York County, Virginia

York County
County
York County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°13′N 76°26′W / 37.22°N 76.44°W / 37.22; -76.44
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	1634
Named for	York
Seat	Yorktown
Largest community	Grafton
Area
• Total	215 sq mi (560 km2)
• Land	105 sq mi (270 km2)
• Water	110 sq mi (300 km2)  51.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	70,045
• Density	330/sq mi (130/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.yorkcounty.gov

York County (formerly Charles River County) is a county in the eastern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in the Tidewater. As of the 2020 census, the population was 70,045.^[1] The county seat is the unincorporated town of Yorktown.^[2]

Located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula, with the York River as its northern border, York County is included in the Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA–NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

York County contains many tributaries of the York River. It shares land borders with the independent cities of Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, and Poquoson, as well as James City County, and shares a border along the York River with Gloucester County.

Formed in 1634 as Charles River Shire, one of the eight original shires (counties) of the Virginia Colony,^[3] and renamed York County in 1643,^[4] York County is one of the oldest counties in the United States. Yorktown is one of the three points of the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia. It is the site of the last battle and surrender of British forces in 1781 at the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War, when the patriots gained independence from Great Britain.

In modern times, several important U.S. military installations have been developed in the county. It also has miles of waterfront residential and recreational areas. York County adjoins the Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park and includes within its borders the affiliated Water Country USA water park, the Yorktown Riverfront area, Yorktown Battlefield and Visitor Center and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Yorktown is linked by the National Park Service's bucolic Colonial Parkway with Colonial Williamsburg and historic attractions at Jamestown, Virginia. Heritage tourism to the Historic Triangle draws international visitors and is a major economic activity for the county.