APPOMATTOX County, VA

Appomattox County is a United States county located in the Piedmont region and near the center of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is part of the Lynchburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and its county seat is the town of Appomattox.

Appomattox County was created in 1845 from parts of four other Virginia counties. The name of the county comes from the Appamatuck Indians, who lived in the area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,119.

History

Appomattox County was formed in 1845 from Buckingham, Prince Edward, Campbell and Charlotte counties. In 1848, another part from Campbell County was added. It was named for the Appomattox River, which in turn was named for the Appamatuck, a historic Native American tribes in Virginia of the Algonquian-speaking Powhatan Confederacy.

Appomattox came to national attention on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee met with Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House to accept Lee's surrender. The surrender of Lee, which effectively ended the American Civil War, took place at the McLean House, home of Wilmer McLean.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Major highways

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Demographics

2020 census

Note: 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.

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,705 people, 5,322 households, and 4,012 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 5,828 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.94% White, 22.91% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,322 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.70% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,507, and the median income for a family was $41,563. Males had a median income of $31,428 versus $21,367 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,086. 11.40% of the population and 8.70% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.10% of those under the age of 18 and 21.50% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government

Board of Supervisors

Constitutional officers

Appomattox County is represented by Republican Mark Peake, in the Virginia Senate, Republican C. Matt Farris in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican Bob Good the U.S. House of Representatives.

Communities

Towns

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities