Hanover County, Virginia: A Local Guide to the County North of Richmond

Hanover County, Virginia is what you cross when you drive north from Richmond on Interstate 95. Within twenty minutes the suburbs give way to farms, woods and small crossroads with names like Doswell, Beaverdam and Montpelier. The county seat is Hanover, the only incorporated municipality is Ashland, and the largest community is Mechanicsville. About 110,000 people are living here today.

The questions below are the ones newcomers and visitors ask most often. Each answer points to the guides on this site that go deeper.

Where is Hanover County?

The county lies in central Virginia, directly north and northeast of the state capital, and is part of the Greater Richmond region. Hanover County has a total area of about 474 square miles. The Chickahominy River forms much of its southern border, and the Pamunkey River, which begins where the North Anna and South Anna rivers meet, runs along its northeastern edge.

The neighboring counties are:

• Caroline and Spotsylvania to the north
• Louisa and Goochland to the west
• Henrico to the south
• New Kent and King William to the east

Two highways shape the map. I-95 and U.S. Route 1 run north and south through Ashland and Doswell, and I-295 loops around the capital through Mechanicsville.

Why is it called Hanover?

Hanover was created from part of New Kent County in 1720. The name came from the Electorate of Hanover in Germany, because King George I of Great Britain was its Elector at the time, which tied colonial Virginia to the age of the Hanoverian kings. Many places in the United States carry the names of British royalty, but few have a German one.

Before English settlement, the land along the rivers was home to the Pamunkey and Chickahominy peoples. Both tribes still live in the region today.

What towns are in Hanover County?

Most residents live in communities without a municipal government of their own. Only Ashland, incorporated in 1858, has a mayor and council. Here is how the main places compare:

Place	Status	What it is like
Mechanicsville	census-designated place, about 39,500 people in 2020	the largest community, suburban, close to Richmond
Ashland	incorporated town, 7,565 people in 2020	railroad settlement with a college and a historic center
Hanover	county seat	courthouse, tavern and a few houses
Doswell	rural community	home of Kings Dominion
Montpelier, Beaverdam, Rockville	rural communities	farms, woods and horse country in the west

You can read more in our portraits of Ashland, the “Center of the Universe” with trains running down the middle of the street, and of Mechanicsville, where most of the newer neighborhoods have grown.

How many people live in Hanover County?

The 2020 census found that the population had reached 109,979; in 2010 there were 99,863. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, population and housing have kept growing since then, and recent estimates put the total at more than 115,000. Most of the growth has been in the suburbs between Mechanicsville and Ashland, while the west remains largely rural.

What is Hanover County known for?

Ask three residents and you will get three answers. These come up most often.

Patrick Henry and the colonial past

Patrick Henry was born here in 1736 at Studley, his family’s farm. As a young man he helped his father-in-law John Shelton run Hanover Tavern, and in 1763, at age 27, he argued the Parson’s Cause at the courthouse across the road, the case that made him famous across the colony and later a leading voice of the American Revolution. Henry Clay, the statesman, was also born in the area, in 1777. The colonial courthouse and the tavern still stand today, and Scotchtown, Henry’s home from 1771 to 1778, is open for tours near Beaverdam.

Civil War battlefields

The area saw heavy fighting during the Civil War, in 1862 and again in 1864. In June 1862 two of the Seven Days Battles, Beaver Dam Creek and Gaines’ Mill, were fought near Mechanicsville. In 1864 the armies of Grant and Lee fought at North Anna, Totopotomoy Creek and Cold Harbor. Several of these sites belong to the Richmond National Battlefield Park and have walking trails. Our guide to the Battle of Cold Harbor explains what happened there and what you can see today.

Kings Dominion

The amusement park at Doswell opened in 1975 and draws more than two million visitors per year from across the East Coast. It is also one of the largest employers in the area, next to the warehouses and businesses along I-95 and Route 1. See our Kings Dominion guide for tickets, rides and tips.

Hanover tomatoes

The sandy soils in the east produce tomatoes that people across Virginia ask for by name. In July the community celebrates them at the Hanover Tomato Festival in Pole Green Park.

Is Hanover County a good place to live?

Many families make the move for the public schools, the lower density compared with Henrico and Chesterfield, and the short drive to Richmond. For school-age children, Hanover County Public Schools runs five high schools, and Randolph-Macon College adds a small college feel to the north end of the county. The Pamunkey Regional Library has branches in every part of the area.

There are trade-offs. You need a car for almost everything, public transit is limited, and the west has few shops. The cost of living has also been rising with home prices over the past years. Growth has also brought more traffic on Mechanicsville Turnpike and Route 1.

Things to see in a day

If you have one day, this route covers the highlights:

1. Morning on Railroad Avenue: walk the historic center, watch a train go by and stop at the visitor center in the old station.
2. Late morning at Hanover Courthouse: see the courthouse and have lunch at Hanover Tavern.
3. Afternoon at a battlefield or at Scotchtown, depending on your interest.
4. Evening: dinner in one of the restaurants in the area, or an evening at Pole Green Park in summer.

Key facts at a glance

• Founded: 1720, named for the Electorate of Hanover
• Area: about 474 square miles
• Population: 109,979 at the 2020 census
• County seat: Hanover
• Incorporated town: Ashland
• Largest community: Mechanicsville
• Drive to downtown Richmond: 15 to 30 minutes, depending on where you start
• Age of the oldest public buildings: the courthouse dates from the 1730s