James City County, Virginia

James City County
County
James City County-Williamsburg Combined Courthouse
Flag Seal Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°19′N 76°46′W / 37.31°N 76.77°W / 37.31; -76.77
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	1619 (as James Cittie)
Named for	James I of England
Seat	Williamsburg
Area
• Total	179 sq mi (460 km2)
• Land	142 sq mi (370 km2)
• Water	37 sq mi (100 km2)  20.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	78,254
• Density	440/sq mi (170/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.jamescitycountyva.gov

James City County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,254.^[1] Although politically separate from the county, the county seat is the adjacent independent city of Williamsburg.^[2]

Located on the Virginia Peninsula, James City County is included in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the county.

First settled by the English colonists in 1607 at Jamestown in the Virginia Colony, the county was formally created in 1634 as James City Shire by order of King Charles I. James City County is considered one of only five original shires of Virginia to still be extant today in essentially the same political form. The Jamestown 2007 celebration marked the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.

Tourism is a major part of the region's economy, as is high technology. The College of William and Mary is nearby, as well as NASA, Jefferson Laboratory, and numerous defense contractors, giving the region the highest concentration of scientists and engineers per capita in the nation. James City County is home to the Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park, the Kingsmill Resort, and the Williamsburg Pottery Factory. The Historic Jamestowne and Jamestown Settlement attractions combine with Colonial Williamsburg, and are linked to Yorktown by the National Park Service's Colonial Parkway.