Stafford, also known as Stafford Courthouse, is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Stafford County, Virginia, United States.[1] The population was 5,370 as of the 2020 census.[2] It lies 10 miles (16 km) north of Fredericksburg, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of Washington, D.C., and about 60 miles (97 km) north of Richmond, the state capital. Marine Corps Base Quantico is located north of the community. Stafford Courthouse is located at the intersections of U.S. Route 1 and Courthouse Road.

Stafford, Virginia
Aerial view of Stafford
Aerial view of Stafford
Location in Stafford County and the state of Virginia.
Location in Stafford County and the state of Virginia.
Coordinates: 38°25′19″N 77°24′30″W / 38.42194°N 77.40833°W / 38.42194; -77.40833
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyStafford
Area
 • Total4.27 sq mi (11.07 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total5,370
 • Density1,300/sq mi (490/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
22554, 22556
Area code540

History

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English sea captain Samuel Argall abducted Pocahontas near this area in April 1613 in an attempt to secure release of some English prisoners held by her father. She married English colonist John Rolfe in 1614. They sailed in 1616 to England where Pocahontas died in 1617.[3][4]

It was a stop on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad in the nineteenth Century; CSX Transportation is the RF&P's successor today.

Accokeek Furnace Archeological Site, Aquia Church, Public Quarry at Government Island, Redoubt No. 2, and Stafford Training School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "Stafford County, VA". National Association of Counties. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  2. ^ "Stafford, Virginia Population". U.S. Census. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  3. ^ John Rolfe Highway Marker
  4. ^ Kidnapping of Pocahontas Highway Marker or Pocahontas Highway Marker
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. ^ "Stafford County Museum - Kidnapping of Pocahontas".
  7. ^ "History".
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