had been completed across the peninsula with Middle Plantation at the center. This protected the lower peninsula to the east.

Middle Plantation and James City County were selected for the site of the in 1693 and became the location of the capital in 1699 after Jamestown was burned (again) in 1698. Shortly thereafter, Middle Plantation was renamed in honor of King. The capital was moved to in 1780 at the outset of the. The was fought in the county just a short time before the British surrender at Yorktown. ( was the former home of Royal Governor ). ""

19th & 20th centuries
During the, the was waged in York and James City County during the  in 1862. Some earthworks remain at the site of the Confederate. After the War, extended the new  through the county to reach new s he had built at  on. Railroad stations were established (listed west to east) at Diascund,, , , Ewell, Williamsburg, and. In Williamsburg, the temporary tracks initially laid ran down the middle of Duke of Gloucester Street.

After a change in the Virginia constitution in 1871, Williamsburg became an from James City County in 1884, although it remained the. Williamsburg and James City County share a combined school system, courts, and some constitutional officers.

Beginning in the early 20th century, preservation and restoration efforts resulted in a major increase in tourism to the county and surrounding area. Attractions developed included, , the , , and. At the turn of the 21st century, new work was underway at Jamestown and nearby, with the promise of new historical discoveries. Each is especially attractive to archaeologists because of the lack of development after the mid 19th century.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 180 (465 ), of which 143 mi² (370 km²) is land, and 37 mi² (95 km², or 20.47%) is water.

James City County straddles two major watersheds, the James River Watershed and the York River Watershed. (Both are sub watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which stretches from Pennsylvania to Virginia). Within the James River and York watersheds are eleven sub watersheds - Diascund Creek, Ware Creek, Yarmouth Creek, Gordon Creek, Powhatan Creek, Mill Creek, College Creek, James River, York River, Skiffe's Creek and Chickahominy River. 

Demographics
As of the 2000, there were 48,102 people, 19,003 households, and 13,986 families residing in the county. The was 337/mi² (130/km²). There were 20,772 housing units at an average density of 145/mi² (56/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.05%, 14.37% or , 0.28% , 1.46% , 0.05% , 0.44% from , and 1.36% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population were or  of any race.

Of the total 19,003 households, 30.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.80% were living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 21.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.30% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there are 91.00 males.

Economy
The median income for a household in the county was $55,594, and the median income for a family was $66,171. Males had a median income of $43,339 versus $27,016 for females. The for the county was $29,256. 6.40% of the population and 4.10% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.30% are under the age of 18 and 4.80% are 65 or older.

Jamestown and the, each located within the county, combine with  and other area attractions to share the 's status as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. With dozens of restaurants, hotels and motels, and resort and recreational facilities, the brings major economic activity to the county.

Williamsburg
Although it received its as a city in 1722, approximately one-half of Williamsburg was located in James City County for many years. The courthouse function was relocated there from Jamestown, where the newer but historic 1770 Courthouse building was erected on Market Square. It was replaced in 1933 with a newer building nearby, and the 1770 building, substantially restored in 1989, is today part of Colonial Williamsburg's attractions.

In Colonial times, and for about 100 years thereafter, actually formed a prominent portion of the James City County border with York County, dividing the city down its primary street.

After a new Virginia state constitution was adopted in 1871,, which were not located within counties, were created. Soon, Williamsburg's charter was modified, and it was no longer located within either county. However, although politically separate entities, Williamsburg has remained the of James City County, and they continue to share courts and many other services.

Towns and communities
There are no s in the county. include:



Elementary, secondary schools
The local public school division is jointly operated with City of Williamsburg, and is known as (WJCC).

The area is also served by, an independent school.

Higher education
A campus of is located in the county near the Kingsmill development.

Portions of the (which is actually a university with post-graduate programs) are located in the county, and the main campus straddles the city-county border with Williamsburg.

Industrial
industries and developments have a major presence in James City County. These include a brewery, the  and the  resort and.

Just to the east of the Anheuser-Busch properties, in the southeastern section of the county, on the south side of U.S. Route 60, the county's James River Enterprise Zone, an is located in. The 5.6 square mile area contains 2,400 acres planned and zoned for industrial uses. James City County is actively seeking additional industrial business in this prime area of the county. The sites within a designated "enterprise zone" offer state and local incentives to businesses that locate in those zones, invest and create jobs.

Since the James River Enterprise Zone's inception in 1996, James River Commerce Center and Greenmount s have added tenants such as a Ball Manufacturing plant, an aluminum can plant which supplies Anheuser-Busch's Williamsburg brewery. A distribution center for and a Haynes furniture warehouse are also located there. Recently, a masonry supply firm and a Volvo equipment rental facility have each announced plans to establish facilities. Carter Machinery Company, a dealership with 17 locations in Virginia and West Virginia, announced in May 2007 that is building a new sales and service center on a 23-acre site. A large property adjacent to the James River which formerly housed is currently vacant and other additional sites are also available for more development. 

U.S. Route 60 Grove-Lee Hall traffic
For several years in the early 21st century, a major project of James City County officials and Supervisor Bruce Goodson, who represents the Roberts Magisterial District, has been to improve between Grove and Newport News to provide better (faster and more direct) access to  from the industrial sites in Grove which generate a considerable volume of truck traffic, and reduce the same on the existing roadway.

Access for the industrial traffic to I-64 currently requires a drive of about 4 miles in either direction on two-laned sections of U.S. 60 at non-highway speeds through residential areas, sharing the road with local traffic and es serving either the James River Elementary School's county-wide magnet program or alternatively, the large elementary school in the community in neighboring Newport News, as well as school buses for other schools going into and out of neighborhoods along the route in both communities.

On a historical note, a very similar roads issue was earlier visited in the 1930s, when the current parallel  was built as part of a four-laned through-route alternative to U.S. 60 for increasing volumes of east-west through traffic in the area. Once again, options have been chosen so that the two-laned bucolic nature of Route 60 through the Grove and Lee Hall communities to be preserved without the major impact a widening project would have upon these historic communities.

Skiffe's Creek Connector
In June 2007, Virginia's approved a major portion of the funding needed for the U.S. Route 60 relocation project. The relocated divided highway will begin on its western end near the current intersection of Blow Flats Road and, on a new alignment, will cross through the Greenmount Industrial Park to reach the Newport News city limits. The portion of relocated roadway planned in James City County is being described as the Skiffe's Creek Connector.

A connection to and enhanced access to Interstate 64 nearby is also planned.

Newport News section
At the Newport News border, a new crossing of will be built, and the remainder of the roadway will continue on a new alignment and effectively bypass the two lane portion of U.S. Route 60 through the historic Lee Hall community, rejoining the current highway near the cloverleaf intersection of Fort Eustis Boulevard near the entrance to, where there is access four-laned access close by to exit 250 of Interstate 64 as well as an extant four-laned section of U.S. Route 60 which begins there and extends to the east as. In a separate project, portions of Warwick Boulevard east of Fort Eustis in Newport News are currently being widened to six lanes.

17th century
A fort was underway at Jamestown very shortly after the colonists began establishing themselves there in May, 1607. work has been extensive, and is a major aspect of the current attractions there.

By 1634, the settlers of the had completed a  of approximately 6 miles length across the peninsula, anchored by College Creek (earlier known as Archer's Hope Creek) and Queen's Creek, which led to the James and York rivers respectively. The goal was to protect the lower peninsula to the east from attacks by the Native Americans, who were still a threat in the area until after 1644.

The exact location of this line of wooden defenses has been lost to time. A portion was found during archaeological research on the property occupied by the home of, a person prominent in establishing Middle Plantation and what became  during the second half of the 17th century. That site is now part of the Bruton Heights School Educational Center, and within Williamsburg's city limits. Although all of the Page home site was originally in York County, the nearly 2500 feet section across the property gives insight into its likely location southerly into James City County. Archaeologists noted its extremely straight orientation, rather following topological features such as ridges or ravines, giving another clue.

19th century
During the, the 1862 was a move up the Virginia Peninsula from  at the eastern tip by Union troops in an attempt to take the Confederate capital of. The Williamsburg Line, a third Confederate line of defense, extended across the Peninsula just east of town. Construction of the line, largely consisting of a series of 14 redoubts, was overseen by President, who had joined in the defense of Williamsburg. At Redoubt # 6, near the center,, an earthen fortification, was located at a strategic point at the juncture of the roads from Lee's Mill and Yorktown to Williamsburg.

At Fort Magruder, a few earthworks and a small memorial remain along present-day Penniman Road in a residential area. In early 2006, donated 22 acres of the 350 acres of land that it had bought from Colonial Williamsburg in 2004, to create a public park. The land, located about 1.5 miles south of Fort Magruder (towards the James River), includes two redoubts that were part of the line of defenses made up of 14 redoubts, of which Fort Magruder was the largest.

20th century
The in the southeastern end of the county was populated with many  families displaced during  and  as the military reservations for the  and  respectively were created on the sites of the  of  and.

At the southwestern edge of Grove, the U.S. Army's operated from 1918 to 1971. It was a satellite facility of, which was established as Camp Abraham Eustis in neighboring Warwick County in 1918. In this hilly terrain, the base had its Upper Artillery Range. Some years after World War II, Camp Wallace became was the site of the Army's first installation of its. The Camp Wallace property became part of the Anheuser Busch developments beginning in the 1970s.

21st century
No military installations are currently headquartered in the county. Small portions of Camp Peary and the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station are located in James City County, although most portions of each of these large installation are located in neighboring York County. Also, a very small portion of Fort Eustis property adjacent to Skiffe's Creek Reservoir and the southeastern tip of the Greenmount Industrial Park is also located in the county, although almost all of Fort Eustis is now located in the independent city of (which consolidated with the former Warwick County in 1958 to form the present large city).

Publications

 * McCartney, Martha W. (1977) James City County: Keystone of the Commonwealth; James City County, Virginia; Donning and Company; ISBN 0-89865-999-X

Websites

 * "Cast Down Your Buckets Where You Are" An Ethnohistorical Study of the African-American Community on the Lands of the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station 1865-1918

Economic Development

 * Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance - serving James City County

Government

 * James City County (official website)
 * Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools

Political parties

 * James City County Democratic Committee
 * James City County Republican Committee

Attractions

 * Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's official site
 * APVA web site for the Jamestown Rediscovery project
 * Historic Jamestowne
 * Where are We Digging Now?
 * Jamestown 2007 Celebration
 * Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center
 * Virtual Jamestown
 * National Park Service: Jamestown National Historic Site
 * Busch Gardens Williamsburg web site
 * Friends of Green Spring a large interactive web site with streaming video and more than a dozen essays ("The voices of Green Spring")
 * National Park Service, Green Spring web page