Charles City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Charles City County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Charles City County. The population as of the 2020 census was 104.
Contents
Geography
The community is centered on the Charles City County Court House, from which it takes its variant names Charles City Court House and Charles City Courthouse. Charles City lies at the intersection of State Routes 5 and 155. It is 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Richmond, 17 miles (27 km) east of Hopewell, 23 miles (37 km) west of Williamsburg, and about 2 miles (3 km) north of the James River.
History
The area was originally populated by the Chickahominy, Paspahegh and Weyanock Native Americans followed by English settlers in 1607 and 20 enslaved Africans in 1618. After the Virginia Company founded Charles Cittie in 1619 as on of the first four "boroughs" Virginia, courthouses were successively built along the James River at Westover, then City Point and in the 1750s in the town of Charles City. The original Charles City County Courthouse remains today. Charles City serves as the central hub for local government in the county and as a central node for services including a library, bank, post office, and local schools.
Demographics
Charles City was first listed as a census designated place in the 2010 US census.
Notable people
Susan Wise Bauer, writer and historian
Lott Cary, first black Baptist missionary to Africa
Benjamin Harrison V, signer of the Declaration of Independence
Martha Jefferson, First Lady of Virginia and wife of Thomas Jefferson
John Tyler, US president
Freeman Walker, US senator from Georgia
William Henry Harrison, US president