Albemarle County

Albemarle County stretches across a hilly landscape between the Piedmont and the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The area is crossed by forests, farms and smaller communities that spread along the river valleys.

The Virginia General Assembly founded this administrative unit in 1744 and named it after Willem Anne van Keppel, the second Earl of Albemarle. In the following decades, the area became a center of tobacco farming and played an important role in early American history.

The landscape follows the gentle hills of the Piedmont, where vineyards and orchards grow along the country roads and shape the character of the region. Many residents here maintain a close connection to farming and to the history of the founding era.

The area is best explored by car, as many sites and parks are spread across country roads. Charlottesville serves as a central starting point for visits throughout the region and offers most public facilities.

The Rivanna River flows through the area and forms natural boundaries that have shaped settlement patterns since colonial times. Along its banks, the first mills and trading posts of the region emerged.

Location: Virginia

Inception: May 6, 1744

Capital city: Charlottesville

Shares border with: Greene County, Orange County, Louisa County, Fluvanna County, Buckingham County, Nelson County, Augusta County, Rockingham County, Charlottesville

Website: http://albemarle.org

GPS coordinates: 38.03000,-78.56000

Latest update: December 13, 2025 19:25