Prince George County

BY ANGELA WOODFORD - Special Correspondent
Published: July 23, 2008

Located 25 miles south of Richmond, Prince George County has approximately 36,000 residents. The 266-square-mile county is bordered by the James and Appomattox rivers.

Prince George is home to U.S. Army base Fort Lee, a major factor in the local economy. The base was established in 1917 as a training center for WWI infantry.

Like surrounding localities, Prince George is home to several historic sites and structures that date to the Colonial era. Merchant’s Hope, believed to be built in 1657, still serves an Episcopal congregation.

History: Named after Prince George of Denmark, husband of Queen Anne of England, Prince George County was established in 1702. The area was among the first visited in 1607 by English colonists as Capt. Christopher Newport searched for the best place to establish the first settlement.

Richard Bland, a political leader who played a prominent role in events leading to the American Revolution, was born in Prince George. The county is also the birthplace of Edmund Ruffin, a pioneer soil chemist credited with firing the first shot of the Civil War on Fort Sumter, only to commit suicide after the war ended.

A Fun Thing to Do: Learn about county history at the Prince George Regional Heritage Center, a museum housed in the 1883 Prince George County courthouse at 6404 Courthouse Road. The museum will be partially open in mid-June and fully open in November.

Highlights include exhibits on Richard Bland, Edmund Ruffian and the Prince George First Bank as well as a timeline on the county’s history.

Government: Prince George is governed by five publicly elected district supervisors who set policy and approve the county budget, and a board-appointed county administrator who advises the board and oversees local government operations.

Schools: The county school system is made up of nine schools: five elementary, one middle, one junior high, one high and an alternative school. A regional vocational/technical school serves Prince George.

Prince George will have a new elementary school ready for the 2009-2010 school year and will use the current North Elementary school for early childhood education. The county now offers preschool for at-risk children, gifted programs and dual-enrollment at Richard Bland College and John Tyler Community College.  

Libraries: The Appomattox Regional Library system serves Prince George County, with three branches located within Prince George and the main branch in Hopewell. The system has an online database and a bookmobile. All locations offer wireless Internet access, computer classes, book groups and children’s story times.

Parks: The county Parks and Recreation department hosts youth and adult sports, classes, trips and activities and camps. The county offers various amenities through its three recreation parks: Scott Memorial Park, Temple Recreation Park and Moore Park.

A fourth park, Appomattox River Regional Park, has 25 acres of trails and an observation pier; an education center and pavilion will be completed this year. For details, call (804) 733-2646 or visit http://www.princegeorgeva.org and link to “Community,” then “Parks.”

Real Estate: In Prince George, three new communities have sprung up: Buckingham Pines, with home prices from the $200s; Tinsley Charter, from the $190s; and Waterside at Jordan Point, a new section in Jordan Point neighborhood, featuring waterfront condos starting in the mid-$200s.