This is an accepted version of this page
100-581: The AAA Commonwealth District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports. The Commonwealth District schools competed in the AAA Northwest Region with the schools from
200-612: A Democrat. Independent incumbent Joe Brito lost a rematch with Republican Gary Snellings in a three-way race with another independent. Democratic incumbent George Schwartz from the Falmouth District, declined to run for re-election. Former Republican Supervisor Mark Osborn ran for the seat as an independent, in a three race against Democrat Doug Filler, and Republican Susan Stimpson who ultimately won. Republican Mark Dudenhefer won re-election against Democrat Laura Sellers and Republican Paul Milde won re-election against two Independents in
300-701: A Republican and won in the Griffis-Widewater District. Cord Sterling declined to run for re-election. Wendy Maurer a Republican won the Republican primary, then won a three-way race against a Democrat, and longtime former Republican Supervisor Robert Gibbons who ran as an independent and won in the Rockhill District and won. Republican incumbent Bob Thomas won re-election in the George Washington District. Republican Supervisor Bob Thomas from
400-584: A Republican from the Hartwood district lost re-election by 36 votes to Independent Joe Brito. Republican incumbent Mark Osborn lost re-election in the Falmouth district for a second term, to Democratic political newcomer George Schwartz. Democrats in the northern part of the county were replaced by Republicans. Gary Pash, a Democrat representing the Garrisonville District and Kandy Hillard a Democrat representing
500-566: A century. In October 1608, Newport brought a second shipment of supplies along with 70 new settlers, including the first women. Some German, Polish, and Slovak craftsmen also arrived, but they brought no food supplies. Newport brought a list of counterfeit Virginia Company orders which angered Smith greatly. One of the orders was to crown Indian leader Powhatan emperor and give him a fancy bedstead. The Company wanted Smith to pay for Newport's voyage with pitch, tar, sawed boards, soap ashes, and glass. After that, Smith tried to obtain food from
600-579: A cup or two of grain-meal per day, and someone died almost every day due to swampy conditions and widespread disease. By September, more than 60 had died of the 104 who left England. In early January 1608, nearly 100 new settlers arrived with Captain Newport on the First Supply , but the village was set on fire through carelessness. That winter, the James River froze over, and the settlers were forced to live in
700-487: A female householder with no husband present, and 18.90% were non-families. 13.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.32. In the county, the age distribution of the population shows 31.60% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 33.70% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 5.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
800-550: A formal education in cartography". That allegation, however, was proved false by the fact that Smith was a "master in his chosen fields of experience". The Proceedings of the English Colony In Virginia was a compilation of other writings; it narrates the colony's history from December 1609 to the summer of 1610, and Smith left the colony in October 1609 due to a gunpowder accident. The writing style of The Proceedings
900-530: A good time to leave camp, Opechancanough took Smith and went in search of his brother, at one point visiting the Rappahannock tribe who had been attacked by a European ship captain a few years earlier. In 1860, Boston businessman and historian Charles Deane was the first scholar to question specific details of Smith's writings. Smith's version of events is the only source and scepticism has increasingly been expressed about its veracity. One reason for such doubt
1000-409: A lack of food and water, the surrounding swampy wilderness, and attacks from Native Americans almost destroyed the colony. With Smith's leadership, however, Jamestown survived and eventually flourished. Smith was forced to return to England after being injured by an accidental explosion of gunpowder in a canoe. Smith's books and maps were important in encouraging and supporting English colonization of
1100-571: A large group of settlers to fish and others to gather shellfish downriver. They came back without food and were willing enough to take the meager rations offered them. This angered Smith and he ordered them to trade their guns and tools for fruit from the Indians and ordered everyone to work or be banished from the fort. The weeks-long emergency was relieved by the arrival of an unexpected ship captained by Samuel Argall . He had items of food and wine which Smith bought on credit. Argall also brought news that
SECTION 10
#17329011101261200-576: A life as a soldier of fortune and as a slave, he played an important role in the establishment of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia , the first permanent English settlement in North America, in the early 17th century. He was a leader of the Virginia Colony between September 1608 and August 1609, and he led an exploration along the rivers of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay , during which he became
1300-469: A map which Smith had drawn himself, to help make the Americas seem more domestic. As Lemay remarks, "maps tamed the unknown, reduced it to civilisation and harnessed it for Western consciousness," promoting Smith's central theme of encouraging the settlement of America. Many "naysayers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century" have made the argument that Smith's maps were not reliable because he "lacked
1400-1218: A member of the Commonwealth District in 1987, Courtland won a state championship in AAA Division 5 Football. The district has also won two state championships in Field Hockey (Stafford, 2005; North Stafford 1988), three in Cross Country (Stafford, 1996, 2011; Mountain View 2009), four in Girls Gymnastics (North Stafford, 1988–1991), one in Softball (Stafford, 1982), three in Wrestling (Colonial Forge, 2007–2009), one in volleyball (Albemarle, 2008) one in boys indoor track (Albemarle, 2009), one in Outdoor Track and Field (Stafford, 1968), two in boys soccer (North Stafford, 2011; Albemarle, 2012) and three in cheerleading (North Stafford, 1999, 2001, 2004) Stafford County, Virginia Stafford County
1500-473: A part of Northern Virginia it has trended Democratic however has stayed Republican at the state and local level. The Board of Supervisors currently has a Republican majority, that is also true of the Stafford School Board (although they are elected on a bipartisan basis). In 2020 , Joe Biden became the first Democratic candidate to carry Stafford County since Jimmy Carter in 1976 . Stafford County
1600-521: A part of the D.C. area and Northern Virginia is covered by D.C. cable news stations. These include FOX 5(WTTG), NBC 4(WRC-TV), ABC 7(WJLA-TV), CBS 9(WUSA), and PBS 26(WETA-TV). Stafford County is covered by northern Virginia newspapers and Fredericksburg newspapers. Stafford County Public Schools serves most of the county. However, places on Marine Corps Base Quantico are zoned to Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools. County high schools include: Quantico Middle High School serves
1700-519: A soldier in Transylvania. In 1914, the New Hampshire Society of Colonial Wars partially restored and rededicated the monument for the 300th anniversary celebration of his visit. The monument had weathered so badly in the harsh coastal winters that the inscription in the granite had worn away. Contemporary newspapers reported dedication of "a bronze tablet" honouring Smith, and dedication of
1800-526: A three-way race. Republican incumbent Mark Dudenhefer from the Garrisonville District ran for state legislature and won. Republican Ty Schieber was named Interim supervisor and won a special election to finish out Mark Dudenhefer's term. Democratic Incumbent Bob Woodson from the Griffis-Widewater district declined to run for a second term. In a three-way race former Independent Supervisor Jack Caviler won. Republican incumbent Cord Sterling won re-election in
1900-732: Is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia . It is approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of D.C. It is part of the Northern Virginia region, and the D.C area. It is one of the fastest growing, and highest income counties in America. As of the 2020 census , the population sits at 156,927. Its county seat is Stafford . Located across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County , Stafford County
2000-508: Is consensus among historians that Smith tended to exaggerate, but his account is consistent with the basic facts of his life. Some have suggested that Smith believed that he had been rescued, when he had in fact been involved in a ritual intended to symbolize his death and rebirth as a member of the tribe. David A. Price notes in Love and Hate in Jamestown that this is purely speculation, since little
2100-512: Is focused centrally on the observations that Smith made about the Native Americans, particularly regarding their religion and government. This specific focus would have been Smith's way of adapting to the New World by assimilating the best parts of their culture and incorporating them into the colony. A Map of Virginia was not just a pamphlet discussing the observations that Smith made, but also
SECTION 20
#17329011101262200-538: Is known of Powhatan rituals and there is no evidence for any similar rituals among other Native American tribes. Smith told a similar story in True Travels (1630) of having been rescued by the intervention of a young girl after being captured in 1602 by Turks in Hungary. Karen Kupperman suggests that he "presented those remembered events from decades earlier" when telling the story of Pocahontas. Whatever really happened,
2300-575: Is now Stafford County, to a secondary English settlement, known as Henricus (or Henrico Town). During her captivity there, Alexander Whitaker converted Pocahontas to Christianity. She took the name "Rebecca" at her baptism. Rebecca/Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe on April 5, 1614, in Jamestown . Their mixed-race descendants were among the First Families of Virginia . The English colonial government of Virginia imposed its own order on
2400-575: Is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area . In 2006, and again in 2009, Stafford was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 11th highest-income county in the United States . According to a Census Bureau report released in 2019, Stafford County is currently the sixth highest-income county in America. For thousands of years, various native cultures succeeded each other in their territories along
2500-546: Is represented by Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-Glen Allen) of Virginia's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives . On the state level, it is represented by Republican Tara Durant and Democrat Jeremy McPike in the Virginia State Senate . Democrats Candi King , Joshua G. Cole and Republican Paul Milde in the Virginia House of Delegates . Republican incumbent Robert Gibbons from
2600-417: Is that, despite having published two earlier books about Virginia, Smith's earliest surviving account of his rescue by Pocahontas dates from 1616, nearly 10 years later, in a letter entreating Queen Anne to treat Pocahontas with dignity. The time gap in publishing his story raises the possibility that Smith may have exaggerated or invented the event to enhance Pocahontas' image. However, professor Leo Lemay of
2700-538: Is thought to be better constructed than A Map of Virginia . John Smith was honoured on two of the three stamps of the Jamestown Exposition Issue held 26 April – 1 December 1907 at Norfolk, Virginia to commemorate the founding of the Jamestown settlement. The 1-cent John Smith, inspired by the Simon de Passe engraving of the explorer was used for the 1-cent postcard rate. The 2-cent Jamestown landing stamp paid
2800-404: Is unusual among local structures for having been designed on the plan of a Greek cross rather than the more standard Roman Cross design. In addition, Aquia Church has a rare three-tiered pulpit; it has been designated as a National Historic Landmark . The Episcopal church continues to be active today. Stafford County industry and resources were important to the colony and early nation. During
2900-723: The AAA Cardinal District , the AAA Cedar Run District , and the AAA Western Valley District until the 2013 VHSL District Reclassification . The Commonwealth District has consistently had the base of its schools from Stafford County , as well as the larger schools in Spotsylvania County . In past years, the geographic area of the district was based primarily in Prince William County until
3000-686: The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail , established in 2006. In his absence, Smith left his friend Matthew Scrivener as governor in his place, a young gentleman adventurer from Sibton Suffolk who was related by marriage to the Wingfield family, but he was not capable of leading the people. Smith was elected president of the local council in September 1608. Some of the settlers eventually wanted Smith to abandon Jamestown, but he refused. Some deserted to
3100-720: The City of Alexandria . It is part of the area now considered Northern Virginia . George Washington spent much of his childhood in the lower part of the county at his family's home Ferry Farm (which at the time was part of King George County), along the Rappahannock River across from Fredericksburg . Colonial Forge High School was built on a tract of land owned in colonial times by his father Augustine Washington . George Mason , another Founding Father , also lived in Stafford during his formative years. Aquia Church , built in 1757,
Commonwealth District (VHSL) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3200-452: The Isles of Shoals . The original monument was built in 1864 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Smith's visit to what he named Smith's Isles. It was a series of square granite slabs atop one another, with a small granite pillar at the top (see adjacent image). The pillar featured three carved faces, representing the severed heads of three Turks that Smith lopped off in combat during his stint as
3300-552: The New World . Having named the region of New England, he stated: "Here every man may be master and owner of his owne labour and land. ...If he have nothing but his hands, he may...by industries quickly grow rich." Smith died in London in 1631. Smith's exact birth date is unclear. He was baptized on 6 January 1580 at Willoughby , near Alford, Lincolnshire , where his parents rented a farm from Lord Willoughby . He claimed descent from
3400-688: The Ottoman Turks in the Long Turkish War . He was promoted to cavalry captain while fighting for the Austrian Habsburgs in Hungary in the campaign of Michael the Brave in 1600 and 1601. After the death of Michael the Brave, he fought for Radu Șerban in Wallachia against Ottoman vassal Ieremia Movilă . Smith reputedly killed and beheaded three Ottoman challengers in single-combat duels, for which he
3500-589: The Patience to gather more food for Jamestown but died there. The Patience then sailed for England instead of Virginia, captained by his nephew. Smith was severely injured by a gunpowder explosion in his canoe, and he sailed to England for treatment in mid-October 1609. He never returned to Virginia. Colonists continued to die from various illnesses and disease, with an estimated 150 surviving that winter out of 500 residents. The Virginia Company, however, continued to finance and transport settlers to sustain Jamestown. For
3600-699: The Potomac River and its tributaries . By the time of English colonization, there were 32 Algonquian -speaking American Indian tribes in the present-day coastal Tidewater Virginia area, including those of the Patawomeck and numerous tribes that were part of the Powhatan Confederacy . The former small tribe, still centered in Stafford County, was recognized by the state of Virginia in 2010. The Indians' first recorded encounter with Europeans in this area
3700-621: The Rappahannock River , reaching the Union lines and gaining freedom. This exodus and Trail of Freedom is commemorated by historical markers on both sides of the river, in Fredericksburg and in Stafford County. The Battle of Aquia Creek took place in the Aquia Harbour area. Both the Union Army and Confederate Army struggled to control the strategic Potomac Creek Bridge at various times during
3800-711: The Revolutionary War , the Stafford ironworks furnished arms for the colonial rebel soldiers. Aquia Creek sandstone , quarried from Government Island , was used to build the White House and the U.S. Capitol . During the American Civil War , the county was part of the battlegrounds, occupied repeatedly by more than 100,000 troops for several years. In 1862, before and after the Battle of Fredericksburg , some 10,000 slaves left area plantations and city households to cross
3900-460: The Tucke Monument . In 2014, a new monument honouring Smith was dedicated at Rye Harbor State Park , an 18-ton obelisk measuring "16 feet 14 inches (5.23 m)"—in commemoration of the year 1614; 17 feet 2 inches (5.23 m)—in height. Many critics judge Smith's character and credibility as an author based solely on his description of Pocahontas saving his life from
4000-402: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 280 square miles (730 km ), of which 269 square miles (700 km ) is land and 11 square miles (28 km ) (3.9%) is water. The Potomac River flows along part of the eastern border of the county, while the Rappahannock River runs along the extent of the county's southern border. The independent city of Fredericksburg developed at
4100-509: The Aquia District were replaced by Republicans Mark Dudenhefer and Paul Milde, respectively. Peter Fields, the Democratic incumbent from the George Washington District declined to run for a third term. Harry Crisp, a Democrat who ran for the George Washington District beat, Tom Coen a Republican who also ran last election cycle against Peter Fields. Jack Cavilier, an Independent incumbent from
Commonwealth District (VHSL) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4200-539: The Commonwealth of Virginia has poured big amounts of money in road infrastructure in Stafford County. Major U.S. Routes also pass through such as U.S. 1, and U.S. 17. 38°25′N 77°27′W / 38.41°N 77.45°W / 38.41; -77.45 John Smith (explorer) John Smith (baptized 6 January 1580 – 21 June 1631) was an English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, admiral of New England , and author. Following his return to England from
4300-485: The County Executive system of government, with an elected Board of Supervisors. The Board hires a professional, nonpartisan County Administrator to manage government agencies. The current County Administrator is Thomas C. Foley. Stafford County is currently a battleground county politically which leans Republican. Due to its rapid suburbanization and growth of families, and Federal Government employees from D.C. and being
4400-629: The DoDEA property. Stafford County is approximately 40 miles south of Washington D.C. Stafford County is the start of the I-95 Express lanes which start in the center part of the county and go to Washington D.C, the I-95 Express Lanes are currently being extended to the Southern tip of the county. A study done by INRIX Roadway Analytics awarded Southbound I-95 from D.C. to the southern tip of Stafford County
4500-442: The Falmouth District against a Democrat. Cindy Shelton, a Republican, beat a Democrat and an independent in a three-way race in one of the most Democratic districts in Stafford County. Democratic Incumbent Laura Sellers from the Garrisonville District ran for re-election against Mark Dudenhefer who declined to run for re-election for state legislature. In a rematch Mark Dudenhefer won again to reclaim his seat by 13 votes. Gary Snelings,
4600-733: The French had obtained everything that they had to offer in trade within six weeks. This was due to the fact that the French had created a great trading network which they could exploit, and the English had not cultivated these relations. Where once there was inter-tribal warfare, the French had created peace in the name of the fur trade. Former enemies such as the Massachuset and the Abenaki "are all friends, and have each trade with other, so farre as they have society on each others frontiers." Smith believed that it
4700-452: The George Washington District decided to run for state legislature. In a competitive Republican Primary he beat Supervisor Paul Milde from the Aquia District, and former Supervisor Susan Stimpson from the Falmouth District. Tom Coen, a Republican candidate who ran twice for the seat was named Interim Supervisor and won a special election as an Independent to finish out Bob Thomas’ term. Incumbent Republican Supervisor Meg Bohmke won re-election in
4800-471: The Griffis-Widewater district ran for re-election as a Republican and lost to Democratic newcomer Bob Woodson. Woodson made history as being the first black American ever elected to the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. Republican Incumbent Robert Gibbons declined to run for another term. Republican Cord Sterling who worked for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) ran for the Rockhill District and won against
4900-484: The Indian villages, but Powhatan's people also followed Smith's law of "he who works not, eats not". This lasted "till they were near starved indeed", in Smith's words, and they returned home. In the spring of 1609, Jamestown was beginning to prosper, with many dwellings built, acres of land cleared, and much other work done. Then in April, they experienced an infestation of rats, along with dampness which destroyed all their stored corn. They needed food badly and Smith sent
5000-433: The Indians' hostility, to bickering among the leaders of Virginia Company, and to the early supposed mutiny" of Smith on the voyage to Virginia. The Pocahontas episode is subject to the most scrutiny by critics, for it is missing from A True Relation but it does appear in The Generall Historie . According to Lemay, important evidence of Smith's credibility is the fact that "no one in Smith's day ever expressed doubt" about
5100-413: The New World: fishing, farming, shipbuilding, and fur trading". Smith insists, however, that only hard workers would be able to reap the benefits of wealth which the New World afforded. He did not understate the dangers and toil associated with colonization. He declared that only those with a strong work ethic would be able to "live and succeed in America" in the face of such dangers. A Map of Virginia
SECTION 50
#17329011101265200-489: The Republican incumbent from the Hartwood District won re-election. Though the school board in Stafford County, and the Commonwealth of Virginia is officially nonpartisan, candidates are endorsed by parties and tend to hold views similar to these parties. The Stafford County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency in Stafford County. According to the department, it is the first agency in Virginia to use drones solely for law enforcement purposes. Note:
5300-457: The Rockhill District won re-election after a failed state legislature race in which he lost in the primary. Democrat Peter Fields from the George Washington district won re-election to his second term. Independent Jack Cavilier ran for re-election and won in the Griffis-Widewater district, keeping the Board of Supervisors at a gridlock 3-3-1 partisan split. Growth being a main concern of residents four incumbents lost re-election bids. Gary Snelings,
5400-400: The Rockhill district. In the George Washington District Harry Crisp declined time run for re-election. Bob Thomas, a Republican won the race against a Democrat in the George Washington District. The Republican incumbent from the Falmouth District Susan Stimson sought the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia and lost. Meg Bohmke, a Republican representing
5500-479: The Stafford side of MCBQ. Many residents commute north to work there and in other defense and federal facilities, as well as private companies, in Washington and its environs on Interstate Highway 95, U.S. Route 1, and by Virginia Railway Express . Stafford County is a suburban county and home to many Washington D.C. commuters and workers which work for the Federal Government. It is also home to many military families due to its proximity to MCBQ. These facts contribute to
5600-508: 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. As of the census of 2010, there were 128,961 people, 38,237 households, and 24,481 families residing in the county. The population density was 342 inhabitants per square mile (132/km ). There were 31,405 housing units at an average density of 116 units per square mile (45 units/km ). The racial makeup of
5700-489: The University of Delaware points out that Smith's earlier writing was primarily geographical and ethnographic in nature and did not dwell on his personal experiences; hence, there was no reason for him to write down the story until this point. Henry Brooks Adams attempted to debunk Smith's claims of heroism. He said that Smith's recounting of the story of Pocahontas had been progressively embellished, made up of "falsehoods of an effrontery seldom equaled in modern times". There
5800-460: The Virginia Company designating Smith as one of the leaders of the new colony, thus sparing him from the gallows. By the summer of 1607, the colonists were still living in temporary housing. The search for a suitable site ended on 14 May 1607 when Captain Edward Maria Wingfield , president of the council, chose the Jamestown site as the location for the colony. After the four-month ocean trip, their food stores were sufficient only for each to have
5900-400: The Virginia Company of London was being reorganized and was sending more supplies and settlers to Jamestown, along with Lord De la Warr to become the new governor. In a May 1609 voyage to Virginia, Virginia Company treasurer Sir Thomas Smith arranged for about 500 colonists to come along, including women and children. A fleet of nine ships set sail. One sank in a storm soon after leaving
6000-408: The ancient Smith family of Cuerdley , Lancashire, and was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth , from 1592 to 1595. Smith was initially set on a path to apprentice with a merchant in the Hanseatic League merchant seaport of King's Lynn in Norfolk . However, he found himself ill-suited for the monotonous life of a tradesman and the confines of a counting house . Peter Firstbrook,
6100-468: The area to defeat's Smith's settlement plans. He could not believe that Hunt was driven by greed since there was "little private gaine" to be gotten; Hunt "sold those silly Salvages for Rials of eight." Smith published a map in 1616 based on the expedition which was the first to bear the label "New England", though the Indian place names were replaced by the names of English cities at the request of Prince Charles . The settlers of Plymouth Colony adopted
SECTION 60
#17329011101266200-459: The biographer of John Smith, posits that Smith's brief stint as an apprentice to a merchant in the seaport of King's Lynn sparked his adventurous spirit. Smith set off to sea at age 16 after his father died. He served as a mercenary in the army of Henry IV of France against the Spaniards, fighting for Dutch independence from King Philip II of Spain . He then went to the Mediterranean where he engaged in trade and piracy, and later fought against
6300-436: The burned ruins. During this time, they wasted much of the three months that Newport and his crew were in port loading their ships with iron pyrite (fool's gold). Food supplies ran low, although the Native Americans brought some food, and Smith wrote that "more than half of us died". Smith spent the following summer exploring Chesapeake Bay waterways and producing a map that was of great value to Virginia explorers for more than
6400-402: The colonists was regulated by the companies that sponsored the voyage, in that the communications must go "directly to the company" because no one was to "write any letter of anything that may discourage others". Smith violated this regulation by first publishing A True Relation as an unknown author. Leo Lemay theorizes that the editor of The Generall Historie might have cut out "references to
6500-445: The command of Thomas Hunt stayed behind and captured a number of Indians as slaves, including Squanto of the Patuxet . Smith was convinced that Hunt's actions were directed at him; by inflaming the local population, Smith said, he could "prevent that intent I had to make a plantation there", keeping the country in "obscuritie" so that Hunt and a few merchants could monopolize it. According to Smith, Hunt had taken his maps and notes of
6600-490: The county was $ 24,762. About 2.40% of families and 3.50% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.30% of those under age 18 and 5.30% of those age 65 or over. Stafford County is also one of the seven counties in America where black households make more than white households. Between 2010 and 2014 the typical black household made $ 105,628 in the county. The highest out of all the seven counties, while white households made an average $ 99,533. Stafford County being
6700-475: The county was 72.5% White , 15.6% African American , 0.4% Native American, 2.8% Asian , 0.10% Pacific Islander , 3.2% from other races , and 4.0% from two or more races. 9.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Due to the rapid suburbanization of the county the demographics have increasingly changed in the past 20 years and will continue to change in the near future as Stafford County continues to grow. By 2005, Stafford County's population
6800-458: The creation of the Cardinal District. It also at times included schools as far north and west as Winchester and Warrenton , and as south and west to include Albemarle High School of Charlottesville who had been a member since 2001. The Commonwealth District has been a consistent force in AAA Division 5 Football, sending four different teams to the state championship from 1999 to 2004 ( Culpeper , Stafford , Massaponax and North Stafford ). As
6900-478: The district in the school board ran to represent the Falmouth District in the Board of Supervisors and won. Incumbent Republican Ty Schieber lost re-election in the Garrisonville District against Democrat Laura Sellers who ran in 2009 against Mark Dudenhefer and lost. Republican incumbent Gary Snelings from the Hartwood District won re-election. Republican incumbent Paul Milde from the Aquia District also won re-election. Independent Jack Cavilier ran for re-election as
7000-421: The early morning hours of May 9, 2008, a tornado touched down in the southern part of the county, severely damaging about 140 suburban homes. The county was severely affected by " Snowmageddon ," the massive blizzards of December 2009 and February 2010. Stafford received some of the heaviest snow in the D.C. metropolitan area, with about 25 inches of snow in December, and 19 inches in February. According to
7100-405: The encounter initiated a friendly relationship between the Native Americans and colonists near Jamestown . As the colonists expanded farther, some of the tribes felt that their lands were threatened, and conflicts arose again. In 1608, Pocahontas is said to have saved Smith a second time. Chief Powhatan invited Smith and some other colonists to Werowocomoco on friendly terms, but Pocahontas came to
7200-725: The fall line of the river, supporting mills run by water power. To the northwest of there is the Piedmont area. Aquia Creek empties into the tidal segment of the Potomac River at Brent Point in Stafford County. It is surrounded by Prince William County to the north, Fauquier County to the West, the City of Fredericksburg, and Spotsylvania County to the south. Due to its location and proximity to Washington D.C. many Federal Government workers and commuters live in Stafford County. Stafford County's location close to Washington D.C. and MCB Quanico are one of
7300-558: The first English explorer to map the Chesapeake Bay area. Later, he explored and mapped the coast of New England. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Báthory , Prince of Transylvania , and his friend Mózes Székely . Jamestown was established on May 14, 1607. Smith trained the first settlers to work at farming and fishing, thus saving the colony from early devastation. He publicly stated, " He that will not work, shall not eat ", alluding to 2 Thessalonians 3:10 . Harsh weather,
7400-459: The hand of Powhatan. Most of the scepticism results from the differences between his narratives. His earliest text is A True Relation of Virginia , submitted for publication in 1608, the year after his experiences in Jamestown. The second was The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles , which was published in 1624. The publication of letters, journals, and pamphlets from
7500-726: The harbour, and the Sea Venture wrecked on the Bermuda Islands with flotilla admiral Sir George Somers aboard. They finally made their way to Jamestown in May 1610 after building the Deliverance and Patience to take most of the passengers and crew of the Sea Venture off Bermuda, with the new governor Thomas Gates on board. In August 1609, Smith was quite surprised to see more than 300 new settlers arrive, which did not go well for him. London
7600-470: The high-income of families in Stafford County, and the high amount of home-ownership, and college graduates. Stafford County is also one of the few counties in America where black households make more than white households. In recent years Stafford County has experienced major suburbanization, and growth as more and more workers move to the suburbs for their families. Thus, many developers are currently active in Stafford County in housing and retail projects. In
7700-519: The hut where they were staying and warned them that Powhatan was planning to kill them. They stayed on their guard and the attack never came. Also in 1608, Polish craftsmen were brought to the colony to help it develop. Smith wrote that two Poles rescued him when he was attacked by an Algonquian tribesman. In the summer of 1608, Smith left Jamestown to explore the Chesapeake Bay region and search for badly needed food, covering an estimated 3,000 miles (4,800 km). These explorations are commemorated in
7800-455: The land and peoples. In 1664 it established Stafford County from territory previously part of Westmoreland County (which had been created from Northumberland County in 1653). It was named after Staffordshire , England. As originally delineated, Stafford County included a much larger area than its current borders. As population grew, the following counties and jurisdictions were created: Arlington , Fairfax , and Prince William counties, and
7900-618: The local Natives, but it required threats of military force for them to comply. Smith discovered that there were those among both the settlers and the Natives who were planning to take his life, and he was warned about the plan by Pocahontas . He called a meeting and threatened those who were not working "that he that will not work shall not eat." After that, the situation improved and the settlers worked with more industry. Native Americans led by Opechancanough captured Smith in December 1607 while he
8000-452: The major reasons of the suburbanization and growth of the county. The county is divided into seven magisterial districts: George Washington, Hartwood, Falmouth, Griffis-Widewater, Aquia, Garrisonville, and Rockhill. The magisterial districts, roughly equal in population, each elect one supervisor to the Board of Supervisors which governs Stafford County. The county operates under the county form of
8100-716: The name that Smith gave to that area, and other place names on the map survive today, such as the Charles River (marked as The River Charles) and Cape Ann (Cape Anna). Smith made two attempts in 1614 and 1615 to return to the same coast. On the first trip, a storm dismasted his ship. In the second attempt, he was captured by French pirates off the coast of the Azores . He escaped after weeks of captivity and made his way back to England, where he published an account of his two voyages as A Description of New England . He remained in England for
8200-470: The next five years, Governors Gates and Sir Thomas Dale continued to keep strict discipline, with Sir Thomas Smith in London attempting to find skilled craftsmen and other settlers to send. In 1614, Smith returned to America in a voyage to the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts Bay . He named the region " New England ". The commercial purpose was to take whales for fins and oil and to seek out mines of gold or copper, but both of these proved impractical so
8300-635: The regular beatings his slavemaster gave him, Smith killed the slavemaster and escaped from Ottoman territory into Muscovy . Smith traveled through the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Europe, and Africa, reaching England in 1604. In 1606, Smith became involved with the Virginia Company of London 's plan to colonize Virginia for profit, and King James had already granted a charter. The expedition set sail on Discovery , Susan Constant , and Godspeed on 20 December 1606. His page
8400-435: The rest of his life. Smith compared his experiences in Virginia with his observations of New England and offered a theory of why some English colonial projects had failed. He noted that the French had been able to monopolize trade in a very short time, even in areas nominally under English control. The people inhabiting the coasts from Maine to Cape Cod had "large corne fields, and great troupes of well proportioned people", but
8500-543: The story's veracity, and many people who would have known the truth "were in London in 1616 when Smith publicised the story in a letter to the queen", including Pocahontas herself. Smith focuses heavily on Indians in all of his works concerning the New World. His relationship with the Powhatan tribe was an important factor in preserving the Jamestown colony from sharing the presumed fate of the Roanoke Colony . Realizing that
8600-550: The very existence of the colony depended on peace, he never thought of trying to exterminate the natives. Only after his departure were there bitter wars and massacres, the natural results of a more hostile policy. In his writings, Smith reveals the attitudes behind his actions. One of Smith's main incentives in writing about his New World experiences and observances was to promote English colonization. Lemay claims that many promotional writers sugar-coated their depictions of America in order to heighten its appeal, but he argues that Smith
8700-414: The voyage turned to collecting fish and furs to defray the expense. Most of the crew spent their time fishing, while Smith and eight others took a small boat on a coasting expedition during which he traded rifles for 11,000 beaver skins and 100 each of martins and otters. Smith collected a ship's cargo worth of "Furres… traine Oile and Cor-fish" and returned to England. The expedition's second vessel under
8800-669: The war. Falmouth , a town bordering Fredericksburg, was the home of late-19th century American Impressionist artist Gari Melchers . His house, Belmont , still stands and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Stafford County has developed to be one of the core counties of the Washington metropolitan area and Northern Virginia, the seat of government and numerous major defense installations. Marine Corps Base Quantico occupies northern areas of this county. The FBI Academy, FBI National Laboratory and NCIS HQ are located on
8900-511: The worst single traffic hotspot in the nation. A stretch of Northbound I-95 from Northern Spotsylvania County to the Northern tip of Stafford County was ranked the seventh worst traffic hotspot in the nation. Due to booming growth in the county, and Northern Virginia, Stafford County is in a gridlock and has one of the worst traffic situations in Northern Virginia, Virginia, and the nation. Thus,
9000-413: Was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 75,546, and the median income for a family was $ 78,575 (these figures had risen to $ 85,793 and $ 95,433 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $ 47,080 versus $ 31,469 for females. The per capita income for
9100-457: Was 72.8% non-Hispanic whites. black Americans were 17.0% of the total population. Native Americans were 0.4% of the county total, Asians 2.3%, and Native Hawai'ians and other Pacific islanders 0.2%. Latinos were 6.4% of the population. This was higher than the total for all of Virginia. As of 2000 there were 38,187 households, out of which 46.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.00% were married couples living together, 9.30% had
9200-558: Was a 12-year-old boy named Samuel Collier. During the voyage, Smith was charged with mutiny, and Captain Christopher Newport (in charge of the three ships) had planned to execute him. These events happened approximately when the expedition stopped in the Canary Islands for resupply of water and provisions. Smith was under arrest for most of the trip. However, they landed at Cape Henry on 26 April 1607 and unsealed orders from
9300-509: Was buried in 1633 in the south aisle of Saint Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church , Holborn Viaduct, London. The church is the largest parish church in the City of London, dating from 1137. Captain Smith is commemorated in the south wall of the church by a stained glass window. The Captain John Smith Monument currently lies in disrepair off the coast of New Hampshire on Star Island , part of
9400-471: Was in 1608, with John Smith of the Jamestown Settlement . During a time of recurring tension between the early English colonists and local natives, the colonists led by Samuel Argall captured Chief Powhatan 's daughter, Pocahontas , while she was living with her husband, Kocoum, at the Patawomeck town of Passapatanzy . The colonists took her from Passapatanzy, located in the eastern part of what
9500-638: Was knighted by the Prince of Transylvania and given a horse and a coat of arms showing three Turks' heads. In 1602 he was wounded in a skirmish with the Crimean Tatars , captured, and, taken to a slave market, and then sold. He was sent as an enslaved gift to a woman in Constantinople (Istanbul), Charatza Tragabigzanda, who sent him to perform agricultural work and to be converted to Islam in Rostov . During one of
9600-572: Was not one to exaggerate the facts. He argues that Smith was very straightforward with his readers about both the dangers and the possibilities of colonization. Instead of proclaiming that there was an abundance of gold in the New World, as many writers did, Smith illustrated that there was abundant monetary opportunity in the form of industry. Lemay argues that no motive except wealth would attract potential colonists away from "their ease and humours at home". "Therefore, he presented in his writings actual industries that could yield significant capital within
9700-606: Was removed to the hunters' camp, where Opechancanough and his men feasted him and otherwise treated him like an honoured guest. Protocol demanded that Opechancanough inform Chief Powhatan of Smith's capture, but the paramount chief also was on a hunt and therefore unreachable. Absent interpreters or any other means of effectively interviewing the Englishman, Opechancanough summoned his seven highest-ranking kwiocosuk, or shamans, and convened an elaborate, three-day divining ritual to determine whether Smith's intentions were friendly. Finding it
9800-667: Was seeking food along the Chickahominy River , and they took him to meet Chief Powhatan (Opechancanough's older brother) at Werowocomoco , the main village of the Powhatan Confederacy . The village was on the north shore of the York River about 15 miles (24 km) north of Jamestown and 25 miles (40 km) downstream from where the river forms from the Pamunkey River and the Mattaponi River at West Point, Virginia . Smith
9900-448: Was sending new settlers with no real planning or logistical support. Then in May 1610, Somers and Gates finally arrived with 150 people from the Sea Venture . Gates soon found that there was not enough food to support all in the colony and decided to abandon Jamestown. As their boats were leaving the Jamestown area, they met a ship carrying the new governor Lord De la Warr, who ordered them back to Jamestown. Somers returned to Bermuda with
10000-609: Was too late to reverse this reality even with diplomacy, and that what was needed was military force. He suggested that English adventurers should rely on his own experience in wars around the world and his experience in New England where his few men could engage in "silly encounters" without injury or long term hostility. He also compared the experience of the Spaniards in determining how many armed men were necessary to effect Indian compliance. John Smith died on 21 June 1631 in London. He
#125874