Chesterfield County was founded on May 25, 1749, by the House of Burgesses.  It was carved from Henrico County to eliminate lengthy travel by residents from the southern Area to the Courthouse for business and court proceedings.

The historic James River borders the county on the northeast and the Appomattox River forms the county's southern boundary. 

Chesterfield County received its name from the Fourth Earl of Stanhope, England's famed Lord Chesterfield. 

Chesterfield was first settled in 1611 at the Citie of Henricus, when residents of Jamestown moved upstream to a "convenient, strong, healthie and sweete seate" for a new town after conditions at Jamestown were too harsh.

The county's rich history includes many historic "firsts," such as:

1611 -- Citie of Henricus was established as the second permanent English
           settlement in the new work
1612 -- Tobacco was first cultivated in America at Bermuda Hundred
1614 - -Bermuda Hundred was the first incorporated town in America
1619 -- Falling Creek was the first iron furnace in the New World
1622 -- Mount Malady, near Dutch Gap, was the site of the first American hospital
1709 -- Midlothian produced the first commercially mined coal in America
1807 -- Midlothian Turnpike was the first paved road in Virginia
1831 -- The Midlothian to Manchester Railroad was the first in Virginia

Drewry's Bluff, which overlooks the James River, was a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War. Cannon and sharpshooter fire from the site prevented a Union raid on Richmond in 1862 that May have shortened the war.

The county's 446 square miles include more than 20 public parks, featuring more than 8,700 acres of green space for nature lovers and sports enthusiasts. Included is Pocahontas State Park, named after the famous Indian Princess, where families are welcome to picnic, bike and hike, camp and swim.

Bounded by the James and Appomattox rivers with 3,000-acre Lake Chesdin on its southern border and Swift Creek in the western section, Chesterfield is an ideal location for fishing and water sports. The Dutch Gap Conservation Area, believed to be the only such site operated by a county government in the country, offers a bounty of birds, fish and waterfowl, as well as raccoon, muskrat, groundhog and deer. It is home to a rare blue heron rookery, bald eagles and songbirds such as the yellow-throated warbler.

Chesterfield County’s central location on the eastern seaboard places it within a one-day drive of 50 percent of the U.S. population.

Here, there's an abundance of historical landmarks and sites, including the 1611 Citie of Henricus, Magnolia Grange, the Courthouse Complex and Castlewood. Civil War sites include Drewry’s Bluff, Howlett Line Park, Parker’s Battery, Fort Darling Battlefield Park, Bermuda Hundred and more.

Chesterfield County is located just one hour from Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown, America’s first permanent English settlement; Washington, D.C., Virginia Beach and the Blue Ridge Parkway are just two hours away; and Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens theme parks are both less than an hour away.