Caroline County, Virginia

Caroline County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Bowling Green
Year Organized: 1728
Square Miles: 533

Court House:

P.O. Box 447
County Courthouse
Bowling Green, VA 22427-0447

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Caroline is named for Caroline of Ansbach, wife of George II of Great Britain

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Caroline County, Virginia formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William Counties. Legislative enactment in 1727. Organized in 1728. [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.]

Caroline County was named for Caroline of Anspach, consort of George II. It was formed from Essex, King and Queen and King William Counties in 1728, and additional parts of King and Queen were added in 1742 and 1762. Its area is 549 square miles, and the county seat is Bowling Green. According to the 2000 census, its population is 22,121. Most records prior to 1836 were destroyed during the Civil War. Some deeds and wills are recorded in extant Chancery Papers, and a considerable number of order books and loose papers survive.

Neighboring Counties:

Caroline County is bounded on the north by Stafford and King George counties; on the south by Hanover County; on the east by King William, King and Queen, and Essex counties; and on the west by Spotsylvania County.

Cities and Towns:

- Bowling Green (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- Port Royal	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Penn Foster High School

Custom Search