About Our Region

 

Culpeper is located in the “heart” of historic Virginia 75 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., 80 Miles northwest of Richmond, 45 miles north of Charlottesville and 45 miles west of Fredericksburg. Culpeper is served by US Routes 15, 29, 211 and 522 and by State primary Routes 229 and Route 3. Interstate Routes 95, 66, 64 and 81 all pass within 45 miles of Culpeper.

 

The Culpeper region officially includes the counties of Culpeper, Madison, Orange, Fauquier and Rappahannock. The Rappahannock Rapidan Regional Planning District is defined by the boundaries of these counties. In addition it can be reasonably assumed that the western portions of Spotsylvania County and the counties of Greene as well a Louisa county is also served by the Culpeper economy. The respective Census Bureau’s population data for these counties are listed here:

 

County	2000 Census	2003 Estimate
Culpeper	34,262	38,555
Fauquier	55,139	61,137
Madison	12,520	13,036
Orange	25,881	28,018
Rappahannock	6,983	7,110
Spotsylvania	90,395	107,838
Louisa	25,627	28,131
Greene	15,244	16779
Area Totals	266,051	300,604

 

Since the 2000 census these counties have experienced, in some cases, dramatic growth due to the ever expanding demand for housing coming out of the Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia area.  A conservative estimate of the current population of the area is 312,000.

 

The median age of the population in the immediate region including the counties of Culpeper, Madison, Fauquier, Orange and Rappahannock is 39.5 years according to the 2000 Census. Per Capita Personal Income for the year 2001 in the same counties is $31,844 or 103.7% of the national average. The average household size is 2.66 as of the 2000 Census. The region’s average unemployment rate for the year 2002 was 3.2%.  Current unemployment rates for the region hover around 3.4%.

 

Being centrally located within the above population area has enabled the local Culpeper economy to thrive in recent years. The downtown area has become a destination point for tourists in search of historical points of interest, unique shopping opportunities and fine dining. The State Theatre being located within the greater downtown area will benefit from this success.