Spotsylvania's strategic location is not just a geographic advantage.  The site selection process involves many different factors that affect a location’s potential for profitability. In the case of Spotsylvania County, one key factor ties all the rest together: our strategic location.

• More Advanced Infrastructure - located near Northern Virginia, the birthplace of the Internet and throughway for more than 50% of the world’s current Internet traffic, Spotsylvania enjoys a leading-edge telecommunications infrastructure that benefits both high-tech companies and those in more traditional sectors, as well. Our County is linked to a new super-fast fiber-optic network, covering 18,500 miles and enabled by Nortel Networks’ industry-leading, optical-networking technology. Connecting more than 150 cities and designed to deliver the full promise of the Internet and e-commerce, this network makes it possible for sophisticated, multimedia, mission-critical business applications to fly across the Internet at unmatched speed, and with unmatched reliability.  Verizon and GTE have the cutting-edge, far-reaching, reliable technology to help you do business including full telecommunications services like advanced fiberoptic capabilities, WATS lines, and teleprinter services. The County even has a high-tech telecommuting center, built by the General Services Administration for federal workers, but also available for use by private companies.

• Utilities - Spotsylvania County also exceeds expectations when it comes to the basic resources needed for today’s businesses. From electric power to water to natural gas, Spotsylvania has the high-quality utilities and natural resources that help businesses prosper.  Reliable, low-priced electric power, costing 15% less than the national average, is readily available in Spotsylvania from well established, experienced companies with the capacity and the forethought to meet Spotsylvania’s industrial, commercial, and residential needs, both today and in the future.  Columbia Gas of Virginia supplies natural gas and a full spectrum of associated services to approximately 6,000 customers in Spotsylvania and surrounding areas. Although water in some areas of the County is supplied by groundwater wells and springs, most residential, commercial and industrial sites in Spotsylvania are served by the County’s public water system and its ample supply of clean, clear water. The system has a maximum daily production rate of 6 million gallons and finish water-storage capacity of 6.3 million gallons, with plans for a 6-mgd water treatment plant and an 8-mgd reservoir.  The Spotsylvania County landfill has the capacity necessary to accommodate the solid waste needs of a growing industrial area, which means manufacturing and industrial companies can conveniently and cost-effectively do business here. All industrial and commercial establishments are served by private contractors. Commercial haulers who use County landfills are charged a fee.  View more detailed utility and communications information here.

• Soil - The soil we build on and grow in is a key aspect of Spotsylvania’s strategic location for a variety of businesses. Planners, community officials, engineers, developers, builders, and home buyers all have access to Spotsylvania’s comprehensive soil survey data, which can be used to help plan land use, select sites for construction, identify special practices needed to ensure proper performance, and identify productive agricultural or forest lands.

• Woodlands - 70% of Spotsylvania County’s total land area (184,537 acres) is made of up of woodland, much of which consists of second-growth hardwoods, loblolly pine, and Virginia pine, varying in size from seedling and pole to mature saw timber. Timbering is an important industry for the local economy, and the forest potential in the County remains good. While we’ve encouraged growth in Spotsylvania, we also know that woodlands and other natural areas contribute to the high quality of life here, and are actively seeking to maintain them.

• Air Quality - Spotsylvania enjoys good air quality, and most new or expanding industries have no problem meeting air quality standards established by the EPA and State Air Pollution Control Board. Pursuant to the Federal Clean Air Act of 1977, Spotsylvania is classified as an “undesignated” area. 

• High-Tech Territory - Spotsylvania County is located adjacent to Northern Virginia (NOVA), home to more than 6,000 high-tech companies and second in concentration only to Silicon Valley. For more than 12 years, many of these companies have been migrating to Spotsylvania, because, like NOVA, the County offers proximity to Washington, D.C.; access to a well-educated, highly trained workforce; and a sophisticated, high-speed telecommunications infrastructure. In addition, Spotsylvania has lower real estate costs than NOVA, a higher quality of life, lower taxes, a workforce with the right qualifications, and no long commute!

• Smart & Abundant Workforce - Spotsylvania has a low unemployment rate – less than 2% – and yet there is a more than abundant workforce available to businesses here. In addition to the 131,000 workers that live within the Spotsylvania region, nearly one million highly educated, highly mobile workers live within the County’s 40-minute commute zone, which extends into Northern Virginia, a highly interconnected region with a workforce that is both very large and very mobile. What’s more, the Spotsylvania/NOVA workforce boasts educational levels that far surpass the national average, and that have been on the rise for more than a decade.

• Diverse Industry - In Spotsylvania, you’ll find everything from high-tech to back-office, manufacturing to call centers, and retail to warehousing and distribution – a diverse economic base that makes for a strong economic base. In fact, Spotsylvania has been ranked by Demographics Daily as the #1 small-business sector in the U.S.. The study analyzed conditions in each of the 1,003 counties and independent cities that have at least 1,000 small businesses. Spotsylvania was ranked first in the nation, with a vitality index of 602, six times the national benchmark of 100.

• Vigorous Growth - Spotsylvania is the 13th fastest growing county in the nation and has:

• rising employment: a 70% increase regionally between 1990 and 2002 (vs. 21% statewide)
• small business growth: an astronomical rise of 182% from 1993 to 1998 (vs. national average of 8.2%)
• a growing labor pool: already over a quarter million strong, with a 6% annual population increase among the highest in the nation 
• long-term population growth that has been increasing for more than three decades and has grown 57.5% in the past ten years alone.

• Quality of Life - Spotsylvania offers its residents a highly desirable quality of life with many business, recreational, educational and cultural opportunities and a rich history.  Visit quality of life page for more!

Spotsylvania has one of the lowest overall tax burdens of any metropolitan area in the nation, due in part to a state income tax that is among the nation's lowest—six percent—and which hasn't increased since 1971. Local taxation in Spotsylvania County includes taxes on real estate (reassessed every two years; nominal rate/$100 = $0.62), mobile homes, machinery and tools, motor vehicles, and utility purchases. The County prorates cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, campers, motor homes and boats. Unaffected by proration are airplanes, business property, and machinery and tools, which are assessed as of January 1 each year. Click here for sample tax rates, or contact us for for comprehensive tax information, including tax comparison charts.