Powhatan County is a county in Virginia, United States, about 25 miles west of Richmond. It had
a population of 30,333 at the 2020 census, an estimated 31,555 in more recent years, and covers
262 square miles (680 km2) centred near 37°33′N 77°55′W.
Powhatan is the county seat and the only census-designated place in the county; its postal code is 23139. The county holds 1 census-designated place and 28 unincorporated communities, and it
runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 51145.
Towns & Villages in Powhatan County
Powhatan County has 29 named places on record: Powhatan itself, the only place the Census
Bureau recognises as a census-designated place, and 28 unincorporated communities and
crossroads with no census population count of their own. CDP stands for census designated
place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powhatan | CDP · seat | 402 | 23139 |
| Ballsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beaumont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Belona | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chestnut Oaks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clayville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dorset | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fine Creek Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flat Rock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Genito | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Goode Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hatchers | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hideaway Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Holly Hills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huguenot | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huguenot Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jefferson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lilburn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Macon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Michaux | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Moseley | Unincorp. | — | 23120 |
| Pilkinton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Plain View | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Lane | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Smiths Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Subletts | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tobaccoville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Trenholm | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Worshams | Unincorp. | — | — |
One name on the earlier version of this page, Provost, could not be confirmed against any
current source and has been dropped rather than guessed at. Moseley is the one confusable entry
here — it is a shared community that spans the Powhatan–Chesterfield County line, and
its 23120 ZIP code is administered from the Chesterfield side, not Powhatan’s own postal
system.
ZIP Codes
- 23139 — Powhatan (covers nearly all of the county)
- 23120 — Moseley (shared with Chesterfield County, administered from the Chesterfield
side)
The other 27 named communities have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under
the 23139 Powhatan address, reflecting how thinly the U.S. Postal Service divides a rural county
this size.
Geography
Powhatan County lies in Virginia’s central Piedmont, between the fall line and the
Blue Ridge foothills. Of its 262 square miles, 260 are land and 2.1 are water, about 0.8
percent — low for the region, since the county has no large natural lake. The James River
forms the county’s northern boundary, and the Appomattox River borders it on the south;
both rivers, rather than any lake, account for nearly all of its surface water.
Goochland County lies to the north, Chesterfield County to the east (with Henrico County
touching the county’s easternmost tip), Amelia County to the south, and Cumberland County
to the west. Goochland County, Chesterfield County, Henrico County, Amelia County and Cumberland County all
border Powhatan directly.
Demographics
Powhatan County had a population of 30,333 at the 2020 census, and a more recent
five-year estimate puts the county near 31,555 residents. Powhatan itself, the county seat, is
the only census-designated place; the rest of the population lives across the county’s 28
unincorporated communities and the suburban subdivisions around Moseley, near the Chesterfield
line. Median household income runs $110,537, well above Virginia’s statewide 2023 ACS
figure of $89,931. Population density works out to roughly 117 people per square mile of land,
low for a county this close to the Richmond metropolitan area, reflecting how much of Powhatan
remains agricultural or large-lot residential rather than built up.
Economy & Local Life
Construction employs the most workers in the county, about 2,010 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 1,754 and retail trade at 1,727. Finance and insurance jobs pay
the highest average wage in the county, around $95,507, ahead of professional, scientific and
technical services at $83,640. The county was organised on an agricultural economy until after
the Second World War; it still has working farms and historic plantations, but suburban
residential subdivisions and the retail that follows them have spread west from Richmond and
Chesterfield County in recent decades, especially around Moseley. The homeownership rate,
93.2 percent, is far above the national average, consistent with a county of single-family
subdivisions and farmland rather than rental housing.
History
The Virginia General Assembly created Powhatan County in May 1777, carving it out of the
eastern portion of Cumberland County, between the Appomattox and James rivers. It was named for
Chief Powhatan, paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy and father of Pocahontas. Mosby
Tavern served as the courthouse for the county’s first two years; a permanent courthouse
went up in 1778, and the settlement around it was known as Scottville, after Revolutionary War
general Charles Scott, before later taking the county’s own name.
Manakin Town, in the county’s east, predates the county itself. Between 1700 and 1701,
roughly 390 French Huguenot refugees, fleeing religious persecution in France, landed at
Jamestown and were granted 10,000 acres at the site of an abandoned Monacan village, about 20
miles above the falls of the James River. Virginia’s colonial government wanted them as a
buffer between English settlements and Virginia Indian territory further west. Only about 150 of
the original settlers still lived there by 1705, and their descendants assimilated over the
following century — services at Manakin Episcopal Church shifted gradually from French to
English. The community names Huguenot and Huguenot Springs, in the county’s northeast
today, come directly from that settlement.
Getting There
No interstate crosses Powhatan County; US 60 and US 522 are its main through routes, along
with State Routes 13, 288, 300, 609 and 711.
- Richmond — about 25 miles east
- Farmville — about 35 miles southwest
- Amelia Court House — about 20 miles south
- Goochland Court House — about 15 miles north
Richmond International Airport, roughly 30 miles east of the Powhatan courthouse, is the
nearest major commercial airport. Amtrak’s Northeast Regional trains stop at Richmond’s
Staples Mill Road station, the nearest station to the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Powhatan County located?
It sits in Virginia’s central Piedmont, about 25 miles west of Richmond, bordered by
Goochland, Chesterfield, Henrico, Amelia and Cumberland counties.
What is the population of Powhatan County?
30,333 at the 2020 census, with a more recent five-year estimate near 31,555.
How big is Powhatan County?
262 square miles (680 km2), of which 260 square miles are land and 2.1 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of Powhatan County?
Powhatan is the county seat and the only census-designated place in the county.
How many towns and villages are in Powhatan County?
Powhatan, the county seat and only census-designated place, plus 28 unincorporated communities
including Moseley, Huguenot, Fine Creek Mills and Flat Rock.
What ZIP codes does Powhatan County use?
23139 for Powhatan itself, covering nearly the whole county, and 23120 for Moseley, shared with
neighbouring Chesterfield County.
What is Powhatan County known for?
Manakin Town, the 1700 French Huguenot settlement in its east, and the suburban growth spreading
west from Richmond through communities like Moseley.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Virginia.