Gloucester County, Virginia
Gloucester is steeped in history of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. It was the site of Werowocomoco, a capital of the Native American group known as the Powhatan Confederacy. It was home to members of early First Families of Virginia and important colonial leaders leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Thomas Jefferson is said to have composed much of his early work for Virginia and colonial independence at Rosewell Plantation overlooking the York River, then the home of his close friend and fellow student in Williamsburg at the College of William and Mary, John Page. From one of the First Families of Virginia, John Page himself was a famous patriot serving as both Governor of Virginia and in the U.S. Congress; Gloucester County Public Schools named Page Middle School in his honor. As the war came to a conclusion at Yorktown directly across from Gloucester Point, the county almost served as the escape route for the British land forces led by General Cornwallis. A French effort kept British naval forces from assisting him.
Long the domain of Virginia watermen and its fishing industries, Gloucester County is also rich in farmland. It is home to two Starbucks, a Walmart as well as several smaller companies and a regional, family-owned chain of supermarkets which contribute to its small town, friendly, southern atmosphere, such as the stores around the main street area at the county seat, Gloucester Courthouse.
Despite the retention of rural and small-town aspects, Gloucester County and adjacent Mathews County are also considered a portion of the greater Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia, linked by the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge a toll facility across the York River carrying U.S. Route 17 to the Virginia Peninsula area. The zip code is 23061, and the telephone area code 804. Gloucester County is also referred to as the daffodil capitol of the world, and features an annual daffodil parade.