Hanover County, Virginia

Hanover County is a county in Virginia, United States, about 12 miles north of Richmond and 90
miles south of Washington, D.C. It had a population of 109,979 at the 2020 census, an estimated
116,423 by 2025, and covers 474 square miles (1,230 km2) centred near 37°46′N 77°29′W.

Hanover Courthouse is the county seat, though the community around it counts only 52
residents; its postal code is 23069. The county holds 1 incorporated town, 2 census-designated
places and 9 named unincorporated communities, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is
51085.

Towns & Villages in Hanover County

Hanover County has 12 named places on record: one incorporated town, two census-designated
places (CDPs) and nine unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP
stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no
formal boundary.

Ashland is Hanover County’s only incorporated place and by far its most populous single town,
even though the courthouse village that gives the county its seat sits well outside it. Mechanicsville,
a Richmond-adjacent CDP, holds more people than Ashland and Hanover combined; it should not be
confused with the older courthouse hamlet simply called Hanover, five miles to its north.

ZIP Codes

• 23005 — Ashland
• 23111 — Mechanicsville
• 23116 — Mechanicsville (also covers Atlee)
• 23015 — Beaverdam
• 23047 — Doswell
• 23069 — Hanover, the county seat
• 23146 — Rockville
• 23192 — Montpelier
• 23162 — Studley, a PO Box–only ZIP with no home delivery

Old Church, Elmont and Brown Grove have no ZIP code of their own; mail to all three is
delivered under a neighboring town’s code.

Geography

Hanover County sits on Virginia’s fall line, the boundary where the rolling Piedmont drops to
the flat coastal plain, giving the county both hilly ground in its west and low, flat terrain
toward the east. Of its 474 square miles, 469 are land and 5 are water, about 1.1 percent —
low for the region, since the county has no large natural lake. The North Anna River and South
Anna River join on the Hanover–Caroline county line, about five miles northeast of Ashland,
to form the Pamunkey River, which then runs along the county’s northern edge past Caroline and
King William counties toward West Point.

Caroline County lies to the north, King William County to the northeast, New Kent County to
the east, Henrico County to the south, Goochland County to the southwest, Louisa County to the
west and Spotsylvania County to the northwest. Caroline County, King William County, New Kent County, Henrico County, Goochland County, Louisa County and Spotsylvania County all border
Hanover directly.

Demographics

Hanover County had a population of 109,979 at the 2020 census, and a 2024 estimate puts the
county near 112,879 residents. Mechanicsville and Ashland are the two largest communities, with
Mechanicsville alone holding more than a third of the county’s population. Median household
income runs about $112,805 (2024 estimate), well above Virginia’s statewide figure of $89,931
(2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 234 people per square mile of land, moderate
for a county this close to Richmond, reflecting large stretches of farmland and forest still
left in the county’s northern and western reaches.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 8,426 people,
followed by retail trade at 5,958 and educational services at 5,333. Hanover County government
is itself a major employer, alongside the school system. Bon Secours operates hospital and
outpatient facilities serving the county. Kings Dominion, a large amusement park in Doswell,
draws seasonal crowds and staff from across the region; the adjoining Meadow Event Park, on the
farm where the Triple Crown winner Secretariat was foaled in 1970, hosts the State Fair of
Virginia each fall. Bass Pro Shops, FedEx Ground and The Vitamin Shoppe also run large
distribution or retail operations in the county. Randolph-Macon College, a liberal arts college
that relocated to Ashland in 1868, anchors the town’s economy and street life.

History

Virginia’s colonial assembly formed Hanover County on 26 November 1719, carving it out of New
Kent County and naming it for the Electorate of Hanover in Germany, the ancestral house of King
George I. Patrick Henry, the orator and first post-colonial governor of Virginia, was born in
the county in 1736; statesman Henry Clay was born there in 1777, and Ashland later took his
name from Clay’s Kentucky estate.

Hanover County saw heavy fighting during the Civil War’s Seven Days Battles in 1862, including
the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek near present-day Mechanicsville, and again in 1864 at the Battle
of Cold Harbor, one of the war’s bloodiest engagements. Doswell, originally a railroad junction
called Hanover Junction, was renamed in the early 1890s for Major Thomas Doswell.

Getting There

Interstate 95 and Interstate 295 both cross the county. US Route 1, US Route 33, US Route 301
and US Route 360 also run through Hanover.

• Richmond — about 12 miles south
• Washington, D.C. — about 90 miles north

Richmond International Airport, in neighboring Henrico County, is the nearest commercial
airport; Hanover County shares a seat on the commission that owns and operates it, alongside
Chesterfield and Henrico counties and the city of Richmond. Amtrak’s Northeast Regional trains
stop at the Ashland station, connecting to Richmond, Washington, D.C. and the rest of the
Northeast Corridor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hanover County located?
It sits on Virginia’s fall line between Richmond and Fredericksburg, bordered by Caroline, King
William, New Kent, Henrico, Goochland, Louisa and Spotsylvania counties.

What is the population of Hanover County?
109,979 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 112,879.

How big is Hanover County?
474 square miles (1,230 km2), of which 469 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Hanover County?
Hanover Courthouse, a small community of 52 residents; its postal code is 23069.

How many towns are in Hanover County?
One incorporated town, Ashland, plus the census-designated places Mechanicsville and Hanover and
nine unincorporated communities including Doswell, Montpelier and Old Church.

What ZIP codes does Hanover County use?
23005 for Ashland, 23111 and 23116 for Mechanicsville, 23069 for Hanover, plus Beaverdam,
Doswell, Rockville, Montpelier and the PO Box–only Studley ZIP.

What is Hanover County known for?
Kings Dominion amusement park and Meadow Event Park in Doswell, the birthplace of Secretariat,
and Randolph-Macon College in Ashland.

More counties in this state: Towns
and villages in Virginia.