Вирджиния штатындағы Огаста округі

County in Virginia, United States

Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The second largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its county seat is Staunton, but most of the administrative services have offices in neighboring Verona. The county was created in 1738 from part of Orange County and was named after Princess Augusta of Saxe Gotha. It was originally a huge area, but many of its parts were carved out to form other counties and several states until the current borders were finalized in 1790. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 77,487. Along with Staunton and Waynesboro, it forms the Staunton–Waynesboro, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Augusta County was formed in 1738 from Orange County, although, because few people lived there, the county government was not organized until 1745. It was named for Augusta of Saxe Gotha, Princess of Wales and mother of the future King George III of the United Kingdom. Originally, Augusta County was a vast territory with an indefinite western boundary. Most of what is now West Virginia as well as the whole of Kentucky were within its early bounds. Additionally, the territory north and west of those areas, theoretically all the way to the Pacific Ocean, were as well. It is the third largest county in Virginia by land area and second largest by total area.

The county is divided into seven magisterial districts: Beverley Manor, Middle River, North River, Pastures, Riverheads, South River, and Wayne.

The county is serviced by Augusta County Public Schools.

As of the Census of 2000, there were 65,615 people, 24,818 households, and 18,911 families residing in the county. The population density was There were 26,738 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the county was 95.02% White, 3.60% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 24,818 households, of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.70% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.80% were non families. 20.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,045, and the median income for a family was $48,579. Males had a median income of $31,577 versus $24,233 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,744. About 4.20% of families and 5.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.40% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.

The Augusta County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency in Augusta County. The ACSO was created in 1745 when James Patton was elected as the first sheriff. The ACSO was accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Accreditation Coalition. The agency is currently headed by Sheriff Donald Smith. The ACSO currently has 72 sworn deputies and 6 dispatchers. In 2021, the sheriff's department arrested eight individuals for protesting outside the Sheriff's Office. In response to the shooting of two men by deputies earlier that year, the protestors wanted deputies to use body cameras. Most of the charges were thrown out by a judge in 2022. Body cameras were not included in the 2022 budget: initially the county board of supervisors instead created a fund for body cameras that the community could donate to, but they shortly rescinded that decision over a desire to avoid contributions to the fund by the protesting group.

The independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro (incorporated as such in 1902 and 1948 respectively) are located within the boundaries of Augusta County, but are not a part of the county, despite Staunton's status as the county seat. Most county administrative offices, however, are located in Verona, rather than in Staunton.