Henrico County, Virginia

Henrico County originally called Henrico Shire the original boundaries incorporated a major portion of what is now central Virginia. Today the cities of Charlottesville (about one hour to the north west by interstate) and Colonial Heights (about 30 minutes to the south) are part of what colonial settlers once knew as Henrico Shire. The county included the present day counties of Albemarle, Amherst, Buckingham, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Nelson, Powhatan, and part of Appomattox, as well as the cities of Richmond, Charlottesville, and Colonial Heights.

In 1611 the Citie of Henricus was established in what is know today as Chesterfield County, just south and across the James River from present day Henrico County. The citie was establish by Sir Thomas Dale who had been sent by the London Company to identify and establish a new town and seat of the colony. Many battles were fought in the area until a 1614 marriage between a soon to be famous Native American, Pocahontas and her English husband John Rolfe, brought peace around the area know as Henricus. The citie itself was small, holding only about 50 persons, while other new settlers took advantage of nearby land creating farms along the now renamed, James River. Pocahontas is honored today on the Henrico flags and county seal with her image.

In 1634 the citie of Henricus became one of eight shires in Virginia when King Charles I of England directed their formation. Later in 1637 the shires were renamed counties. The County of Henrico (pronounced hen-RYE-ko) is one of the oldest counties in the United States. In 1871, a state constitutional change created an unusual situation creating both independent cities and counties. The county seat was moved from Varina to the new Henrico County Court House in 1752 located at 20th and Main St. in what is now the City of Richmond, where it remained for over 200 years.

War Between the States
The Civil War hit Henrico hard during 1862 Peninsula Campaign with battles being fought in Malvern Hill, New Market Heights, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, Garnett's and Golding's Farms, Savage's Station, Oak Grove, and Seven Pines. Later in 1864, confederate General J.E.B. Stuart was shot in Henrico County at the Battle of Yellow Tavern. On May 12, 1864, Stuart passed away at the home of Doctor Charles Brewer, his brother-in-law, on Grace Street in nearby Richmond.

Transportation
Henrico incorporates the convergence of several major Interstate highways. First is I-95, the main north-south highway corridor connecting Maine and Florida and covering 1,919.74 miles. The approximate middle point of I-95 is found at milepost 83, Parham Road in Henrico County. Interstate 64 runs from the east coast of Virginia to Missouri. Interstate roads 295 and 288 serve as a partial beltway around Richmond.

The County has another unique quality, as it is one of only two counties in Virginia that maintain its own roads. By having control of its road system, Henrico gains a big advantage in allowing its urban planners to require developers to contribute to road systems feeding their projects. The result for it's citizens is a road system that keeps up with the development eliminating major traffic backups.

Henrico hosts the central region's major airport Richmond International Airport and has an Amtrak rail passenger station.

General Information
Henrico is approximately 245 square miles and borders the City of Richmond on the west, north and east. Henrico is known nationwide for its solid fiscal responsibility and has the highest Bond rating (Triple, triple-A) from the three bond rating agencies in the United States. This long-term focus on fiscal control has led the County of Henrico to operate with no layoffs for over 400 years. This fiscal conservatism has helped to lead Henrico in attracting national  and local based businesses to the county as well as creating a strong base of  highly qualified workers.

Henrico is host to NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series races at the Richmond International Raceway. RIR also hosts the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series races. Henrico is also home to such companies as: Altria Group, Alfa Laval, Inc., Child Fund International, Hamilton Beach, Kraft Foods, McKesson Medical Surgical, Southern States Coorperative, Genworth Financial, Markel Corporation, Wellpoint Inc. and The Brink's Company.

Today the county celebrates 400+ years of history and invites you to come visit and learn more about the second successful settlement in the New World. A new website Visit Henrico County was launched in 2013 to promote the many offerings the unique urban and rural county provides.