Hanover County Community Guide

Hanover Virginia courthouse.

Hanover County, founded in 1720, is an urban and rural suburb of Richmond in Central Virginia.

The county has a population of more than 107,000 people, according to the 2019 U.S. Census. It is 86 percent White, 9.5 percent Black and 4.5 percent other.

There are more than 38,000 housing units with an average of more than 2.6 people per household. The median income is $88,652, the census says.

Crime and Safety

The Hanover sheriff’s department has 233 authorized law enforcement, 31 court services and 21 non-sworn positions, according to the sheriff’s website. Law enforcement activities include 73 percent uniform operations, 18 percent investigations and 9 percent staff and administration.

Offenses declined 4.4 percent between 2019 and 2018. The largest number of offenses were drug and alcohol violations followed by simple assaults. The crime rate is 3.2 percent per thousand people.

Volunteer programs include reserve officer, motorist assistance, courtesy patrol, chaplain program, fleet services, administrative services, training, academy and citizen, senior and youth academies.

Schools

Hanover has four high schools, three specialty schools, four middle schools and 15 elementary schools. The district has about 17,500 students, according to the school district.

The high schools are Atlee, Hanover, Mechanicsville and Patrick Henry. The specialty schools are The Georgetown School, Hanover Online and Hanover Center for Trades and Technology.

The middle schools are Bell Creek, Chickahominy, Liberty and Oak Knoll. The elementary schools are Battlefield Park, Beaver Dam, Cold Harbor, Cool Spring, Elmont, Henry Clay, John M. Gandy, Kersey Creek, Laurel Meadow, Mechanicsville, Pearson’s Corner, Pole Green, Rural Point, South Anna and Washington Henry.

Government

The county government has seven elected supervisors and five elected officers. The Seven elected officers and their districts are:

1. Ashland District: Faye O. Prichard (D)
2. Beaverdam District: Aubrey M. “Bucky” Stanley (R)
3. Chickahominy District: Angela C. Kelly-Wiecek (R)
4. Cold Harbor District: F. Michael Herzberg (R)
5. Henry District: Sean M. Davis (R)
6. Mechanicsville District: W. Canova Peterson (R)
7. South Anna District: Wayne T. Hazzard (R)

The five elected officers and their roles are:

1. Clerk of the Circuit Court: Frank D. Hargrove Jr. (R)
2. Commissioner of the Revenue: T. Scott Harris (R)
3. Commonwealth’s Attorney: R. E. “Trip” Chalkley III (R)
4. Sheriff: David R. Hines (R)
5. Treasurer: M. Scott Miller (R)

The county administrator, who is appointed by county supervisors, is John A. Budesky. The county also has three deputy administrators.