Prince William County, Virginia

Prince William County Education, Geography, and History

Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 402,002, in 2014, the population was estimated to be 437,636, making it the second-most populous county in Virginia. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas.

A part of Northern Virginia, Prince William County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Prince William County Name

Prince William is named for Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of George II of Great Britain.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Prince William County History

Prince William County, Virginia formed from King George and Stafford Counties. Legislative enactment in 1730. Organized in 1731. [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.]

Prince William County was named for William Augustus, duke of Cumberland and third son of George II. It was formed from Stafford and King George counties in 1730. The area is 337 square miles, and the county seat is Manassas.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (902 km²), of which 338 square miles (875 km²) is land and 11 square miles (27 km²) (3.04%) is water. It is bounded on the north by Loudoun and Fairfax counties; on the west by Fauquier County; on the south by Stafford County; and on the east by the Potomac River (Charles County, Maryland lies across the river).

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Loudoun County, Virginia - north
• Fairfax County, Virginia - northeast
• Charles County, Maryland - southeast
• Stafford County, Virginia - south
• Fauquier County, Virginia - west
• Manassas, Virginia - center (enclave)
• Manassas Park, Virginia - center (enclave)

Education

Public schools

Prince William County Public Schools system consists of 57 elementary, 16 middle, and 12 high schools, as well as a virtual high school, two traditional schools, three special education schools, and two alternative schools.

Colleges

Northern Virginia Community College

Universities

George Mason University
Stratford University
Strayer University
University of Northern Virginia

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