Land clearing in Prince William County, opposite McCoart Administrative Center
Questions to Explore This Week
- why did the county courthouses move?
- how are the 4 towns and 2 cities different from the county, and different from Home Owner Associations?
- where would you locate new VRE stations in Prince William?
- will Metro ever come to Potomac Mills... and would the county really benefit?
- do you expect to see a commuter ferry along the Potomac River?
1) Courthouses of Prince William County
- Atlas of Historical County Boundaries online mapping tool
- Legislation Creating Prince William County, Virginia
- Where It All Began
- The First Courthouse of Prince William County and map
- Second Prince William County Courthouse and map
- more on second courthouse: Cedar Run Court House Site, interpretive exhibit, and map
- Benjamin Tompkins and the Third Prince William County Courthouse
- Courthouse History (note that Haymarket had a judicial courthouse, but was never the "seat" of the county)
- third courthouse: Prince William County Court House and map
- fourth courhouse: Brentsville and map
- Fifth Prince William County Courthouse and map
- Old Manassas Courthouse
- in contrast, look at the stability of the location of the Loundoun County Courthouse in the town of Leesburg
2) County vs. Town vs. City in Virginia
- charter for City of Manassas
- now compare with Chapter III, Section 4 of the Manassas Park charter (on page 8). Can the mayor of Manassas Park routinely vote on issues, just like the Chair of the Board of County Supervisors in Prince William County?
3) Towns in Prince William County
- A Brief History of the Town of Quantico
- review The History of the Prince William County Waterfront from an earlier class
- In Reston, A Push To Become A Real Town (Washington Post, July 10, 2005)
- Revenue and the Proposed Town of Reston
- Key Features Of Reston Citizens Association's 2007 Proposal For Reston To Become A Town
4) Virginia Railway Express (VRE) in Prince William - Now and In the Future
- Motor Fuels Sales Tax newsletter
- I-95 4th Lane Widening Project
- Virginia Railway Express Gainesville-Haymarket Extension Implementation Plan
5) Will Metro Come South to Prince William... and What Would Happen If It Arrived?
- Charting the Future of the National Capital Region: 1957 2007 2057
6) Is a Ferry From Prince William to DC Feasible?
- Ferry Boat Feasibility Study
- Luxury Hotel and Conference Center Planned for Harbor Station
- County gets money to study bus, ferry transportation (The Potomac News, February 26, 2008) (also on Blackboard)