Westmoreland County, Virginia

Westmoreland County Education, Geography, and History

Westmoreland County is a county located in the Northern Neck of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 17,454. Its county seat is Montross.

Etymology - Origin of Westmoreland County Name

Westmoreland is named for Westmorland in England.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Westmoreland County History

As originally established by the House of Burgesses from Northumberland County in 1653, the territory of Westmoreland County encompassed much of what later became the various counties and cities of Northern Virginia, including the city of Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Prince William County. These were part of Westmoreland until 1664, when Stafford County was formed.

Westmoreland County, Virginia formed from Northumberland County and later King George County. [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.]

Westmoreland County was named for the English county. It was formed from Northumberland County in 1653, and part of King George County was added in 1777. Its area is 229 square miles, and the county seat is Montross.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 253 square miles (655 km²), of which, 229 square miles (593 km²) of it is land and 23 square miles (60 km²) of it (9.29%) is water. The county is located on the Northern Neck peninsula and is part of the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA winemaking appellation.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Charles County, Maryland - north
• St. Mary's County, Maryland - northeast
• Northumberland County, Virginia - southeast
• Richmond County, Virginia - south
• Essex County, Virginia - southwest
• King George County, Virginia - northwest

Education

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